San Francisco 49ers poised for a long postseason run?

Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers are playoff-bound for the first time since 2013. But the club has shown a few cracks in its armor in recent weeks.

Eight games into the 2019 season, there was a club that had posted four wins a year ago and had managed to already double its victory total. Yes, Kyle Shanahan’s third season at the helm of the San Francisco 49ers had gotten off to a rousing start as the club displayed a relentless running game and a physical defense, the latter spearheaded by rookie Nick Bosa.

But a funny thing has happened to the Niners as of late, which is headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2013. That unbeaten start has morphed into a 3-3 record the past six outings. And the club’s pride and joy, that aforementioned defensive unit, has taken its lumps over this six-game stretch.

This is a well-balanced team that has gotten better on offense as of late thanks to better play from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. But Shanahan’s team has needed every point and more these last few weeks and that wasn’t the case early in 2019.

Last Sunday at home against the Atlanta Falcons, the Niners were without veteran cornerback Richard Sherman and defensive end Dee Ford. Those are two talented performers not to have at your disposal.

But what made the 29-22 loss more disturbing was the fact that, for the second straight Sunday, San Francisco allowed a team to march down the field with very little time left on the clock. Falcons’ quarterback Matt Ryan orchestrated a six-play, 70-yard drive in 1:46 and hit wide receiver Julio Jones with the deciding touchdown with two clicks left on the clock.

A week earlier, it was Saints’ signal-caller Drew Brees who led his club down the field in the closing moments before Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle and kicker Robbie Gould managed their own magic.

In their last seven outings, Shanahan’s squad has surrendered 181 points and 20 offensive touchdowns. In their first seven games this season, the Niners allowed a combined 77 points and allowed opposing offenses to reach the end zone only seven times.

San Francisco gave up at least 20 points just once in their first seven games. The team has allowed at least 20 points in six of their last seven outings.

It’s safe to say that the NFC is loaded as a conference in 2019. And the 11-3 San Francisco 49ers certainly belong in the conversation when it comes to reaching Super Bowl LIV. But coordinator Robert Saleh’s defense needs to recapture its early-season fury if this much-improved team is to make a real impression in this year’s postseason.