National Football League

Players realize big climb remains;49ERS

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:16 a.m. ET

foxsports

The 49ers finally got their first win Sunday. Any return of their preseason swagger must wait at least a few more victories.

"We've only got one win," receiver Michael Crabtree said in Monday's muted afterglow of a 17-9 win over the visiting Raiders. "You can't really start talking about all that we've got right now. We just need to take it step by step."

Give the 49ers credit: If an 0-5 start gave them anything other than a nasty hill to climb, it was perspective about the depth and breadth of their current situation.

They are two wins behind all three NFC West rivals. Their 1-5 record means they are one win better than Sunday's opponent, winless Carolina.

It took everything the 49ers had to beat an Oakland team that had a stretch of more than 30 game minutes in which it did not complete a pass or make a first down. Given that contextual backdrop, it's easy to understand why the 49ers aren't acting as if they just conquered the free world.

"It's important for all of us to understand where we are," Niners head coach Mike Singletary said. "We have a chance to do something very special. We're fighting for our lives now, and the vision that we have, we still have that vision. It's very much alive.

"We're just going to take it one at a time and we'll go from there."

Expect the next step to come with less dead weight on their shoulder pads.

This team was a consensus pick to win the NFC West after going 8-8 last season. It was one thing for Carolina and Buffalo to start 0-5, but the 49ers?

No wonder tight end Vernon Davis said winning in mid-October was like getting a house off his back. The five-game losing streak weighed that heavily on this team.

"You're not satisfied, but you can breathe," inside linebacker Patrick Willis said. "You cannot have that little 'Ugh' feeling inside that, man, we've got to get this going early."

Now, they'll see if it's all too late.

The 49ers are 4-12 on the road under Singletary, including a 1-9 mark outside the division, with eight straight losses.

Remember that as the 49ers leave Friday on an 11-day, 17,400-mile, eight-time-zone trek to play the Panthers in Charlotte, N.C., on Sunday, then zoom straight to London to play Denver the Sunday after that.

The 49ers aren't out of the woods just yet. With 10 games to play, they'll have to survive the thick of the travel schedule if they're going to get back in the thick of the NFC West.

First, the 49ers must get past Carolina and Denver heading into the midseason bye. Perhaps then the 49ers can have their swagger back for five divisional games in the final eight weeks.

"I think the team is mature enough to understand exactly that," quarterback Alex Smith said. "We got No. 1, you have to start with that, and now we can build on that."

As for overconfidence, Singletary said there is no such thing at 1-5.

"I think we will not be overconfident," Singletary said. "Right now where we are, we've got to work. ... And we've got to do everything that we can to stay focused and keep going in the right direction."