Mounting Defensive Injuries Biggest Obstacle to Deep Playoff Run for 49ers

Over the past few years, the San Francisco 49ers have annually been a leading contender to advance to the Super Bowl in the NFC—a feat the team accomplished in 2012.

That period of prominence was propelled primarily by a defense that ranked among the league's best, and the engine that drove that defense was the best cadre of linebackers in the National Football League.

Now, however, the 49ers (5-4) are clinging to their playoff hopes by a thread. And with the injuries that have wracked the linebacker spot in the Bay Area in 2014 continuing to take a toll, that thread is becoming more frayed by the day.

The latest bad news came courtesy of ESPN's Adam Schefter:

Bowman, who hasn't seen the field since tearing up his knee in last year's NFC Championship Game loss to the Seattle Seahawks, had an MRI earlier this week on his balky knee. That MRI came back clean, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio allowed to Ed Werder of ESPN that no timetable has been set for Bowman's return—a return that may not come until next year:

"

I don't think it has. I haven't been kept up to date on that as far as, 'Hey, it's going to happen next week.' Nobody's said anything either way. I think that's a possibility [that Bowman won't play this year]. I don't know that that's been decided or been the verdict, but I'm sure it's a possibility.

"

It not the news that the 49ers wanted to hear, especially after word came down last week that Patrick Willis has been placed on season-ending injured reserve as a result of his injured toe.

Yes, the 49ers' run at a Super Bowl berth may have been done in by the little piggie that went to market.

Granted, rookie Chris Borland has filled in admirably for Willis. The youngster from the University of Wisconsin has tallied a staggering 35 tackles over his last two starts—receiving the highest grade of any 49ers linebacker in both games, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Borland's performance these past two weeks drew praise from head coach Jim Harbaugh, according to Paul Gutierrez of ESPN:

"

Fun to watch. He’s doing a great job. He does have a ... he’s got a sense for the ball. I've been watching it in practice and you watch it in the games. He’s like a thief in the night. He’s going to get under somebody, get around somebody.

"

In fact, while the 49ers have dropped a few spots against the run in 2014 (from fourth in 2013 to seventh this year), the team has actually allowed fewer yards on the ground per game this year than last, albeit only slightly.

That's all well and good, but if Bowman joins Willis on the shelf for the season, that's going to be a hard pace for the team to maintain.

In their defense, the 49ers have played three games so far this year that rank in the top 10 in the NFL in rushing, and the Niners have won all three. The team was able to hold Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs in check, and DeMarco Murray's big game went for naught thanks to a terrible Week 1 game from Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

But over the final five weeks of the 2014 season, the 49ers will twice face old nemesis Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks—the same Seattle team that loves to punish opponents between the tackles with its league-leading rushing attack.

With the 49ers three games back of the Arizona Cardinals in the NFC West and a game back of the Seahawks in the wild card race, San Francisco needs at least a split in those games. And it may well take a sweep to get into the playoffs.

Team	Record
Dallas Cowboys	7-3-0
Seattle Seahawks	6-3-0
Green Bay Packers	6-3-0
San Francisco 49ers	5-4-0
Minnesota Vikings	4-5-0

That's a tall order with the team's two best run defenders standing on the sideline.

Mind you, this hardly means that hope is lost in San Fran. Bowman hasn't played all season, and Willis hasn't played since Week 6. The Niners defense hasn't missed a beat, and the team gets Aldon Smith back from suspension this week.

However, the troubling fact remains that a 49ers team with zero margin for error is now facing a second-half slate that includes two games against its archrivals without both members of its dynamic duo at inside linebacker.

If the team suffers another major defensive injury or if Borland hits the much-ballyhooed "rookie wall," then that may be all it takes.

In a week when much of the country is freezing, the ice under the 49ers' season just got quite a bit thinner.

Again.

Hope they can swim.

Gary Davenport is an NFL Analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and the Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPManor.