Why the 49ers’ final six games of 2017 matter in the big picture

Niner Noise takes a look why the San Francisco 49ers’ final six games of 2017 are important to setting the stage for a busy offseason and the rebuild in general.

Simply put, the San Francisco 49ers’ 2017 campaign was a wash — a painful first series of steps in what still looks to be a long rebuild.

With Week 10 now in the books, first-year head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad finds itself at 1-9. By the most optimistic of standards, it’s a bad record. Especially when even the most skeptic of critics predicted two or three more wins by this point in the season.

The 49ers hit their bye in Week 11 and still have a fairly tough remaining schedule down the stretch.

In case you were wondering, here it is in detail:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/15/2017.

How many wins are left here? One, perhaps two? That would still likely require an upset over teams like, let’s say, the Chicago Bears or Houston Texans.

While some fans may be clamoring for the Niners to lose out in an attempt to garner a better pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, let’s look at some key reasons why the rest of the season has some significant importance for the team moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers

Raising the Standards

A “culture of losing” can become an epidemic. Just look at the Cleveland Browns, who always appear to be starting at zero each and every season.

The Niners were dangerously close to reaching that low point, but wins like the one of the New York Giants last week help point the franchise in the right direction.

General manager John Lynch later elaborated on this, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco:

"We want to continue to see who’s responding, who is going to be a part of this moving forward. But we also want to raise that standard. After a win like against the Giants, yeah, we were elated in the locker room.But that didn’t keep us and the coaches from going in there and coaching hard and saying, ‘Hey, guys, we won, but we can be so much better if we tighten up some of these details.’ We’re going to continue to develop that as part of our culture."

Another win, or two, this season would go a long way in branding the 49ers as a team on the rise.

Not one forever stuck in the pitfalls of mediocrity.

Playing the Spoiler

If your team isn’t going to the postseason, the next best thing is to help ensure another team won’t either. Or, at least, preventing that team from getting a higher seed.

The Niners are in a good position to do this. At 6-3, the Seahawks have playoff aspirations but are a game behind the 7-2 Los Angeles Rams. Helping the Rams keep the NFC West crown secure would be something pretty sweet against a hated rival like Seattle.

Both at 6-3 as well, the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars have some stiff challenges ahead of a postseason run. How will those pending matchups factor into the playoff picture?

Regardless, throwing a proverbial “monkey wrench” into opponents’ playoff aspirations would do a lot for the team’s confidence down the road.

Finding the Building Blocks

As we all know, the 49ers are in the early stages of a rebuild. With no hopes of a postseason push, the remainder of 2017 means little outside of pride.

But it’s also a key element in determining what kind of player character the Niners wish to develop.

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Case in point, the Giants showcased very little desire during their trip to Santa Clara last weekend, essentially saying they’ve given up on the season and can’t wait for the conclusion of 2017.

Lynch and Shanahan have made it known they want players with 100-percent dedication to football. Be it a 1-9 or 9-1 season, that effort still applies. And those players displaying the same passion and dedication are easily singled out as the building blocks for 2018 and beyond.

Especially pending free agents, like running back Carlos Hyde and safety Eric Reid. What will their efforts say moving forward?

It’s not likely San Francisco reels off four or five wins to close out the year on a major upswing. But another victory here or there would do some good for the franchise.

Next: Identifying the 5 best 49ers players in 2017 so far

And heck, the Niners are still going to get a top draft pick anyway.