Why Cakewalk of a Schedule Will Doom San Francisco 49ers in Postseason

The San Francisco 49ers have jumped out to a great start and seemingly have a playoff spot already locked up. I believe that the 49ers are for real and are a true contender in the NFC. They are winning football games because of their play along the line of scrimmage.

San Francisco's game plan is to establish a strong running game and play good defense. So far, they have been able to accomplish both in every game.

The 49ers are winning games against tough competition. They have beaten the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions, Cincinnati Bengals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The most impressive thing about a lot of these victories is fact they were East Coast games. There is a long history of West Coast teams struggling when they travel to the East Coast.

However, the last half of the 49ers' schedule only features three teams with a winning record. I feel that this is going to have an impact on the 49ers play in the playoffs. This schedule isn't necessary a bad thing, as it will allow San Francisco to contend for home-field advantage.

Still, there are several reasons to have some concerns with this week schedule. As a team approaches the playoffs, they want to be playing their best football. In the NFL, teams have a tendency to play to their level of competition.

San Francisco faces the Seattle Seahawks and St. Louis Rams in the last two games of the season.

Rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh will have the challenge of keeping his team hungry and focused. There is a possibility that the 49ers play the Seahawks, Rams and have a bye before they play their first playoff game. That schedule is a recipe for a playoff letdown.

Jim Harbaugh is a very intense person, and if anyone can keep his team focused it's Harbaugh. However, this will be a tough task for a rookie head coach and a team used to failure.