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The Niners went into their Week 9 bye at a crossroads as a team.
Their once-dominant 5–0 outfit—winning games by an average of 20 points per week—had lost three straight, and fallen out of first place in the NFC West. The excuses were ready for the players. Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel were hurt. They played consecutive road games two and three time zones away, then came back to face the Bengals on a short week. They got everyone’s best shot, with those three opponents recording season-turning wins.
