The banner is visible but not necessarily prominent. It hangs near a corner of the Levi’s Stadium home locker room, in an otherwise blank space between two lockers. On a white background five years are spelled out in red numbers—1981 to ’94—each connoting a season in which San Francisco won a Super Bowl. It’s understated yet powerful, a reminder of what was and what matters and what, they hope, may be again.
Only two franchises—Pittsburgh and New England—have won more championships in the Super Bowl era (and only Dallas can match the 49ers’ five titles). But that last year on the banner grows more concerning with each championship-less campaign. Most pro football franchises would kill for this franchise’s uniquely rich history. But despite 12 playoff appearances since seizing their last Lombardi Trophy, despite a close Super Bowl loss, late, three seasons ago, the 49ers are now almost three decades removed from the dominance that long defined them.
Perhaps that’s why the locker room mood late Saturday wasn’t festive, not even after a 41–23 throttling of the Seahawks that featured 25 consecutive second-half points. The vibe—which could be described as a marriage between insurance conference and Mondays at the office—stemmed from what’s ahead, from how hard it is to win the season’s final game, how much preparation and health and luck are required, from all the strange and glorious and extra this season has presented. In the end these 49ers will end up looking at the same banner they’ve seen for months … or adding another year to it.
