NFL Playoff Predictions: Underdog Role Will Propel 49ers Past Streaking Saints

The San Francisco 49ers are considered to be the underdogs against the streaking New Orleans Saints, despite earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC.

The underdog role is one that the 49ers relish. Head coach Jim Harbaugh has been harping all year long about the lack of respect the team gets from the national media, but I'll bet he secretly hopes it never stops. 

There is no doubt that the Saints have earned their status as favorites, having won their last nine games. Their last four contests, including the wild-card game, were won by an average of 24 points. It isn't a stretch to say that the Saints are the hottest, most dangerous team left in the 2011 NFL playoffs.

Stopping hot teams is something the 49ers have already done this year, though.

The Detroit Lions were 5-0 heading into their Week 6 matchup with the 49ers; the New York Giants had won six out of seven before being dispatched by the 49ers in Week 10; the Pittsburgh Steelers had won eight out of their last nine games before getting stomped on Monday Night Football in Week 15. 

When asked what he thought about the betting line and being the underdog, Harbaugh said this in a recent press conference:

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I don't think it's relevant really. We really don't pay too much attention. Are you referring to the line? I can honestly say there are weeks where I have no idea what the line is. Or pay much attention to it.

"

Harbaugh isn't exactly known for being one to hide his feelings, but you have to know his answer is carefully tailored to give the media absolutely nothing to run with in response.

Second-year right tackle Anthony Davis wasn't so elusive about his feelings on the matter, saying:

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Yeah, that's cool. I love it. They keep doing it, I like it. We don't worry about what anybody else is thinking. We come to work every day and approach it how we approach our jobs and how we're supposed to approach the game and our jobs and prepare.

"

The players on the 49ers have a sense of belonging among the elite teams in the NFL, something that Harbaugh instilled in them early on in the 2011 season.

Joe Staley captures the essence of this newfound confidence, saying:

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We feel like we belong. We have a lot of confidence in this football team and the coaches and all the players around here. We don't feel like we're the outsiders spoiling the party we feel that we have a very good football team and if we don't get to the Super Bowl this year it won't be a success and that's our mindset and that's the way we look at it.

"

The bottom line is this: The 49ers have been discounted all year long by the "experts" who say they won't be able to compete against the likes of Drew Brees and Aaron Rodgers and their high-flying offenses. They don't buy it, though, and neither should you.

Players like Alex Smith, Frank Gore, Justin Smith, Vernon Davis and Patrick Willis who have suffered through the hard lean years are hungry for success, and they will play with a single-minded focus and intensity that has been missing for over a decade in San Francisco.

I can guarantee that the underdog role will continue to fuel these proud men, and they will enter Saturday's game with a chip on their shoulder which will propel them past the streaking Saints.

Follow @JesseReed78