The San Francisco 49ers aren't yet in panic mode after a 2-3 start to the season, but the veterans know they must kick things into gear starting with Thursday night's divisional bout in Seattle.
After Sunday's collapse against Arizona, the 49ers would fall to 0-3 in the NFC West and 2-4 overall if they lose to the Seahawks.
"It's a lot of pressure," defensive end Nick Bosa said Tuesday, via ESPN. "It's not a must-win because technically your season's over if it's a must-win, but it definitely feels like it. We're treating it that way."
The 49ers have blown double-digit second-half leads to division rivals twice this season. First came the collapse to the Rams in Week 3 in L.A., then Sunday's home debacle to the Cardinals.
Of course, Fred Warner and the Niners have been here before. They started 3-5 in 2021 and 3-4 in 2022 before going on runs that led to the NFC Championship Game each campaign.
"I'm kind of at the point where it's like, I mean the circumstances is what it is," Warner said. "We're 2-3 going into a Thursday night game against a divisional rival, prime time, with the stakes of being No. 1 in the division. It's like if I have to give some sort of grandiose speech to get you going for this moment, we probably don't have the right guys."
The 49ers have gotten in their own way to open the season but have the talent to overcome the poor start. A win in Seattle would get them back on track, pushing Kyle Shanahan's club into a 3-3 tie with the Seahawks atop the NFC West while owning the tiebreaker.
"I've been told that if we win this one, we're leading our division," tight end George Kittle said. "However that works, it's great for the Niners. Just trying to get to Thursday, make sure everyone's feeling good and get up there, play, win and come home. ... I don't really want to be 2-4 and being 3-3 is significantly better than that."
