How The San Francisco 49ers Can Earn Surprise NFL Playoff Appearance

The San Francisco 49ers’ 2020 season started out with high expectations after the team blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV this past February. Now, there’s questions about whether San Francisco will even be playing playoff football in January.

To say that the 2020 NFL season has not gone according to plan for Kyle Shanahan and Co. would be a dramatic understatement. It started out with a loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1 and continued with the likes of Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas suffering season-ending knee injuries the following week.

Since then, the 49ers have seen Jimmy Garoppolo, Richard Sherman, Deebo Samuel, George Kittle and Raheem Mostert, among others, miss extensive action. Heading into Week 13 against the Buffalo Bills, both Garoppolo and Kittle remain sidelined. Heck, it was late last month that the 49ers had 31 players on various reserve lists, including the COVID-19/reserve list.

Despite all of this, San Francisco is 5-6 on the season and just one game out of a playoff spot in the NFC. Here’s how the team can earn a playoff spot and what that might mean moving forward.

San Francisco 49ers Can Take Advantage Of Lesser Teams To Earn NFL Playoff Spot

Three of the 49ers’ final five games come against squads with winning records. In order for them to have a shot at the playoffs, the 49ers must win two of those outings against the Bills, Cardinals and Seahawks.

Even then, none of that will matter if San Francisco lays an egg against two teams in the disastrous NFC East.

49ers Schedule: VS- Washington Football Team (Week 14)

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Ron Rivera and his Washington Football Team sits at 4-7 on the season and in a first-place tie in the NFC East. It will have something to play for in this Week 14 game. Due to COVID-19 restrictions in the San Francisco Bay Area, the 49ers will play this “home game” in Arizona. At the very least, that should benefit Washington to an extent.

The team’s season turned around when former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith took over as the start under center. Riding that feel-good story, Washington has won two consecutive.

Even then, this is a game the 49ers should win. Washington ranks in the bottom nine of the NFL in points scored. The team’s four wins have come against opponents with a combined 11-31-2 record.

49ers Schedule: AT- Dallas Cowboys (Week 15)

Speaking of having a disappointing season, Dallas is in the midst of its worst stretch since all the way back in 1989. The season-ending ankle injury Dak Prescott suffered back in Week 5 helped derail the Cowboys this year.

Through 12 weeks, Dallas has lost eight of 11 games and is giving up nearly 33 points per outing. For the lack of a better term, this team just has not been competitive. San Francisco must take advantage of that in Week 15.

Get Jimmy Garoppolo And George Kittle Back

To say that San Francisco has missed this star tandem would be an understatement. They have played a total of five games together in 2020. While the 49ers are 3-2 in those five games, they are also averaging 27 points per outing.

Simply put, San Francisco’s offense is a completely different monster when Kittle is on the field catching passes from Garoppolo. That has not been the case the majority of the 2020 season.

Jimmy Garoppolo Injury And Potential Return

“I’m holding out hope for the last couple of weeks. They’re just starting to get into where they get on the field and not with us but on their own to do some stuff,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said about potentially getting Garoppolo and Kittle back toward the end of the season.

A lot of the narrative here changed when San Francisco upset the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12. A loss in that game would have sent the 49ers to 4-7 on the season and pretty much out of the playoff race. At that point, Garoppolo returning from his high-ankle sprain would not have made any sense.

What we do know is that Garoppolo is out at least the next two weeks. The hope, more than anything, is that he can return for the final two games of the regular season against Arizona and Seattle. For this to happen, San Francisco will have to win two of its next three.

Despite some of his struggles, Garoppolo has proven to be a consistent winner since joining the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. They are 22-8 in his 30 starts since the start of that season. All other 49ers quarterbacks boast a combined 6-23 record. You can do the math here.

George Kittle Injury And Potential Return

The fractured bone Kittle suffered in his foot during a Week 8 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was initially going to cost him the remainder of the season. San Francisco’s status as a playoff contender coupled with Kittle’s toughness has changed this. If it were up to the game’s best tight end, he’d be on the field Monday night against Buffalo. Alas, that’s not going to be the case.

With all due respect to Deebo Samuel, Kittle is the engine that makes this offense go. He’s caught a whopping 122 passes for 1,527 yards while hauling in 79% of his targets over his past 20 games. If Kittle can go and the 49ers are in playoff contention come Week 16, he will be on the field.

Young Guns Step Up

Even after getting reinforcements back in that of Raheem Mostert in Week 12, the 49ers still need their youngsters to step up on offense. That won’t change once/should Garoppolo and Kittle return to the mix.

Primarily, I am talking about wide receivers Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk. Both have shown flashes of absolute brilliance thus far in their young careers and will be the faces of the 49ers’ offense moving forward.

However, they must act the part of veterans here over the final five weeks of the season.

Brandon Aiyuk, A Secret Weapon For 49ers Playoff Hopes

A rookie first-round pick from Arizona State, Aiyuk has caught 21 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns over the course of the past three games.

Much like what we saw from Samuel as a rookie a season ago, Aiyuk creates a ton of mismatches in the passing game. Despite this, he’s been limited to eight games due to both injuries and a COVID-19 scare. If healthy, Aiyuk could be a major weapon for the 49ers down the stretch.

A Healthy Deebo Samuel Would Be A Boon

Limited to just five games this season, Samuel continues to perform when he’s on the field. The second-year pass catcher has hauled in 27 passes for 318 yards in those five games. He’s also catching north of 77% of his targets.

Having both Aiyuk and Samuel on the field creates mismatches that opposing defenses have a hard time defending. They can do pretty much the same thing on the field. That’s not hyperbole. Coming off an 11-catch, 133-yard performance against the Rams, Samuel seems prepared to shine. If so, the NFL Playoffs are not out of the question for these 49ers.