John Lynch believes winning football games is the focus -- no matter what the 49ers' playoff potential is.
The San Francisco general manager explained how important it is for the team to focus on stringing together wins at this point in the season.
“There’s never, ‘Nothing to play for,’ there’s respect to the game, respect to yourself, respect to your family, your teammates, your organization, all those things first and foremost,” Lynch said Friday on KNBR’s “Murph & Markus.” "But then there’s also this thought of, ‘Hey, we lay it on the line. We have each other’s backs in good times and when you’re struggling.’
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"That’s what we talk a lot about. This is uncharted territory for us for some time now. It’s not where we want to be.”
The 49ers have had deep playoff runs the past three seasons, advancing to the NFC Championship Game each year. At 6-8, San Francisco is a long shot to make the postseason, let alone go on another lengthy run. Still, Lynch believes this final stretch of games will be illuminating.
“But I think it’s going to say a lot about…you find out a lot more about people when times are tough than when times are good,” Lynch told Murph & Markus. “When you’re rolling, everyone’s going to be in a great mood, everyone’s going to be playing hard. When you’re struggling, who’s going to be playing every play like it’s their last? I’m really confident that our group is one that is going to stick together, continue to play hard and finish this year in the right direction.”
Injuries and inconsistent play throughout the season have plagued San Francisco. Besides losing the likes of Brandon Aiyuk and Christian McCaffrey for the year, the team can’t seem to make it through a week without at least one starter sustaining an injury.
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While playing in meaningful games is something NFL players strive for, it’s still a professional sports league. So, playing with full effort, even at the end of a season like this one for San Francisco, will go a long way. Lynch and the rest of the 49ers brass undoubtedly will be making contract decisions based on how some players finish the year.