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NFC favorite 49ers chart course to meet Patriots in Super Bowl
Led by defensive end Arik Armstead (91), San Francisco defenders celebrate a sack of Kyle Allen during the 49ers' 51-13 win on Sunday.  Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

NFC favorite 49ers chart course to meet Patriots in Super Bowl

Until someone knocks them off, and I don’t mean even in just one regular-season game, the Patriots are the team to beat in the NFL. They’re defending champs, winners of two of the past three titles and have appeared in three straight Super Bowls. Besides, they have the undeniable Bill Belichick-Tom Brady mystique that intimidates opponents into making costly mistakes.

What may be up for debate is the team that should be considered the front-runner in the NFC. Although the Saints (7-1) and Packers (7-1) have solid cases for being a legitimate threats, the undefeated Niners (7-0) are the class of the NFC and the more complete team.

San Francisco isn't just winning, it's obliterating opponents. On Sunday, the 49ers rolled the Panthers (4-3), no slouch this season, 51-13. Entering Week 8, Panthers QB Kyle Allen hadn’t thrown an interception,  but the Niners tagged him for three -- including a ridiculous pick by rookie Nick Bosa. The replacement for an injured Cam Newton looked lost.

Although the Niners obviously don’t have nearly the pedigree or hardware New England has, they might be able to handle the Patriots in a head-to-head matchup. It would be compelling well beyond the most apparent story line involving Jimmy Garoppolo taking on the team for which he was once the heir apparent to New England's franchise cornerstone.

Only New England (61) has allowed fewer points this season than San Francisco (77), doubly impressive because the Patriots have played one more game than the 49ers. Both teams have offenses capable of lighting up the scoreboard and stifling opponents. 

With apologies to Green Bay and its rapidly improving offense, the Saints, now that Drew Brees is back, are San Francisco's greatest threat. New Orleans came within a bad non-call against the Rams of being in the Super Bowl last season. Yet its defense, despite having a premier shutdown corner in Marshon Lattimore, hasn’t been quite as good as San Francisco’s. 

A lot will depend on who gets home-field advantage, especially because the Saints are so good in the dome. That said, given how bogged down the Niners’ offense was in the muck in Washington in Week 7, perhaps a controlled climate wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. 

Two of San Francisco's next three games are against Arizona, so at least for the time being, the 49ers have the inside track for home-field edge. A Week 14 game in the Superdome looms, so it’s imperative for the Niners to build on the advantage they have now, just to be safe.

Running the ball is a big theme for the Niners this season, which may surprise some given San Francisco coach Kyle Shanahan’s reputation as a master of the passing game. (Remember when, as Falcons' offensive coordinator, he failed to run the ball against New England in the second half of Super Bowl LI?) Only Baltimore (204.1 yards) averages more rushing yards per game than San Francisco's 181.1. Through seven games, they 49ers have rushed more than any team since the 1987 Bengals.

That happens to be another parallel with the Patriots, who really leaned on their impressive ground attack late last season in the run to the Super Bowl. The running game gets written off as increasingly irrelevant in today’s NFL, so perhaps it’s a testament to the savviness of Shanahan and Belichick that they are able to see when others are being overly credulous about a trend, and use that to their advantage by going against the grain.

Running to set up the pass might seem like an indictment of sixth-year QB Garoppolo, though if the Niners have any weakness, it’s a relatively weak receiving corps. After the rising star tight end George Kittle (40 catches for 462 yards), the 49ers are fairly thin at receiver, which is why they acquired Emmanuel Sanders in a trade with Denver last week. His Niners debut Sunday included a touchdown, but he only had four catches for 25 yards. His production should rise as he develops more chemistry with Jimmy G.

The Niners and Patriots feel destined to meet in February for narrative reasons, and they’re charting their course in similar ways: by excelling at running and defense. Much can happen in the second half of the season, but it’s clear the Niners have established themselves as the team to beat in the NFC.

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