Seattle Will End The 49ers' Undefeated Season

The 49ers glorious 8-0 season is about to suffer the stain of defeat. On Monday night, on the Niners' home field, the Seattle Seahawks will put an end to this undefeated season.


Heads out of the clouds, all you 49ers fans. Face facts. The Niners, boasting a solid defense and a tough running game, have been playing way over their heads. They are good, way better then they have been since those superb Harbaugh teams early in this decade. But they aren't that good. 8-0 means super team, This is not a super team. This isn't the Patriots with Brady in top form or the Packers with Rodgers at his peak.


Look closely at that 8-0 record and you'll see it's largely based on pummeling patsies, like the woeful Redskins and the bad Bengals. That's partly due an NFL scheduling strategy designed to promote parity and give the basement teams a boost.When a team finishes miserably, the following season their schedule is packed with sub-.500 teams. By avoiding the elite teams, poor teams have a better chance to improve their record. Without this favorable scheduling, the Niners would not be 8-0.

But the Niners are no longer doormats. That comes across loud and clear in two victories.They obliterated the Rams, holding them under 200 yards of total offense and, shockingly, under 100 passing yards. Also, the Niners trashed a fairly decent Carolina team. Only a quality outfit could do that.

Now, however, the Niners face the tough part of their schedule. They couldn't hide from the big boys forever. In their final eight games, they play the Saints, the Ravens, the Rams and the Seahawks twice, with the first game Monday night.

So far their defense hasn't had to contend with much great quarterbacking. But now they get it in heavy doses, beginning with MVP candidate Russell Wilson on Monday night. The rest of the season could be ugly. The Niners may crash and burn.

I'm not greedy. I'd be happy if the Niners finish the final eight games at 4-4. That would mean a 12-4 season, a whopping improvement over the crappy seasons of recent years.

I could live with that.