49ERS #1 SEED - 1ST ROUND BYE THREAD

Originally posted by tankle104:

Whats important is the ones we needed to win for the 1 seed and first round bye, we won. You can make an argument the first loss to seattle was huge but we made up for at the end of the season with an unbelievably difficult schedule and all the pressure.

If we didn't have so many injuries on defense - I would be very confident that we would make it to the superbowl. Hopefully we get Kwon back for NFCC and Tartt & Ford back for our first playoff game.

The thing about the first seattle game is this.....we have a fluke missed kick that costs us a game we could and should have won before that kick.

On the flip side of that coin.....it's very rare that a team beats another team 3 times in one season, so if we would have won that game and end up playing Seattle again, we would have been on the wrong side of the odds. As it stands now though, chances and odds are all in our favor.

Originally posted by Kyzen:

Originally posted by tankle104:

Whats important is the ones we needed to win for the 1 seed and first round bye, we won. You can make an argument the first loss to seattle was huge but we made up for at the end of the season with an unbelievably difficult schedule and all the pressure.

If we didn't have so many injuries on defense - I would be very confident that we would make it to the superbowl. Hopefully we get Kwon back for NFCC and Tartt & Ford back for our first playoff game.

The thing about the first seattle game is this.....we have a fluke missed kick that costs us a game we could and should have won before that kick.

On the flip side of that coin.....it's very rare that a team beats another team 3 times in one season, so if we would have won that game and end up playing Seattle again, we would have been on the wrong side of the odds. As it stands now though, chances and odds are all in our favor.

I think had we win Week 10, we would have clinched the Div and 1 seed in Week 16, thus resting everyone for the Seattle game in Week 17 (start Mullens etc), so technically we probably would have finished at 13-3 regardless and not had to beat Seattle 3 times, but agree with your comments.

I look at it like this - for years the 49ers have been whipped by the Seahawks. Now we got the guys to fight back, and it takes them to OT to beat us. Not the best result, but a confidence builder for our side. Next round, our guys fight back more and get the shot (and take the shot) to bring them down. Going forward, they know and more importantly WE know that yes, this team can and will stand up to those guys from the PNW and now when we hit back, it can be the knockout blow. Do I want to see them next week, I think I'd rather see a more banged up PHI team but if we do cross paths with SEA in the playoffs we're in a great spot for that game.

cardiac kids indeed

Originally posted by Beezy33:

Originally posted by Kyzen:

Originally posted by tankle104:
Whats important is the ones we needed to win for the 1 seed and first round bye, we won. You can make an argument the first loss to seattle was huge but we made up for at the end of the season with an unbelievably difficult schedule and all the pressure.

If we didn't have so many injuries on defense - I would be very confident that we would make it to the superbowl. Hopefully we get Kwon back for NFCC and Tartt & Ford back for our first playoff game.

The thing about the first seattle game is this.....we have a fluke missed kick that costs us a game we could and should have won before that kick.

On the flip side of that coin.....it's very rare that a team beats another team 3 times in one season, so if we would have won that game and end up playing Seattle again, we would have been on the wrong side of the odds. As it stands now though, chances and odds are all in our favor.

I think had we win Week 10, we would have clinched the Div and 1 seed in Week 16, thus resting everyone for the Seattle game in Week 17 (start Mullens etc), so technically we probably would have finished at 13-3 regardless and not had to beat Seattle 3 times, but agree with your comments.

We were just a couple plays from going undefeated. Kyle get's way too conservative on late game situations IMO. I hope he self-scouts that and fixed it this offseason.

I need some goddamn 49ers playoff action.

It's going to be nice watching playoff football this weekend knowing both the Saints and the Seahawks are playing while the 49ers are at home and resting up. I hope both the Seattle and New Orleans game goes into quadruple overtime.

Please, no one do anything Stoopid.

Originally posted by DonRamon:
It's going to be nice watching playoff football this weekend knowing both the Saints and the Seahawks are playing while the 49ers are at home and resting up. I hope both the Seattle and New Orleans game goes into quadruple overtime.

I'll just be happy if they both lose

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
cardiac kids indeed

NFL Network's Top 5 Games of the Year:

49ers at Ravens
Texans at Saints
Seahawks at 49ers
49ers at Seahawks
49ers at Saints

From 4-12 in 2018 to one of the league's most exciting teams in 2019. #49ers https://t.co/cg7HrmZCaX

— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) January 1, 2020

nfln did their top 10 games of the decade and didn't include saints @ 49ers, unreal

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Chance to win: 15.2% (third)

The reason they win: The road and the offense

For most, the reason the 49ers might win it all is the defense, but that is neglecting the simple fact that defensive performance is far less predictable than offensive performance. The San Francisco offense is no joke. It starts with George Kittle, who is the best tight end in the NFL and might just be the hardest player to tackle in the entire league — he leads his position in yards after the catch per reception and broken tackles. The addition of true number one receiver Emmanuel Sanders took Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers' offense into the upper echelon of passing offenses. Since trading for Sanders, the 49ers rank fifth in expected points added (EPA) per pass play — which measures how much the average pass play improves the offense's chance of scoring — and fourth in yards per pass play. Kyle Shanahan uses the play-action fake at the fifth-highest rate and still has his team averaging 9.1 yards per play-action pass, which ranks third. Garoppolo doesn't need to be a superhero for this offense to score 30, he simply needs to continue the play that earned him the seventh-best raw PFF grade per dropback since Week 11.

