Though the San Francisco 49ers gave up nine sacks and Alex Smith threw another interception, the team should feel good right now. In this case, "good" is defined as "not complacent," at least in the mind of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Not everybody is feeling complacent though, at least when it comes to the fans. Some folks are saying that the 49ers got "exposed" on Thursday when the Baltimore Ravens came out on top. Others are asking if the team is over-hyped and not a threat going forward.
Well, let's make it pretty clear right away: the 49ers did not get exposed, and the team is probably not over-hyped. If the 49ers got exposed, then every team in the league outside of the Green Bay Packers have also been exposed. Look, if all someone is going to take from that game is that the 49ers just weren't that good to begin with, that somebody needs to fill us all in on what that blueprint was that John Harbaugh developed.
"All you gotta do is sack them nine times! Also, if you can play them on short rest at home, which is three time zones away, that would probably help, too!"
News flash: the 49ers aren't likely to give up nine sacks again (though the turnstile known as Chilo Rachal might have something to say about that if Adam Snyder can't return) and that travel situation is not likely to ever happy again. The only reason it did happen was the fact that Jim and John are brothers, and it made a juicy Thanksgiving story. Jim Harbaugh wasn't making an excuse when he said (pregame) that the 49ers got the short end of the stick.
That's just a fact - that kind of schedule isn't asked of any team in a different situation.
So no, the 49ers have not been exposed and there is no miraculous blueprint to beat them. Of course, there is a smart gameplan, but sitting at 9-2, is it really as simple as going out there and executing it, after big wins over Detroit, Tampa Bay and the New York Giants? It's probably just slightly more simple than saying that the simple blueprint to beat the Packers is to stop Aaron Rodgers, or that the best way to beat the Patriots is to score more points than Tom Brady.
To say that the 49ers were exposed on Thursday is foolish and irresponsible. To say that the team is over-hyped is an opinion that, really, isn't embraced by many. It's obvious that folks will have their own opinions of the team and its 9-2 record, but drawing that conclusion after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens, of all teams, is actually pretty funny.