Today, the guys recap the awful 20-17 overtime loss to the New York Giants. It was a horrible end to an amazing season, but not just one person is to blame. Sure, backup Kyle Williams did drop some vital catches that led to Giants possessions, but that may have never happened without starter Ted Ginn Jr. In the end, Giants Kicker Lawrence Tynes made a 31-yard FG in overtime to send the Giants to Super Bowl 46 Kyle Williams was the center of attention after the game, but he stood strong and tall. He stood at his locker and spoke to the media after the game and the next morning. He didn’t shy away from his mistakes and took responsibility for him and his teammates, but some people went to far. The media reported of death threats (yes, like those cut out of magazines) towards Williams after the game. That’s crossing the line and straight up disgusting considering he didn’t hurt anyone and just made mistakes. You can make those death threats once YOU’VE done everything perfect, 49ers fans. Hawaii or Indianapolis? I’m sure a few players on the 49ers are glad deep down inside that they are heading to the land of surfing and tanning instead of bundling up and bracing for the cold weather Indianapolis holds in store. The Pro Bowl starters include: Justin Smith, Joe Staley, Patrick Willis, David Akers, Brian Jennings, and Andy Lee. These players were chosen to play, but cannot due to injury: Carlos Rogers, Dashon Goldson, and Frank Gore. The guys look ahead for the 49ers this off season, touching on what will change and what will stay the same. They are hoping for some new WR’s and to keep the defensive team. Alex Smith’s future is still in question as his contract has expired.

The guys look back at the spectacular 4th quarter win over the New Orleans Saints. While incredibly dull and long in the middle of the game, the game turned around near the end with 4 lead changes in the last 4 minutes! Brees led a TD run with just over 3 minutes remaining and Alex Smith answered with an similar offensive push ending with a pass to Vernon Davis in the end zone for a 36-32 lead and final score. Drew Brees was obviously frustrated with the rock wall of a defense that the 49ers put up. The guys find themselves fortunate to have been in the end zone during one of the most memorable TD’s this season. With the latest injury report from the Niners, we learn that Delanie Walker has be back at practice after a broken jaw in their week 16 game. Ted Ginn Jr. was not in practice today after an ankle and slight knee tweak. Ray McDonald was working with trainers on the side of the field today before joining the rest of his team on the line. Jonathan Goodwin did not practice today as a result of a lower left leg injury. Dashon Goldson did not practice either today. Mindi Bach, the 49ers CSN BayArea reporter, joins the guys. She goes into detail about Alex Smith and the 49ers win this week and also some concerns about the Championship game versus the Giants. Finally, the guys look ahead to the match up against the Giants.

Today, the guys get you ready for the 49ers matchup against the New Orleans Saints as San Francisco prepares their home field. Joining us today is LB Blake Costanzo to talk about the 49ers Special Special Team unit. The guys ask Costanzo about his past with STC Brad Seely, his experience so far in San Francisco, and finally the question everyone knows the answer to, who’s got it better than us? That’s right, nobody! Saints are coming to town, its the divisional game, the guys tell you everything you need to know for those of you who are going over to Candlestick Park to be a part of the epic showdown. The gates open at 8:30AM, 5 hours before kickoff so you should all be able to do your tailgating and hanging out before hand. The Grand Plaza will open up at 10:30 with drinks, food, bands, cheerleaders, and fun activities for the kids as well. Red rally towels with the caption, “Who’s got it better than us?” will be passed out and distributed among the crowd before the game. During half time, Huey Lewis and the News will be performing the National Anthem and there will be special performances by Sean Kingston and Bailey. We hope to see you there! http://www.facebook.com/NFLRantsandRaves @NFLRandR on Twitter

The Niners make a comeback to take a W over Seattle 19-17 to keep chugging along towards the #2 seed. They made up a 10 point deficit and took a 16-10 lead followed by a TD run by Marshawn Lynch once again setting them back 17-16. In the 4th quarter, Alex Smith hit a 41-yard bomb to Michael Crabtree which got them in field goal range for a 19-17 win over the birds. Speaking of field goals, David Akers his his #40, 41, and 42 field goals this game, breaking the all-time NFL record for field goals in a single season and the 49’ers still have one game remaining! The guys assume that David isn’t missing Philly at all! ‘Tis the season for early record breaking. Braylon Edwards was officially released from the 49’ers. He took to twitter last night and Jim Harbaugh confirmed this morning in his usual phone conference with the press. Delanie Walker sustained a serious injury to the jaw against the Seahawks and will most likely miss the next game and possibly the rest of the season. The guys look forward to the New Years Day match up versus the St. Louis Rams. A win secures the #2 seed for the 49’ers. The Rams should not pose any problems for the #2 (Powerfully) ranked Niners since they are now #32 on Jeff’s list, but as we’ve learned this season, underestimate no one! http://www.facebook.com/NFLRantsandRaves @NFLRandR on Twitter

