Did the 49ers get the wake up call that they needed?
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The ‘72 Dolphins and the ‘07 Patriots. That’s the end of the list of undefeated teams in NFL regular season history. The 49ers were never going to go undefeated. It was a matter of when and not if. Games like Sunday in Cleveland happen in the NFL. The offense was out of sync. Throw in some penalties, a ferocious opposing defense, weather, some key injuries, and two missed field goals, and you get a frustrating loss.
Even still, a Jake Moody field goal as time expired would have turned an ugly, frustrating loss into a gutsy win for the 49ers. The overall sentiment should be around optimism with this team. Almost nothing went right on Sunday, but the team still had an opportunity to pull off the road victory. A loss doesn’t mean the sky is falling. The 49ers will surely lose again this season, probably a few more times. The goal is to not lose in the postseason and hoist the Lombardi.
The answer to the question is simple: Yes, the 49ers are still Super Bowl contenders. One loss doesn’t change that. The idea that anyone would take Sunday’s loss as a reason to end any Super Bowl parade talks is laughable. The 49ers weren’t going to steamroll everyone in the league every week. You don’t learn about players or your team in blowouts, you learn about them when adversity hits.
Thirteen wins seem very likely for this team. The question is, will that be enough to secure home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs? The 49ers still are tied with the league’s best record. The team can control its destiny by simply executing. The roster is way too loaded, and the team is coached too well to write this team off for one loss.
Let’s settle in a bit. The 49ers will lose another game this season. The 49ers also are still Super Bowl contenders.
About the Author: Insidethe49
