San Francisco 49ers: Sunday Went Perfectly; There's Still a Shot at the Playoffs

The San Francisco 49ers played an extremely poor game against the San Diego Chargers, losing 34-7.  At a time when the Niners should be giving it everything they have, the entire Thursday night audience was treated to a truly abysmal effort. 

The 49ers played a lackluster game, as all phases of the game were terrible.  The team was ill prepared on both sides of the football and when things did not work, they were unable to make any adjustments to counter the Chargers.

The fact that they still have a glimmer of hope in the playoff hunt simply highlights the weakness of the NFC West.  At this point, the 49ers do not deserve to make the playoffs.  I am a huge 49er fan, but if this team, with this coaching staff makes the playoffs, they are just fooling themselves.

There are so many holes in this organization that have been exposed this season.  It starts from the top with no true GM to run the show and a coach, in Mike Singletary, who means well, but is in way over his head. 

On the field, the 49ers need a top-flight quarterback, an offensive line that can pass protect, receivers who can run proper routes and get open, a strong pass rush and a defensive secondary that does not resemble a sieve.  Simply put, the talent level was overrated from the beginning and the coaching staff has not been able to utilize the talent the 49ers do have.

Amazingly, if the 49ers can beat the Rams, and the Seattle Seahawks lose to Tampa Bay, which is entirely possible, the Niners will be tied for the division lead and hold all of the tiebreakers.  I do believe the Seahawks will lose on the road to the Buccaneers.  If this occurs, the 49ers will control their own destiny.  If they win out, they will be in the playoffs.

The real question is can the 49ers go on the road and beat St. Louis?

One big advantage the 49ers have is three extra days to prepare for this game against the Rams.  However, based on the poor coaching we have endured this entire season, maybe that isn't an advantage at all.  The coaching staff must throw caution to the wind and come up with a creative game plan and the players must execute it.

On offense, I expect to see Alex Smith at quarterback again for the 49ers.  He was lousy against the Chargers, but the fact that everything was so bad may give him a reprieve.  Mike Singletary has linked his entire coaching future to Alex Smith, so I don't expect him to change now.

I believe that perhaps subconsciously, the 49ers figured they could not beat San Diego.  They were hoping to still be alive for this coming weekend with losses by the Rams and Seahawks, which is exactly what happened.  Now the 49ers have everything to gain, right in front of them. 

I do expect the 49ers to play a much more inspired game against St. Louis, but I also think St. Louis will rebound from their loss against the Chiefs.  The 49ers have been notoriously bad on the road this year, which is another hurdle for this beleaguered team to overcome.

In the end, I think Sam Bradford will make one more play than our Smith, be it Alex or Troy.  The 49er secondary has been victimized repeatedly, and ultimately I think that will be our downfall. 

Not making the playoffs might actually be a good thing for the 49ers.  They have been deluding themselves that they have a playoff-caliber team all season.  The fact is, their coaching is bad and their personnel is below par.  The sooner team president Jed York realizes this, the faster he can put in place the people needed to rebuild this team.