Who are the 49ers?

Would the real 49ers please stand up?

Who are these 49ers? 

Are they the team that blew out the Jaguars by 31 points and destroyed the Cowboys by 32? Or are they the team that lost three games in a row to P.J. Walker and the Browns, the Vikings without Justin Jefferson, and the Bengals who just lost to Houston?

Would the real 49ers please stand up?

It seems clear that when they're healthy, rested and motivated to perform, they're an elite team. They can embarrass weak teams and expose fraudulent ones such as Jacksonville. But when they're not healthy or rested or motivated, they can lose to P.J. Walker. Which means they could lose this week to Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers if they're not on their game.

The 49ers are an older team full of highly-paid veterans who aren't necessarily as hungry as they used to be. They know the big games will come in December and January, and sometimes they seem to look ahead to those matchups to their own detriment.

The 49ers also seem to get worn down. Before the bye week, head coach Kyle Shanahan said the team looked slow and fatigued, which is alarming after just eight weeks. It's possible the 49ers have played so many games the past few years, they're running out of gas, and won't be able to maintain this level of play for the whole season.

Remember, the 49ers started the season on a five-game win streak, then fell apart and lost three in a row.

Now they look fresh again after a bye week. How long can they maintain this level of energy and intensity? If they can keep it up the rest of the season, they can win the Super Bowl. 

We'll see how much gas these 49ers have left in the tank.