The stakes are high as the 49ers quickly turn the page to their "Thursday Night Football" matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15. The 49ers, who are 6-7 on the year following a 38-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday, are still in playoff contention with four weeks left in the season.
But without looking too far ahead, the most important important piece to the playoff scenario puzzle includes a win against their in-state rival to the south. The Rams are currently second in the NFC West standings with a 7-6 record behind the 8-5 Seattle Seahawks, who also boast three wins within the division. The 49ers share an identical record with the Arizona Cardinals but are 1-3 in their NFC West matchups.
If San Francisco can even out the 2024 series with Los Angeles, they'll make some headway in the division race.
"Last week felt like the playoffs already," head coach Kyle Shanahan said. "Since that Buffalo week, every week is a playoff week. So, it feels like it this week, and hopefully we can take care of business so next week feels the same."
The recipe for success for the 49ers in Week 14 was complementary football. The offense got off to a hot start by scoring on their opening drive in just over two minutes and went on to net 30-plus points. The 49ers have hit this 30-point benchmark five times this season and have yet to lose a game when they light up the scoreboard in that fashion. Meanwhile, the defense shutout the Bears in the first half and limited them to 162 total yards.
San Francisco had limited time to enjoy the win this week with a primetime game slated in just a few days.
"I feel like we do have some momentum right now, but we do have to continue to earn that, over and over again," quarterback [Brock Purdy](/team/players-roster/brock-purdy/) said. "It's not just going to be some magical thing. We got to put in the work. We've got to study, and we've got to go out and prove it and continue to have that. That's been the case in the past couple years, and that hasn't changed since."
Another possible reason for the spark that fueled the 49ers in Week 14 was changeup to the team meeting the night before the game. Shanahan had defensive back [Deommodore Lenoir](/team/players-roster/deommodore-lenoir/) and Purdy, share some words with the team, and it fired up the ranks.
"Brock is definitely one of the leaders on our team. He's been that way since he took over as quarterback," Shanahan said. "The guys just enjoyed hearing him talk. I think everyone knows how Brock is, and he's as consistent as anyone in our building. Anytime your quarterback gets up there and says what he's expecting to do the next day, what he's expecting from the guys around him, carries a lot of weight."
"(Shanahan) used to, when he was first starting out as head coach, he would have vets talk about things that were important to them and why they play the game," Kittle said on Sunday. "He hasn't done it for a while. He had DMo get up and talk, and DMo's not really - while he looks loud while he is on the football team - he's a lead by example (guy), lead the way that he plays.
"When you give guys like that an opportunity to speak in front of the team, it means a lot."
When Shanahan asked if he would ask players to speak at the team meeting this week, he replied, "I'm not superstitious, but I'm a little stitious, so they might have to do it."