Watch Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs live on Sky Sports from 8.30pm Saturday, followed by Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers; Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Detroit Lions at 8pm Sunday, before Kansas City Chiefs against Buffalo Bills.
Saturday 20 January 2024 15:08, UK
The San Francisco 49ers are the current betting favourites to reach an eighth Super Bowl in franchise history and be crowned for a record-equalling sixth time as the confetti falls on February 11 in Las Vegas.
That perception has been built off the back of some utterly dominant performances this season on their way to a 12-5 record which secured them the No 1 seed in the NFC.
The team ranks third in scoring (28.9 points per game) and second in total offense (398.4 yards per game), second-year quarterback Brock Purdy set a new franchise record for passing yards (4,280), while the defense ranks third (17.5 PPG) and they lead the league for interceptions (22).
The 49ers saw off eventual playoff teams the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams in back-to-back weeks to open the season, they inflicted a 34-3 beating of the Jacksonville Jaguars - who reached the final four of the AFC last year - while they also swept the Seattle Seahawks and defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are through to this weekend's divisional round.
San Francisco's most spectacular performances, however, were reserved for their home clash with the Dallas Cowboys in Week Five and their road trip to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 13 - both considered strong Super Bowl contenders in the NFC, and both promptly beaten, each coughing up 42 points.
This was a Cowboys side supposedly out for revenge after playoff defeats to their great rivals in each of the past two seasons, while the Eagles had a 10-1 record at the time and were reigning NFC champs, having earned that honour against the 49ers a year ago.
They were precisely the type of performances that prompted Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio to say: "As long as their key players are healthy, the 49ers are gonna kick the **** out of everybody they face.
"The quest [this season] is for second place."
San Francisco were spectacular in both games. Purdy threw for four touchdowns against Dallas, three of them to George Kittle, as the offense outgained the Cowboys to the tune of 421 yards to a paltry 197, with Dak Prescott picked off three times.
Against the Eagles came another four-TD display by Purdy, who this time topped 300 passing yards too, with star wideout Deebo Samuel accounting for 116 of those and two scores.
This is a 49ers outfit who utterly relish the battle and who don't mind adding a bit of extra needle to such a matchup. They know they're capable of backing it up.
It's why Kittle, after one of his TDs against the Cowboys, revealed an undershirt which said, "**** Dallas". The move prompted criticism from Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who said after the game: "We've got something for that. If we see them again, just trust. You're gonna make it personal? We can make it personal."
But the 49ers won't see Dallas again, nor the Eagles. The NFC East juggernauts, both of whom San Francisco would have anticipated facing over the next fortnight in the Divisional Round of the playoffs and the NFC Conference Championship game, each suffered shock defeats on Super Wild Card Weekend.
Not that the 49ers will be taking anything lightly, especially this Saturday when facing a red-hot Green Bay Packers outfit who have won seven of their last nine, but San Francisco's path to Vegas is certainly opening up for them.
They should have too much for the No 7 seeds at home, with one of the Detroit Lions and Tampa Bay Buccaneers then lying in wait the following weekend.
After numerous near-misses under head coach Kyle Shanahan - losing out to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl four years ago, and back-to-back NFC Championship defeats to the Rams and Eagles coming into this campaign - it's understandable that those close to the 49ers will be feeling this could finally be their year.
As Florio said: "The quest is for second place."
However… that Florio quote came prior to a Week 16 clash with the Baltimore Ravens, top seeds in the AFC, with the PFT presenter adding: "The 49ers kick the **** out of the Ravens on Monday night.
"I'm sorry. I know that's disrespectful to the Ravens, but let's be realistic... If this is a Super Bowl preview, the Super Bowl is gonna suck."
Florio's move backfired, both for himself and for San Francisco. The Ravens took his words personally and, rallying together with an underdog spirit that isn't usually reserved for a team that finished the regular season 13-4, it was they who dismantled the 49ers 33-19 - Purdy throwing four interceptions as opposed to TDs on this occasion, swarmed by an incessant Baltimore defense.
Ravens star QB - and likely league MVP this season - Lamar Jackson address Florio's comments after the game, saying: "You can't just discredit us. We're grown men, we've got to feed our families.
"He can have his opinion, but don't be just talking like that. That's very disrespectful."
The Ravens will be feeling further disrespect as, ahead of them and the 49ers both entering the playoffs this weekend and despite that convincing win from their prior meeting, it's San Francisco who reside as Super Bowl favourites.
But, as mentioned previously, that has to do with the 49ers' path in the NFC opening up, while the Ravens will have either two-time Super Bowl-winning Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs, or Josh Allen and the streaking Buffalo Bills, still to come - and that's only if they first see off the Houston Texans and their rookie quarterback sensation CJ Stroud this Saturday.
Just as with the Cowboys and Eagles, might the 49ers catch a break and avoid the potential of a Ravens rematch in the Super Bowl. But, if not, this bullish San Francisco side - the one that themselves bullied Dallas and Philly earlier in the season - will certainly relish another grudge match.
As Kittle said after the Ravens defeat: "Sometimes the ball doesn't bounce your way.
"What are you going to do? Are you going to dwell on it, or move on and go try and kick someone else's ass?"
Good luck, Green Bay.
Watch Houston Texans at Baltimore Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs live on Sky Sports from 8.30pm Saturday, followed by Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers; Tampa Bay Buccaneers visit the Detroit Lions at 8pm Sunday, before Kansas City Chiefs against Buffalo Bills.
