Wow. Superbowl bound!

While the offense has been powerful, the Niner's defense has been, in some ways, equally impressive thus far in the post season, by bending not breaking and stiffening when needed. In the second quarter of the Green Bay game they only gave up 10 points, and yesterday an astounding 0.

The defense has been a standout phase of the game for the Niner's for several years now. They were a bright spot that carried the team (often by wretched design) in the bleak years and they've continued to shine since Jim Harbaugh brought his staff aboard. Line and linebacker play in particular have been plush with accolades, especially this year.

Stoutness has continued this post season despite injuries at the line that have, in my opinion, clearly hampered its effectiveness. In particular, these injuries have manifested in a slower the pass rush, allowing more time for pass plays to develop. This obviously puts more pressure on the secondary, but while they have been gashed here and there, their work has been admirable. In large part, this is likely because the run defense has remained quite good over the course of the whole game, somewhat attributable to the time of possession favoring the Niner's and a positive turnover ratio!

Like the players continually say during post-game interviews--these are great team wins. Let's hope the defense continues their stout play against a difficult Ravens opponent in a couple weeks!