One player still believes the 49ers can make a deep playoff run

Guess who.

Nov 9, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Brian Robinson Jr. (3) and San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) celebrate after a touchdown during the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

I've never seen a more deflated 6-4 football team than the 49ers.

They lost to the Rams 42-26 on Sunday. There's no shame in losing to them. They might win the Super Bowl this season, and the 49ers beat them a few weeks ago. And yet, given how poorly the 49ers' defense played, and how many injuries that unit has suffered this season, and how the front office chose not to add anyone at the trade deadline, they seemed like a team that knew it wasn't going anywhere.

The locker room was quiet and sparse. The players who did stick around talked at their lockers about not getting too high after wins, whatever that means. It seemed like they were trying to say the right things, but their hearts weren't in it.

And then, George Kittle spoke at the podium in the 49ers' interview room.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

Keep in mind, Kittle is relentlessly optimistic, and he knows football. Plus, he can articulate better than the 49ers' head coach, Kyle Shanahan. In lots of ways, Kittle is the voice of the team, especially when he has something to say.

At his post-game press conference, Kittle answered big-picture questions about the state of the 49ers and sounded as upbeat as anyone could after losing at home by 16 points.

So, I asked Kittle if he still believes the 49ers can make a deep postseason run despite this loss to the Rams.

"Yes, I do," Kittle said. "I think we're incredibly talented. And we still have guys on offense coming back. Mac has been playing so well that people were talking about quarterback controversies, but Brock Purdy is an amazing quarterback. That's why we paid him so much money.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

"And then whenever we can get Ricky Pearsall, and then hopefully at some point Brandon Aiyuk gets back, we have a lot of talent on this offense. I thoroughly believe that we can score a ton of points, and I really do also believe that our defense will get a little bit better every week. I truthfully do believe that. They've just been taking haymakers year-round with all the injuries.

"But Robert Saleh is such a good coach that he's going to bump those guys up, they're going to get some stops, and we just have to continue to score a lot of points and not turn the ball over, and our special teams is still playing really well. Skyy Moore has got to house one here soon."

I appreciate Kittle's candor. He always questions in an extremely thoughtful manner. But I disagree with his conclusion.

The 49ers will not make a deep playoff run this season. Their defense is bad. And their offense isn't good enough to overcome their defense. They won't all of a sudden start scoring 40 points per game when Purdy and Pearsall return. That's wishful thinking.

If the 49ers really think their offense will be elite soon, they should have traded for someone at the deadline to improve their defense. Then, they would have been positioned to make a run in the playoffs.

Now, they're a fantasy football team going nowhere.