Niner Nate-tion: Can the 49ers win out?

They say that hope springs eternal, and that goes doubly so for NFL fans. Seven days ago the 49ers were still licking their wounds from a sloppy loss to the Saints and almost daily additions to the reserve/COVID-19 list. One week later and fans are riding high after a last-second field goal delivered a sweep of the Rams and a legitimate path to the playoffs.

And maybe more than that.

On the latest Niner Nate-tion Podcast, the conductor of the 49ers’ hype train Nate Nelson makes his triumphant return. All talk of Kyle Wilson was officially banned in favor of seeding scenarios and dreams of a deep run in the NFC playoffs. Along with Sports Illustrated’s Leo Luna, they wondered: just how far can this 49ers team go?

“Let’s make a run, 10-6, let’s talk about it. How do you make a run,” Nate asked, “It’s all in front of them. Anything is possible at this point. Now that Deebo Samuel is back. Raheem Mostert is back. The defense is playing even better than it was. There’s really a potential to rail off six in a row.”

Even without Nick Bosa, the 49ers defense is playing out of their minds right now. While that effort isn’t reflected in the final scores of their games, Robert Saleh’s crew has shown the ability to keep San Francisco within striking distance of anyone.

The elephant in the room continues to be Nick Mullens. If Mullens can provide even average quarterback play, do you have enough confidence in Kyle Shanahan and the other parts of this team to keep things afloat for a possible return of Jimmy Garoppolo and George Kittle at the end of the season?

Hear the rest of their conversation in the latest episode of the Niners Nate-tion Podcast, which you can find here on this page and anywhere else you get your pods. If you’re in a giving mood, we’d love a five star rating and a review as well.