NFL Playoff Picture: Why San Francisco 49ers Are Ready for Super Bowl Run

While most people are talking about the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints (with the Detroit Lions as a sleeper), the team I'm looking at to reach Super Bowl XLVI from the NFC is the San Francisco 49ers.

Despite the fact that the 49ers are 12-3 and likely the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, many people are overlooking them, perhaps because they hail from the often-maligned NFC West.

However, when you look closely at the 49ers, you realize they are one of the most complete teams in the entire NFL. With Frank Gore and Alex Smith playing better, and the defense earning four selections to the 2012 Pro Bowl, San Francisco is a very dangerous team.

Here are five reasons why the 49ers will make it to the Super Bowl in 2012. 

Alex Smith Has Finally Come into His Own

For five years, Alex Smith was a terrible disappointment to the San Francisco 49ers and their fans. Smith was drafted with their first-overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft, but after five seasons, he'd only thrown 51 touchdowns while amassing 53 interceptions.

This season, Smith is making better decisions, being more careful with the ball and generally playing very well. He led a comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles which really set the tone for the whole season. For the year, he's got career-highs in completion percentage (61 percent), yards (2,931) and passer rating (90.1).

Smith seems like he's finally ready to lead this team through the playoffs (which they are going to for the first time in his career as well).

The Vaunted 49ers Run Defense

The San Francisco 49ers don't merely have the No. 1 run defense in the NFL. Their run defense is so clearly the best in the league that they can't even see second place when they turn around.

The defenses that rank between No. 2 and No. 7 in the NFL in rushing yards allowed give up between 91.8 and 98.6 yards per game. That means seven yards separates those six teams.

The 49ers are only giving up 75.1 yards per game on the ground. What's more, they've only given up one rushing touchdown all season long. The next best team is the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have given up seven. Holding your opponents to seven rushing touchdowns in 15 games is an amazing feat. Holding all of them to just one total is almost unbelievable.

The 49ers will be able to stop any team they face in the playoffs from running the ball on them. They held the fleet-footed Philadelphia Eagles to just 108 yards on the ground, and that was with Michael Vick running for 75. Pro Bowler LeSean McCoy was limited to 18 yards that day.

A Bye and Home-Field Advantage

If the San Francisco 49ers beat the hapless St. Louis Rams this Sunday, they will earn a bye and home-field advantage for at least their first game in the 2012 NFL playoffs. This seems more than likely, considering the Rams have lost their last six games and the 49ers shut them out 26-0 the last time they faced off.

San Francisco has been great all season long since they are 12-3, but they have been even better at home. The 49ers are 7-1 this season in Candlestick Park, with the only loss coming in overtime to Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys.

The bye will allow the 49ers to sit back and recharge their batteries for a week. Once they return, they will be playing on a field where they have been almost unbeatable all season. And unless the Green Bay Packers win (which they probably will), the 49ers would be at home through the NFC Championship Game.

Frank Gore: The Best Running Back in the NFC Playoff Picture

The San Francisco 49ers will have the advantage on the ground on both sides of the ball no matter who they face in the 2012 NFL Playoffs.

With LeSean McCoy and Matt Forte spending most of January at home, the 49ers undoubtedly have the best running back in the NFC playoff field in Frank Gore.

Gore, a three-time Pro Bowl selection, is having an excellent year despite nagging ankle problems. The former Miami Hurricane has 1,202 rushing yards and eight touchdowns on the season. Moreover, with the bye, he will be fresh when the 49ers debut in the playoffs.

Excellent Special Teams Players

One of the most overlooked and yet ultimately important aspects of football is special teams play. And the San Francisco 49ers have some of the best specialists in the NFL.

Both the kicker and punter on the 2012 NFC Pro Bowl roster are 49ers. David Akers is playing more like a 27-year-old than a 37-year-old this season, connecting on 42-of-49 field goals, including seven from 50 yards out or longer.

Meanwhile, Andy Lee was second in the NFL as he averaged 50.5 yards per punt. He led the NFL in net punting average at 44.1 yards per punt, while having 26 of his punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

Special teams players are the unsung heroes. They can be the deciding factor between a win and a loss. David Akers' onside kick was one of the biggest reasons the Philadelphia Eagles were able to comeback and beat the New York Giants last season. I don't think I need to tell you how valuable Adam Vinatieri has been for the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts over the years.