San Francisco 49ers: 7 Reasons Why Niners Will Get No. 1 Seed in NFC

Now that we have officially reached the midpoint of the season, things are shaping up quite nicely for the San Francisco 49ers to make a run at the No. 1 seed in the NFC come playoff time.

Obtaining the No. 1 seed is vital to the 49ers' success in the playoffs because it would mean one thing: The Niners would not have to travel to Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, if the two teams happen to meet in the postseason.

The 49ers currently sit atop the NFC West with a record of 6-1, and have two more wins than all the other teams in the division combined.

And no, that is not a typo (Seattle has two wins, and Arizona and St. Louis both have one.)

With the commanding lead the 49ers have in their division, there is a 99.8 percent chance that they will reach the postseason one way or another.

I like the 49ers' odds.

So with a playoff appearance all but set in stone, it's time to look ahead at the Niners' chance of overtaking the Green Bay Packers for the top spot in the NFC.

Here is a list of seven reasons why the 49ers will secure the No. 1 seed in the NFC by the end of the regular season.

7. 49ers Are 3-0 on the Road

What separates the good teams from the great ones?

It's the team's record on the road, and the 49ers are one of three teams who are undefeated while playing away from home (Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers are both 4-0).

It's not like those three wins were "gimmes" either, since Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Detroit are all outside of the West Coast and very tough places to play.

What's even more impressive was that each of those victories were fourth quarter comebacks, which is one of the most challenging things to do as the visiting team.

Any team can beat anyone, hence the phrase "Any Given Sunday."

But a team's true identity is defined by their away record, and the 49ers' 3-0 record proves that they are one of the better teams in the NFL.

6) 5 More Games Remaining Against Divisional Opponents

The NFC West is clearly the weakest division in the NFL.

So luckily for the 49ers, they still have five games remaining against their divisional opponents.

Over the past two seasons, the 49ers are 9-3 while playing within the division, despite their overall losing records in both years.

While it's important to not count your chickens before they hatch, those five games against the divisional opponents are games that the 49ers should win, especially with the history on their side.

5. Packers' Remaining Schedule Is No Cakewalk

The Green Bay Packers are the 49ers biggest adversary challenging them for the No. 1 seed in the NFC.

While they are clearly the best team in the NFL, their most recent game against the Minnesota Vikings proved that they are not invincible. Aaron Rogers and the rest of the Packers offense was amazing as usual, but the defense did have some lapses.

The Packers defense surrendered 435 total yards to a Vikings offense that was lead by rookie, and first time starter, Christian Ponder. However, it was Adrian Peterson who did most of the damage by rushing for 175 yards.

So with the 2-6 Minnesota Vikings giving the Packers a run for their money, who knows what will happen during the Packers remaining nine games, eight of which are against teams with a winning record.

Packers remaining games: @ San Diego (4-3), Minnesota (2-6), Tampa Bay (4-3), @ Detroit (6-2), @ New York Giants (5-2), Oakland (4-3), @ Kansas City (4-3), Chicago (4-3), Detroit (6-2).

4. 49ers' Defense Makes Opponents One-Dimensional

The 49ers as a team have an identity: their defense.

Through Week 8 of the season, the 49ers currently have the best scoring defense in the NFL by allowing a measly 15.3 points per game, besting notorious defenses like the Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers. 

One determinant of this stat is the 49ers run defense, which is currently the best in the NFL by holding opponents to only 73.4 yards rushing per game, which is 12 yards less than the Cincinnati Bengals who allow the second least.

The most important aspect of this stat is that the 49ers are able to stop the run without stacking the box in the process.

With a defensive line consisting of Justin Smith, Ray McDonald and Issac Sopoaga, and a linebacking corps comprising of Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis, the 49ers' front seven on defense is truly one of, if not the best in the NFL.

This allows the defense to focus on primarily defending the pass, which is one of the few weak links on the 49ers defense.

However, the 49ers have the luxury of facing only two more passing attacks that rank top-10 in the NFL, being the New York Giants (fourth in the NFL with 287.6 yards per game) and the Pittsburgh Steelers (eighth in the NFL with 273.4 yards per game).

