The 49ers may be headed to the playoffs, but’s not clear if they’ve got a realistic shot of doing any damage once they get there.over the Houston Texans at Levi’s Stadium, improving to 9-7 while their opponent looked like the 4-12 team it is.
Coach Kyle Shanahan and players said they treated Houston as if it were a playoff opponent and the postseason is already underway, which makes the first-half performance a cause for concern. Anything similar in a real playoff game or next week in Los Angeles against the Rams would make for a larger deficit and a more difficult comeback.
It’s well and good to go ahead and assume the Rams are no match for the 49ers given the way Shanahan and Co. have taken apart Sean McVay, with their 34-10 win on Nov. 10 at Levi’s serving as the jumping-off point for a team that had lost four straight games going in. The quarterback, whether it be Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo, isn’t going to be a dominant player who can lift the 49ers in the same way the likes of Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Dak Prescott, Kyler Murray or even interception-prone Matthew Stafford can with their respective teams.
Elijah Mitchell celebrates an 8-yard TD reception from Trey Lance in the third quarter. Shae Hammond/Bay Area News Group The Rams and a potential playoff opponent are going to do everything they can to slow down the running game and put the game in the hands of Lance or Garoppolo should the latter make what appears to be an unlikely recovery from a serious thumb sprain.