The San Francisco 49ers played a tough game against the St. Louis Rams on January 1 and came out with a 34-27 victory. The 49ers were already heading towards the playoffs but that victory locked up the two-seed in the NFC for them, handing them the luxury of a first-round bye and time to rest some players.

As far as Jim Harbaugh is concerned, this probably isn’t going to be a vacation of any sorts. He and his team will watch film on teams they could possibly face and prepare themselves by facing each other during this week at practice, since they don’t know who they are playing yet.

In Harbaugh’s weekly press conference, he made a few important points and answered some questions that reflected exactly how he felt about the win and the playoffs.

Media: Late in the season, your team had been on a three for 20 slump in the red zone. You’re 6-8 in scoring touchdowns in the last three games. Is that encouraging going in to this playoff game?

Jim Harbaugh “It is. We had hit a little bit of a slump there, three or four weeks back. But, I think it’s been improving and that’s encouraging.”

The red zone offense was something that had been lacking prior to the last three games, but Harbaugh knows that teams go through slumps. It’s not something that he was going to lose sleep over, but I’m sure it is something he addressed with his team. There is never a more crucial time to remain efficient in the red zone and that time is drawing near when the 49ers head into their first playoff game in nearly a decade on January 14. Knowing that, Harbaugh will have his team ready for anything they have to face.

M: Any things you guys will do the same (referring to Jim Harbaugh talking to his brother John Harbaugh)?

JH: “Yeah, there will be some similar things. Basically, we’re on a similar schedule. Some things, like I said, we both have a bye this week. Compared notes, some things are the same, some are different.”

As a fan, I have to admit it’s pretty cool to see that Jim is able to reach out to his older brother John despite essentially being in competition. There is a possibility that these two teams meet in the Super Bowl, especially with both teams being two-seeds in their respective leagues and having first-round byes. John has been to the playoffs before with the Ravens and Jim has to feel more confident that he can reach out to his brother for some advice in his first go as an NFL head coach.

M: You always hear about playoff experience. This team kind of reminds me of the 1981 Super Bowl team: 13-3, you’ve got a bye, virtually no experience on the roster in the playoffs. Underrated or overrated, playoff experience?

JH: “I think it’s good to have experience. It’s good to have been there before. I’m not overrating it or underrating it.”

Continuing down the course of having experience and this being Jim Harbaugh’s first year, he knows that experience is important. Talking to his brother can only offer him so much in terms of experience. The 49ers being there and playing in the playoffs is the only way to gain experience and for this group of guys, very, very few of them have playoff experience. Not to mention Jim Harbaugh is in his first year as an NFL coach, meaning that this is new territory for many of the 49ers. Hopefully everything the 49ers have been able to do all year to win games with be amplified in the playoffs—including their bond as a team.

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp

Sources:

49ers.com. Coach’s Notebook: Jan. 2. NFL 2011.

More from David Mehrwein and the Yahoo! Contributor Network:

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Top 2012 Pro Bowl Snubs: Fan Opinion

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ST. LOUIS — A month ago, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to clinch its division, shutting out the St. Louis Rams to win the NFC West. Beat them again in the finale, and there’s a nice bonus for the Niners: the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.

Sure, they’re in. There’s still plenty of incentive for a franchise that’s made a rapid rise to the top under rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Anytime you could lock up a bye, you’d take it,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “Great opportunity for us, we’ve just got to go seize it.”

They couldn’t have picked a more vulnerable opponent.

The bedraggled Rams (2-13) are in danger of a dubious honor — landing the No. 1 pick in the draft for the second time in three years. All it’ll take is dropping their seventh in a row and the Colts winning at Jacksonville and again they will be at the bottom of the barrel.

St. Louis, just 10-37 under third-year coach Steve Spagnuolo and 12-51 with fourth-year general manager Billy Devaney, could be on the verge of a housecleaning. That’s led to a lot of questions this week about trying to save Spags’ job.

“We don’t worry about things we can’t control,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “He’s that way, we’re that way. We’re just going to go out there and play our rear ends off.”

Owner Stan Kroenke has been silent on the subject of what comes next for the Rams, who had been viewed as a franchise on the rise after last year’s six-win improvement.

Now they’re playing to a half-full stadium and reduced to muttering about injuries that have decimated the secondary and offensive line besides a persistent high left ankle sprain that almost assuredly will knock out quarterback Sam Bradford for a sixth game.

