3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 8 Win

On Sunday, the San Francisco 49ers got back in the win column for the first time since Week 2. It took a date with the inconsistent Chicago Bears and a fourth-quarter comeback, but San Francisco saved its season—for the time being, anyway.

The 49ers still sit at 3-4 and are a long shot to make the postseason. However, the victory at least gives them life heading into the Week 9 rematch with the Arizona Cardinals. If the 49ers can find a way to win that one, they'll draw back to .500 and remain relevant in the playoff race.

That's a big if, considering San Francisco's defense just got gashed by rookie quarterback Justin Fields—who looked the part for much of Sunday but is not yet on Kyler Murray's level.

Still, there is hope. The 49ers showed on Sunday there's plenty of fight left in this team and that writing them off would be a mistake. Here's what else we learned during the 49ers' 33-22 victory in Week 8.

Jimmy Garoppolo Is Still the Right Starting Option

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At some point, the 49ers are going to turn things over to rookie quarterback Trey Lance. It may happen later this year if the team is eliminated from playoff contention. It may happen in the offseason, when San Francisco is likely to part with Jimmy Garoppolo—who will have just $1.4 million in dead money remaining on his contract.

As long as San Francisco has hope for the postseason, though, Garoppolo remains the right choice to start under center.

Garoppolo does not possess the athletic ceiling of Lance, and he is prone to the occasional dud of a game. However, he's an experienced leader who knows Kyle Shanahan's offense well, and when Garoppolo is on point, he can be very good.

We saw the good version of Jimmy G on Sunday. He finished with 322 passing yards, a 100.6 passer rating and two rushing touchdowns. He led three fourth-quarter scoring drives and helped San Francisco finish without a punt.

While Lance's time will come, Garoppolo still gives the 49ers the best chance to win now, as they did against Chicago.

Deebo Samuel Is Becoming an Elite Receiver

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Garoppolo got a huge assist from wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who racked up 171 yards on six receptions and had a huge 83-yard catch-and-run in the early third quarter.

Samuel has been a potent threat all season—he came into Sunday with 38 receptions, 648 receiving yards, 22 rushing yards and five combined touchdowns—and he is now a piece of 49ers history.

According to NFL research, Samuel has now produced the most receiving yards by a 49ers receiver through seven games in history, surpassing Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.

What's remarkable is just how far Samuel has come in his three NFL seasons. A second-round pick out of South Carolina in 2019, Samuel has gone from being a gadget player to a polished top-tier receiver.

"It's a very cool thing to watch because Deebo's a player that if you take the time and you're able to show him exactly what you want, he is willing to do whatever it takes to improve upon it," offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel said of Samuel's development, per ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "... I know he wants to be great. And the best thing about him is he is not satisfied."

There are only a handful of elite wide receivers in the NFL, and Samuel is quickly becoming one of them.

The 49ers Need to Tighten Up the Run Defense Before Next Sunday

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It wasn't all positive on Sunday, as the 49ers got gashed on the ground by Fields. While San Francisco did a solid job of limiting running back Khalil Herbert—who had 71 rushing yards but just 3.1 yards per carry—it was repeatedly burned by designed quarterback runs and scrambles.

Fields finished with 103 rushing yards and a touchdown to go with 175 passing yards, one score and one pick.

While the 49ers' inability to contain Fields on the ground didn't cost them the game, it's an issue that needs to be addressed before the Cardinals come to town next week. Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray hasn't been running as much as he did in his first two seasons, but he's still capable of breaking the occasional big play with his legs.

Murray has three rushing touchdowns on the season.

The 49ers held Murray to just one rushing yard on seven carries when these two NFC West rivals met in Week 5. They need a repeat of that defensive performance and not a repeat of what we saw on Sunday.

San Francisco only lost by a touchdown to the 7-1 Cardinals the first time around. Winning the rematch is possible if the 49ers don't allow Murray to run wild.