Breaking down 5 best playoff scenarios for San Francisco 49ers

No. 3: Get matched up against teams they’ve previously beaten

In football, sports or indeed any sort of contest, the psychological advantage may be one of the more underrated aspects in a contest. If you barely beat a team and then you have to face them later, then they’re in a revenge spot. They want to get you back for beating them.

However they’re still going to be thinking about how they lost.

It’s a definite factor, which can either inspire or demoralize depending on how resilient the team is and how well they play in the return game.

If they struggle again early, it’s easy to get flashbacks back to the first game.

For the 49ers, this can apply to three potential teams currently either in playoff spots or fighting for them. The Los Angeles Rams and Green Bay Packers in the NFC, as well as an unlikely Super Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

In addition, they have the chance to add the New Orleans Saints to that list, too.

In the playoffs, you need to look for every advantage you can get. Some people may disagree with exactly how much a psychological advantage can do in a playoff game, but I believe even the smallest advantage is needed to be exploited to make it to the Super Bowl.