Attendance is likely to be more sparse than usual given the noon CST start coming off New Year’s Eve partying. The Rams asked Thursday for a 24-hour extension to meet NFL sellout requirements.

The 49ers (12-3) have already doubled their win total from a disappointing 2010 season, and even with a loss can get the No. 2 seed and bye if the Saints lose at home against the Panthers. If they can repeat the performance from the 26-0 whipping they handed out in San Francisco, Harbaugh would be just the fourth coach in NFL history to win 13 games in his first year. Two 49ers coaches have already done it, George Seifert going 14-2 in 1989 and Steve Mariucci at 13-3 in 1997.

San Francisco could also land its first 13-win season since ’97. A sixth road win would match their total from the previous three seasons, rewarding them for attention to detail.

“The biggest thing that I’d point to is a lot of little reasons that a lot of people think are the minutia that aren’t important that add up to make all the difference,” Harbaugh said. “And our guys continually do the little things, and they stack on each other and they build on each other. And lo and behold, you win games in high pressure situations, or find ways to do enough things right to win games and get better.

“Enough of those things lead to championships.”

The 49ers are stout on defense, on pace for a franchise record while allowing a league-low 13.5 points per game, and sound on offense behind come-back quarterback Alex Smith. They lead the NFL with a plus-26 turnover ratio, with the most takeaways (36) and the fewest turnovers (10) in the league.

Aldon Smith has 14 sacks, one shy of the NFL rookie record. Cornerback Carlos Rogers and free safety Dashon Goldson, two of the 49ers’ four Pro Bowl starters on defense, have six interceptions apiece.

Kicker David Akers, who has set an NFL record with 42 field goals, and punter Andy Lee are both Pro Bowlers, too.

They’ve stayed healthy, too, with 30 players appearing in every game and 12 making every start. That dwarfs the Rams’ totals of 14 and four. The 49ers have eight Pro Bowl representatives, the Rams none.

“They’ve put it together and you get on a roll,” Spagnuolo said. “It works both ways. You get on a roll winning, confidence and boom, boom, things are working and clicking.

“It happens the other way, too, where you can’t really find any continuity.”

The 49ers have won six of seven in a series knotted at 61-61-2, and Frank Gore always seems to get some of his best days against the Rams, totaling 832 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games. He’ll be facing a defense in danger of setting a franchise record for rushing yards allowed in a season.

The Rams have been giving up an NFL-worst 154.5 yards per game and if they surrender 159 yards it’ll break the previous franchise worst in 2008.

The 49ers got 144 yards the first time around.

The 49ers’ biggest worry might be encountering an opponent trying anything and everything to finish with a good taste.

“They have nothing to lose, so they can come out with whatever,” linebacker Patrick Willis said. “For us, there’s a lot riding on this game. We have to come out and play like we have all season. We know what’s at stake.”

Most every week, the Rams stay in it for a while and then a key play or two goes the wrong way and it snowballs to the finish of another failure. That was the case in the first meeting when the 49ers were held to three field goals in the first half, then busted loose with a pair of big plays — pass plays of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.

Special teams have sprung several leaks in recent weeks, and the offense is the NFL’s worst, averaging just 11 points with 15 touchdowns in 15 games. They’re coming off a 27-0 loss at Pittsburgh, the second time they’ve been shut out the last month.

It’s been a complete bust of a comeback season for new offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

“No regrets, no regrets,” McDaniels said. “Every year is different, every year is a challenge in this league. You have to do everything you can to try to help the team win.”

More slogging lies ahead. The Rams totaled just 157 yards and were just 3 for 13 on third down in the first meeting against San Francisco.

Steven Jackson became the seventh player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in seven straight seasons last week. Against the 49ers, he got just 19 yards on 10 carries.

“It was what we expected and they gave us exactly that,” Jackson said. “We’re going to have another tough time on Sunday but as long as you keep them balanced, and keep them out of what they want to do, we’ll be fine.”

Journeyman Kellen Clemens is expected to get his third straight start at quarterback. He passed for 91 yards last week in a 27-0 loss to the Steelers after throwing for 229 yards and a touchdown the previous week in a 20-13 loss to Cincinnati.

“If there’s a defense that’s better than Pittsburgh,” Clemens said, “we’re playing them this week.”

