NFL Playoffs 2012: Why Frank Gore, San Francisco 49ers Can Make a Super Bowl Run

Not since the 1994 NFL season have the San Francisco 49ers brought home the Lombardi Trophy and not since the 1997 NFL season have they been legit Super Bowl contenders (lost NFC title at home to Green Bay).

Well, under the new management of head coach Jim Harbaugh the 49ers capped off a 13-3 regular season by getting the NFC's No. 2 seed. And wouldn't you know it, the Green Bay Packers earned the No. 1 seed.

Fortunately for The Bay Area, their 49ers have some legit reasons why they can return to the Super Bowl.

Defensive Front Seven

Unlike the Green Bay Packers and New Orleans Saints, the San Francisco 49ers actually have a defense who can consistently be effective at stopping the run.

San Francisco finished ranked No. 1 against the rush, allowed just 3.5 yards per carry and allowed just three rushing TDs all season (zero through the first 14 games).

Now yes, neither the Packers, Saints, Detroit Lions or New York Giants are run-oriented offenses and you can expect them (whoever plays Frisco) to attack San Fran through the air. Well, the 49ers do rank No. 16 against the pass and allow just 231 pass yards per game.

What's interesting is that there were 579 passes thrown against them, which ranks No. 10 in the league. Both the Saints and Packers ranked higher each having to defend 620-plus attempts.

That being said, San Francisco allowed just 57.5 percent of those passes to be completed (ranked No. 8). So, being that their front seven will shutdown anyone's rushing attack, the passing game must be flawless.

Because if not, San Francisco will limit the insane production that we saw put on this season by any of those pass-oriented offenses.

Ted Ginn Jr.

Special teams is such a big part of football that players like Ted Ginn Jr. can break open at any time.

On the year, Ginn acted as San Fran's primary return man for both kickoffs and punts. He finished with a 27.6 kickoff and 12.3 punt return yard average.

Total, he accounted for 1,266 return yards on 67 attempts and scored two TDs. As a team, San Francisco ranked No. 1 in kickoff return average (27.2) and No. 5 in punt return average (12.4).

Obviously Ginn played a major role in this production which only gives San Francisco a major advantage. They and he, were better than both New Orleans and Green Bay who each have solid returners of their own.

Darren Sproles for the Saints and rookie Randall Cobb for the Packers, respectively.

But Ginn was better than both from an all-encompassed perspective. In addition, Ted plays a crucial role in the 49ers offense as they are depleted at receiver. With Braylon Edwards gone, Josh Morgan having been out since early October and Michael Crabtree starting off extremely slow, Ginn has had to step in.

Now, he's not your typical receiver, however, he provides the vertical dimension in the passing game and the horizontal dimension in the running game (jet sweeps, quick tosses, direct snaps, etc...). Something else to increase San Fran's chances.

Motivational Odds

According to Bet Vega, the 49ers are 11-to-one odds to win the Super Bowl.

Between all playoff teams this is tied for the fifth best (Pittsburgh) odds, but only No. 3 in the NFC. It's obvious that the Packers are the ultimate favorites, however, the New Orleans Saints are given better odds than Frisco.

Well, being that San Fran should expect to see New Orleans in the Divisional round, provided that the Saints take care of Detroit at home on Saturday, that will be the game for the 49ers to prove their worth.

New Orleans has lost their last two road playoff games (Chicago 2006 NFC title, Seattle 2010 Wild Card) and began the 2011 season 2-3 on the road.

There, two of the three losses were to Tampa Bay and St. Louis, so despite closing out with road wins over Atlanta, Tennessee and Minnesota, the playoffs and San Francisco are a different animal. San Fran choked one game away at home to Dallas but won the rest and finished 7-1 at Candlestick Park.

A chance to play New Orleans at home with lesser odds should be motivation enough, as many cynics believe the 49ers will be one-and-done. Do any of those skeptics know that Jim Harbaugh's nickname is Captain Comeback?

Rush Offense

The main reason why the San Francisco 49ers can make a strong run at Super Bowl XLVI, the ground game.

Only the Saints have the other reputable rushing attack in the NFC, however, they also earned a lot of those yards in garbage time. Being that Drew Brees and Co. are so fluid at throwing the football, New Orleans would build significant enough leads to just run the ball for most of the second half.

Well, New Orleans never went against a rush defense like San Francisco either.

Which only gives the 49ers a more distinct advantage over everyone else in the NFC. Frank Gore finished No. 6 in rushing and collected 1,211 yards and scored eight TDs. Backup Kendall Hunter added 473 yards and two TDs.

Both averaged over four yards per carry and Frisco ranked No. 8 in rushing.

With the Saints and Packers both allowing roughly five yards per carry this season, the 'Niners will run the ball all over them. Coincidentally, that will keep the opposing offense off the field and San Fran will control the game tempo.

And even if the anyone in the NFC tries to shutdown Gore and Co. well, no one in the NFC is good enough to stop Alex Smith at throwing the ball. Obviously San Fran won't win a shootout, but the 49ers will move the ball regardless.

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