After what must surely be one of the greatest games in NFL history (and almost certainly a Sunday Night Football classic, at the very least), the San Francisco 49ers stand one game away from the No. 1 seed, following a 42-38 shootout win over the Chicago Bears.

I was emotional at the final gun–not only did it feel like a victory for these 49ers, who constantly find ways to win, no matter the circumstance, but it felt like a win for those who kept their belief in the team and vowed to enjoy the ride no matter what, even when others castigated all and sundry within the organization when the team didn’t gorge at the free-agent buffet.

I was one of those people. So I’m feeling pretty damn smug. There’s a few other reasons too. Let’s dive.

My Hottest Take: This is the best 49ers offense of my lifetime

Okay, so I was born in 1990. Some would definitely have offenses led by Steve Young in 1992 and 1994 above the 2025 version. I get that. But I’m also from the UK, and was more interested in Thomas the Tank Engine in those formative years than whatever was going on in San Francisco. Thus, this is the best 49ers offense I’ve ever seen, and it’s not close.

Ten touchdown passes in two weeks from Brock Purdy would be enough, but the grit of Jauan Jennings, the simple excellence of future Hall of Famer Christian McCaffrey, and the emergence of Ricky Pearsall are all thrilling highlights too. You can throw in the bruising running of Brian Robinson Jr and the never-knowingly-overawed presence of tight end Jake Tonges as well. This is something truly amazing, and it’s being done without the best players the team has.

Throughout the season, the offense has hummed, but particularly in the last two weeks, without, at various times:

• Brandon Aiyuk (at all, and likely never again)

• George Kittle (for handfuls of games, including last night’s outing)

• Ricky Pearsall (his troublesome knees and injury issues will be all that stop him from becoming a top receiver in the league)

• Trent Williams (for all but one play of last night’s game)

... while also having to prop up a defensive unit that’s been largely putrid without its top players like Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. What’s happening here is perhaps the least understood story of the entire season. Kyle Shanahan is coaching his ass off, and he’s also coaching around a poor defense and an ever-shifting landscape. Last night may have been his best performance of the season; forced to come up with an offensive unit that could continue to score at will in what always looked like a ‘last team on the ball wins’ type game, he found consistent and varied success.

Whether it was the idea of competing against Ben Johnson that brought the best out of him, I’m not sure, as he often produces his best games against his so-called contemporaries (Sean McVay, Kellen Moore and the likes), but it was an astonishing performance. He should be Coach Of The Year, and it’s not even close.

As for Purdy, his unbelievable play this season (now tying the ever-lauded Jordan Love in touchdown passes, despite playing a lot fewer games) belies all the narratives about him that have been tiresomely corrected by me in columns like this one over the last few years.

The debate is over. He’s the man. No Kittle. No Bosa. No Aiyuk. No Warner. No Trent Williams, and he's still thrown five TDs in primetime to win a shootout against a QB the NFL is desperate (and correct) to hype. Not only that, he’s ultimately got a significantly depleted roster from the one he originally took over, and he still continues to win when it matters.

What now, skeptics?

People who are paid to analyse football who cannot see how good this man is are either lying to you or short of brain cells.

What You Need To Know: Robert Saleh saved his best (and only?) good play for last

I’m definitely a lone voice among the 49ers faithful and analysts in being a Robert Saleh skeptic. You’ve read me do so in this column multiple times.

Simply put, and to quote myself while watching the game, I remain unmoved by his ability to get more than the sum of his defensive parts. Can he get a great result with great parts? Absolutely, and the evidence in front of us provided by Steve Wilks and Nick Sorensen proves conclusively that some can't. I have to give him credit for that, and I think, on balance, I have. But we play as dismally as you'd expect with players missing, with very little evidence of coaching improvement to lift a poor unit to even below average.

That said, where I do have to draw the line on even my own whinging is the play that won the game. Facing a potential game-losing drive with most of his starting defensive backs on the sideline (please don’t let me ever see Darrell Luter Jr. and Chase Lucas on the field in crunch time again–get well soon, Upton Stout and Renardo Green), he called possibly the greatest play of his life to force the fourth down incompletion that won the game.

It’s truly spectacular from Saleh. Don’t rush the passer with too much firepower, because you haven’t any; instead, cover as much of the endzone as you can, make Caleb Williams buy time, and force the red-hot but still developing youngster to make one hell of a play if he wants to win the game. He couldn’t, and it was enough. A fantastic call by a man who can clearly find magic at times.

Now, if you can just fix the safety play, Robert, I might just leave you alone.

Before You Go: I Told You So

Our final game of the season sees the 49ers play the Seahawks for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Just like I told you it would.

I can’t explain it, but these teams are drawn to one another forever, never to knowingly let the other out of its sight. No matter what, there’s a late-season game between the two that ends up having a huge consequence on one or both of the teams’ respective seasons–and so, here we are again. It feels fitting, somehow.

A red-hot Niners offense against a rock-solid Seattle defense, and a wobbling 49ers defense against an up-and-down Seattle offense. It should be a classic, and if the 49ers can take advantage of the occasional Sam Darnold errant throw and steal a few possessions, we might just pull it off. Then it’s just three games to that elusive sixth ring.

Deep breaths.