4 Week 8 stats that suggest 49ers are turning 2021 around

No. 3: 49ers went 4-of-10 on third-down attempts

Granted, the 49ers shouldn’t exactly be proud of going 4-of-10 on third-down tries in Week 8. But considering they were an abysmal 1-of-11 on third downs in Week 7, perhaps the most recent line is a sign of improvement.

Entering the game, the Niners’ third-down woes were a ghastly presence in what was turning into a scuffling offense all around. Before Week 8, San Francisco was converting an average of 31.4 percent of third-down attempts, which was third lowest in the league and only marginally above the Jacksonville Jaguars (31.3) and Bears (31.2).

Granted, Chicago converted eight of its 15 third-down tries in the game, which is something the 49ers will have to figure out.

But at least the Niners offense moved in the right direction here.

Splits count, too. San Francisco went 2-of-6 on third-down tries in the first half before going 2-of-4 on third downs in the second half, which equated to a much more respectable 50-percent rate.

If the 49ers can emphasize what worked in the third and fourth quarters during Week 8, they’ll likely improve much closer towards the league average of 40 percent.