Race for the nfc west and the #1 seed

Originally posted by Furlow:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Originally posted by Niners99:

The problem is winning in Seattle just doesn't seem realistic unless we have EVERY starter back healthy. Excluding Richburg, Kwon, and Jones obviously.

The way the D has been playing the last 2 weeks, and the way our OL has looked lately makes me extremely skeptical that were going to go into Seattle and win.

Ultimately were good enough to win playoff games on the road. Were not like the Saints or Seahawks and become significantly better at home. But we need that first round bye in the worst way. This team is hurting and totally gassed after an early bye week.

you act like Seattle is some unstoppable force? Have you watched them the past two weeks? Got butt f**ked by the Rams and it took them all of 60 mins to beat Kyle Allen and a make-believe coaching staff.

We're not healthy BUT they're certainly not healthy either.

FWIW I'm not sure why people are hating on how the D played this past Sunday? They had only given up 17 pts to a top 10 offense until the very last play of the game. ATL was punting the ball all 2nd half. IF Julio get's tackled 5 inches to the left no one is talking about the defense. IF Kittle doesn't fumble the ball on that 3rd down we pick up a 1st and at the very worst kick a FG with like 30 secs left.

everyone is gasses it's week 16.

Agreed 100%. People have PTSD from Seattle beating our asses for the past decade. They are NOT the same team and obviously neither are we.

10 years plus the 1 game this year. LOL

i dont see us winning the next 2 in a row. now with how banged up we are on defense. the team is just so beat up and tired. yet, we need them to win the next 2 to GET the bye and extra rest. so this just f**king sucks all around

Originally posted by SkyZer0:

i dont see us winning the next 2 in a row. now with how banged up we are on defense. the team is just so beat up and tired. yet, we need them to win the next 2 to GET the bye and extra rest. so this just f**king sucks all around

I believe a lot of us hoped injury bug wouldn't hit us this year. But it did and it feels like ground hog day with injuries. Year after year of team killing injuries. We all knew if this miracle season would happen we would have to stay healthy. But deep down we recognized our luck with injuries would probably derail season. We have two very important games coming to prove me wrong.

Originally posted by SkyZer0:
i dont see us winning the next 2 in a row. now with how banged up we are on defense. the team is just so beat up and tired. yet, we need them to win the next 2 to GET the bye and extra rest. so this just f**king sucks all around

Sherman will be back, Kwaun Williams will be back, Tartt might be back, Ford who knows, DJ Jones gone.

But that's hardly banged up. Every team is missing someone at this point.

Bobby Wagner is playing on a sprained ankle that knocked him out the last game. Diggs is iffy with a high ankle sprain.

Goff has a thumb, Hill has a thumb, Zuerleine a quad.

Who knows who else

Originally posted by Stanley:

Originally posted by SkyZer0:
i dont see us winning the next 2 in a row. now with how banged up we are on defense. the team is just so beat up and tired. yet, we need them to win the next 2 to GET the bye and extra rest. so this just f**king sucks all around

Sherman will be back, Kwaun Williams will be back, Tartt might be back, Ford who knows, DJ Jones gone.

But that's hardly banged up. Every team is missing someone at this point.

Bobby Wagner is playing on a sprained ankle that knocked him out the last game. Diggs is iffy with a high ankle sprain.

Goff has a thumb, Hill has a thumb, Zuerleine a quad.

Who knows who else

Seattle losing Gordon is big. Though his numbers had not been big, he was a threat anyplace on the field. DCs had to account for him with a quality DB.

Seattle is a bad matchup in the state the 49ers are in right now. Can we score 30 on that defense, because that's probably what it's going to take to win? Their defense is not good, but they always look like the 2002 Tampa Buccaneers against the 49ers.

Also, I think in this particular year seeding/homefield is irrelevant. It comes down to matchups and which team is the healthiest.

What are the 49ers strengths? Weaknesses? Which of the other 5 playoff teams can exploit them, or be exploited?

According to NFL.com (link)

Niners still maintain the highest probability of winning the 1st seed: 41.8%

Record: 11-3, currently No. 5 seed.

Week 16 vs. LAR: SF wins in 59.9 percent of simulations.
Week 17 at SEA: SF wins in 54.4 percent of simulations.
Super Bowl chances if No. 1 seed: 24.2 percent.
Super Bowl chances if wild-card team: 15.7 percent.

I give us a 60% chance to reach the Super Bowl if we beat both the Rams and Seattle for the #1 Seed. Otherwise I give us a 20% chance.

Originally posted by FL9er:
Seattle is a bad matchup in the state the 49ers are in right now. Can we score 30 on that defense, because that's probably what it's going to take to win? Their defense is not good, but they always look like the 2002 Tampa Buccaneers against the 49ers.

With our defense in the state it's in - I don't think we can stop Wilson. He'll easily put up 30 and scramble all over our front 7. I don't think it's going to be pretty.

Nothing has changed. We needed to go a minimum of 1-1 and then beat Seattle over there. In a way it's good that we are in this situation: if we beat the Rams at home we have all to play for, with no scoreboard watching on what Seattle does; hopefully we get a little healthier until then (one good thing about the defeat last week was that, shockingly, nobody got injured. That's a new one this year!). If we lose, then here is our bye week. Just sit everyone in Week 17 and focus on preparing (and getting healthy for) the NFC East "champion" (cheapening the word there).

Either way, we have reached a place we would have grabbed with both hands at the start of the season. We're in the playoffs. The next thing that matters is winning the SB. To do this we need 4 or 5 victories. Whether we go 5-0 as a #1 seed or 4-2 as a #5 makes no difference. It's not as if WC teams have never won it all before.

We're in the tournament. Let's try to win that. If we get the #1 seed WITHOUT ANY MORE INJURIES, great. If we are #5, so be it.

Originally posted by smithgdwg:
I give us a 60% chance to reach the Super Bowl if we beat both the Rams and Seattle for the #1 Seed. Otherwise I give us a 20% chance.

Those odds are just about right.

Can we get back to running the ball and stop the turnover please.
Just remember if we get # 1 seed we won't have the best field conditions. We get a little rain around the playoffs.

Originally posted by SkyZer0:
i dont see us winning the next 2 in a row. now with how banged up we are on defense. the team is just so beat up and tired. yet, we need them to win the next 2 to GET the bye and extra rest. so this just f**king sucks all around

We have clinched a playoff berth, and are well set up to carry success forward for the foreseeable future. I refuse to think that "this just f**king sucks all around" especially considering where I thought we were in the rebuild process just this last August.

Originally posted by FL9er:
Also, I think in this particular year seeding/homefield is irrelevant. It comes down to matchups and which team is the healthiest.

What are the 49ers strengths? Weaknesses? Which of the other 5 playoff teams can exploit them, or be exploited?

Um ... seeding is far from irrelevant. 1 or 2 seed get a week of rest with a bye and only have to win 2 games to get to SB.