Then Sunday the heavens opened and all was right with the world again. The 49ers delivered a beatdown on the hated Seahawks (40-21, and it wasn't as close as the score would indicate).
Sadly, "...and it wasn't as close as the score would indicate" has become the modus operandi for the 49ers for the past 4 games. Blown out by Tampa Bay. Dominated
Alex Smith made his triumphal return to the starting lineup, and, although his numbers weren't spectacular (255 yards passing), he threw for 3 touchdowns and didn't turn the ball over at all.
Matt Hasselsuck lived up to the name, throwing 4 picks and losing a fumble. One interception was in the end zone, killing a productive drive. One interception was a pick-six.
So, at 5-8, the 49ers are still alive in the abysmal NFC Worst. The Seabags loss, coupled with the Rams humiliating loss to the Saints, puts the 49ers one game out of first place in the Worst. Fortune smiles: the 49ers have only one really tough game left, in San Diego on Thursday. The 49ers could conceivably go 7-9 (which I predicted two weeks ago as being their final record) and win the division. OY!
I'm not sure if I'm happy about this or not. Winning a Division title with a losing record (and then, in all likelihood, getting pummeled by a real playoff team) isn't what I had in mind for this year. I thought we'd be so much better than that.
There's another aspect to this. The team most likely to be left on the outside looking in as the 49ers enter the playoffs with their losing record is Tampa Bay. Youngest son is a die-hard Bucs fan. I hate seeing his team sitting at home for the post season with a significantly better record (and significantly better chance of advancing) than my boys.
In the immortal words of Dennis Leary, "Life isn't fair. Get a f***ing helmet".
