SANTA CLARA — Only a 49ers season this maddening could make Sunday’s victory so tough to secure, even after parlaying George Kittle’s 210 receiving yards into a 20-0 halftime lead.
An eventual 20-14 win over the Denver Broncos may have hindered the 49ers’ 2019 draft position, but it certainly provided a morale boost for a flailing franchise that had lost its past three and 10 of 12 before Sunday’s stunner.
Nick Mullens snapped out of his three-game funk and did more than capitalizing on Kittle’s hands. Mullens passed for 332 yards, his second-most in five starts and a throwing for 414 yards in a losing effort last Sunday in Seattle.