Monday Night Football yields some surprises both on and off the field! During the game, there were two, yes two, power outages that caused a 15 minute delay of game. When the lights came back on, the 49’ers smashed the Steelers in a 20-3 win at Candlestick Park that left QB Ben Roethlisberger limping back to the locker room. The injury report is in, and it’s not looking to bad! Braylon Edwards was ruled inactive for this game, but the coach didn’t seem to cite a real reason in his press conference afterwards. Frank Gore was looking good, rushing for 66 yards against a top running -defense in the league. Joe Staley played Monday in their win, but injured his legs on one of the sacs on Ben. We look ahead to Christmas! The division rivals will face off in Seattle on Christmas Eve. It’s important for the 49’ers to keep the pace with the Saints if they really want the #2 seed. Compared to the Seahawks 33-17 loss in week 1, Seattle has really turned around and will make a fierce competition for the 49’ers this weekend. If the 49’ers win the next 2 road games, they will clinch that #2 seed. http://www.facebook.com/NFLRantsandRaves @NFLRandR on Twitter

After returning home after a loss to the Cardinals, the 49’ers realize they need to be on point of their game if they want to keep up in this now 5 team, 10-3, race. The guys think the 49’ers went into the game hot headed, confident and therefor lax in the effort department. Now that they lost, they are competing with the Saints who hold the exact same record of 10-3 in order to land the #2 spot in the NFC, only trailing the undefeated Green Bay Packers. Get yo stuff together, 49’ers! Fresh off the press at 4949 Centennial Boulevard is the latest injury report! Unsurprisingly, Frank Gore is suffering from the end-of-the-season wear and tear that any high powered back of his capacity would. Although temporarily out, the goal is to have him back in action in time for playoffs. LB Patrick Willis sat out this past Sunday against the Cardinals due to a right hamstring strain, but should be good to go Monday night against the Steelers. Finally, LT Joe Staley suffered from a concussion on the first play, but Harbaugh threw him back into pla– Oh wait, we aren’t talking about the Browns here! Monday Night Football! The guys are pumped up, and you should be too! If you’re not planning on watching it, you better have a good excuse! The 10-3 49’ers host the 10-3 Steelers for a iron-fisted tie-breaker game. If the Steelers win, they grab themselves a playoff spot, but they will have to all be on their A game since James Harrison landed himself in hot water after he “LOL’s” at the Commissioner’s decision to suspend him for 1 game. http://www.facebook.com/NFLRantsandRaves @NFLRandR on Twitter

The guys are talking playoffs, baby! On this 10 year anniversary of Jim Morra’s classic playoff rant, the 49ers have clinched a playoff birth for the first time since 2002. The team did so in stunning fashion beating down the St. Louis Rams 26-0. This brought Jeff down memory lane when it was all too common in the 1980’s for his wife’s Niners to beat down this (then) L.A. Rams and reach the playoffs. The injury update from 4949 Centennial Boulevard is short but powerful, LB Patrick Willis injured his right hamstring vs. the Rams, suffering a grade two strain and he could “miss a little time.” Most likely he will be out this weekend against the Arizona Cardinals. Coach, Jim Harbaugh believes Frank Gore should be immortalized for his record breaking team rushing accomplishment. “There should be a statue to Frank. Maybe with the new stadium … a life-size statue of him in one of those cool positions he gets in…” Steven wishes Coach would make up his mind about the attention his guys get. Is this statement really coming from the same guy who wants no press attention (sometimes). Next up is a tough road game playing the Arizona Cardinals. That teams defense has played pretty well lately and took care of a talented Dallas Cowboys team this past weekend. The 49ers must play solid football and not overlook Cardinals. With the New Orleans Saints on the 49ers heels for the #2 seed and the Packers not out of reach the team must keep their focus on the prize set before them.

