Week 15 - 49ers vs. Chargers

What can I say? The 49ers aren't good enough to beat teams with winning records - that's already been said. And yet it's also been mentioned time and again that the 49ers still have a chance to win the NFC West - only now, it will depend on division rivals losing some of their games... it's not up to the Niners themselves. And if the Niners were to win the NFC West, it would be with a losing record of 7-9. Heck, there's still a chance they finish the season at 5-11.

At this point, I wouldn't want them to go to the playoffs with a losing record, it's just not right. There are other, better, more deserving teams from more competitive devisions that should go instead. An 8-8 record I was okay with for the Niners making the playoffs, but not a losing record.

Eying the future and next year's NFL Draft, even if the Niners were to qualify for the playoffs, they would no longer select in reverse order of their finishing win-loss record, but would be tiered in with the group of teams that qualified for the playoffs and then in order of elimination. Does that make sense? It goes something like that from what I've heard.

Last night was a team loss. It wasn't all on the quarterback; it wasn't all on the lack of pass rush or the secondary. Key plays weren't made (whether it's a nicely thrown pass or a gift-wrapped interception opportunity: Catch The Ball!), and the team overall wasn't good enough to overcome them. The offensive line seemed out of sync. In fact, the entire team appears out of sync, coaching and game-planning included. One of the announcers said that San Diego head coach Norv Turner can find a way to get a player open on every pass play - with all their talent, why can't the 49ers do the same? Why can't a match-up nightmare like Vernon Davis get open? Are the Niners so easy to game-plan for and defend? If they can't beat any team with a winning record, how could they possibly beat a playoff team?

Some people have stated that this has been the worst stretch of seasons for the 49ers ever, precisely because their expectations are higher having won 5 Super Bowls... that it was easier to take their losing in the 1970's because they weren't expected to be good. I disagree. It's much easier for me to cope with the current downturn of the team because I can always look to the 5 Super Bowls (I had to mention that phrase again!) and all the great memories the team has given me. They're far better off than the teams that are struggling and have struggled for years and don't have multiple championships under their belts. Although I sure as heck am embarrassed by their level of play right now...