The real reason the 49ers can make a playoff run

Things are breaking the 49ers' way.

Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The San Francisco 49ers are officially one of the legitimate playoff contenders. They are almost locks to make the playoffs, and anything can happen from there. Brad Gagnon from Bleacher Report went through every potential playoff team and listed the main reason why they can make a Super Bowl run. 

What will make the San Francisco 49ers a potential Super Bowl team?

Gagnon has a good idea, but is not quite on when it comes to what it would take to run for the 49ers. He is looking to their perseverance. 

They've done it all year despite a slew of seemingly crushing injuries, and their last five wins have come by double-digit margins during a 5-2 stretch to remain in the picture. You can't count out a Mike Shanahan-coached team at 9-4.

Brad Gagnon

This is fair, and everyone can point to the Week 5 outcome against the Los Ageneles Rams as a reason to buy into the resilient bunch that can win shorthanded. Still, while they have been shorthanded since that game, they have not won any convincing games that make you think that they can overcome these injuries in the long term. 

They went 1-1 against the two teams competing for the NFC South, with the win being at home and the loss being on the road. The two are viewed as the 12th-best playoff teams this year, but that team will get a home game, where the 49ers did not play well. 

Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images

They also beat the Falcons, Giants, Cardinals, and Browns. It is good not get caught up by any of these teams, but did any of these wins show you that they can make a serious run, or that their roster is looking fine despite the injuries? 

When they stepped up in class and faced the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Rams, they were beaten handily. They have four more games against legitimate competition in three of them, and that could prove that they know how to overcome. However, their 5-3 record since Week 5 is not quite indicative of that. 

One reason they can make a run is Kyle Shanahan and the offense. They have shuffled left guard, but may have their best option now. Brandon Aiyuk is out, but he has not played all season. Other than that, the offense should be firing on all cylinders. 

The offense has been good this season, but there is another level that they can reach now that everyone is healthy. It may take a few weeks to get there, but there is a reason to think they can head into the playoffs with a top-five group. 

When you have Kyle Shanahan, a healthy offense, and a playoff game where anything can happen, the 49ers have a shot. That is worth getting excited about.