A Game for the Ages

Yesterday's 49er game vs the New Orleans Saints was really one of the best games I've ever seen. I saw a defense play a championship caliber game; I saw an opponent offense that was unshakable despite being down all day; I saw an offense that was brilliant, then tragic, then perfect when it counted; and last but certainly not least, I saw a comeback that will go down in playoff, if not all time history.

Before the game started yesterday, the Saints were playing good enough to play in and win the Superbowl, so this says so much about the 49ers and the level they can play at. This tells everyone that the Niners are for reals and that their success this year was no fluke. All Niner fans would tell you that the Niners were for real this year; they beat 4 different teams that made it to the playoffs this year. But after going from barely mediocre last year to highly successful this year, it leaves many wondering if their success this year was as much luck and some clutch plays vs really winning because the team was superior. Yesterday's win decided that for everyone. The Niners won that game by simply playing better than the Saints... A game that most critics figured would be won by the Saints.

The Niners definitely have a team that can win it all. First and foremost, the Niners have the defense. Without looking at stats, I can guarantee that just about every Superbowl winner had at least a top-10 D. Second, the Niners have great coaching. Harbaugh has great calls and game management. Third, the offense is pretty good. Alex Smith has certainly matured as a QB; we have enough weapons to score (Gore, V. Davis), and we're not making turnovers, which has been a killer in past years. And I'd say fourth, special teams has also been very good, which is not high profile in football, but is still very important for a championship team.

We can't count our chickens yet as next week's opponent won't be easy. The Packers have been unstoppable all year and the Giants are playing the same kind of devastating defense that the Niners are. However, both of those teams are also thinking to themselves that the Niners aren't the team THEY want to see in the playoffs either.

No matter what happens, this has been a season that Niners fans will always remember. Whether we win it all or not, I think we are seeing the beginning of a wonderful era of the Harbaugh-led 49ers and seeing the Niners back in the upper echelon of NFL teams, instead of bottom of the barrel.

Let's go NINERS!!! Let's bring #6 home!!!

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