3 Key's to the 49ers Post Season Run.

At the beginning of the year I was sure of 3 things about the 49ers; they would have the best defense, Alex Smith would be the starter all year long, and they were definitely going to the Super Bowl. Statistically they were not ranked the #1 defense and Smith was replaced by Kaepernick, the last point that remains to be seen is if the 49ers will go to the Super Bowl or not. Even with the switch to Kaepernick I was pretty confident that the Niners were destined for their 6th trip to the big game, and through the first half of the Patriots game I was as sure that the Niners were headed there as I had been all year long; then Justin Smith got hurt. The 49ers went on to play the worst football in the second half against the Patriots and all through the Seahawks game since Harbaugh took over as coach. And my confidence was crushed.
Luckily the Niners finished the season against the lowly Arizona Cardinals and won in convincing fashion, even getting the chance to pull their starters in the 4th quarter. Now my confidence resides in no-man's land. I don't know what to think. I'm definitely not as confident as I was at the beginning of the year and I'm surely not as confident as I was at halftime of the Patriots game, but I also am not as down as I was at the end of the Seattle game. So again, I don't know where I stand on the confidence meter. What I do know is that the Niners can hang with any team in the league on any given Sunday, so ultimately I still like their chances of going all the way, but now there are big keys to their playoff run that will determine how far it goes. Among the most important keys to what the 49ers have to do are the following 3;
Key #1
Justin Smith's health, Justin Smith's health, Justin Smith's health and a little more of Justin Smith's health. The report is that Smith will be able to play. The danger is that reportedly Smith could tear the remainder of his triceps on any given play. So Ninernation will be holding its collective breath at the end of every defensive play to see if Smith is still on the field or not. Mark my words; if Justin Smith goes down the 49ers go down. Smith is that important. He makes the whole machine go.

Key#2
Get Vernon Davis and Frank Gore involved. Gore has been involved but it feels as if his touches have been down towards the end of the season. Obviously this could be by design, with the 49ers coaching staff hoping Gore will be fresh come playoff time. Well, it's playoff time so it's time to hang your hat on Frank. And where the hell has Vernon Davis gone? The "keeping him fresh" excuse does not come into play here, Davis hasn't been relevant since the Bears game. Yes, he always contributes as a blocker but he also MUST be involved in the passing game, no excuses.

Key #3
The kicking game has got to be solid. David Akers has killed us this year. I love Akers as a human being and have a lot of respect for who he is and what he's been through but at some point you have to call a spade a spade and make the move. If it was a "no brainer" for Harbaugh to keep Kaepernick starting over Alex Smith then what's the term we should use to explain Harbaugh replacing Akers? We easily have two more wins with him being more consistent this year. Billy Cunduff, oh sweat Jesus.

It's awesome that we got the bye this week and have an extra week to rest up, get healthier, and make the moves necessary at the kicking position. Now we just have to see if the Niners can get back to where they were in week 1 when they went into Green Bay and showed the football world they were for real.