San Francisco 49ers: Who Are Their Biggest Challengers?

Jan 5, 2014; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) scrambles with the football during the fourth quarter of the 2013 NFC wild card playoff football game against the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field. San Francisco won 23-20. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the best teams in the NFL, and it’s unquestionably going to stay that way for many years to come.

Still, making a Super Bowl appearance on behalf of the NFC is much more difficult than making one on behalf of the AFC. There are many teams, many challengers, and competitors that are going to battle hard every day. Team that play defense and can stifle you at almost any point you start to build momentum. The AFC, although strong, has more teams that are offensively focused.

For example, the two best offensive teams in the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots faced off in the AFC Championship, whereas the two best defensive teams in the NFC faced off in the NFC Championship. As we all know, the Seattle Seahawks, the better defensive team, went on to win the Super Bowl.

Being a super power isn’t easy. The Niners have battled hard each year, but have somehow managed to come up short since the signing of head coach Jim Harbaugh. There are plenty of teams such as the Seahawks and even the Packers who have posed challenges to them. With that being said, which teams are the favorites to stop the Niners from making another Super Bowl appearance?

3. The Up-And-Coming: Philadelphia Eagles

This is probably a team that you weren’t expecting to see on this list. At 10-6, the Eagles hardly posed a challenge to the Niners entering the playoffs. They were defeated by the New Orleans Saints in the Wild Card Game off of a field goal in the final seconds, much like the Niners against the Packers.

They’re going to come back strong, however. Nick Foles, the replacement for Michael Vick, had a fantastic season in his stint as a starter with a QBR of 119.2. There was also a period of time where it seemed as if he would never throw any picks, only his 27 touchdowns. He was instrumental in leading the Eagles to their playoff birth. With LeSean McCoy at the RB position and receivers like Riley Cooper and DeSean Jackson, the Eagles are going to be a terrific offense team for years to come.

They may be going to the top of the NFL as of now, and therefore a legitimate threat to the Niners. Their defense may be terrible against an opponent’s passing yards, but the Niners are not a great team at passing the football.

2. Always There: Green Bay Packers

Two years in a row now that the Packers have had to face the Niners in the postseason, and they’ve lost both times. Unfortunately for the Packers, they had a rough season in 2013, but were still able to pull it together and make the playoffs. Aaron Rodgers,  who had suffered a broken collarbone, returned to the lineup: we all know that the Packers are scary at full strength.

Against adversity, the Niners came into Green Bay and beat the Packers off a last-second field goal. No one considers how close that game was though. Everyone will see the “W” and move on. The thing is, however, that the Packers are a legitimate threat to the Niners, and they may not want to lose to them 3 years in a row during the postseason. I know I wouldn’t want to.

1. Not Leaving Anytime Soon: Seattle Seahawks

If there’s one team the Niners should be afraid of, it’s the Seattle Seahawks, without a doubt. Colin Kaepernick has been good at the helm for the Niners, but he simply fails to beat the Seahawks in Seattle every time he travels north. This is a serious problem that the Niners have to deal with. In  regards to the NFC Championship Game, you can blame the refs all you want, but it eventually came down to how well Kaepernick kept his composure.

On first down, he got a bit antsy and threw the game-winning (for the Hawks) interception, sending the Niners home for the second year in a row. Not only are the Seahawks stifling on defense and offense, they have a great home crowd and seem to be the better team than the Niners as of now. Fortunately for the Niners, however, they have proven that they can beat the Seahawks and they just continue to get better.