Once the clocks get set back, the San Francisco 49ers turn into juggernauts. That’s been the case since 2022, save for a disastrous 2024 season. The Niners are 23-8 in November and December regular-season games since ’22. Here’s a breakdown by year:
2022: 9-0
2023: 7-2
2024: 2-7
2025: 7-2
The only way to beat that 2022 team was by having a defender ensure that then-rookie Brock Purdy couldn’t throw a forward pass.
There’s an asterisk next to 2023, since one of those losses was a meaningless Week 18
game. The other one came when Purdy was in a giving mood on Christmas.
I remember traveling to Lambeau Field in 2024 around Thanksgiving. Brandon Allen started that game. That sums up the second half.
In ‘25, the schedule all but guaranteed the 49ers a postseason berth.
Post-bye performances
If we look at how San Francisco has performed after their bye, it’s been just as impressive.
The last time the 49ers lost after a bye was Week 7 of 2021. Jimmy Garoppolo threw two interceptions and lost a fumble, as did Deebo Samuel. Carson Wentz found Michael Pittman to ice the game in the fourth quarter, making it 30-18.
Garoppolo was still under center for the 49ers game after their 2022 bye. At home against the Chargers, the Niners trailed 13-3 before shutting Los Angeles down and holding them scoreless in the second half. Up 22-16 with 49 seconds remaining, Talanoa Hufanga picked off Justin Herbert to end the game.
Week 10 in 2023 might’ve been the most dominant performance we’ve seen from Shanahan coming out of a bye. On a rainy day in Jacksonville, the 49ers squeezed the life out of the Jags, holding them to 221 yards and only three points. George Kittle outran the defense to open the half for a 66-yard touchdown to make it 20-3. Hufanga picked off Trevor Lawrence, sealing the deal and cementing the Niners as contenders. Both teams left the game 6-3, but one team was for real.
In 2024, the 49ers beat Tampa Bay and were 5-4 after their bye. Despite a 23-20 win, the signs were there. Jake Moody missed three field goals. The offense couldn’t run the ball. There were glimpses of excellence from Ricky Pearsall, but that would be the last of the successes that season.
Getting the Titans in Week 15 off a bye was a gift from the 2025 schedule makers. Purdy had three touchdowns and seven incompletions. His QBR was nearly triple Cam Ward’s. A 37-24 score looks closer than the game actually was, thanks to a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns by Tennessee.
We have seen a second-half surge under Shanahan’s teams.
Their post-bye excellence should continue with a home game against a Raiders team that was outgained by the Jets. Depending on how you feel about the rest of the schedule, the No. 1 seed is the Niners to lose, even with a couple of slip-ups along the way.
It won’t be easy, especially if Mike Evans misses multiple weeks. But reinforcements on the other side of the ball take pressure off the offense from needing to score 30 points a game until Evans returns.
