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Niners Inch Towards Playoffs, Amazingly

The Seattle Seahawks come to Candlestick this weekend and this game will likely be like watching two baby giraffes try and ice skate in Union Square – you’re not watching because of the talent, you’re watching because it is just that bad. The NFC West features two 6-6 teams ahead of the of 4-239 (or so it seems) 49ers, and despite a loss to Green Bay last Sunday, the Niners still find themselves with hope to win the NFC West, make the playoffs, and get walloped in the first round at home.

Hope. This team has been riding it for weeks now claiming the NFC West title is still within reach as long as they take care of business against division rivals like the Rams, Cardinals, and Seahawks. Jed York has pumped this optimism down our throats like bad egg nog and despite how bad the football in San Francisco has been, the team continues to cling to life like a bad sweater at your aunt’s annual Christmas party. But thankfully, the moment of truth is finally here. Sunday brings an NFC West foe that can finally either bury the Niners or actually provide reason to believe that, hey, it’s worth keeping the Niners app on my iPhone so I can check in when I’m waiting in the women’s shoe section at Nordstrom this holiday season.

It’s simple, amazingly. With 4 wins and 8 losses, the Niners need to beat the Seahawks, Rams, and Cardinals to win the NFC West. The Chargers on the road is slipped in there as well, but even a loss there can still mean a Niners playoff appearance. I know, right? But a loss to Seattle this weekend? Nope, lose and it’s finished and we can officially look forward to next year and the coaching and quarterback changes it will inevitably bring. But a win, yikes. A win would mean that the roller coaster has in store another climb and would keep the Niners marching on in mediocrity towards second in the NFC West, with the goal of winding up 8-8 and hoping the Seahawks and Rams fall to their tough remaining opponents along the way. For the Seahawks, that means Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and St. Louis. For the Rams it means the Saints, Chiefs, Niners, and Seahawks. So as crazy as it sounds, with the tough opponents that remain for Seattle and St. Louis, and 49ers having all three beatable NFC West opponents ahead, this is still a show worth stopping to check out.

San Francisco 49ers Superbowl showcaseBut how much can this fan base take? Supporting the cause for the Niners to make the playoffs with an 8-8 record at best is like cheering on your favorite hitter to ground into a double play with a guy at third jut to get the run home. Unfortunately, Niner fans don’t have the option of how it happens though. A dream scenario of beating a winning team in the regular season that the Niners may see in the playoffs went by the wayside. Losses to NFC playoff teams like Atlanta, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Green Bay have all indicated that the Niners simply are not a playoff team even if they make it in. Which is why the last four games are the final moment of truth for the season. Four wins against the Seahawks, Chargers, Rams, and Cardinals could get the Niners to the playoffs – and though everyone would laugh at the crappy NFC West representation, the Niners as a division winner would host a first round playoff game. Now look at the picture….the Niners would be a team that went 6-2 to finish the season and have the potential to play a home game against a wildcard team like the Giants or Falcons. The Niners, who play strong at home, could wind up winning a wild one. Think this hasn’t happened before? I give you the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals who for the 2009 season finished 9-7, just one game better than the hypothetical 2010 Niners and went to the Super Bowl and lost it in the last minute to the Steelers.

So hey, as sorry as the Niners seem to be, this isn’t over just yet. Seattle coming to town on Sunday could make this article entirely moot. Or, they could give it life for another week. Enough time for you to go check out the ice skating baby giraffes.

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