Madness, I tell you. This has been by far the weirdest season. This fairly reminds me of the 1988 season where the Niners stumbled midway through the season after losing horribly to the Vikings in the playoffs the previous year. There was turmoil in the building as Eddie D was on the rampage thinly veiling hints of a coaching change as the Niners were 6-5 and had lost an epically fucked up game to the LA Raiders 9-6. I was at that game, and it ended on a 4th and 1 reverse to Jerry Rice that lost 9 yards. The end of a cold, miserable, rainy day. To make things worse, the girl I went with ditched me in the 3rd quarter, and I had to catch a ride with a rando fan.
Here we are at 10-7. In the playoffs. In a season that saw very high expectations, the Niners lost 4 of 5 games to bring our record to 3-5. Jimmy G had missed a game already with a calf injury, and the Niners suffered their worst loss in recent memory, laying down like dead dogs to the injury-ravaged AZ Cards. Colt McCoy looked like Brett Favre and the Niners were folded, spindled, mutilated, crushed, demoralized, and defeated bady.
It was at this point I thought, well, this season is over. 3-5 and the Rams are coming to town to lay a whupping on us. Turns out the Ram game, like that Monday night game vs Redskins back in 1988, provided the springboard to propel the team into the playoffs. I have no idea what Kyle did, or what Lynch did, if anything, to get this team righted. But Deebo Samuel became a running threat, Brandon Aiyuk was released from the doghouse, and the team played better on both sides of the ball to go 6-2 down the stretch. Special teams? Wellllll, that’s a different concern.
Funnily enough I saw the Cards game as well. So, I saw the games that were the low point in the tale of those two seasons. Back in ’88 though I went to the Redskins game that saw John Taylor return two punts for over 90 yards as the 49ers killed Washington 37-20 iirc. Didn’t get to see this Rams game that helped turn this season around.
So, kudos for Kyle Shanahan for devising some new schemes, and getting his play calling in better order. The Deebo TD pass was pretty special and it completely fooled the Rams. Shanahan’s use of Deebo as a runner has also paid huge dividends even though it still scares the shit out of me to see him running between the tackles. Aiyuk and now Jauan Jennings, have really come on these last 8 weeks, and provided a huge lift to the offense. Elijah Mitchell has been outstanding as our lead runner. This team relishes contact and no one goes down after only one hit.
Kudos to DeMeco Ryans for finally understanding the need to blitz and to dial up pressure in obvious passing situations. The defense is finally getting to the point of being healthy and it couldn’t coma at a better time. I have dogged Ambry Thomas over the season, but I have also said he has improved dramatically these last few weeks. Leading to the game-winning pick last Sunday. Trial by fire indeed. The defense as a whole, and especially the defensive line, has really come
And lastly kudos to Jimmy G for pretty much staying his goofy-ass self. He hasn’t balked, a la Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers, about training his replacement. He has been even-keeled even through the horrible games, the injuries, the errant picks, and the stunning victories. Like it or not he has turned into a gunslinger who throws some baffling interceptions, but then turns around and leads a 90 yard drive with 1:25 left and no time outs to win the game.
Fitting that we face the Cowboys in this playoff game. Bring it on!
Forty Niners Forever 
Matt Barrows, Which areas of this year’s playoff team are stronger than the 2019 team, and which areas are weaker? — Kamran A.
Ooooh, this is a good question.
The 2019 team was stronger overall, especially in the running game and with the pass rush. Remember, that squad rushed for 471 yards (not a typo) and six touchdowns in the two NFC playoff games and had four proven tailbacks in Raheem Mostert, Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida and Jeff Wilson. This year’s team can run the ball, too, but it would be in trouble if Elijah Mitchell got hurt, and he’s already had five different injuries since the start of the season.
The 2021 team’s advantage is that it has three excellent pass catchers in Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, with a fourth, Jauan Jennings, peaking at just the right time. It also has a starting quarterback with more experience and more of a chip on his shoulder. Among the things that make up Jimmy Garoppolo’s chip — the fact that he came up short in the 2019 postseason and has been criticized for it since.
Buy high on Green Bay’s +400 Super Bowl odds
The Packers have played in each of the past two NFC title games and won 13 games for a third consecutive season. So is this the year Aaron Rodgers gets back to the Super Bowl? I’ll do you one better: I think he wins his second championship. Rodgers’ touchdown numbers took a dip in 2021, but his completion percentage was the second-highest of his career and he still topped 4,000 yards while throwing 37 touchdowns against four interceptions. Green Bay potentially has the fifth back-to-back MVP in league history and, in large part due to Rodgers, it also has home-field advantage in these playoffs. The Packers are 8-0 at Lambeau Field this year and also 5-1 against teams that made the postseason. But this team is much more than Rodgers. Green Bay’s defense is top-10 unit against the pass and ranked 11th against the run, despite getting a combined four games out of Za’Darius Smith and Jaire Alexander. Both could be back in the coming weeks. Green Bay has the highest percent of the handle to make it out of the NFC at over 40 percent as well as the highest handle on Super Bowl bets at 12.3 percent.
