Why the Bye Week Comes at the Perfect Time for the 49ers’ Playoff Push

It might be late in the season, but it's proven to be a positive.

Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers' bye week is officially here.

After 13 long, gruelling weeks, the 49ers enter their bye week with a 9–4 record.

This could be a blessing in disguise, making December a crucial month for their playoff ambitions.

Why the 49ers have the bye week at the perfect time

Nov 30, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; The San Francisco 49ers huddle up after the break during the second half against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-Imagn Images | Scott Galvin-Imagn Images

Going 9–4 for the season, highlighted by a victory over their longtime bogey team, the Cleveland Browns, and ending a 40-year winless streak in Ohio, leaves the 49ers in perfect position and headspace to rest up.

The 49ers’ playoff picture looks increasingly promising. They are currently the seventh seed in the NFC, just one game behind their divisional rivals, the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, who both hold 9–3 records and have already fallen to the 49ers this season.

"I love where we're at right now," Shanahan said ahead of the bye week. "I believe we'd be in the playoffs today if it started, and we've got four more games left to make sure we continue that. It's been a long wait for a bye week. I've never had one this late. I don't know anyone on our team who has. It's finally here.

"Mentally and physically, it'll be awesome to rest, and then be able to come back from that with four games to play for a chance to get in the playoffs is everything we could ask for."

Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

Mentally and physically, the 49ers have lived up to their organization’s motto all season: fight for every yard and always leave the game having given everything.

Despite multiple injuries, including season-ending injuries to Fred Warner and Nick Bosa, the 49ers remain firmly in contention for the playoffs.

Three straight wins have put the 49ers back in contention for the NFC West crown and a better playoff seed. Yet the NFC remains unpredictable, as this season has shown on countless occasions.

"It's fantastic. I think we're set up really well," shared George Kittle. "These bye weeks get tricky because I think guys have just been looking forward to it.

"And so, our message, I think Kyle's going to say the message message tomorrow is just like, 'Hey, get away, do whatever you have to do, but just remember, when we come back, we have four incredibly difficult games that are going to hopefully set us up to do something fun after the last game.

“If people had said that you guys were going to be 9-4 into the bye and you weren’t going to have [Fred] Warner, [Nick] Bosa, Kittle was going to miss five weeks, and Brock [Purdy] was going to miss the first 6-7 weeks, I think a lot of people would have laughed."

The final four-game stretch leaves the 49ers healthier and more energized ahead of a potential playoff run.