Steve Young clarifies where the 49ers really stand in the playoff race

How much of a threat are the 49ers?

Oct 17, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Steve Young on the ESPN Monday Night Football Countdown set before the game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Steve Young shares his thoughts on the San Francisco 49ers’ position in the current playoff race.

The 49ers are 9–4 this season and have entered their bye week after 13 consecutive games. They are now in strong contention for the playoffs and are currently occupying the seventh seed, but their final seeding remains to be determined.

Although San Francisco has had to deal with adversity, including injuries to key players on both sides of the ball, Young believes that in a high-stakes, one-game scenario, the 49ers would be a tough test for any team in the NFC.

"Obviously they’ve got guys in the room that pull things together and so, how good are they? Good enough to threaten, and make people really—you talk about a tough out and they’re going to be in the playoffs," said Young on the Dan Patrick Show.

"I think you can almost count on that. And so, who wants to play the 49ers? Nobody. So, for where they are with the personnel and what’s happened, it’s pretty remarkable. I think we’ve got to tip our cap to really everyone in the organization right now, to be 9-4.”

Steve Young credits coaching staff efforts for reason behind 9-4 record

Oct 3, 2022; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers former player Jerry Rice (left) and former player Steve Young high five before the game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

To be frank, the 49ers would be nowhere near a 9–4 record without the brilliance of their coaching quartet—the leaders anchoring all three phases of the game: Kyle Shanahan, Klay Kubiak, Robert Saleh, and Brant Boyer.

Brock Purdy, George Kittle, and Ricky Pearsall missed several weeks, while Nick Bosa has been out for the season since Week 3 and Fred Warner has been out for the season since Week 6.

Relying on depth and a plethora of young rookies who have hit their groove at various points of the season, the 49ers have managed to stay competitive.

“How well are they coached to lose all their stars on defense? They have people out most of the season on offense and all of a sudden Mac Jones is a guy that everybody wants in the league. Just like Sam Darnold was," Young said.

"Let’s just tip our cap to the coaching, number 1, and let’s tip our cap to the culture  of the place. Locker room, the leadership."

Though the 49ers are unlikely to make it all the way to the Super Bowl, Shanahan’s record of reaching at least the NFC Championship Game every time the team has made the playoffs shows just how dangerous the organization can be.

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