The Shanaplan: Are we taking the 49ers' success for granted this season?

When you look at the landscape of the NFL, there are a handful of well-run franchises and everyone else. The 49ers fall under the few teams you can count on as organizations that know what they’re doing.

Sometimes, it’s as simple as swallowing your pride and admitting a mistake. Kyle Shanahan is in first place, and that was only possible because the 49ers have an owner that’s willing to accept those mistakes and pay dead money.

That line of thinking brought us to the article’s question. There’s never a dull moment in 49er land. But this season, San Francisco has been spoiled with success. And while spoiled may not be the correct term considering the Niners have earned it, are we taking the team’s success for granted? Here’s Akash:

When you’re in the game for those 60 minutes and are following along, it’s easy to criticize. Then you take a step back, look at the rest of the scores on Sunday, you look at some of the advanced stats, and the 49ers light up the rest of the league like a Christmas tree.

Especially the last eight weeks. They’ve been by far the most dominant team on both sides of the ball. I think DVOA has them #1 both offensively and defensively, and I think #5 since Christian McCaffrey has joined forces.

And when you step back and look toward the middle of the week, you’re amazed at what this team has been able to accomplish. How talented they are, how well-coached they are. They roll out a 7th-round rookie starting quarterback and, basically, keep humming.

Think about the struggles the 49ers' recent opponents have gone through. The 49ers next opponent just made a quarterback change. San Francisco’s previous opponent just switched signal callers. Tampa Bay is a mess. Miami played their quarterback with a concussion for at least a quarter. The Saints look hopeless, and the Cardinals are likely going to fire their head coach.