Despite San Francisco’s impressive 12-3 record, the 49ers’ offense leads the league in only one category — protecting the football.

San Francisco hasn’t committed a turnover in its last four games and leads the league in fewest giveaways with 10. If the 49ers don’t commit a turnover in Sunday’s season finale at St. Louis, they will tie the NFL record for fewest turnovers in a season, set last year by New England.

The 49ers also lead the league with 36 takeaways, making their plus-26 turnover differential the NFL’s best. San Francisco ranks just 26th in the league in total offense, but that unit has contributed to the team’s successful formula by limiting mistakes and holding onto the ball.

The 49ers had a minus-1 turnover differential last season, when they committed 23 turnovers. The team’s skill players on offense are essentially the same as last year, but the big change has come in the methodology of first-year coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff that has transformed San Francisco into a contender after eight seasons without a winning record or playoff berth.

“There are other things that go into it other than, ‘Hey, guys, let’s just take care of the ball today,’” Harbaugh said Friday after his team’s final practice of the regular season. “There is scheme, there’s philosophy that goes in there. It’s the pride that the players have in protecting the football, understanding situational football.”

Harbaugh said the 49ers have emphasized that scheme since the team’s first practice in July, and it certainly has showed in the results. San Francisco has not committed a turnover in its past 18 quarters since quarterback Alex Smith threw an end-zone interception in the final seconds before halftime of a Thanksgiving Day loss at Baltimore.

Smith has been the catalyst behind San Francisco’s low turnover rate. The seventh-year pro from Utah has thrown 415 passes this season but only five have been intercepted, the fewest of any starting quarterback in the league.

Story continues below

Around the league

Dolphins • Running back Reggie Bush, a 1,000-yard rusher this year for the first time in his six-year career, will miss Sunday’s season finale against the Jets with a knee injury he suffered last week against New England.

Raiders • Receiver Jacoby Ford made it through a third straight practice without any setbacks and expects to play in Oakland’s regular-season finale against San Diego. Ford hasn’t played since injuring his left foot during Oakland’s win in San Diego on Nov. 10.

Packers • Green Bay will be without three key players on offense against Detroit. Running back James Starks (knee/ankle), receiver/kick returner Randall Cobb (groin) and receiver Greg Jennings (knee), who has missed the last two games, won’t play in the regular-season finale. Coach Mike McCarthy would not say Friday whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers will sit out.

Patriots • Tom Brady is listed as “probable” on New England’s injury report for its regular-season finale against Buffalo. An injury to his left, non-throwing shoulder limited Brady’s participation in practice Friday for a second straight day after he sat out practice on Wednesday.

ST. LOUIS – A month ago, the San Francisco 49ers became the first team to clinch its division, shutting out the St. Louis Rams to win the NFC West. Beat them again in the finale, and there’s a nice bonus for the Niners: the No. 2 seed in the NFC and a first-round bye.

Sure, they’re in. There’s still plenty of incentive for a franchise that’s made a rapid rise to the top under rookie head coach Jim Harbaugh.

“Any time you could lock up a bye, you’d take it,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “Great opportunity for us, we’ve just got to go seize it.”

They couldn’t have picked a more vulnerable opponent.

The bedraggled Rams (2-13) are in danger of a dubious honour — landing the No. 1 pick in the draft for the second time in three years. All it’ll take is dropping their seventh in a row and the Colts winning at Jacksonville and again they will be at the bottom of the barrel.

St. Louis, just 10-37 under third-year coach Steve Spagnuolo and 12-51 with fourth-year general manager Billy Devaney, could be on the verge of a housecleaning. That’s led to a lot of questions this week about trying to save Spagnuolo’s job.

“We don’t worry about things we can’t control,” middle linebacker James Laurinaitis said. “He’s that way, we’re that way. We’re just going to go out there and play our rear ends off.”

Owner Stan Kroenke has been silent on the subject of what comes next for the Rams, who had been viewed as a franchise on the rise after last year’s six-win improvement. Now they’re playing to a half-full stadium and reduced to muttering about injuries that have decimated the secondary and offensive line besides a persistent high left ankle sprain that almost assuredly will knock out quarterback Sam Bradford for a sixth game.

