Today is a travel day for me, so we will save the recaps and analysis for Monday and the rest of the week. Marc had his grades from the 49ers win last night.
Let’s take a moment to breathe. The 49ers won a playoff game without scoring an offensive touchdown. I’m sure somebody has a stat on this, but I’d bet good money that hasn’t happened more than twice in the 2000s.
San Francisco is a mix of the team destined to make it to the Super Bowl and a team that’s a pain in the you know what other teams can’t seem to put away. That’s a great mix.
The Los Angeles Rams are on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Sunday. The Niners will travel to face the winner. My question to you is who would you rather face? The storyline with the Rams is played out, boring, and doesn’t really move the needle.
“Will the 49ers beat the Rams for the seventh time in a row?” We’d hear about that all week. And while I think San Francisco would win once again because the Rams can’t block them, I’d rather not play a team three times in a row, especially twice in the span of three weeks.
Now, Tampa Bay? That would be fun. The “Tom Brady wanted to play for San Francisco” would get annoying after one day, but the matchups and storylines in that would make for great theater.
You can’t run on the Bucs, while Kyle Shanahan’s offense is predicated on running the ball. Brady versus up and coming superstar DeMeco Ryans, who Fred Warner called one of the most brilliant minds he’s been around during his postgame interview Saturday night.
Richard Sherman revenge game! Gronk and Kittle, the list goes on and on. Unfamiliar opponents make for better TV, in my opinion.
DraftKings had lookahead lines for both potential outcomes yesterday. The 49ers were 3-point underdogs in both instances, though that could change based on how the games go today. So, who would you rather face?