By: Max Alexander

SAN JOSE CALIF. – Once again in San Francisco, the playoffs are just around the corner for the 49ers. After a frightful last game of the season, the 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams in a nail-biter as the final score was 27-24 in OT. The 49ers snuck into the last playoff spot in the NFC, at a 10-7 record. The 49ers had an up and down season, almost comparable to a roller coaster. They started 2-0, then lost four in a row. After that, something ignited inside of them, as they took eight of their next 11 contests. Along the way, the 49ers faced multiple respectable opponents, including the 10-7 Cincinnati Bengals and the 12-5 Los Angeles Rams.  They won both of the games, including the aforementioned season clinching game in overtime, from the home of the Rams, SoFi Stadium. 

The 49ers have a daunting task ahead of them, the stacked NFC side of the playoff bracket. The wild card game ignited an old rivalry, dating back to the days of Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys in a very controversial ending to the game, 23-17. Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott scrambled and took the ball to the middle of the field, instead of running towards the sidelines, which would have stopped the clock if he got out of bounds. This caused the Cowboys to run out of time after Prescott ran into the referee as the ref was spotting the ball. After the game, Prescott harshly criticized the referee team, but later apologized for his actions. On Sunday, Jan. 22, the 49ers marched into Lambeau Field with their heads held high, and the 49ers special teams came in clutch, to take down the first seed, 13-10.

Even though SF pulled off multiple improbable comebacks, they have another issue after that, Los Angeles Rams. Out of 11 SCHS students, 6 of them said that the 49ers will beat the Packers, and 3 say they will make the Super Bowl. If somehow the 49ers make it past the entire NFC, they have even more worries on the other side of the bracket, the AFC. The Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills and Bengals are all strong competitors to win the AFC and make the Super Bowl.

The 49ers are underdogs going into the divisional series, but the 49er faithful are hoping for a repeat of 2020, where they made the Super Bowl.