San Francisco 49ers: It May Be 'Torture,' but They Win Again

When the San Francisco Giants were making their World Series run back in 2010, broadcaster Duane Kuiper summed up what it was like to be a fan of that team, calling it “torture.”

That Giants team had a tendency to win only by the slimmest of margins. The offense sputtered at times, losing not once but twice when their pitchers threw one-hitters. Eighty of their 162 games were decided by one or two runs—they played up to their best competition and down to their worst.

Sound familiar?

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The San Francisco 49ers seem to have taken that mantra of torture to heart, as they come off a very unimpressive 17-13 win over Washington. Once again, their defense played a great game, sacking Robert Griffin III five times and forcing the game-ending turnover. Once again, the offense sputtered, scoring only two touchdowns and turning the ball over three times.

To be entirely fair, the game was less close than the final score indicated. They outgained Washington 312-213 and scored their first fourth-quarter touchdown with their starting offense in the game when they needed it most. Carlos Hyde pounded the ball in with three minutes to go in the game to give the 49ers the win they needed.

Any attempt to analyze this team is doomed to failure. This is a squad that has beaten Dallas and Philadelphia, and yet lost to St. Louis and Chicago. Seven of their 11 games have been decided by one score, with the offense doing just enough to win or just enough to lose week in and week out. Kuiper’s phrase sums it up well—rooting for the San Francisco 49ers in 2014 is torture.

Like those Giants, however, the 49ers have done just well enough to remain relevant as time continues to tick away. It may have been an ugly win, but it was still a win—and a win that keeps them neck-and-neck in the playoff race. They’re only two games out of the division leader with one more game to play against Arizona, meaning the NFC West title isn’t out of the picture entirely.

More to the point, the win, coupled with Detroit’s loss to New England, means the 49ers control their own fate for the top wild card slot—the slot that will get the benefit of playing the NFC South champion in the first round of the playoffs. Win out and that’s exactly where the 49ers will be. It's a reminder that, no matter how underwhelming a victory may be, it's still better than actually losing.

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At this point, we know what makes this football team tick. This is an elite defense that can hang with any offense in the league—with the possible exception of the Denver Broncos when two-thirds of the starters are hurt. Coming into this week, Football Outsiders ranked the 49ers third-best in terms of weighted defense, which gives more credit to recent results. This defense is the envy of almost any other team in football.

On the flipside, they’ve rated the 49ers offense 18th, especially in their passing game. They’ve been mostly surviving thanks to their run game, and when it’s stuffed, the entire offense suffers. Against Washington, the 49ers only gained 2.3 yards per rush, resulting in their second-lowest rush total of the year. This offense is not good enough to find a rhythm if the run game is shut down—they don’t have the consistency, the tools or the play-calling to succeed as a one-dimensional passing offense.

This isn’t something that can be fixed between games—especially not on a short week. This is just the state of the 49ers’ offense at this point. In the offseason, the 49ers will be able to add talent, consider making changes to their philosophy and generally take the offense into the shop. At this point, however, the 49ers offense is what we think it is, and that’s not going to suddenly change.

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That’s not necessarily enough to write them off, however. The 2002 Buccaneers were one-dimensional with a horrible run game and the 2000 Ravens couldn’t throw their way out of a brown paper bag. They still both held up the Lambeau Trophy at the end of the year, however. A great defense, and at least one strong suit on offense, has historically been enough to win Super Bowls. It’s also a great way to get shut down and lose in the playoffs, but it’s not enough to write them off, no matter how awkward it is to watch at times.

If the 49ers play to the level of their opponents, they should be ready to go against the Seattle Seahawks in primetime on Thursday night. They certainly have the advantage of the short week—they don’t have to travel anywhere, while Seattle does. They also are less beat up—while Colin Kaepernick took two sacks against Washington, Russell Wilson found his way to the turf seven times in a very physical win over the Arizona Cardinals.

The short week should also help wipe out any time to mope over the less-than-dominant nature of this victory; there’s no time to dwell on it. They have to get right back on the horse, ready for primetime or not.

The 49ers might be bumbling and stumbling, but they’re still standing, and that’s what counts at this point in the season. Their set of “one week seasons” continues with yet another must-win game against Seattle on Thursday. They may not find the prettiest way to do it, but they’re winning, and in the end that’s what matters.

It may be “torture,” but the 49ers keep finding a way to get it done when the chips are down.

Bryan Knowles is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report, covering the San Francisco 49ers. Follow him @BryKno on twitter.