So you’re saying there’s a chance….
Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NFL. Throughout the year, we ask questions of the most plugged-in San Francisco 49ers fans and fans across the country. Sign up here to participate in the weekly emailed surveys.
For some, it’s all doom and gloom three weeks into the San Francisco 49ers season. For others, you acknowledge that this is effectively the preseason for the left tackle and star wide receiver, as well as most of the other big names on the Niners roster.
It’s not surprising that the team, with multiple holdouts and a new defensive coordinator, has scuffled out of the gate. This is a team that’s a few plays away from being 3-0 and could easily have been 2-1 had they taken advantage of their opportunities against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 2.
History would suggest the 49ers have a slim chance of not just making it to the playoffs but advancing beyond the Wild Card round. Only 14 teams that have started 1-2 have made the playoffs via Bet M dot com. That’s 25.9 percent. Of those teams, six (11.1 percent) have advanced past the Wild Card round, while four (7.4 percent) have won in the Divisional Round. No team in history has won the conference championship or the Super Bowl after starting 1-2.
Today’s SB Nation Reacts question asks whether you still have faith in the 49ers making the playoffs.
San Francisco needs to get healthy quickly. They’re 10.5-point favorites over the New England Patriots. The Arizona Cardinals are feisty, but they don’t play defense. Those two wins should put the 49ers back over .500.
We will find out a lot about the Niners in the next three games as they take on the Seattle Seahawks, Kansas City Chiefs, and Dallas Cowboys. Let’s assume they are 3-2 heading into that stretch. If Kyle Shanahan can get to the bye at 5-3, this team has a puncher’s chance to make the playoffs.
Realistically, the 49ers would have to win five of their final nine games to make the playoffs and reach ten wins. They travel to Tampa Bay, get Seattle at home, and are on the road in Green Bay and Buffalo before coming back home to face Chicago and the Rams. Who knows who the quarterback will be in late December at Miami? In Week 17, the Niners host Detroit before ending their season in the desert.
Will the Niners make the playoffs?