While a good offense will travel, the 49ers' win in Seattle last Sunday night more than tripled their chances to make the Super Bowl, as it ensured home-field advantage. They will either face the Seahawks or Eagles at home in the Divisional Round while the Packers are likely to battle the Saints, who own the best PFF ELO power ranking in the NFC. Whoever comes out of the Packers-Saints battle will have to travel across the country as an underdog. The road to Miami could not be set up better for the 49ers.

What holds them back: Trusting the defense too much

What's wrong with trusting your defense? Let's go back to the Falcons game, where the 49ers decided to trust their defense and kick a long field goal on 4th-and-1 at the 25-yard line instead of having faith in the offense to gain a yard and end the game. Shanahan was uber-conservative on fourth-and-short last season, but this season he didn't hesitate to go for it against the Ravens and the Saints, almost winning the game in Baltimore and securing the win in New Orleans. The 49ers are likely to be favorites playing at home all the way through the NFC side, but Shanahan will need to make decisions like he did as an underdog on the road — otherwise, the 49ers could end up with a bad beat.

Non-QB X-factor: Deebo Samuel

Samuel was thought of as a gadget receiver who played the position more like a running back. This isn't entirely incorrect. Deebo is running over and away from defenders — his 8.6 yards after the catch per reception is second among wide receivers this season and the second-best mark among rookie receivers since 2006 (A.J. Brown is averaging an absurd 9.4 this season). Samuel has developed into a legit wide receiver, making cornerbacks look absolutely silly and providing the 49ers' offense with one of the best third-options in the playoffs. If Deebo continues to play at the level we saw Sunday night, the 49ers will be one hell of an out.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-playoff-preview-each-teams-chances-reasons-they-could-win-it-all

Got my tickets! Corner end zone, lower level.

Originally posted by Jcool:
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Chance to win: 15.2% (third)

The reason they win: The road and the offense

For most, the reason the 49ers might win it all is the defense, but that is neglecting the simple fact that defensive performance is far less predictable than offensive performance. The San Francisco offense is no joke. It starts with George Kittle, who is the best tight end in the NFL and might just be the hardest player to tackle in the entire league — he leads his position in yards after the catch per reception and broken tackles. The addition of true number one receiver Emmanuel Sanders took Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers' offense into the upper echelon of passing offenses. Since trading for Sanders, the 49ers rank fifth in expected points added (EPA) per pass play — which measures how much the average pass play improves the offense's chance of scoring — and fourth in yards per pass play. Kyle Shanahan uses the play-action fake at the fifth-highest rate and still has his team averaging 9.1 yards per play-action pass, which ranks third. Garoppolo doesn't need to be a superhero for this offense to score 30, he simply needs to continue the play that earned him the seventh-best raw PFF grade per dropback since Week 11.

While a good offense will travel, the 49ers' win in Seattle last Sunday night more than tripled their chances to make the Super Bowl, as it ensured home-field advantage. They will either face the Seahawks or Eagles at home in the Divisional Round while the Packers are likely to battle the Saints, who own the best PFF ELO power ranking in the NFC. Whoever comes out of the Packers-Saints battle will have to travel across the country as an underdog. The road to Miami could not be set up better for the 49ers.

What holds them back: Trusting the defense too much

What's wrong with trusting your defense? Let's go back to the Falcons game, where the 49ers decided to trust their defense and kick a long field goal on 4th-and-1 at the 25-yard line instead of having faith in the offense to gain a yard and end the game. Shanahan was uber-conservative on fourth-and-short last season, but this season he didn't hesitate to go for it against the Ravens and the Saints, almost winning the game in Baltimore and securing the win in New Orleans. The 49ers are likely to be favorites playing at home all the way through the NFC side, but Shanahan will need to make decisions like he did as an underdog on the road — otherwise, the 49ers could end up with a bad beat.

Non-QB X-factor: Deebo Samuel

Samuel was thought of as a gadget receiver who played the position more like a running back. This isn't entirely incorrect. Deebo is running over and away from defenders — his 8.6 yards after the catch per reception is second among wide receivers this season and the second-best mark among rookie receivers since 2006 (A.J. Brown is averaging an absurd 9.4 this season). Samuel has developed into a legit wide receiver, making cornerbacks look absolutely silly and providing the 49ers' offense with one of the best third-options in the playoffs. If Deebo continues to play at the level we saw Sunday night, the 49ers will be one hell of an out.

https://www.pff.com/news/nfl-playoff-preview-each-teams-chances-reasons-they-could-win-it-all

We could play Minnesota in the divisional round if Minny wins in N'awleans first. If only Kirk Cousins were Case Keenum...

Originally posted by VaBeachNiner:
cardiac kids indeed

NFL Network's Top 5 Games of the Year:

49ers at Ravens
Texans at Saints
Seahawks at 49ers
49ers at Seahawks
49ers at Saints

From 4-12 in 2018 to one of the league's most exciting teams in 2019. #49ers https://t.co/cg7HrmZCaX

— Rob Lowder (@Rob_Lowder) January 1, 2020

Hahaha I saw this while going through my Direct TV DVR Monday night, and it really got me thinking. the 49ers are truly the most exciting team in the NFL this year. Chris Simms is always telling people how he gets nothing but niner questions on Pro Football Talk/Monday Morning QB. We've been putting on the greatest football this season within all of the league, and it took us getting the 1st seed just to get them to remember the Cards combeback!

We're also attracting the biggest census of fans among the newer NFL demographic. All the big East/Mid-Eastern markets are not playing up to their standards this season (Pats/Steelers/Cowboys/Giants), and most of the teams going into the playoffs barely have a fanbase beyond their home state! The 49ers, like the Cowboys, and Raiders are global organizations with infinite fan appeal, so when we're doing good, the entire NFL is doing itself good!