Rest Easy, Friends, The Better Team Won

Now that I've had a few days to reflect, it donned on me that the 49ers were just the better team. We had a chance to beat them, and we pushed them to the brink, but they were just better.

No matter what nonsensical drivel you hear from fans, they were only 4 points better than us. Or really, just 15 yards or so better than us. That's not much. Yeah, we raced out to a lead, but their punches just came in the second half and we couldn't handle them. We had a chance in the end and just fell short.

Trent Dilfer, of all people, defended us on NFL Live this week, saying that, aside from the two turnovers, we moved the ball almost at will in the second half. So we're not as far behind as we might think. I have no doubts that the D will be better next year, and our running game can't possibly be worse. The offense will remain largely intact, and so long as we take care of business next season, we'll be the ones representing the NFC in the Super Bowl.

The Niners, much as it pains me to say, were just the better overall team. Our O showed that it is a terror in the making, but our D didn't do us any favors. Their O is above average, and their D is great. No matter how good our O was, they couldn't have overcome the deficiencies in our D. They tried, and they tried like crazy, but ultimately they fell just short.

I don't think Matty is turnover prone. Sometimes things don't go your way. Remember, to win a championship you need a few bounces to go your way, right? Roddy slipping and the fumbled snap ending up in a 49er's grasp don't sound like bounces that went our way.

So rest easy, friends. They were better over 4 quarters, they showed it, but they'd better watch out because we'll be back.

Dave, myself, and the gang will try to keep content fresh as we go through the offseason. I certainly hope you'll join us as we discuss possible draft picks, free agency acquisitions, and changes to scheme, and thought-provoking FanPosts can be promoted to the front page if they're extra good. So if you have an idea, post it! Thanks for the great season, Falcoholics!