Kendrick Bourne Shares 49ers' New Simplified Mindset For Playoff Run

It's the all-important final four games to close out the regular season.

Oct 19, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kendrick Bourne (84) before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers’ bye week is officially over as they enter a crucial four-game stretch to close out the regular season.

The 49ers entered the bye week as the No. 7 seed, but have moved up to No. 6 following the results of Week 14.

The 49ers sit just one game back of their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, who currently occupy the No. 1 and No. 5 seeds. Any stumble from either team, combined with a strong finish from San Francisco, could open the door for a significant rise in the NFC standings. Finishing the regular season as the No.1 seed could happen.

Regardless of where the 49ers ultimately land, the NFL currently projects their playoff chances at 90%, meaning falling short of the postseason from this point would be disastrous.

But as they’ve shown all season, the 49ers’ front office isn’t looking any further than the next game, even with a final four-game stretch that includes the Tennessee Titans and three playoff-chasing teams: the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, and Seattle Seahawks.

The mentality heading into this final stretch reflects what the team has preached to its players all season, with wide receiver Kendrick Bourne emphasizing the importance of focusing on what they can control.

"The league right now is crazy. Everybody has a lot of wins, so we just never know what could happen, but it feels good to move up," Bourne stated on Monday.

"As a team, we can't get caught up in that. We gotta do what we can control and you'd hate to put your fate in someone else's hands. A lot of teams might have to deal with that. If a team could help us I'm rooting them to win, but you don't want that to be your fate.

"[It's about] working as you work, but if you're at a position like we are, it helps you regardless."

Making the playoffs would mark a remarkable season for the 49ers, but aiming for a Super Bowl feels somewhat ambitious. Still, the year has shown there is no clearly dominant team in the NFC. Case in point: the 49ers defeated the Rams this season, who currently occupy the top seed.

And should they make the playoffs, there's little that drives a team more than the opportunity to compete in front of their home fans on football’s biggest stage and end a three-decade-long championship drought.

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