(Not so) outrageous prediction: 49ers are going to Super Bowl LVII
The San Francisco 49ers juggernaut just keeps on rolling. Kyle Shanahan's team seems to be trending toward being serious Super Bowl contenders with every passing game and regardless of who the quarterback of the team is. That is down to Shanahan's incredible program. But can they actually win Super Bowl LVII?
No question, really.
I realllllllly like this Niners team. I think Purdy has done well, but it’s hard to roll with them to win it all with a new, young QB leading the way. If they had a better QB situation, I’d pick them to do it.
Given the state of the NFC with the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys as the two main threats, the 49ers look just as good as them, if not better. They are capable of overwhelming every other NFC team. Looking at the current standings, the Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders and the New York Giants will join the Eagles and Cowboys as the other teams in the playoff spots.
Against the teams mentioned above, the 49ers will be favorites against all, besides Dallas and Philadelphia. And based on how they're playing at the moment, maybe even against the Eagles and Cowboys, especially with Deebo Samuels coming back from injury.
So, can the 49ers actually go all the way to Super Bowl LVII?
Can the 49ers win the Super Bowl?
As the old saying goes, defense wins championships, and for San Francisco, they have the best defense in the NFL, and it's not even close. While the Cowboys possess a superb defense led by Micah Parsons, they are very susceptible against the run.
San Francisco through 13 games has not shown any weaknesses. Currently, they are the league's best defense when it comes to points against (just 15.2 per game), and the 49ers rank eighth in offense (24.4 per game). San Francisco is as well-rounded as they come.
For many, before Jimmy Garoppolo was hit by the injury bug, San Francisco was most people's favorite for the Super Bowl. With the introduction of rookie Brock Purdy, that hasn't changed.
With the team's ability to run the football various ways with Christian McCaffrey, Brandon Aiyuk, Elijah Mitchell, currently injured, and Samuel (when back from injury), San Francisco can keep the opposing quarterback on the sidelines.
Not only that, the defense is as good as it gets. Ten times this season, the defense has kept opposing offenses to 17 points or less. That includes four under 10 points.
That is championship-level defense.
The good thing for Purdy and the offense is that they will not have to score 30 points to win a game. Given how the defense has been playing, scoring 14-17 points might be enough. Purdy can do that.
With both sides of the ball playing in unison, the 49ers will be one of the teams to beat in the postseason.