3. Offense Has Only Used 40-50 Percent of Playbook Thus Far

According to 49ers offensive lineman Adam Snyder, the offense has only ran around 40 to 50 percent of the total playbook thus far.

Think about that.

This means that the 49ers still get to surprise the opposing defenses with half of the plays from their entire playbook, and who knows how creative they could be.

It's generally the more intricate plays in the playbook that take time to practice and develop. But from the passes to unusual targets like Joe Staley and Issac Sopoaga, the wide receiver reverses to Ted Ginn Jr. and the designed runs with quarterback Alex Smith already being used this season, who knows what cards Jim Harbaugh is keeping close to his chest, waiting to play them in times of need.

What makes this offense so scary is that play-makers like Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Frank Gore and even Alex Smith are still in the process of learning this system. Learning a brand new offense takes time, especially one as complex as the West Coast style the 49ers have implemented.

Add a big and physical receiver like Braylon Edwards into the mix, and you get a very potent offense who can potentially can score with the best of them.

2. Other No. 1 Seed Contenders Will Beat Up on Each Other

While the Packers are the 49ers biggest competition for the No. 1 seed in the NFC at the moment, there are other teams who still deserve to have have their names mentioned in the conversation.

The New York Giants (5-2), New Orleans Saints (5-3) and the Detroit Lions (6-2) are all one of the better teams in the NFC and still have a legitimate shot at the No. 1 seed.

However, just like the Packers, all three of these teams will have an uphill battle due to the difficulty of their remaining schedules. 

Here's a list of each team's toughest remaining games.

Giants: New England (5-2), @ San Francisco (6-1), Philadelphia (3,4), @ New Orleans (5-3), Green Bay (7-0), Dallas (3-4), @ New York Jets (4-3), Dallas (3-4).

Saints: Tampa Bay (4-3), @ Atlanta (4-3), New York (5-2), Detroit (6-2), @ Tennessee (4-3), Atlanta (4-3).

Detroit: @ Chicago (4-3), Green Bay (7-0), @ New Orleans (5-3), @ Oakland (4-3), San Diego (4-3), @ Green Bay (7-0).

All of the contending teams will be playing each other and consequently beating up on one another throughout the duration of the season.

On the other hand, the 49ers will only have to play one of these contenders once, and it will be the Giants at home.

Oh the joys of playing in the NFC West...

1. 49ers Believe in Themselves

The fact that Harbaugh has everyone playing with confidence, physicality, and with the belief that they are good, but also that there is always room for improvement, are the most important factors in determining the 49ers chances of obtaining that No. 1 seed.

There has been talent on the 49ers for the past few seasons. Anyone who has followed this team would know that.

However, there was always something missing. An unknown entity always deterred the 49ers from reaching their full potential, whether it was the lack of an adequate head coach or the absence of a legitimate quarterback.

When Mike Singletary, the 49ers most recent head coach, stepped in, everyone thought he would be the man that eventually took this underachieving team to the promised land.

One-and-a-half football seasons later, we learned that Singletary was nothing more than a preacher who knew nothing about being a head coach in the NFL. Instead of coaching his players, he singled them out and ridiculed them. Instead of motivating his team to become better, he expected it.

Then stepped in Jim Harbaugh, the man whose "one with the players" coaching mentality directly contradicted everything that Singletary brought to the 49ers.

Not only has Harbaugh turned this team around in the limited time he had available, he did it much sooner than anyone had anticipated.

He has Alex Smith, the once labeled draft bust, having a career year with his 9/2 touchdown to interception ratio. He, along with defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, has turned this once solid defense into one of the best in the NFL.

But most importantly, he has the 49ers playing as one cohesive unit, as a team that simply loves what they are doing.

The 49ers believe they are great. They have for a while, but the majority of the core players just didn't have the leadership or coaching to translate their talent into wins on the football field.

If you don't believe that the players have bought into what Harbaugh has instituted in San Francisco, watch this video and see for yourself.

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