49ers: Good but not great yet

In the SJ Mercury News this morning, columnists Mark Purdy and Skip Bayless take opposing sides on whether or not the 49ers could beat the St. Louis Rams today (note that links will almost surely evaporate in seven days). With 2:52 left in the fourth quarter, San Francisco has the ball on the St. Louis side of the field but is losing 27-14 and seems headed for a loss. Looking back at the two columns, I feel they were both wrong; something was physically wrong with QB Jeff Garcia today, his throws were just a little off all game. And holding the Rams to 27 points should have been a good enough performance on defense, with the 49ers averaging 28 points a game this year (and scoring 26 against the Rams earlier this season). Will they meet again in the NFC championship game? With the Bears losing to the Packers today, seems like a possibility. Check back in January.