San Francisco 49ers: Are the Niners Playoff Imposters?

When the 2012 NFL playoffs commence, which San Francisco 49ers team will we see? Will it be the legitimate Super Bowl contenders that went on an eight-game winning streak this season or will it be the playoff imposters that have lost two out of their last three games?

The average NFL fan, or someone who hasn't paid much attention to the 49ers this year, might tend to agree with the latter of the two. It's hard to immediately disregard that assessment since the 49ers burst onto the scene just this year.

On top of that, the 49ers are in the midst of their first slump all season. The loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Phoenix last Sunday epitomizes that. The 49ers haven't had trouble with the Cardinals for the last few years and even won the five previous matchups leading up to the game last week.

Any way you look at it, the 49ers have been struggling as of late and it couldn't have come at a worse time.

Struggles or not, the 49ers are not playoff imposters. Rather, they are a team that has been perfectly assembled to make a serious run at a championship. That all begins with the defense.

You might have heard this saying before: Defense wins championships. Playing good defense is one thing that the 49ers are arguably the best at in the NFL.

They have the No. 1 run defense, allowing just 70 yards rushing per game.

The run defense also hasn't allowed a rushing touchdown this season and we are already in Week 14. Yes, you have probably heard that stat before, but it's truly an amazing feat since the last team to hold a rusher out of the end zone for this long into the season was the 1920 Decatur Staleys.

The 49ers also have the best red-zone defense in the NFL.

As Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area states:

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The 49ers have allowed the opposition to enter their own 20-yard line just 28 times. The defense has given up just 10 touchdowns for a league-best defensive percentage of 35.7. Opponents have settled for 13 field goals.

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With the 49ers defense forcing a plethora of turnovers and the offense doing an adequate job at holding on to the ball, they are currently plus-21 in the turnover margin, which is first in the NFL.

One statistic that does raise some concern is the 49ers' red-zone efficiency on offense. The offense has made it inside the opposition's 20-yard line 45 times this season, but have only scored 16 touchdowns. The 35.6 percent success rate is the lowest in the NFL (the league average is 52 percent).

However, the root of those problems is the play calling, which, more so than other problems, is an easy fix. The 49ers have yet to deviate from their run-first, smash-mouth mentality of football, especially when within the opponents 10-yard line. The 49ers want to run the ball right at the defense, but it's difficult to execute this when the defense knows it's coming. 

With playmakers like Vernon Davis, Braylon Edwards and Michael Crabtree lining up out wide, and even the athleticism of Alex Smith at quarterback, the offense is ready to explode at any moment. It takes time for teams to learn a new system and that's exactly what's going on with the 49ers offense at the moment.

Playing stout defense and not turning the ball over on offense is the recipe of success. As long as the 49ers continue to do so, they have the skill on both sides of the ball to beat any team in the NFL.