Last week, Brandon Aiyuk admitted that he’s doing some major scoreboard watching this time of year as the 49ers jockey for position in the muddled NFC playoff race.
On Monday night, Aiyuk and the 49ers will be cheering hard for the upstart Miami Dolphins, as they carry a six-game win streak into their primetime matchup against the short-handed New Orleans Saints, who will be led by rookie quarterback Ian Book. The 49ers (8-7) currently hold a slight edge over the 7-7 Saints, but would lose control of their playoff destiny if New Orleans tops the Dolphins Monday night.
As Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area noted, there is a scenario where the 49ers could win their final two games but still miss out on the final playoff spot. In essence, the 49ers, Saints and Philadelphia Eagles are fighting for two final postseason bids and San Francisco can be doomed by tiebreakers, including conference records and common opponents.
The 49ers haven’t made the playoffs since their Super Bowl run in 2019. They’re potentially in danger of missing the postseason for the fourth time in coach Kyle Shanahan’s five seasons in Santa Clara. The Week 17 matchup against the lowly Houston Texans (4-11) seems winnable and the Los Angeles Rams (11-4) could be resting key players in Week 18, but the 49ers still have some major work cut out heading into the homestretch of the regular season. Thursday’s loss in a winnable game at Tennessee is looming large.
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A playoff-free season will also frame the 2021 campaign differently. Though Kyle Shanahan has supported Jimmy Garoppolo throughout the entire season, Trey Lance supporters will have easy ammo for arguments that the rookie quarterback missed out on some valuable playing time in a season that didn’t result in a postseason run.
Book will make his first career NFL start Monday night, as Saints quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian are currently out due to COVID-19 protocols. The Dolphins started out the season 1-7 but have won six straight with quarterback Tua Tagovailoa leading the charge after shaking off some major doubts.
With a Dolphins victory, the 49ers would remain a game ahead of the Saints and control their own destiny heading into the final two weeks. Two wins and the Niners would be in, no need for tiebreakers.
