Excellence has been the 49ers’ calling card for the past several seasons.
Since 2019, they’ve been one of the elite teams in the NFL, amassing 54 wins against 29 losses in the regular season with two Super Bowl runners-up and two NFC Championship losses in five years.
Yet on Sunday night in frigid Orchard Park, the 49ers, mired at 5-6 and a game out of first place in the NFC West, find their season hanging in the balance with a showdown against the 9-2 Bills.
“I think the vibe is probably a lot lower outside of this locker room than it is inside,” 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey told reporters this week. “I think our team is hungry. We still have everything in front of us and we’re ready to go.”