49ers mailbag: Ghost of Christmas past could haunt another playoff run

SANTA CLARA – Making a list, checking it twice, time to find out which letters are naughty and nice into our weekly 49ers mailbag:

Do you know when was the last time the 49ers played on Christmas Day? (@juniorvalencia408)

It was 1993. The 49ers clinched the NFC West in their previous game, as they did this past Sunday. And they hosted an AFC powerhouse in the Houston Oilers, whereas this Monday night they’ll be hosting the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens. So the turnover-prone 49ers lost 10-7 in that penultimate game of the 1993 regular season at Candlestick Park. Coach George Seifert pulled NFL passing leader Steve Young in the third quarter, seeing how the 49ers’ had already clinched a first-round playoff bye the previous week and were longshots to claim the No. 1 seed over Dallas. The 49ers went on to lose the NFC Championship Game in Dallas, and the Oilers lost their playoff opener to Kansas City.

What is your best-case playoff scenario, game by game? (@all4dg3)

After the wild-card bye, the No. 1-seed 49ers host Nick Mullens and the Minnesota Vikings, the No. 7-seed that advanced past the No. 2 Detroit Lions. The 49ers add to the NFC Championship lore by winning the Halas Trophy against the No. 3 Cowboys, who took out the No. 5 Eagles. Come Feb. 11, the 49ers win the Super Bowl 33-17 (as I predicted last Feb. 12), only this comes against Mike McDaniel and the Miami Dolphins rather than the Joe Burrow-last Cincinnati Bengals.

Is it true the NFL is scripted? (@fmblujay)

Absolutely. Players go out of their way to make it seem so obvious. As Brock Purdy said about returning Sunday from his shoulder stinger: “I didn’t want to go in there acting like it was a movie scene. It was more about, ‘I’m back in here, let’s actually read out the defense and what are we trying to do.’  … I mean if you just look at the whole grand scheme of it, being drafted last and all that, I guess people could start saying stuff about movies.”

Is Mooney Ward the best cornerback the 49ers have had since Deion? (@j.mata530)

Background: Deion Sanders won the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year award and the Super Bowl in his lone season with the 49ers. Their Pro Bowl cornerbacks since then: Eric Davis (1995), Walt Harris (2006), Carlos Rogers (2011), Richard Sherman (2019), and, ideally, Charvarius Ward (2023). Sherman’s reputation and talents best scared off quarterbacks. Ward is playing his best at the best time, having scored his first career touchdown on the first of his two interceptions Sunday; he leads the NFL with 22 passes defensed.

What are they doing on defense about all the missed tackles? (@matty__maff)

You’re correct, they really did miss defensive tackles Arik Armstead and Javon Hargrave on Sunday. (Pause for laughter at sarcastic wit.) But seriously, the 49ers’ poor tackling allowed the Cardinals to run for over 200 yards. General manager John Lynch blamed their over pursuits on how “we don’t sit in a chair, we come at people.” But he hasn’t liked how they’ve fallen off the past three weeks like teams tend to do late in the season. “Sometimes it takes getting punched in the mouth and having a performance like that to really drill in how critical it is. We have to clean it up. We’re playing against a really good team in Baltimore,” Lynch said on KNBR 680-AM.

The Ravens pulled off a sloppy win at Jacksonville (on Sunday night). How do the 49ers stack up against their talent? (@david581)

MVP candidate Lamar Jackson is even better than he was four years ago when he led the Ravens past the Super Bowl-bound 49ers. He has slick targets in Zay Flowers, Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and replacement tight end Isaiah Likely. The Ravens have the NFL’s No. 1 rushing attack, though it’s lost rookie Keaton Mitchell to an ACL, so Gus Edwards and Melvin Gordon will join Jackson in testing the 49ers’ wobbly run defense. Defensively, the Ravens lead the NFL with 50 sacks (12 from Justin Madubuike, 7 ½ from Jadeveon Clowney), and their linebacker duo of Roquan Smith and Patrick Queen is their answer to the 49ers’ Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw.

Should the team be looking for reinforcements on the D-line? Maybe adding a vet like Suh will help in the final phase. (@SFG_soccer)

They’ll definitely need some help, whether Armstead and (more likely) Hargrave return this week. Kalia Davis, who had a sack in his NFL debut three games ago, is likely out multiple weeks with a high ankle sprain from Arizona. T.Y. McGill had mixed results upon getting called up from the practice squad, where they also have Spencer Waege in reserve. As for Ndamukong Suh, Shanahan said Monday they have “not yet” discussed adding him and wouldn’t rule that out. Suh, a 13-year veteran, hasn’t played this season, but the 49ers would make sense for his sixth NFL team; they looked into him last year and he’s worked with defensive line coach Kris Kocurek in Detroit.

What’s up with Danny Gray? Is he injured? (@redngold23)

Gray healed long ago from his preseason shoulder injury and has been running on the side at the start of practices. There just hasn’t been a roster spot or driving need to use one of the eight allotted spots to activate him off short-term Injured Reserve. Wide receiver Jauan Jennings entered the NFL’s concussion protocol Monday, so his health will be monitored, but Gray is more of an emergency option at this point in a probable redshirt year.

You think the 49ers use any throwback jersey for Christmas night? (@luisfiggs_45)

Indeed, they’re wearing the 1994 red, throwback jerseys with shadow-block numbers, as they did in their home-opening win over the New York Giants. Whether Nick Bosa again appears in a Santa Claus robe postgame, like last year, depends on whether George Kittle has it available for him.

What are your thoughts on a gold uniform? (@oliviaaa.dlc)

The 49ers would prefer silver, as in the Lombardi Trophy they hope to win Feb. 11. As for a gold-colored jersey, let’s keep that color on the helmet and pants rather than entirely resemble a bottle of spicy brown mustard.

This is for Brock: How does it feel to be a starting rookie for the best team in the NFL right now? (@jayslezy_)

How Brock might answer: “Thanks for noticing, but I was a rookie last year on arguably the best team, and now I’m in my first full year as the starter, just playing quarterback on a great team and trying to win games.”

Anything I should expect or look for when I go to my first Niners game on Christmas? Been a fan since birth (2000) thanks to my pop. (@isaaaaaac7)

Once you get past the traffic and park amid the festive tailgates with DJs, dive into the 49ers’ museum on the stadium’s north side for a quick tour (it hasn’t been updated much in the past decade). Stroll the concourse to appreciate the historical banners. Duck onto the east-side balcony to view the 49ers’ practice field. The Montana-to-Clark statue of The Catch is in the northwest corner by Gate A. Get in your seat by kickoff for a big-time ballgame, and stay until the end, win or lose.