Today we look back at the 49ers 16-6 Thanksgiving loss of the Harbaugh Bowl at the hands of the Ravens. The team kept it close but some uncharacteristic-like penalties cost us a real chance at victory. Most notably the O-Line gave up 9 sacks, a Ravens franchise record for most sacks in one game, and the Niners have not given up that many sacks in 13 years. Incidentally, 10.7 million viewers watched this great game, making it the most watched program in the history of NFL Network. Our injury updates from 4949 Centennial Boulevard continue to be thankfully brief. Braylon Edwards has come out and said he has nagging shoulder injury, he suffered week 9 vs Redskins. Nothing serious, but it is bothering him. The guys next take a look at the run to the playoffs. Very simple formula to get in — one more win and the ticket is punched. The remaining schedule is soft due to playing rest of the division. The only exception is a pesky Monday Night game vs. the Steelers and a quick turn-around game on Christmas eve in Seattle. The schedule makers seem determined to making sure Niners earn this playoff berth and a top seed. Next up is the baaaad Rams in Candlestick Park. No need for Red Out, just show up and watch a well rested Niners team kick the crap out of Rams. Though they say you should never take an opponent lightly — this might be a good time to start. The Rams are so horrible that they sit at second to last in Jeff’s Powerful Rankings. They’d be dead last, but the Manning-less Colts are somehow still in the NFL.

How cool is 9-1? It is great no matter how you look at it. The guys look at the very important win over the Cardinals 23-07 and what came of it. Quarterback, John Skelton learned that after 3 picks the Cardinals were willing to take a look at… Richard Bartel. Who’s that, apparently someone Ken Wisenhunt liked better than Skelton. Mad props go out to Vernon Davis as his TD reception led him past Brent Jones for most TD catches by any 49ers TE. Very positive was that the game was lopsided enough that the team was able to rest Frank Gore and Kendal Hunter so they are ready for the short week. Defense continues to dominate as the team is averaging a sick 14.5 points per game! Injury report and a suspension update from 4949 Centennial Boulevard. Seems clear that WR, Braylon Edwards is not at the top of his game. Good thing the rest of the wide-outs are doing great. Dashon Goldson got tossed in Sunday’s game for fighting, Cardinals came right at his spot, and scored their only points mid-way through 4th quarter. Good news is that the League will not suspend Goldson for the big game on Thanksgiving. That brings us to the Sibling Rivalry or HarBowl on Thanksgiving night on NFL Network. The 9-1 49ers vs 7-3 Ravens in Baltimore. Though Jim is not happy about traveling across country on a very short week, he should be happy that Baltimore is expected to be without All-Stud defender Ray Lewis on the short week. Both teams are going to be playing hard for their respective Harbuagh and the 49ers must take care not to lose their cool as they have done in their past two games. Steven likes the Niners to win by a hair and Jeff thinks it will be too much.

The New York Football Giants are looking a bit smaller after being told what’s what by the boss of the Bay. With the team winning like they haven’t since Mooch and Steve Young were together a decade ago the right kind of fight was shown on the field as the San Francisco 49ers beat those Giants 27-20. To top it all off they did it without Frank Gore. Rushing for zero yards on six carries, Gore was limited with a knee bruise to accompany his already gimpy ankle. Alex Smith stepped up in a significant way delivering surgical strikes and keeping drives alive. The defense came up big in several spots throughout the game. Most notably Justin Smith sealed the win by batting down an Eli Manning pass on 4th and 2 from the 49ers 10-yard line. In Monday’s press conference, Jim Harbaugh continued to talk down the team to keep them grounded and tried to deflect the week’s press interest onto his assistant coaches, claiming all of them could be NFL head coaches. You know your team is kick-ass when people talk about pilfering your coaching staff. Offensive Coordinator, Greg Roman and Defensive Coordinator, Vick Fangio, who both joined Harbaugh from Stanford got much love as did Special Teams Coordinator, Brad Seely, who has three Super Bowl rings as a member of the New England Patriots staff. In the weekly injury update from 4949 Centennial Boulevard, Frank Gore is the most concerning player with a knee bruise and sprained ankle. It is looking more and more likely that he will be fine. Comcast Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco says it looks like Frank has grown-up a bit and was willing to accept sitting in Sunday’s game, recognizing the importance of being healthy down the road. Kendal Hunter was given the ball more, and more was asked of Alex Smith. Alex responded well, and the team is getting healthier by the day. Try not to laugh out loud, but the 3-6 Arizona Cardinals are coming to town. Though they come in riding a two game winning streak. You know your team is bad when no matter whom you start at QB, the Vegas line does not move. Kevin Kolb is doubtful so John Skelton is likely to start, but the result should be the same. On paper, this should be an easy win for the 49ers, however they cannot start to take anyone too lightly (just ask the Coach Harbaugh’s brother over in Baltimore how things went in Seattle).