Well, at least the 49ers are consistent. In their second year under Kyle Shanahan, they have fallen below expectations but are looking to finish the season strong with two games remaining and a two-game winning streak in their hands.
It’s just like last year. In 2017, the Jimmy Garoppolo-ran 49ers were a team no one wanted to run into and they managed to make life difficult for playoff bounds teams such as the Tennessee Titans and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Well, they are getting the love again, the 49ers claim the No. 1 spot as a team to spoil playoff chances for the contenders in a recent article by NFL.com’s Herbie Teope. Here’s what Teope had to say about the 49ers ability to surprise and ruin the hopes and dreams of their final two teams.
Proceed with extreme caution, Chicago and Los Angeles. The 49ers are currently playing spoiler, with two straight wins against the Broncos and Seahawks, so this is a hot team against quality opponents. The Bears clinched the NFC North for the first time since the 2010 season, but are in position to jump ahead of the Rams for the No. 2 spot if Chicago wins out and the Rams lose another game. Chicago would own the tie-breaker over L.A. based on the Week 14 win. The once-invincible Rams have lost two straight games, and suddenly find themselves in urgent need to fix issues before the postseason with the No. 1 seed potentially still in play in Week 17, depending on what happens between the Saints and Steelers in Week 16. And if there is an NFC team in a perfect spot to have a say in how the higher seeding will shape out ahead of January, it is definitely the 49ers.
Just one problem, that’s Chicago and Los Angeles, two teams fighting for the No. 2 and No. 1 seeds in the playoffs. The 49ers got stomped by the Rams at home a few weeks ago and their final game of the season against them will have going to Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the Bears defense embarrassed the Rams high-powered offense. There’s always the phrase, “Any given Sunday,” but the challenge in front of the 49ers to finish out the season is a much different situation than the one posed in 2017.