5 teams that could stand in the way of 49ers Super Bowl hopes

49ers Challenger No. 1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers

If we’re being honest, the No. 2-seeded Tampa Bay Buccaneers should absolutely be the top challenger to any hopeful 49ers Super Bowl push.

True, the Bucs trail the Packers in the standings because of the conference record, as both teams are 11-3 entering Week 15. But Tampa Bay has a shoo-in to finish with four final wins against substandard NFC South opponents, the Carolina Panthers twice and the New Orleans Saints, as well as another game versus the hapless New York Jets.

That might be enough to get the Buccaneers over the Packers, should the latter lose just one game over the final quarter of the regular season.

At any rate, future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady is at the helm of the league’s No. 1 offense, both in terms of scoring and yards gained, and there are few who doubt he wins his fourth NFL MVP award once the year is over.

Putting things bluntly, the Niners’ road to another Super Bowl appearance will have to go through one of these two quarterbacks, Brady or Aaron Rodgers. Potentially both.

Considering Brady and the Bucs are playing a lot like how they did down the stretch during their own Super Bowl run a year ago, that’ll be a massive obstacle.