San Francisco 49ers head into bye week as legitimate Super Bowl contender | Opinion
Don’t let the San Francisco 49ers’ 4-4 record fool you.
In front of a sea of red at SoFi Stadium in Week 8, the 49ers made a statement.
The 49ers are the favorite to win the NFC West title and a legitimate Super Bowl contender.
After trailing 14-10 at halftime, the 49ers gained 230 yards, limited the Los Angeles Rams to just 58 yards and scored 21 unanswered points in a dominant second half to defeat the Rams, 31-14. It was an authoritative performance by a 49ers team playing without wide receiver Deebo Samuel, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, defensive lineman Arik Armstead and others.
Running back Christian McCaffrey, who was acquired by the 49ers on Oct. 20, displayed on Sunday that he is the type of player that can lift the 49ers over the top. McCaffrey had a passing touchdown, a touchdown catch and a rushing touchdown in the win. He’s just the fourth player since the 1970 merger to have one passing touchdown, a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in a single game.
“That’s awesome. Obviously, those things are really cool. I think the biggest thing is coming out with a win and playing a second half like that, too. I think what I’m happy most about is this whole team welcoming me in with open arms,” McCaffrey said. “I’m proud to be a 49er.”
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The 49ers have won eight consecutive regular-season games versus the Rams and head into their Week 9 bye as confident as any team in football following an emphatic win over their archrival.
San Francisco isn’t your typical .500 football team.
The 49ers swept the Rams this season by a combined score of 55-23. Plus, the 49ers already beat the surprising Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. The 49ers are 3-0 in the division and enter their bye performing like the class of the NFC West and a Super Bowl contender.
“That is huge, 3-0 in the division in terms of playoff stuff down the line,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. "Being a veteran player, I know what that means, but you don’t want to drop four games to start the year. But at the same time, if we take in what we’ve learned from those four games and allow it to harden us and make us a better team than obviously we’ll look back and be like, ‘man, I’m happy we took something from it.’”
The Seahawks (5-3) are the current NFC West leader and the Rams are the reigning Super Bowl champions, but Sunday’s victory felt like a changing of the guard in the division.
After their Week 9 bye, the 49ers’ next two games are on primetime Sunday night against the Los Angeles Chargers and then a Monday night tilt versus the Arizona Cardinals. The 49ers should get some of their reinforcements back, and they’ll have as good of a chance as any NFL team to go on a second-half surge.
The 49ers have a top five defense and multiple playmakers on offense. If the 49ers continue to perform like they did on Sunday, they'll be a real threat in the NFC.
“I’m very well aware of the record. 4-4, it’s one game better, but a hell of a lot better than 3-5. But you have to be prepared for that either way. None of that stuff I get too caught up in. It’s about getting better throughout injuries and throughout the year,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “To get this win right now and get into the bye. Those guys have earned it. Hopefully we get healthier and get some guys back. We definitely put ourselves in a much better position to come back and try to make a run at this.”
Follow USA TODAY Sports' Tyler Dragon on Twitter @TheTylerDragon.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 49ers prove Super Bowl contender status in win vs. NFC West-rival Rams
