Should 49ers go all-out to win with playoffs out of reach? Of course they should

SANTA CLARA — We’re at the unfamiliar point of the 49ers’ season where the dilemma is “to sit, or not to sit.” And not because they’re resting up for the playoffs.

Peruse social media and talk radio and there’s a line of thinking that espouses keeping star players out of harm’s way. Minimize the wear and tear. Get a head start on healing the aches and pains, many of which are never publicized, during the offseason.

Treat Miami on Sunday, followed by Detroit and Arizona, as glorified exhibitions which count in the standings.

Then you get performances from Dre Greenlaw and Talanoa Hufanga, players that provided an instant infusion of energy and intensity the moment they got back on the field.

The 49ers can find out over the next three games who they can win with and who they should build around if they hope to show that 2024 was simply a year gone bad rather than an omen of things to come.

With the 49ers on the outside looking in for some time now, perhaps the case could be made that it would have been best for Greenlaw to miss the entire season and focus on 2025. Less so with Hufanga, whose wrist injury doesn’t have the potential long-term effect as a torn Achilles.

The 49ers played them both extensively as soon as they were ready. Just as they did with Christian McCaffrey after fighting with Achilles tendinitis before a torn PCL ended his season. When George Kittle and Nick Bosa have periodically missed games, there was no easing them back into the lineup. Heck, Fred Warner cracked a bone in his ankle in Week 4 and has simply played through it.

The amazing thing about Greenlaw and Hufanga is how well they’ve played despite missing so much time. Greenlaw missed the first 11 games after Achilles surgery. Hufanga, recovering from a torn ACL last year has had an ankle injury as well as the wrist injury. He’s missed 21 of the 49ers’ last 25 games.

Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said their play speaks to their level of dedication not only during physical rehab, but in terms of keeping up with things mentally.

“I think it’s what they’re focusing on when they’re not playing,” Sorensen said Thursday. “What are you thinking about and what are you doing when you’re not out there? Are you getting those exact mental reps so when you come back you don’t have to think so much as before?”

Hufanga had a costly coverage error late in the Rams loss, but the bottom line is he has given the defense a boost since he came back and L.A. scored just 12 points — the lowest point total surrendered by the 49ers this season.

Let’s dispense with any notion of “tanking,” which in the case of the NFL is mythological in terms of players and coaches although organizations can choose to reduce the talent pool if they so choose. The notion that players would deliberately play at something less than their best and that coaches would draw up plays and schemes designed to fail is ludicrous.

Greenlaw and Hufanga, as well as left tackle Jaylon Moore, left guard Aaron Banks and others, are scheduled for unrestricted free agency. They’re playing not only to entice the 49ers into bringing them back, but auditioning for 31 other teams as well.

“You’re judged in this league by what you put on film,” Warner said.

It’s conceivable what Greenlaw and Hufanga have already done is demonstrate conclusively that they’re worth more to the 49ers than to any other team, based on their makeup and commitment to the organization.

And since NFL contracts are almost never fully guaranteed, the rest of the roster has a stake in it as well.

There’s a difference in outlook based on win-loss record, but not necessarily into the process or approach. Coach Kyle Shanahan told KNBR-680 Thursday he knows the playoffs aren’t realistic and that it shouldn’t matter.

“I think everything’s connected, whether it’s one week to another or one season to another and if you ever stop trying to do the best you can and try to win that game it hurts your organization, it hurts your individuals and I think it can hurt your future,” Shanahan said.

It won’t mean much to a large portion of the fan base, but there’s something to be said for conducting things in a professional manner in what is probably the most disappointing season in franchise history based on expectations.

The season can still get worse. Imagine a 6-11 final record with a 1-6 finish to the season. And if you think that could possibly be a good thing, you’re way too wrapped up in the draft, the benefit of a fourth-place schedule, playing Madden and pretending to be a coach because you watch All-22.

It’s the mentality of a loser.

The whole De’Vondre Campbell situation is interesting when juxtaposed against teammates who are sincerely interested in 1) earning their paycheck; and 2) playing for their teammates and a sense of personal pride.

“With our team, the guys that have gone down, they’d give everything to be out there just to get another shot at being able to play,” Warner said. “We’ve got three games coming up and regardless of the situation it is a blessing to be out there. Every time I go out, I come into the locker room before a game and I see the pads with the 49ers jersey on it. I’m in Year 7 and it still gives me goosebumps even looking at that. It’s always going to mean a lot.”

Which is why Shanahan isn’t going to play it safe. If Trent Williams is healthy enough before the end of the season, expect him to play every snap the moment he’s back in the lineup. Medical clearance means good to go — and to go at 100 percent.

The offseason is the time for contracts and negotiations. The regular season is time to play ball — and that means all 17 games even if the playoffs aren’t included.

To play it any other way would be for the 49ers to cheat the game as well as themselves.