San Francisco 49ers: 4 Factors Behind Suprising Start

The San Francisco 49ers, written off by most pundits in the preseason, are now 3-1 after a stunning comeback victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

Having already built a two-game advantage in the NFC West, the 49ers have their fans dreaming about their first playoff berth since 2002.

Here are the reasons for their unlikely success.

Easy Schedule

Truth is, the 49ers have yet to beat a good football team. Hell, they haven't even played one.

Next week's clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will be the first game of the season against a team with a winning record. The best team they've faced thus far was an inconsistent Dallas Cowboys squad, who stole a game the 49ers had in their grasp.

Two of their victories, over Seattle and Cincinnati respectively, were at the expense of toothless offenses with unproven quarterbacks. And while Sunday's victim, the Philadelphia Eagles, were advertised as an elite team, such an assessment could not be further from the truth.

Featuring an easily penetrated defense, the Eagles only win of the year was against the National Football Conference's worst team, the St. Louis Rams.

Special Teams

San Francisco is home to 2011's best special teams unit. The group is headlines by Ted Ginn Jr., whose combined 459 return yards leads the NFL. He memorably scored two touchdowns in a span of a minute Week 1, defying conventional wisdom that the league's new kickoff rules would render returners impotent.

Considerably less flashy is Andy Lee, the unsung hero of the 49ers. The punter's net yardage of 46.2 is tops in the league. With the club constantly mired in nail biting games, Lee has been invaluable in winning the field position battle.

In Sunday's game, he successfully neutralized DeSean Jackson, managing to kick away from the explosive speedster (which is not an easy task. Just ask Matt Dodge the next time he takes your order at Carl's Jr.).

David Akers, the newly acquired kicker, has been arguably the weak link, but he was still perfect through the first three weeks.

Defensive Front 7

The problematic secondary has caused the 49ers undue stress, but the play of the front seven has been stellar. The linebacker corps has begun to come into its own. Perennial Pro Bowler Patrick Willis has been his usual self, but young standouts are beginning to emerge.

Second-year man NaVorro Bowman leads the team with 36 tackles, while first-round pick Aldon Smith erupted for five tackles and 1.5 sacks on Sunday. The defensive line is headed by veteran Justin Smith, who delivered a game clinching fumble against the Eagles.

The run defense has been particularly stingy; their 74 yards allowed per game is fourth in the National Football League. After not letting Marshawn Lynch put the team on his back Week 1, they have continued to stifle the opposing team's backfield.

Jim Harbaugh and Alex Smith

After having to witness Mike Singletary haplessly "coach" the 49ers for two-and-a-half seasons, Jim Harbaugh has been a welcome addition to the 49er family. The former NFL QB's influence is most evident in Alex Smith's surprising non-awfulness.

While the decision to retain the frustrating QB might have puzzled many (including this reporter), Smith has shown marked improvement. Now, Smith's numbers may not wow anyone during the passing blitzkrieg that is the 2011 NFL season.

But his 4-1 TD-INT ratio shows that he has avoided making costly mistakes. And for a team that relies on defense and special teams, that may be enough to punch a long-awaited postseason berth.