Got to say it has been a very successful run for the Bay Area teams. The Giants win 3 in 5, and Warriors win 3 in 5 for a total of 6 championships in 9 years. Throw in a 3 year playoff (and one unsuccessful Super Bowl) run by the Niners and you have a very solid claim as the sports mecca of champions in the 2010s. Boston is right there with three Super Bowls, two World Series wins, and one Stanley Cup in 2011, but fuck hockey. We win.
Speaking of Super Bowls, the 49ers could very well end the decade with a Super Bowl win of their own. A nice cap to solid decade of Bay Area dominance. Just don’t ask the Raiders or the A’s.
Anyhow, the upcoming wildcard weekend is especially gratifying, as we don’t have to play a down. But there are some great games on tap as this field of playoff teams is one of the strongest in a while. The upcoming games this weekend feature the AFC on Saturday:
No. 5 Bills at No. 4 Texans, 1:35 p.m. PT (ESPN/ABC/WatchESPN)
No. 6 Titans at No. 3 Patriots, 5:15 p.m. PT (CBS stream on CBS All Access here)
And the NFC is:
No. 6 Vikings at No. 3 Saints, 10:05 a.m. PT (Fox, stream on fuboTV here)
No. 5 Seahawks at No. 4 Eagles, 1:40 p.m. PT (NBC, stream on fuboTV here)
Shockingly, the Patriots fell out of the bye week with a desultory loss to the resurgent (hah!) Miami Dolphins to close the season out on a dour note. They are decent, but not the offensive juggernaut they appeared to be at the start of the season. They handed the week off to the KC Chiefs. The Titans are a hot and cold mess, but with NE playing at home they likely eke this one out. NE wins 26-20
Bills at Texans? This should be fun, if only to get a glimpse of Frank Gore. He hasn’t gotten a ton of touches lately, but he’s still playing well. 600 yards this year in a backup role. Buffalo wins 20-13
Saturday of course will be the game that affects our next opponent. More than likely the Seahawks. Seattle plays well on the road, and Philly has had a season ravaged by injuries but they have been playing well down the stretch as they were do-or-die most these last 4 wins in a row. Hawks 28-24
Vikings-Saint? Just as the Saints fans about their playoff game 2 years ago. Ooops. The Saints have been fucked out of advancing to the Super Bowl 2 years in a row, and I’d be hard-pressed to see them lose at home. Should be a barn-burner. Something like our game with them. NO wins 42-33.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
Love the Earl Mitchell signing by the way.
Prefer Earl Campbell in his prime of course..
In the ‘For-what-its-worth” department, here’s Peter King’s take on the NFL at the beginning of the season. Noteworthy is his pick as the 49ers being the 3rd best team in the NFC.
Yeah, he missed on the Rams and the Chargers, and the Ravens for that matter but he did say they could win 11 games. Also this was before Luck retired.
https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2019/05/13/nfl-power-rankings-fmia-peter-king/
Kwon Alexander practiced today. No contact.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/1/2/21046987/49ers-kwon-alexander-returns-to-practice-playoffs?fbclid=IwAR1TxP7aHoLmiwxpVFzr4gQg5Uxbg4xbNWztCvTAPOwtK2kwx4LvLdH6_78
FTA: “Honestly, on Brunskill, I would rather him start at right guard than spending a premium draft pick on an interior lineman. In Kyle Shanahan’s offense, your ability to pass protect is far more important than your ability to run block. Brunskill has played 474 snaps this season, and one person has gotten the best of him. That person is Aaron Donald. Just about everyone else that Brunskill has faced, the swing lineman has gotten the best of them.”
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/1/2/21045591/49ers-offensive-line-was-slightly-above-average-during-the-regular-season
Also FTA: “It was a tale of two halves for Mike McGlinchey, who allowed the second-most sacks behind Skule’s six. There’s no way to sugarcoat it, but he wasn’t playing very well early in the season. Against Green Bay and Baltimore, McGlinchey looked like an All-Pro and the player that San Francisco expected when they took him so high. The first six games for McGlinchey: 11 pressures, two quarterback hits, and three sacks allowed. The final six games: Six pressures, zero quarterback hits, two sacks allowed. There were far fewer mistakes and more impact blocks, as well.”
I think we play Seattle next week, I just don’t see em losing this week. That will be another dogfight and probably nailbiter for us but that is what this season has been. I don’t think the Vikings have much of a shot either.
I feel the same but those Eagles are surprising the heck out of me. The way Carson Wentz is playing without his receivers and TE is impressive.
Brunskill reminds me of Derek Deese. He is undersized but doesn’t allow sacks. He gets off of blocks to get to a 2nd block on many plays. I wouldn’t mind seeing him start in the play-offs.
McGlinchey and Staley were both not very good for a couple of games after their injuries. We might’ve just brought them back too soon. They are both playing well now.
The 49ers have 4th toughest schedule next year based on this years win-loss records. The three teams with tougher schedules all play in the AFC East. The AFC East plays our division next year.
Kwon Alexander looked a step slow today in practice next to Fred Warner. I hope we don’t try to bring him back before he is ready.
Jimmy G season highlights.
And the defense . . .
RIP Sam Wyche. Joe Montana’s first QB coach, and coach of the Bengals opposing Bill Walsh in Super Bowl XXIII.
Sam Wyche was a good coach an innovator like Bill Walsh.He will be missed RIP Sam
One of his finest moments came in Cincinnati when the Bengals were playing Seattle in December in 89 and supposed fans were throwing snowballs at Seattle players, the game got stopped and Sam grabbed a mic on the sidelines and was heated and said:”You don’t live in Cleveland,You live in Cincinnati!”
Were you at practice, Bergs? If he can play, it’ll be huge boost.
There was a clip of him doing drills alongside Fred Warner. It could be a huge boost except if we bring him back before he is in game shape or if he re-injures his pec. I remember Staley and McGlinchey coming back too soon. Especially Staley getting toasted by Clowney. He handled Clowney with ease on their 2nd match. I was just hoping for the best.
Yeah I saw that clip Berger.Alexander was moving at maybe 60-70% in a non contact drill.I would say wait to the championship game , but he’ll what do I know?these guys are gamers and it’s up to the coaches/ medical staff to make the smart call..
They may have come back a little early, but that is the only way to get into game shape. By playing. Neither got reinjured, but they were rusty. If they had come back a week later, they would likely have still been rusty.
I’m sure the team is doing their best at getting these guys into shape. They have another week to get things going. I guess take a look at JJ Watt and see how he does today. He’s coming back from the same injury. He suffered it 4 days earlier than Kwon.
New thread is up.