Happy Festivus to all of you. Whatever you celebrate, I hope your year ends with joy, happiness, and 49ers wins. We took some time off from the mailbag, but I brought it back for the holiday week.
If you
want to see your question, mingle over to the feed when I put a call out for questions. I’ll try to answer the best I can.
Lots of asks about what the 49ers are after the Indianapolis Colts win. My answer is they don’t have the defense they had, but if the offense can play crisp, I don’t know who beats them. The Colts defense isn’t the greatest, but it’s far from a “bad” defense either. I thought the entire game was impressive.
The one thing I learned is that if the 49ers have to put the game on their defense, that might not yield a favorable outcome. If they just put the pedal down and score points on offense, that won’t be an issue.
Ok, let’s get to your questions:
Patrick — you live in Seattle, so this is probably a “duh” question, but… do you love tartar sauce on your french fries fries as much as I do? I mean, way better than ketchup, right?
-Spartan83
Tarter sauce isn’t a bad choice. Fry sauce will always be my go-to for fries and tater tots.
Okay, now a football question…
Heading into 2025, the 49ers top two wide receivers were expected to be Brandon Aiyuk (eventually) and Ricky Pearsall. One hasn’t played at all; the other, sparingly
If you were John Lynch, how hard would you try to re-sign Jennings? And how high would you be willing to go in terms of a contract?
-Spartan83
I’d try pretty hard. Having Pearsall, Jennings, and maybe Kendrick Bourne would be a solid wide receiver corps. It also makes some consistency for Brock Purdy. Aside from the on-field benefit, it also reduces pressure for the 49ers to grab a wide-out in the 2026 NFL Draft. Part of the issue with Jennings was money—money the 49ers simply didn’t have. Now, with Brandon Aiyuk all but certain to leave the 49ers, they not only have a hole, but money to pay for a wide receiver.
Matt Barrows said in his recent mailbag that he thinks Jennings will test the open marke,t and I have to agree. With that in mind, I bet the 49ers will be in direct communication with him during negotiations, and Jennings might give the 49ers a chance to match whatever offer he gets. We’ll see. If I’m the 49ers, I don’t let Jennings walk.
Niners host Bears.
Best way to exploit them?
Something they do well that attacks something we don’t?
Who wins?
-NYNiners
I think the best way to exploit the Bears is not to walk away from the red zone with field goals. The Bears managed to keep the Green Bay Packers from scoring for much of their game last Saturday. The 49ers cannot let that happen. They need to get points. I don’t want to even think of them getting into a shootout with Caleb Williams after that deep shot he threw last week.
I do think the 49ers win this game. The defense is still a work in progress because of age, but it’s underrated. It also did well against the run in Indianapolis. I think they can clamp down a few times on the Bears’ rushing attack to keep them in check. If they can walk away from the red zone with points, then they’ll win it.
What is your favorite way to eat duck? Yes, Mar, I meant to type duck
-CanWeCloneJoe
Turducken.
Ok, so for Christmas dinner, should I cook Lamb roast or prime rib roast? What would you choose?
—ak4niner
I do prime rib. I do a dry brine for about 48-72 hours of just salt, pepper, and garlic. Christmas morning, I cover it in butter, plug the fat cap with garlic cloves, and then put it into the smoker at 220. Once it hits 115-125, I transfer it to an oven set to broil at 500 degrees. Do that for 10 minutes, and let it rest. Get some mashed potatoes ready, and you have a good Christmas meal.
So, for my honest question, and since I respect your opinion…
Our offense has been playing well and Purdy is lights-out awesome. However, our D is young and has some issues. Taking off the red and gold colored glasses, what are our honest-to-goodness chances of making the Superbowl? I don’t care if it’s via the 1st seed, 7th seed or anything in between.
—ak4niner
My honest opinion: they have a good chance. As I’ve said when this is brought up this year, some things are going to need to go their way for them to make it to the NFC Championship game, but this isn’t a bottom-feeding team. I do think they can make the Super Bowl, also. Unlike prior seasons, it won’t be on the defense; it will be on Brock Purdy. If he can play like he did on Monday Night for the rest of the season and postseason, the 49ers can get to the Super Bowl. In many ways, this is shaping up to be Brock Purdy’s answer to all the criticism. He has no defense, no Brandon Aiyuk, and he had to miss games because of turf toe. If he wins it all, I think of just how great a story this season would be for the Purdy legacy. It would also solidify him as one of the best quarterbacks in the league.
I digress: I think the chances are good. If the 49ers beat the Bears and Seahawks convincingly, I don’t know who beats them in the NFC (maybe the Rams?)
Now we know who got the nod(s), which 49er was the biggest “snub” from the Pro Bowl?
—Zomboid
That’s easy: Eddy Pineiro. Brandon Aubrey got the nod for this year, but Pineiro has been lights out all year after the 49ers gave Jake Moody the boot. Even when he was missing kicks, I was impressed; look at that Indianapolis drill he attempted at 64 yards to end the first half. He didn’t make it, but darn it, I can’t fault him for how far he was kicking from.
That’s the only field goal he’s missed, too. Pinerio went 27 for 28.
Meanwhile, Aubrey is 32 for 36. I guess the volume was what they were looking for. Probably why I knew Thomas Morstead wouldn’t be in the Pro Bowl. Someone who hasn’t punted for almost a month probably hasn’t displayed enough to get voted into that game.
