Niners’ Prime Moment: Super Bowl Aspirations on a Paved Playoff Path
The 49ers can’t win the Super Bowl now or ever.But the question has to be asked: If this isn’t the 49ers’ moment, will it ever be?This is the best team Kyle Shanahan has played with in his seven years as a head coach.
The Niners roster is full of Pro Bowlers and game changers.So it’s no surprise that Shanahan’s team kept it up all season.And there’s no reason to cheer ahead of the tough part – the Niners are three wins away from their sixth Super Bowl championship.
San Francisco was the best team in the NFC this season. That alone would be enough to wait for a trip to the Super Bowl.But with the Niners sitting at home the week of the playoffs, their road to the Super Bowl just got easier.
Write this on the locker room bulletin board if you want, but to play for a championship, the 49ers just need to beat the last seed in the NFC (9-8 Packers, the youngest team in the NFL), and then the Detroit Lions (one of the worst pass defenses in the NFL) or the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (who were booed by the Niners in Week 11).Ning people who are rested, healthy and head and shoulders above their competitors don’t need to get on a plane for that.Yes, there’s a good reason why the 49ers are almost a double favorite to get to Las Vegas.
There is no rivalry in the NFC.If the Niners could have picked their way to the Super Bowl, this is how they would have drafted it.And while it’s hard to rule out a possible Super Bowl run at this point, the Niners shouldn’t fear any potential AFC opponent — even the Ravens, who beat them on Christmas. If the 49ers see them again, they will be more prepared for Baltimore’s defense than they were the first time.
So this season must be.Competitive windows are small in the NFL, even for the best-managed teams. While the Niners’ success seems to be years away, it would be wise to note that nothing is guaranteed.Success on the field is ultimately determined by men beating other men, but in the modern NFL, accounting has a lot to do with winning and losing.And no one played the numbers better than the 49ers front office.This has created a list that is invincible but inherently very difficult.
The Niners pay top prices for elite players, and thanks to smart salary cap management and the incredible value of quarterback Brock Purdy, nobody has more elite players.The Niners can afford all their stars because Purdy, a one-time MVP wide receiver who threw for 31 touchdowns this season, was worth more than $30 million at quarterback, according to OverTheCap.com’s NFL salary gurus. The league’s top quarterbacks earn more than $50 million a season.But Purdy’s deal only cost him $889,253.
I don’t think he would reach Levi’s Stadium club level with his net worth.And because he was the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Purdy remains cheap with a combined asking price of $2.1 million over the next two seasons.But this wool offers only so much financial flexibility. The Niners will pay ten players more than $10 million next season.The realities of the salary cap will hit this team at the right time – they may come even after Purdy is signed – and when they do, the Niners will likely have to move on from some of their best players.
Picking the right player to remove is a delicate balancing act, especially for a team that doesn’t have high-end quarterbacks looking to pick up starts.This might be the top of the ninth list.And if that were the case, it would be a shame to leave this season empty-handed.Especially with how the postseason was for them..
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