Attendance is likely to be more sparse than usual given the noon CT start coming off New Year’s Eve partying. The Rams asked Thursday for a 24-hour extension to meet NFL sellout requirements.

The 49ers (12-3) have already doubled their win total from a disappointing 2010 season, and even with a loss can get the No. 2 seed and bye if the Saints lose at home against the Panthers. If they can repeat the performance from the 26-0 whipping they handed out in San Francisco, Harbaugh would be just the fourth coach in NFL history to win 13 games in his first year. Two 49ers coaches have already done it, George Seifert going 14-2 in 1989 and Steve Mariucci at 13-3 in 1997.

San Francisco could also land its first 13-win season since ’97. A sixth road win would match their total from the previous three seasons, rewarding them for attention to detail.

“The biggest thing that I’d point to is a lot of little reasons that a lot of people think are the minutia that aren’t important that add up to make all the difference,” Harbaugh said. “And our guys continually do the little things, and they stack on each other and they build on each other. And lo and behold, you win games in high pressure situations, or find ways to do enough things right to win games and get better.

“Enough of those things lead to championships.”

The 49ers are stout on defence, on pace for a franchise record while allowing a league-low 13.5 points per game, and sound on offence behind comeback quarterback Alex Smith. They lead the NFL with a plus-26 turnover ratio, with the most takeaways (36) and the fewest turnovers (10) in the league.

Aldon Smith has 14 sacks, one shy of the NFL rookie record. Cornerback Carlos Rogers and free safety Dashon Goldson, two of the 49ers’ four Pro Bowl starters on defence, have six interceptions apiece.

Kicker David Akers, who has set an NFL record with 42 field goals, and punter Andy Lee are both Pro Bowlers, too.

They’ve stayed healthy, too, with 30 players appearing in every game and 12 making every start. That dwarfs the Rams’ totals of 14 and four. The 49ers have eight Pro Bowl representatives, the Rams none.

“They’ve put it together and you get on a roll,” Spagnuolo said. “It works both ways. You get on a roll winning, confidence and boom, boom, things are working and clicking.

“It happens the other way, too, where you can’t really find any continuity.”

The 49ers have won six of seven in a series knotted at 61-61-2, and Frank Gore always seems to get some of his best days against the Rams, totalling 832 yards and 11 touchdowns in 10 games. He’ll be facing a defence in danger of setting a franchise record for rushing yards allowed in a season.

The Rams have been giving up an NFL-worst 154.5 yards per game and if they surrender 159 yards it’ll break the previous franchise worst in 2008. The 49ers got 144 yards the first time around.

The 49ers’ biggest worry might be encountering an opponent trying anything and everything to finish with a good taste.

“They have nothing to lose, so they can come out with whatever,” linebacker Patrick Willis said. “For us, there’s a lot riding on this game. We have to come out and play like we have all season. We know what’s at stake.”

Most every week, the Rams stay in it for a while and then a key play or two goes the wrong way and it snowballs to the finish of another failure. That was the case in the first meeting when the 49ers were held to three field goals in the first half, then busted loose with a pair of big plays — pass plays of 52 and 56 yards to Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams.

Special teams have sprung several leaks in recent weeks, and the offence is the NFL’s worst, averaging just 11 points with 15 touchdowns in 15 games. They’re coming off a 27-0 loss at Pittsburgh, the second time they’ve been shut out the last month.

It’s been a complete bust of a comeback season for new offensive co-ordinator Josh McDaniels.

“No regrets, no regrets,” McDaniels said. “Every year is different, every year is a challenge in this league. You have to do everything you can to try to help the team win.”

More slogging lies ahead. The Rams totalled just 157 yards and were just 3 for 13 on third down in the first meeting against San Francisco.

Steven Jackson became the seventh player in NFL history to rush for 1,000 yards in seven straight seasons last week. Against the 49ers, he got just 19 yards on 10 carries.

“It was what we expected and they gave us exactly that,” Jackson said. “We’re going to have another tough time on Sunday but as long as you keep them balanced, and keep them out of what they want to do, we’ll be fine.”

Journeyman Kellen Clemens is expected to get his third straight start at quarterback. He passed for 91 yards last week in a 27-0 loss to the Steelers after throwing for 229 yards and a touchdown the previous week in a 20-13 loss to Cincinnati.

“If there’s a defence that’s better than Pittsburgh,” Clemens said, “we’re playing them this week.”