Niners Nation
Sitting at 9-4 and enjoying their bye week, the San Francisco 49ers are in a pretty good position heading into the final stretch of the season.
Currently, they sit as the No. 7 seed in the NFC, but that could change depending on this weekend’s slate of games. Still, they control their own destiny with four games left, with 10 or 11 wins looking like enough to make the playoffs in the crowded conference.
They’re right in the middle of a tight NFC West race, as the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams are both 9-3, while the 49ers stand just a half-game back.
When it comes to San Francisco’s season, it has managed to overcome some serious injuries to win some big games, while taking advantage of an easier schedule, as seven of their nine wins are against non-playoff teams (the two others being the Rams and the Seahawks).
While the injuries have potentially dampened the ceiling of the team this season, they’ve still proved to be a tough team to beat. And one Hall of Famer believes they can make some noise come the postseason.
“How good are they? Good enough to threaten, and make people really [think],” 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young said on The Dan Patrick Show this week. “You talk about a tough out. And they’re going to be in the playoffs. I think you can almost count on that.”
In addition, Young believes the 49ers are a team that nobody will want to play in the postseason, which is a testament to the coaching staff for overcoming the obstacles they’ve faced this year.
“Who wants to play the 49ers? Nobody. So, for where they are with the personnel and what’s happened, it’s pretty remarkable. I think we’ve got to tip our cap to really everyone in the organization right now, to be 9-4.”
Heading into the season, everyone knew the 49ers had a fourth-place schedule, which made them favored to make the playoffs. But, they’ve still managed to win games without their two biggest defensive stars, Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, while being 4-1 in one-score games.
He’s never found a way to win the award, but head coach Kyle Shanahan should be firmly in the mix for the NFL Coach of the Year award. And defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has certainly been one of the top assistants in the league this year, considering how he’s managed to field a top-eight defense despite the injuries.
It will be extremely hard for the 49ers to make or win the Super Bowl this year, especially if they end up as a wild-card team and have to go on the road for the entire postseason. But, Steve Young is right. They are certainly going to be a tough out, and could very well win a playoff game or two if both sides of the ball click at the right time.
San Francisco should be getting some key role players back from injury after the bye....
