49ers to Finish the 2020 Season in Arizona
They're not coming back.
At least not this year. Santa Clara County extended its Covid-19 restrictions which ban contact sports through January 8. So what was supposed to be a three-week hiatus in Glendale, Arizona for the 49ers now will turn into a five-week extended stay.
The 49ers were shocked when they first found out they were evicted from Levi's Stadium. This recent news came as no surprise.
"The day we were made to leave, we pretty much assumed that would happen," head coach Kyle Shanahan said Friday on a conference call. "That's why we made the decision early. We weren't going to wait for something we knew was inevitable. We have been planning on getting our families down here. I know not everyone can do it, but anyone who can is getting their families down. I know mine is coming tomorrow. They'll go through a testing service. As long as that goes well, I will be able to see them Sunday night. I think a lot of people are in the same boat."
The 49ers have lost both of their games since they moved to Arizona, and they have a mere microscopic chance to make the playoffs. They don't have much to play for.
"I thought we had a chance to really start going and get better every week," Shanahan said. "But since we've come here, I think we've taken two steps back. So I haven't thought at all about the playoffs. It's important to me that we play better. There is a certain standard that we expect. No matter what your excuses are, I know we can play better than we have these past two weeks. That's really all I've talked about. That's the one thing we can control. And when you can focus on what you can control, it makes things a little bit easier.
"So I'm trying to get guys to only focus on their jobs and do better than what we've done, because we can't afford to keep taking steps back. As things get harder, you have to be more focused and play better. I know our team is very excited to get out of here for a couple days. It's going to nice to be in a different stadium just to get a little different scenery. But I'm expecting us to play a lot better than we have, and I'll be very disappointed if we don't."
