The air in Santa Clara feels a little different this week. It’s heavy. If you’ve been following this team as long as I have, you know that "almost" is a word that’s started to define the modern era of San Francisco football. Honestly, it’s exhausting. We all spent the last few months wondering if this was the year we’d finally see the 49ers to the Super Bowl again, especially after the heartbreak of years past.
But football is a cruel teacher.
The 2025-2026 season was supposed to be the "Last Dance" or the "Revenge Tour" or whatever catchy marketing slogan the front office could dream up. Instead, it became a masterclass in resilience—until the wheels finally came off in the Pacific Northwest.
The Mid-Season Crisis and the Resurgence
People forget how shaky things looked in October. Remember that Week 10 loss to the Rams? 42-26. At Levi’s. It was ugly. Brock Purdy looked human, the defense was giving up explosive plays like they were handing out candy, and the "Super Bowl window" talk started to sound like a joke.
Then, something clicked.
Klay Kubiak and Robert Saleh—yeah, having Saleh back on the sidelines felt like a warm, aggressive blanket—straightened out the identity. They went on a tear. Purdy started playing "within himself" again, which is a nice way of saying he stopped trying to be Josh Allen and started being the efficient point guard this system demands.
They finished 12-5. Not the #1 seed, but dangerous.
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That Wild Card Heart-Stopper in Philly
If you didn’t have a minor heart attack during the Wild Card round against the Eagles, are you even a Niners fan? Winning 23-19 at Lincoln Financial Field is basically impossible, but they did it.
It was a game of bizarre stats:
- Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles) had two picks.
- Demarcus Robinson—the guy everyone forgot we signed—put up 111 yards and a score.
- Christian McCaffrey scored a touchdown for the eighth straight playoff game.
But the cost was massive. George Kittle being carted off with an Achilles injury in the second quarter felt like the air leaving a balloon. You could see it on Kyle Shanahan's face. He knew. We all knew. Winning without the "People’s Tight End" is a different sport entirely.
Why the 49ers to the Super Bowl Dream Died in Seattle
The Divisional Round was... well, it was a disaster. 6-41.
You can’t win in Seattle when you're starting rookies and "castoffs" (as the Locked On 49ers guys accurately put it) on defense because your stars are in the training room. Fred Warner tried to come back from a broken ankle, but he wasn't active. Ji’Ayir Brown was out. The defense was basically a "Who's That?" of late-season additions like Eric Kendricks.
Seattle didn't just beat them; they bullied them.
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It's tempting to blame Purdy or the lack of a run game, but honestly, the roster was just spent. You can only ask Christian McCaffrey to carry the world on his shoulders for so many seasons before the physics of the NFL catch up.
The "What If" Factor
What most people get wrong about the Niners' quest for a ring is the idea that the "window" is wide open. It’s more like a window that’s stuck and requires a lot of WD-40.
The defense finished 13th in points against. That’s not "championship" caliber in SF. We’re used to top-five. The transition to Saleh’s 4-3 again had growing pains, and while the rookies like Upton Stout and CJ West looked great, they weren't ready for the playoff pressure cooker of Lumen Field.
Also, we have to talk about the "Chiefs Ghost."
Even if the Niners had made it past Seattle, the shadow of Patrick Mahomes looms over every Super Bowl conversation. The Eagles ended up beating the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX (February 2025), and they did it by being "stouter" than the Niners ever were. They didn't let off the gas. They didn't play scared.
The 49ers, in their last few trips, played scared in the fourth quarter.
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What’s Next for the Faithful?
So, where does that leave us?
Brock Purdy is 26. He’s about to get paid. Like, "reset the market" paid. When that happens, the roster-building gets ten times harder. You can't just go out and buy a Javon Hargrave every offseason. You have to hit on every single draft pick.
John Lynch has a massive task this spring. The offensive line is still Trent Williams and a bunch of "guys." Trent isn't getting younger. If he retires, the 49ers to the Super Bowl conversation shifts from "when" to "how."
Actionable Steps for the Offseason
If you’re a fan looking for hope, here’s what actually needs to happen to get back to the big game in 2027:
- Fix the Right Side of the Line: We cannot keep relying on 37-year-old Trent Williams to be the entire pass protection scheme. The draft needs to be 100% focused on O-line depth.
- The Kittle Succession Plan: George is a legend, but the Achilles injury is a career-alterer. The Niners need a high-end TE2 who can actually block and catch, not just a specialist.
- Secondary Stability: Relying on late-season pickups to cover DK Metcalf or CeeDee Lamb is a recipe for a 41-6 blowout. They need a lockdown corner via trade or a high-value free agent.
- Purdy's Evolution: Brock needs to prove he can win a shootout when the run game is stuffed. In the Seattle loss, the offense looked one-dimensional the second they fell behind.
The 2026 season was a wild ride, but it proved that talent alone doesn't buy a trophy. You need health, you need a little luck, and you need to stop letting off the gas when you're up by ten. Until then, we’re just the team that "almost" did it. Again.
Keep an eye on the scouting combine results for offensive tackles. That's where the next Super Bowl run actually begins.