For those of you who frequent Niners Nation, you may have gotten the idea that I believe in the east coast bias in regards to the disbursement of media attention - and to a degree, I do. But when I saw this bit on ESPN's First Take with Skip Bayless and Darren Woodson, I have to admit, I turned up the volume in excitement.
My take:
I have to agree with what Bayless said; "you better believe they are" a threat to the Green Bay Packers in the postseason. However, Woodson brings up a good point that if the Packers lure the 49ers into a shootout, it could spell the end for San Francisco. As well as Alex Smith and the offense has played, it'd be asking a lot to contend with Aaron Rodgers and the Packers offensive attack on a good day.
The 49ers defense should be able to keep them in that game, if it is to occur. Because the 49ers front seven is as good as it is, San Francisco can rush 4 and drop 7, still getting pressure and taking away receivers from Rodgers. The 49ers coaches have been spectacular at getting the optimum performance from their players and game-planning for opponents.
Offensively, the Niners can run the ball well and with that, they can control the clock and keep Rodgers off the field for as long as possible, limiting his attempts. Whether or not the 49ers will have home field in the playoffs is still to be determined, but San Francisco could benefit greatly if they were to be a top seed in the postseason.
The Cinderella story aspect of the 49ers facing the Packers in the playoffs may be an intangible element that may be with them - fate, as it were. NFL fans can imagine the plethora of stories that would revolve around that game.
The game is a very real possibility but for now, we should all be taking this season in stride, one game at a time.
Post your comments and questions on the potential match-up below.
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