bluehenbear said:

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Did (SF exec) Lynch learn his smug look from Shaw?

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Cal89 said:

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sycasey said:

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Cal89 said:

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sycasey said:

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Cal89 said:

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heartofthebear said:

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sycasey said:

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heartofthebear said:

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73 said:

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bearister said:

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The Mercury News writers are predicting a Niners rout of the Packers and writing articles about the dream SB matchup against the Chiefs. This is causing this ex Raiders fan, new Niners fan, to have all kinds of interesting thoughts.

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https://www.espn.com/nfl/game?gameId=401128108

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LOL
Atlanta won because Kittle caused his own fumble during a drive clinching play. Had he not made an extremely rare flukish mistake, he gets the game clinching first down and SF wins.

If you think a guy like Kittle is going to let that happen again, or the chances of any such flukish play are enough to even mention it, then you haven't been paying attention.

Sure anything can happen on any Sunday but the purpose of threads like this is to weigh in on what is most likely or what is preferred.

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Also the 49ers defense was missing a lot of guys they aren't missing now.

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Exactly.
The extent to which folks try to discount one of the most impressive seasons in NFL history is so amateur. I mean the 49ers lost 1 game by 1 inch and two others on a game ending field goal--that's it! And all of it happened with major defensive players injured. Had their schedule not also been grueling, they could very well have gone 16-0 this season.
Well now they have health and schedule on their side and they are essentially unbeatable under those conditions.

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I really don't follow the NFL that much, at least until this time of year, but when I watched the 49ers play, they were damn impressive. Also, were they expected to have such a good team? I seem to recall there was no such talk in the pre-season, high expectations, etc...

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Some thought they could improve enough to get a playoff spot, if Shanahan could build an offense around a healthy Jimmy G. I don't think anyone expected the defense to be this good.

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Thanks. From when I followed the NFL quite a bit, such an occurrence is rare. From being a team that might make the playoffs to like the most dominant, or close to it, is something special. I had no idea they were 4-12 last year! Any talk of this being the biggest one season turn-around ever? If not, it must rank up there...

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I can think of some big ones. The 1981 49ers are a big example (2-14 to 6-10 to 13-3), and there are some parallels to the current team: people already knew Bill Walsh was a smart offensive coach and Montana an interesting young QB, but that team became championship level because their defense suddenly became great.

For an exact record comparison, there's the 1999 Rams (4-12 to 13-3).

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Yes, the '99 Rams. I was following the NFL then, but just a few years later I would not... Warner, Faulk, those receivers, the "Greatest Show on Turf". The point being, the Niners have done something quite remarkable this season. Pulling for AR and the Packers, but I can appreciate damn good football.

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sycasey said:

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Cal89 said:

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sycasey said:

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Cal89 said:

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sycasey said:

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Cal89 said:

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heartofthebear said:

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sycasey said:

---

heartofthebear said:

---

73 said:

---

bearister said:

---

The Mercury News writers are predicting a Niners rout of the Packers and writing articles about the dream SB matchup against the Chiefs. This is causing this ex Raiders fan, new Niners fan, to have all kinds of interesting thoughts.

---

https://www.espn.com/nfl/game?gameId=401128108

---

LOL
Atlanta won because Kittle caused his own fumble during a drive clinching play. Had he not made an extremely rare flukish mistake, he gets the game clinching first down and SF wins.

If you think a guy like Kittle is going to let that happen again, or the chances of any such flukish play are enough to even mention it, then you haven't been paying attention.

Sure anything can happen on any Sunday but the purpose of threads like this is to weigh in on what is most likely or what is preferred.

---

Also the 49ers defense was missing a lot of guys they aren't missing now.

---

Exactly.
The extent to which folks try to discount one of the most impressive seasons in NFL history is so amateur. I mean the 49ers lost 1 game by 1 inch and two others on a game ending field goal--that's it! And all of it happened with major defensive players injured. Had their schedule not also been grueling, they could very well have gone 16-0 this season.
Well now they have health and schedule on their side and they are essentially unbeatable under those conditions.

---

I really don't follow the NFL that much, at least until this time of year, but when I watched the 49ers play, they were damn impressive. Also, were they expected to have such a good team? I seem to recall there was no such talk in the pre-season, high expectations, etc...

---

Some thought they could improve enough to get a playoff spot, if Shanahan could build an offense around a healthy Jimmy G. I don't think anyone expected the defense to be this good.

---

Thanks. From when I followed the NFL quite a bit, such an occurrence is rare. From being a team that might make the playoffs to like the most dominant, or close to it, is something special. I had no idea they were 4-12 last year! Any talk of this being the biggest one season turn-around ever? If not, it must rank up there...

---

I can think of some big ones. The 1981 49ers are a big example (2-14 to 6-10 to 13-3), and there are some parallels to the current team: people already knew Bill Walsh was a smart offensive coach and Montana an interesting young QB, but that team became championship level because their defense suddenly became great.

For an exact record comparison, there's the 1999 Rams (4-12 to 13-3).

---

Yes, the '99 Rams. I was following the NFL then, but just a few years later I would not... Warner, Faulk, those receivers, the "Greatest Show on Turf". The point being, the Niners have done something quite remarkable this season. Pulling for AR and the Packers, but I can appreciate damn good football.

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And now Bill Barnwell at ESPN has answered our question!

https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/28538404/ranking-most-unlikely-super-bowl-teams-ever-where-2019-49ers-land

He's got the 2019 49ers sandwiched right between the '99 Rams and '81 49ers as the best single season Super Bowl turnarounds in history.

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