It all comes down to week 17 for 49ers
Dec 26, 2011 at 10:35 PM
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Frank Gore, like all San Francisco 49ers fans, said that he would have a special interest in Monday night's matchup between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons. A Saints loss would have clinched a bye week in the playoffs for San Francisco. Instead, the Saints destroyed the Falcons by the score of 45-16, won the NFC South, clinched a home playoff game, and their quarterback, Drew Brees, broke Dan Marino's single-season record for passing yards ... in impressive fashion.
The Saints look to be a dangerous playoff opponent. Very dangerous. They are the team that just will not go away in the race for the NFC's number two spot in the playoffs. With so many weapons at Brees' disposal, it will take a special defense (like San Francisco) or an equally impressive offense (like Green Bay) to stop the red hot Saints, who have now won seven straight. Home or away, the Saints are hitting their stride at the right time and will be dangerous come January.
The Saints, like the 49ers, are 12-3 on the season. However, San Francisco holds the ti-breaker because of their better conference record. In order to clinch a bye in the playoffs, the 49ers will need to beat the St. Louis Rams on the road during their final game of the season or have the Carolina Panthers beat the Saints in New Orleans. Given the unpredictability of the NFL, the 49ers will need to treat their final game like a must win playoff game, because the Saints and the Panthers play at the same time. So neither will know the result of the other's game until the very end.
One of the criticisms against San Francisco this year has been their lackluster offense. How would the team perform in a shootout against a team like the Saints or Packers? Would their 23 points per game average be enough to keep up? To make matters worse, their passing attack may not get any better. They have been without receiver Joshua Morgan for most of the season, receiver Braylon Edwards has not been Braylon Edwards, Delanie Walker, who was injured this past weekend, may not be ready to go for the playoffs, and Kyle Williams was also hurt against the Seahawks.
Only twice this season has the 49ers offense has scored 30 or more points in a game. Of the other NFC teams that have clinched playoff spots, Green Bay has had 10 such games, New Orleans has had 9, while Detroit and Atlanta have each had 6. The 49ers have only played one of those teams (a victory over Detroit) this season.
If the season ended today
If the season ended today, the Green Bay Packers (1st seed) and San Francisco 49ers (2nd seed) would have the number one and two spots locked up and would not play their first games until the weekend of January 14.
The division winners would be the New Orleans Saints (3rd seed), who would host the Atlanta Falcons (6th seed), and the New York Giants (4th seed), who would host the Detroit Lions (5th seed). The Dallas Cowboys are still in the hunt for that 4th seed spot and could win the NFC East with a win over the Giants in week 17.
Should the Saints win their first playoff game, they would travel to San Francisco while an Atlanta victory would mean a trip to Green Bay for the Falcons.
Should the NFC East champion win their first playoff game, they would travel to Green Bay with a Falcons loss. They would travel to San Francisco with a Saints loss.
Should the Lions win their first playoff game, they would travel to Green bay with a Falcons loss. They would travel to San Francisco with a Saints loss.
The opinions within this article are those of the writer and, while just as important, are not necessarily those of the site as a whole.
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Brian Baldinger breaks down the 49ers' dismantling of the Rams
It's always fun to watch NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger break down game film. It's even more fun to watch him break down game film of a San Francisco 49ers victory. What's the only thing that can top that? Baldinger offering his unique commentary on a 49ers win during a Monday nighter because it's the only game of the day, so you get the gift of so much more analysis.
Much to the delight of The Faithful, the 49ers delivered a 31-10 beatdown of the division-rival Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Below is a collection of all of Baldinger's analysis from the game, shared via
NFL Week 10: Rams vs. 49ers live updates
By Rohan Chakravarthi
Nov 15
4th Quarter
FINAL ALERT: The 49ers defeat the Rams 31-10 following an impressive offensive performance from all their core players and a resilient defensive effort that was much improved compared to last week.
QUARTER ALERT: At the 2-minute warning, the 49ers lead 31-10 and have the ball on a 2nd & 10 at the LA 33-yard line.
SCORE ALERT: After a 49ers punt, Matthew Stafford marches the Rams down the field, largely due to a Cooper Kupp 25-yard reception, leading to a Matt Gay 37-yard field goal. The 49ers now lead 31-10 with under four minutes left in the game.
On 3rd & Goal at the SF 8, Nick Bosa sacks Matthew Stafford for an 8-yard loss, setting up a field goal
Key stats from the 49ers' 31-10 Week 10 win over the Rams
The San Francisco 49ers improved to 4-5 on the season after their 31-10 Week 10 victory over the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium.
Below are several statistics and notes from Monday's game, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
With The Win…
The 49ers improved to 74-68-3 overall against the Rams, including a 37-34-2 record at home.
San Francisco has won each of the past 5 meetings between the two teams.
The 49ers won their 50th game on Monday Night Football, tied for the most in NFL history.
Most Wins on Monday Night
49ers practice and media schedule leading to Week 11 matchup vs. Jaguars
The San Francisco 49ers will hold three full practices this week as the team prepares for its Week 11 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, special teams coordinator Richard Hightower, and various players are scheduled to speak with the media. The 49ers will make the press conferences available at 49ers.com, on the team's official mobile app, and YouTube page.
Below is the schedule, which is subject to change, for the
