On January 30, the San Francisco 49ers will play the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium for a chance to return to the venue two weeks later to play in Super Bowl LVI. This Niners season could be considered one of the greatest runs in NFL history. They aren't a top seed, division winner, or the most dominant team in the league. This year, they went from a struggling team to becoming the most-feared team in the postseason.
After suffering an embarrassing 31-17 loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 9, the 3-5 49ers' season looked to be on the brink of disaster going into a Monday night matchup with the hated 7-2 division rival Los Angeles Rams.
Pat McAfee and A.J. Hawk of the Pat McAfee Show both picked the Rams to beat the 49ers, while shows such as Undisputed and First Take predicted a big game for Odell Beckham Jr., who Los Angeles signed on November 11.
The 49ers would end up proving the pundits wrong by blowing out the Rams 31-10 and holding the former Pro Bowl receiver to two receptions for 18 yards.
After the win over the eventual NFC West champions, the 49ers went 7-2 through their remaining games, including wins over the Cincinnati Bengals and an epic overtime victory over the Rams in the regular-season finale.
Heading into the postseason, the sixth-seed 49ers were tasked with playing on the road as a Wild Card. Their run started against the Dallas Cowboys, renewing what was once considered one of the greatest rivalries in the NFL. San Francisco pulled off a 23-17 victory.
The 49ers' next game featured a trip to Green Bay to play another playoff rival of the past 22 years. San Francisco pulled off a last-second 13-10 victory over the Packers.
The 49ers-Rams rivalry goes back over 71 years, including being in the short-lived NFC Coastal division from 1967-1970 to the NFC West in 1970. The 49ers defeating Los Angeles six consecutive times won't matter because this next matchup is for a chance to play in the Super Bowl.
The 49ers beat the Rams 30-3 in the 1990 NFC Championship Game to face the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl XXIV, a game San Francisco won 55-10 for their fourth championship.
The last time the 49ers won the Super Bowl was during the NFL's 75th anniversary. They defeated the San Diego Chargers in Super Bowl XXIX by a score of 49-26. The 49ers are celebrating their own 75th anniversary this season. They had to run a gauntlet through three of their rivals to make it to the NFC Championship Game against the Rams.
The 2007 New York Giants were the last team to have an epic run in the playoffs when they went on the road, defeating the NFC South division winner Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24-14, the NFC's second-seeded Cowboys 21- 17, and the NFC's top-seeded Packers 23-20 in overtime for a berth in Super Bowl XLII against the then-undefeated New England Patriots.
The Giants pulled off the 17-14 shocker over the Patriots to become Super Bowl champions.
Let's say the 49ers beat the Rams on Sunday and play in the Super Bowl. They could look for revenge against the Kansas City Chiefs, who stole victory from them in Super Bowl 54, or the Cincinnati Bengals, who would be looking for payback for beating them in Super Bowl XVI and XXIII.
Is it in the cards? We'll find out this Sunday.