This was not the 49ers' most dominant performance of the season. It was fairly unimpressive on defense, and less than clinical on offense. But at this stage, the game is getting the No. 1 seed.
With a 27-10 win over the Washington Commanders and the Eagles' embarrassing, 35-31 loss to the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers have secured the NFL's top seed with a week to go in the regular season.
Here are three takeaways from the win:
They needed the bye
More than anything, this game showed that the 49ers are in desperate need of some rest. They are battered, bruised, exhausted. They badly need the first-round bye.
San Francisco entered this game with an injury report which ruled out six players and had another four as questionable.
They lost Talanoa Hufanga for the season, and were without Ji'Ayir Brown, leaving Logan Ryan to step in at safety.
Arik Armstead remains out with a lingering foot injury, costing the 49ers' run defense and pass rush.
On offense, Aaron Banks stayed out with a toe injury, and both Jauan Jennings and Ray-Ray McCloud remained out. There were a handful of other injuries to backups.
It was evident that the defense has struggled a bit with tackling in recent weeks, and had major trouble slowing down the likes of Brian Robinson Jr. and Antonio Gibson, especially on screens.
The clearest sign, though, is the beating Christian McCaffrey takes. He departed the game with a right calf injury and was listed as questionable. He never returned thanks to a heroic, resurgent performance from Elijah Mitchell.
Mitchell looked as good as he has since his rookie year, and his effort allowed McCaffrey some much-needed rest. He ran 17 times for 80 yards, and a walk-in touchdown that was his first of the season.
Thankfully for the 49ers, they won't need a fight with the feisty Los Angeles Rams next week to seal things. The now 4-12 Arizona Cardinals knocked off the 11-5 Philadelphia Eagles in a 35-31 win that will allow the 49ers some flexibility next week.
Philadelphia now has a fight on its hands with the Dallas Cowboys for the No. 2 seed.
No Jennings, McCloud showing up
It was clear in the red zone before the end of the first half that the 49ers - the second-most effective red zone team in the league, behind the Bills - were out of their groove.
A first down run by Christian McCaffrey, from the 2-yard line, was stuffed. A second-down throw required a Brock Purdy scramble and throwaway. Replays showed no one separated. A third down attempt met similar results, necessitating a sad, chip shot field goal to go up 13-10 at the end of the half.
Ronnie Bell simply isn't getting it done. He looks shaky as a punt returner and had a brutal hold that got a Deebo Samuel near-touchdown called back. He's not the physical blocking presence that Jauan Jennings is, nor the reliable returner Ray-Ray McCloud is. Chris Conley has a bigger frame, but cannot separate.
Even with the arsenal the 49ers have at their disposal - of Brandon Aiyuk, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Christian McCaffrey - they massive miss the likes of Jennings and McCloud. In bigger matchups, they'll need their blocking, separation and returning abilities, especially on third downs.
Game-sealing plays (and Purdy's place in history)
The 49ers defense was gashed on the ground in a way that they will likely admit their embarrassment about after the game.
But Sam Howell is an extraordinarily sackable quarterback who was playing with three non-starters on the offensive line. Whether the Commanders double-teamed him or not, Bosa won constantly.
Every camera cut before the defense came on the field seemed to be of Bosa taking an aggressive whiff of a smelling salt. The next play was often a quarterback pressure.
His effort was rewarded at the start of the fourth quarter, in a series of plays that iced the game. With the 49ers up 20-10, Bosa pressured Sam Howell, and Charvarius Ward snagged his fifth interception of the year. That might be substantial for his Pro Bowl hopes.
On the other end, Brock Purdy and co. went for a 95-yard touchdown drive that concluded any drama left in the game. Mitchell ran a handful of times, Purdy found Aiyuk for 38 yards, setting up the exclamation point.
It was iced when Purdy (who was back to his usual self, going 22-for-28 with 230 yards and 2 TDs) did a vintage Russell Wilson impression. He ran away from pressure twice, rolled right, directed traffic, and found Brandon Aiyuk for an outrageous touchdown.
After another Howell interception - this time by Deommodore Lenoir - Purdy worked his way into history.
As the 49ers worked their way down to the red zone in the late fourth quarter, Purdy (4,281 yards) passed Jeff Garcia (4,278 yards) for the most passing yards in a single season in 49ers history. It's especially notable given that he did it in 16 games.