San Francisco 49ers: Are They Letting Up, or Have Teams Figured Them Out?

In the past three weeks, the San Francisco 49ers have appeared vulnerable. Are we seeing this side of the 49ers because they've taken their foot off the gas pedal as a result of clinching their playoff berth? Or is it because teams have figured them out?

Before examining why the 49ers have struggled in recent games, let me just say that even if the 49ers lose the rest of their games, this season should not be measured as a failure. A playoff berth for a team that was expected to finish at the bottom of the NFC West is satisfactory enough.

Now on to the examining, starting with who the 49ers have lost to in recent weeks.

The Baltimore Ravens and the Arizona Cardinals are the teams responsible for the 49ers' recent losses. The Ravens loss was excusable, as they are one of elite teams in the NFL and the 49ers had to travel to the East Coast on three days' rest.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, had a 5-7 record at the time. However, Arizona was playing better then the 5-7 record indicated and had won three out of four.

Both teams beat the 49ers by rushing the passer. In those two games, the 49ers gave up a combined 17 sacks. As a result, Alex Smith and the rest of the offense weren't as efficient as they had been in previous weeks.

This is worrisome, as if teams recognize that the 49ers can't protect Smith, they will blitz him relentlessly. Potential teams the 49ers will face in the playoffs, such as the Packers and the Saints, are blitz happy, and the upcoming game against the blitz-happy Steelers will indicate if the 49ers' offensive line can protect Smith from such defenses.

The 49ers have also lacked focus in those two losses, evident on such plays as Ted Ginn's drop on a do-or-die fourth down attempt, or Dashon Goldson giving up a 46-yard touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald.

It should be noted that the 49ers had not clinched the NFC West when they played against the Ravens, and their lack of focus more had to do with traveling to the East Coast on three days' rest. It is also worth noting that Ginn drops the ball all the time. However, it is worth asking whether Goldson would have given up the Fitzgerald touchdown if the 49ers were fighting for a playoff spot.

It wasn't just Goldson, though, that lacked focus in that game. Multiple 49ers appeared to be sleepwalking—specifically Carlos Rogers, who, in the wake of a Pro Bowl season, did not have a Pro Bowl game, allowing Fitzgerald to catch the ball for over 100 yards—not including the bomb that Goldson was responsible for.

It is true that Rogers was not 100 percent healthy in that game, but we are at the point of the season when hardly anyone is at 100 percent.

Another concern is the 49ers' inability to score touchdowns in the red zone. If the 49ers had been more efficient against the Cardinals in the red zone, they could have been leading 28 to 7 instead of only 12 to 7.

If the 49ers are going to compete in the playoffs, they must be more efficient in the end zone, since it isn't just the Packers or the Saints that have offensive firepower. Other teams fighting for a playoff spot also have explosive offenses, including the Cowboys, Lions and Falcons.

Yes, the 49ers defense will do their part to limit these explosive offenses, but field goals won't provide a big enough lead for any defense—no matter how good they are—to hold against such offenses.

I wouldn't necessarily blame San Francisco's red zone struggles on lack of focus or opposing teams adjusting to the 49ers offense, though, as these struggles have occurred since the beginning of the season. Overall, the 49ers have struggled lately both because opponents have adjusted to them and because the 49ers are not playing with the hunger they had earlier in the year.

In the defense of the 49ers' offensive line, though it has had its struggles, it should be better with a healthy Joe Staley and Adam Snyder. And considering the offensive guru that Harbaugh is, I am confident that he will fix the red zone struggles.

There is no defense, though, for the lack of passion the 49ers have been playing with.

Against the Lions on a fourth and goal, when the NFC West was still fair game, Delanie Walker fought until he crossed the plane and scored the game-winning touchdown. Meanwhile, against the Cardinals on a critical fourth down play—when the 49ers had already clinched the NFC West—Kendall Hunter dropped a pass that would have converted the fourth down.

Once again, it is worth asking whether Hunter would have caught that pass if the NFC West was still yet to be won.

However, I'm confident that Harbaugh—the most competitive human being on this planet—will find a way to motivate his team to compete like they had been doing before they clinched a playoff berth.

Regardless of whether the 49ers are taking the foot off the gas pedal or teams have adjusted to them, if the 49ers keep playing the way they are playing, they will not clinch the No. 2 seed. And if the 49ers aren't able to clinch the No. 2 seed, their chances of succeeding in the playoffs will be much lower.

Yes, they will have home-field advantage, but they will not have the first-round bye, and therefore will have less time to fix their red zone struggles and for Staley and Snyder to heal.

Once the playoffs start, will the 49ers have the same hunger they did when they were competing for a playoff spot, or will they settle for just making the playoffs?