The 49ers and Raiders ended Week 11 in the NFL 7.5 games and 6.5 games, respectively, back of the lead in their divisions.
It feels like a lot more than that after Monday night's classic between the Los Angeles Rams and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Los Angeles and Kansas City combined for 1,001 yards of offense and 105 points at the Los Angeles Coliseum, as the Rams held on for a 54-51 victory. If you love offense, it was historic in all the right ways.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Bay Area and California sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE The 49ers have not scored 50 points in a game since Dec. 7, 2003, when Terrell Owens was still in San Francisco. The Raiders, meanwhile, last scored more points than the Chiefs or Rams did Monday night ... eight years ago.
[49ERS: 49ers compiling offseason shopping list ahead of NFL free agency]
Monday's matchup served as a Super Bowl preview, and showed the 49ers and Raiders just how much room is left to climb back to the NFL's elite. Both the Rams and Chiefs have young quarterbacks -- Jared Goff is 24, and Patrick Mahomes is 23 -- and youth is on their side at the skill positions on offense, to boot.
San Francisco 49ers
Find the latest San Francisco 49ers news, highlights, analysis and more with NBC Sports Bay Area and California.
The 49ers and Raiders like their starting QBs (when they’re healthy), but neither team has the same complement of weapons as their divisional counterparts. The salary cap will force Los Angeles and Kansas City to make some hard decisions, but San Francisco and Oakland already are at that point, with Jimmy Garoppolo and Derek Carr earning top dollar.
We all know things can change quickly in the NFL. But as of Monday night, both teams have a long way to go.