The 49ers (5-7) face the Chicago Bears (4-8) in Sunday’s matinee at Levi’s Stadium with an eye on getting into the NFC playoffs.

And after San Francisco’s last two losses – against the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills – in which they were outscored by scores of 73-20, the situation is as dire as ever. However, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan remains focused on game-to-game tempo.

While speaking with Greg Papa on NBC Sports Bay Area’s “49ers Game Plan,” Shanahan explained his approach to the remainder of the 2024 NFL season and how San Francisco can finish Week 14 victorious.

“I don’t even think about getting two in a row — because two in a row doesn’t matter,” Shanahan told Dad. “We have to reach everyone in a row. So when the time comes, it’s one game at a time, and what matters to me is whether we play well against Chicago.”

The 49ers will likely need to win most, if not all, of their remaining five games just to keep their postseason hopes alive, which is mind-boggling in hindsight considering Shanahan and San Francisco won the NFC Championship in three straight seasons Game, the last two made it to the playoffs and suffered an overtime defeat in Super Bowl LVIII against the dynastic Kansas City Chiefs.

Chicago is in worse shape than San Francisco, but has room for growth with Caleb Williams, the No. 1 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Shanahan is wisely not taking the Bears lightly and, as he indicated, is not paying attention to the 49ers’ upcoming Thursday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.

Instead, Shanahan will be subbed in when he returns to the win column.

“I think that’s how you would beat anyone and lose to anyone in the last few weeks. We have to fix these problems first,” Shanahan told Papa about how San Francisco can beat Chicago. “We have to stop the run… our offense can’t turn the ball over along with our special teams… and when you turn it over you better make sure you get some (turnovers) or it’s going to look bad.”

“We had six scores in the second half the last two weeks, and we got zero, and we made a ton of rushing yards. First things first: Let’s stop the run and protect the football. If we can do that, we now have a game and it will always come down to the end.”

You heard the coach.

The 49ers have been sloppy with the football and have no margin for error. And San Francisco can’t allow 389 rushing yards like they did the last two weeks.

Shanahan made his case while taking into account the injuries and challenges the 49ers faced. But he made one thing surprisingly clear: San Francisco needs to start playing better.

“I want to get back to playing good football that I can be proud of (and that our team can be proud of”), Shanahan told Dad. “And that starts this Sunday against Chicago. If you play like that, I think the right things will happen. I think this will result in a W.

“But I’m not sitting here looking at next week or how I’m going to get into the playoffs. I want us to play right, I want to put good stuff on tape, I want our fans to be proud of what it looks like. And when you take care of all those things, it leads to good things.”

The 49ers and their loyal fans haven’t had much to smile about this season. Trying to win games is one thing, but Shanahan wants his team to move forward in its collective process.

San Francisco will face a non-candidate in desperation mode on Sunday. Shanahan and the 49ers have no choice but to turn things around.

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast