How long the 49ers can survive without Trent Williams

Typically, when Williams leaves the game, the chances of the 49ers winning are over. The 49ers were just 4-11 when Williams did not play since he was signed. They were 1-6 last season without Williams, by far the most devastating injury they had faced. While this win does not count on those stats because Williams did start, it does show an outlier and a chance to signify that this team is different. 

The 49ers ability to win without Williams mostly came down to Brock Purdy. He was fantastic off-script and making plays down the field when he needed to. A star left tackle is one of the most important assets in the NFL, but we all know a star quarterback can trump anything. 

We may have seen Brock Purdy go from a player that teams can win with to a player that teams win because of in Week 17. The question is whether this continues. 

Williams has a hamstring injury, and those are always tricky. He told Kyle Shanahan he never had this serious of a hamstring injury, and Shanahan said he did not know his status moving forward, other than he had no chance of going back in the game against the Bears. 

While the one seed is on the line, it is not quite an elimination game, and it may give the 49ers a chance to rest Williams one more week before the start of the playoffs. On the other end, if the 49ers win the one-seed, Williams can sit out during the bye week. 

The reality is that while Purdy is hot, the defense is forcing him to play perfectly and score 40 points per game to win. The offense can do that on occasion, but if they need to do that every week moving forward, there is a real question of how sustainable this is. When you add in that Purdy has to be perfect and has to have his left tackle missing, it adds more questions. 

They did it once without Williams, but that does not mean that they can automatically do it again.