Trevor Lawrence 3-14, Zach Wilson 4-13, were these guys on crappy teams or could they have benefited by sitting behind a vet QB
Yes!
It really is a case of both. They both got hurt, were under constant pressure, and had little defensive help.
I watched that game a year or so ago, Chuck. Definitely a tough loss and the beginning of Cowboy hatred. My family was living in Brussels at the time so the Niners weren’t even on my radar yet. We were back in Santa Clara in time for the ’72 Divisional playoff and I definitely remember that one. Gut wrenching to say the least. Blowing the lead late like they did was devastating.
Here’s highlights of that ’72 game. Three straight losses to those cocksuckers. Ugh. No wonder most 49ers fans despise the Cowboys:
Vic Washington gets it off to a banging start, 28-16 lead late, Bruce Gossett misses what would’ve be a game-sealing 32 yard field goal, Staubach does the rest. FFS.
That 72 playoff loss still puts a dagger in my heart!!
49ers had the game in the bag up 28-16 with 2 freaking minutes left!!!and the Cowboys brought in Roger Staubach cold off the bench for an ineffective Craig Morton to rally them of course with the never to be forgotten Preston “Brickhands “Riley botched on-side kickoff gaffe, I knew they were done right then it was just a nightmare finish…
No shit. Preston Riley. The ball bounced right into his bread basket and he still muffed it. Unbelievable.
The Niners have had quite a few ‘daggers to the heart’ games. If Craig just holds onto the ball and if what’s his fuck doesn’t touch the fucking ball on those two kickoffs the Giants would have been out two SB’s. That’s why i am always reserved even when we have a nice lead. Shit just happens to us.
That ’72 game was the first game that crushed me as a fan. Couldn’t watch it on TV because it was blacked out. I listened to it on the radio while bouncing a tennis ball up against some stairs. I thought we had it won and then we didn’t. Preston Riley lives on in infamy. I had forgotten the missed 32 yard FG by Gosset. That was probably worse.
Yeah Winder that was gut wrenching too! As great a player that Roger Craig was #33 had the worst possible timing just trying to run out the clock and the exchange from Young just was off as well ( seemed to be sliding off his hip as the ball never hit the ground) what was the killer,as the Giants drove for the winning FG and it kept the 49ers from being the 1st team ever to play in 3 straight SB games!
The Giants ran a Double A Gap Blitz and got good penetration. That caused Craig to move a little to the left to avoid pressure and Young’s hand off was toward the hip. It was a great play by the Giants. That was bad but you have to credit NY for a great play call and execution.
What was really bad on our part was we had them stopped and they came out to punt. We had only 10 men on the field, they faked the punt and ran the ball over the missing payer’s spot. They picked up the first down, ran out the clock and kicked the game winning FG. If we had 11 players on the field they probably don’t get that first down.
For me, it is like blaming Preston Riley in 1972 when all we really needed was a 32 yard FG. I don’t blame Roger Craig for a fumble when he never got a clean exchange.
Berger- I am not blaming Craig for the fumble I’m just saying bad things happen to us when the games are on the line. Once the domino effect takes hold on us we just seem to fall apart even when we have the superior team.
Winder- Unfortunately, I know exactly what you are talking about.
The Cowboys will smoke the one and dine whiners
Are you the same dipshit that was trolling the other day?
I’d forgotten about what’s-his-name muffing those two kicks, Winder. Seriously, WTF, GET AWAY FROM THE BALL. That was infuriating to watch. Two heartbreaking losses to the Giants in NFC Championship games at The ‘Stick. Yikes.
And Gossett. A good kicker, but missing what is now PAT range is inexcusable. Those straight-on kickers were always kind of dicey and their range was nowhere near what guys now can do. The kicking game is much more reliable in the modern game but, still, you’re putting the game in the hands of a guy who really isn’t even a football player. lol. I was imploring Shanahan to just punch it in the other day and end it, but it worked out in the end, and it was still a great drive, chewing up all of that clock.
But I’d bet none of us were comfortable with the Rams having 2:30 minutes left and only needing a FG.
Kyle Williams. Gen X’s Preston Riley. I was at that game in 1972. Major fucking drag. I was at the game the week before when John Brodie came off the bench after being hurt for 6 games and led the team to the playoffs by throwing 2 4th quarter TDs to Dick Whitcher and Dick Windsor to beat Fran Tarkington and the Vikes. Sat in the south end zone for both those games. Pisser about that is the first play after the Dallas touchdown was a 40 yard pass to Gene Washington that was called back for holding. We would have been at the Dallas 40 with 45 seconds left. And the goal posts were still on the goal line.
I was in Hawaii visiting my mom and watched it on tv. I was devastated almost as bad as the 62 world series. We had such a great team that year. That was Brodie’s last hurrah
Yeah he retired after the next season. An injury-filled disappointing debacle of a season that saw Steve Spurrier show himself to be a very mediocre quarterback. He was Steve DeBerg before Steve DeBerg. Broide was awful as well but the line was in bad shape by then.
New thread is up.
FUCK DALLAS!!!