Sunday finally brought a 49ers game without much stress, as the team triumphed over the New York Giants in a surprisingly entertaining 34-24 shootout, although in truth, the game felt over long before its final snaps. It’s hard to read too much into the performance, however, as the Giants looked every inch a team that sits at 2-7 on the season, with deficiencies schematically and in personnel (due largely, ironically, to the 49ers usual bugbear, injuries) that the 49ers were able to exploit.

Still, in welcoming back Spencer Burford on the offensive line, things did seem to get a little more consistent in blocking for Christian McCaffrey, who had another solid outing, while Brian Robinson Jr. produced his best game as a 49er, picking up 53 yards and an 18-yard touchdown on five explosive carries, as well as making a rare impact play on special teams with a 41-yard kick return. Jauan Jennings also

made a nice return to productivity, catching a touchdown and showing his usual spikiness in the run game.

Defensively, the team continued to show signs that its constant, year-long attrition has affected its ability to hit a high level on a consistent basis, with very few notable performances to speak of outside of Tatum Bethune’s ludicrous 16-tackle performance in relief of Fred Warner. The team struggled to contain Jaxson Dart through the air and on the ground, although his hero-ball act could only do so much to bail out the diminished talent level around him.

Ultimately, though, it’s a win, and it’s an important win in a league where everything must be earned. Now sitting at 6-3, the 49ers victory in the first "hinge point" game of the season turns them into likely buyers rather than sellers at the trade deadline, especially coming into Week 10’s titanic clash with the division rival Los Angeles Rams. Let’s take a look at each of these subjects in turn.

Can John Lynch come bearing gifts at the deadline?

The 49ers defense badly needs a shot in the arm. While the efforts of youngsters like Tatum Bethune, Dee Winters, and Renardo Green should be commended, and solid efforts from the likes of Sam Okuayinonu and the returning Cle Ferrell warm the heart (again, it’s really hard not to love this team when they put in the effort – they’re a hardworking, never-say-die bunch, and I love that) it’s a unit badly in need of a difference maker, especially along the defensive line.

The loss of Nick Bosa has had a pretty big impact on the team’s pass rush, but losing both Fred Warner and Bryce Huff in recent weeks, as well as a pending ACL tear for first-round pick Mykel Williams, is stretching the "next man up" attitude to its very limit. Can John Lynch release some of the pressure in making a blockbuster deal? His additions of Ferrell and former Patriot Keion White certainly patched some holes stemming from last weeks abomination in Houston, but neither are long-term starting pieces, rather good depth options for Kris Kocurek to put in his defensive line packages.

Who might Lynch look to in order to accomplish that? Here are some ideas targets, ranging from pie-in-the-sky to possible:

• Maxx Crosby – I’ll open with him because a) I love riling Raiders fans, and b) those Raiders fans are the same ones who have told me for eons that Crosby is a better pass-rusher than Nick Bosa. Hey, Maxx? Come prove it. Of course, hearing that from Raiders fans isn’t a surprise, as they have Schroedinger’s Roster, simultaneously the best and worst in the league at any given time. I don’t seriously think this would happen in spite of the Raiders’ record, because as stupid as Mark Davis is, he’s smart enough not to deal with the 49ers, which is why we didn’t get Khalil Mack all those years ago.

• Trey Hendrickson – This is the most popular name on social media, and he’s probably the best rusher who may be available at the deadline. The Bengals’ season doesn’t seem to be going anywhere, so why not? Well, from a 49ers point of view: he’s a one-year rental, in a season where the team’s *unlikely* to make the Super Bowl (making it a different proposition to the pickups of Randy Gregory and Chase Young in 2023). And if he’s not going to be a one-year rental, he’ll need Bosa money ... I don’t see the 49ers committing that to Hendrickson. If you could get him for a low price and bank on a compensatory pick coming back when he signs his inevitable huge free agency deal, maybe, but this feels like the kind of move the 49ers don’t make. Not that they don’t pick up A-listers (see McCaffrey, Christian), but they usually like some long-term certainty on such players.

• Most of the New York Jets – Jermaine Johnson? Micheal Clemons? Will McDonald? Quinnen Williams? All have been linked to varying degrees, and all would probably love to link up with Robert Saleh again, but price and contracts will be an issue here. Jermaine Johnson would probably be first choice (although Williams on the inside probably upgrades the defensive unit against the run and pass), but the Jets aren’t going to let him go for cheap, at least until Woody Johnson’s son fires up Madden. Clemons feels the likeliest here, and it fits with the 49ers’ "many good players for cheap, not one great player for ridiculous money" trade ethos.

• Picking something up at the Titans fire-sale – With everyone seemingly knowing a change is coming in Tennessee, they must be the most ripe for picking of all the teams in the NFL. Former 49er Arden Key is here–and had his best season with us in 2021–while young talent T'Vondre Sweat would be an interesting player to develop. This seems more likely to be the 49ers’ market than any other, given the relatively cheap nature of acquiring some of these players.

A Massive Week for the 49ers

Whatever the combination, it feels as though the 49ers must land at least one, if not two, players from the above list. They’re 6-3, playing well, and about to enter a huge game with the Rams which could see them take divisional supremacy.

It’ll be the second home game against the Rams this year (arf, arf), and winning would put the Niners at an excellent 4-0 in the division. Adding some pass rush to get after Matthew Stafford, a frequent thorn in the 49ers side but also someone who can be forced into mistakes, could be crucial in winning this titanic division tie.

In general, the defense will need to play better than it has the last two weeks as well–while the 49ers came out with the win on Sunday, their defensive play in coverage left something to be desired. The strange choice of two "box" safeties in Ji’Ayir Brown and Malik Mustapha in the starting lineup has had some role in this, while the holes left in the middle of the field by the absence of Fred Warner have often been exploited too. The 49ers will need to fix this, as the combination of Rams head coach Sean McVay and an excellent quarterback in Stafford will be aiming for blood early and often in their Week 10 matchup.

Fortunately, Kyle Shanahan often saves his best games for duels against his compatriots like McVay, so you can probably expect another classic. Come out on the right side of this one, and the season has the potential to go anywhere. On the wrong side, and the 49ers will be 6-4 and likely searching for a little identity going into the back half of the season.

I can’t wait. Welcome to the second "hinge point" game of the season, friends–and I’ll be back if a big trade drops, too. Go Niners!