Sunday was proof of a positive response. And it started the night before – when so many of their long-time standard-bearers were out injured – because that’s when it had to start.

“It was Deommodore and Brock,” Kyle Juszczyk said. “It was really cool to hear from D-Mo, who doesn’t always talk to the team much. Because he is so authentic and everyone really respects his game and the way he plays. And then we hear from Brock, who is our leader on offense. They both spoke so well. … I think it was a step in the right direction and something good for us.”

Of course, Fred Warner remains the unique vocal leader of this team. And George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Williams, Bosa and others remain important figures in the 49ers’ locker room. All of them have led the 49ers to many great victories and heartbreaking defeats, including the Super Bowl loss in February. But nothing ever stays exactly the same, especially in the NFL and even more so in this dismal season.

The simple truth is that there are a handful of young 49ers who are only getting increased playing time due to injuries. Some weren’t doing so well. But several younger 49ers have largely broken through over the course of the season, starting with Jennings, Malik Mustapha, Dominick Puni and Renardo Green. And 25-year-old Lenoir and 24-year-old Purdy appear to be excellent peer captains for this up-and-coming group.

“I think we’ve needed this all year,” Shanahan said when I asked if he saw a new group of leaders emerging. “If you want to be a leader, it starts with what you do on the field. It has to be real. … I think we’ve had a lot of guys on this team since Week 1 that didn’t expect to get a lot of chances … and they got chances quickly. I think that’s one of the positive aspects. We believe in a lot of people getting better every week. Hopefully they’ll be good Niners for a long time.”

The 49ers will of course and logically not talk about 2025 until they are mathematically eliminated, which probably won’t be for a few weeks. But you can see the adjustments they are planning and the foundation of what they already know. The young people had to grow up quickly. It wasn’t particularly nice to watch this season. But there are likely to be benefits from this in the years to come.

“Even though these guys don’t seem young, the way they perform, the way they play… that’s what we need – the younger leadership that will step up in the moments when we need it most. in a way highlighting and using her voice,” Warner said.

By the way, the guy who coaches this team in 2025 is joining the same guy who coaches it now – despite the silly speculation that Shanahan should manage to trade himself to the Bears for draft picks.

“I don’t want to be anywhere in the world more than here,” Shanahan said when asked about this ridiculous assumption. “And my family is just as strong, if not much stronger. You have to throw me out of here.”

The 49ers don’t plan on staying out of the playoffs for long. What Purdy and Lenoir said Saturday probably wasn’t as important as the feeling that these two young players were central to reshaping the mood of this team. But Purdy’s message, as he told it Sunday, was clearly taken to heart.

“We said some things, just trying to keep it realistic and remind people that this isn’t easy,” Purdy said. “This job is not for everyone. But whoever we have in this building, we have what it takes. And we have shown it in recent years. We just have to dig deep and find ourselves. And I think we did that. And the boys responded.

“Actually, I was just talking to myself,” he added. “Not only do I try to preach to the guys, but I also remind myself how hard this thing is and how much of a competitor you have to be for four quarters and then you have to embrace it.”

Purdy responded with his best statistical game of the season: 20 for 25, 325 yards, 2 touchdown passes, no interceptions and a passer rating of 145.4. Lenoir responded with another very clean coverage play. Jennings responded with 7 catches for 90 yards and 2 touchdowns. Rookie Isaac Guerendo, filling in for McCaffrey and Jordan Mason (both injured last week), responded with 128 yards from scrimmage before exiting with his own foot injury. George Kittle responded with 6 catches for 151 yards. The entire defense, bolstered by the return of Talanoa Hufanga, responded by defeating the Bears and rookie QB Caleb Wiliams in the first half.

“Regardless of the outcome, I wanted to make sure we came out today and showed courage,” Shanahan said. “I wanted to fight. The last two weeks we just weren’t proud of not making them a game. We were ready to fight today.”

Now the 49ers have a game at Levi’s on Thursday against the Rams, who just beat the same Buffalo team that knocked out the 49ers during a snowstorm last weekend. Things could look bad again. That could mean the 49ers’ season ends right there. But I don’t think the 49ers will play badly. They might lose, but they won’t give up, not because of the tone of their voices on Sunday and the clarity of their play.

“I definitely think everyone in this building still believes,” Kittle said. “Our coaching team is excellent. Coach Shanahan makes great game plans. And our execution today was, in my opinion, really, really well done.”

It is too little and far too late to save 2024. But there’s no bad time to remind the NFL universe that the 49ers have no intention of disappearing. It was time for them to tell and show this too.