The train keeps on rolling for the San Francisco 49ers, and well it might – in a season where even the most positive 49ers fan likely had low expectations, given the mass exodus of players prior to the season, the injuries in-season, and just general PTSD from supporting this team for so many years, the team will play at least one playoff game. This is a quite incredible victory for Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, and all concerned with the building of this young, hungry 49ers team. How far can the team go? We’ll find out soon enough.

My Hottest Take: The 49ers hired a world-class coordinator this year. It wasn’t Robert Saleh.

Almost from the first time toe was put to pigskin this season, we’ve been hearing about the impact former New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh has had on the defensive unit. That’s led to the usual fan angst on whether his ‘success’, such as it is, will lead to him landing another head coaching job. Simply put, with there likely to be a number of coaching opportunities available to him in the offseason, nothing can be guaranteed.

As usual, however, people are somewhat missing the point. Saleh has massively improved the defensive unit, yes, but given some of the issues that side of the ball has had of late, it won’t be his unit carrying the team (hopefully) in the playoffs, but likely the offense. That leaves one unit to fill the ‘complementary football’ gap, and that’s the 49ers previously much-maligned special teams unit.

Fortunately, the hiring of Brant Boyer in the offseason to the special teams role seems to have done the trick. Thanks to the hardening of the coverage units, thanks to the addition of the likes of Siran Neal and Luke Gifford, the replacement of a failing kicking and punting battery (with both Eddy Piniero and Thomas Morestead doing a great job), and the addition of the potential for dynamic returns thanks to the use of former Chief Skyy Moore, the unit has quietly become one of the league’s best, and has helped move the razor-thin line between success and failure closer to the success line on numerous occasions this year.

That was exemplified by Monday night’s win over the Colts, where, in a game that Saleh’s defense failed to fire and threaten to turn into a shootout, 49ers special teams made some game-shifting plays that made things much easier, from a couple of explosive returns by Moore, to a forced fumble by Ji’Ayir Brown of the kickoff team (recovered by Jake Tonges) that gave the team’s red-hot offense extra possessions.

It’s just the regular season, and long-time Niner fans will know how special teams can bite in the playoffs, but it’s looking positive for all concerned in San Francisco. When it comes down to it, Boyer’s hire may prove to be as effective, if not more, than that of Saleh by season’s end.

What You Need to Know: The offense is San Francisco’s best weapon

In case it hasn’t become obvious, I’m not exactly jumping for joy about the play of the 49ers defense in the last few weeks. After outright costing the team games against the Texans and Rams, it also failed to produce anything approaching its best in the wins over the Giants, Titans and Colts. Against the Colts in particular, the defenses failure to put pressure on 44-year-old Philip Rivers either by rush or by coverage, with the veteran having a comfortable night and briefly threatening to turn the game into a score-for-score confrontation. It seems pretty clear that to be the surprise package of the playoffs, the team will have to look elsewhere for a spark.

They might have found it, as the 49ers offense finally showed everything it was capable of, truly performing a demolition job on the Indianapolis Colts’ defense, which has been quietly putting together an excellent year under first-year coordinator Lou Anarumo. Brock Purdy and company, however, shredded it underneath the prime-time lights, with Purdy throwing five touchdowns amid impressive displays for George Kittle, Christian McCaffrey and Jauan Jennings, among others.

For once, this season, it was able to find its potential, putting up 41 points (the other seven being scored off a pick-6 by linebacker Dee Winters), and generally kept the Colts at arm’s length throughout the contest.

Such is the nature of NFL battles, of course, but with better units to defend against and playoff football on the horizon, what the Purdy-directed machine can put out over the next few weeks will be crucial in figuring out just how far this 49ers team can go.

Before You Go: Home Cooking to Immortality?

One of the more amusing facts about the 49ers’ remaining games is that both come at home. Should the 49ers win both, then they’ll lock up the #1 seed in the NFC, guaranteeing home field advantage throughout the playoffs…and then, should they winthose, they’d be in the Super Bowl, which is being played in…yep, Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara.

So, essentially, if the 49ers win five home games, they’ve won a Super Bowl championship. Sounds easy, doesn’t it?

When you mix in that four of those five will be against the Seahawks, Bears, and likely some combination of the Packers, Panthers, Rams, and Eagles, though, maybe not so much.

Still. You’d have ripped their arm off for this in March … see you soon.