Watching Andrew Luck pick apart Oklahoma State’s ball-hawking pass defense in the Fiesta Bowl without star receiver Chris Owusu and tight end Coby Fleener had to secure his position as the all-but-certain No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft.

Now imagine Luck re-united with Jim Harbaugh and playing for the 49ers? Sure, it will take an enormous offer to lure Luck away from the Indianapolis Colts, who secured the top pick with an abysmal 2-14 season. But Indianapolis could be open to trading the top pick because selecting the Stanford quarterback would likely mean a parting of the ways with Peyton Manning.

While Manning still awaits medical clearance to play following three neck surgeries and is due a $28 million roster bonus on March 8, the soon to be 36-year old-quarterback remains the face of the Colts’ franchise and is revered by team owner Jim Irsay.

Of course, smart football decisions regularly trump sentiment (see: 49ers trading Joe Montana or Packers cutting ties with Brett Favre), but if the Colts truly believe Manning will make it back, why not fill other more pressing needs with the two first-round picks or more you could get for Luck?  

Which brings us back to the 49ers.

While Harbaugh remains Alex Smith’s greatest supporter and openly talks about plans to re-sign his free-agent-to-be quarterback, Smith has yet to appear in a playoff game where careers are ultimately made or broken.

A serviceable offense has been good enough to return the 49ers to prominence. It will take more than that to rekindle San Francisco’s football glory. If Smith struggles to match throws with the likes of Drew Brees or Aaron Rodgers, 4949 Centennial Blvd. in Santa Clara will be buzzing with contingency plans for the 2012 season, and it should start with Luck.  

KGO (810 AM) Sports Director Rich Walcoff can be heard weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m. on the KGO morning news. He can be reached at RichWalcoff@gmail.com.

Forty-Niners Faithful, you are now free to think the heretofore unthinkable. The Niners could very well be playing in the Super Bowl on Feb. 5 in Indianapolis.

Fresh off their most impressive and important victory in nearly a decade, San Francisco once again holds the NFC’s coveted No. 2 seed, owning a tiebreaker over the New Orleans Saints. Maintaining that slot guarantees that ever important week off in January — and at least one home playoff game.

Given the 49ers’ difficulties in recent road losses at Baltimore and Arizona, the prospects of resting up to face, say the Saints or Lions at Candlestick Park, rather than in a dome are enormous.

So too are the adjustments Jim Harbaugh and his staff made after watching Alex Smith get pummeled by the Ravens and Cardinals. Not only did the offensive line do a tremendous job picking up Pittsburgh’s notorious zone blitzes and effectively run block for Frank Gore, Smith greatly elevated his game with quicker reads and better throws.

After a jittery start, Smith sealed the win by completing five straight passes late in the third quarter. It was a remarkable sequence: First he floated a perfect 31-yard pass to Vernon Davis, then a 9-yard hitch to Michael Crabtree, a 27-yard screen pass to Kendall Hunter, a beautiful 21-yard play-action throwback connection with Davis, followed by another play-action pass 1-yard touchdown to Davis.

A justifiably proud Harbaugh got more than a little carried away insisting Smith deserves to go to the Pro Bowl.

Hey coach, check your ballot of NFC quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Drew Brees, Tony Romo, Matt Stafford, Matt Ryan and Eli Manning. But just talking about Smith making the Pro Bowl without anyone laughing is proof enough how far he has come.

Meanwhile, the 49ers’ top-ranked defense keeps getting better. Not only did No. 7 overall pick Aldon Smith register 2½ sacks, plus a forced fumble in the fourth quarter Monday night, his 13 sacks on the season break Charles Haley’s rookie team record and leaves him only 1½ sacks shy of Jevon Kearse’s all-time NFL rookie mark.

Amazingly, the speedy 6-foot-4, 260-pound linebacker consistently overpowered Steelers’ 6-foot-8, 345-pound offensive tackle Max Starks with bull-rush moves and wickedly effective stunts with Justin Smith.

A newfound pass rush, coupled with the league’s best run defense, the NFL’s leading punter Andy Lee and top kicker David Akers (his 38 field goals are just two shy of the NFL single-season record), suddenly puts the 49ers on everyone’s don’t want to play list.

KGO (810 AM) Sports Director Rich Walcoff can be heard weekdays from 5 to 9 a.m. on the KGO morning news. He can be reached at RichWalcoff@gmail.com.

In this Week 15 matchup, the 10-3 San Francisco 49ers host the 10-3 Pittsburgh Steelers. In this huge “Monday Night Football” game, both teams are fighting for playoff positioning and need the win in order to stay near the top of their respective conferences. In this very important matchup for both teams, the Steelers and 49ers both have important players injured that may factor into this game.

Out for Steelers: LB Chris Carter, C Maurkice Pouncey, WR Emmanuel Sanders

Pouncey will not play this week after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 14. Due to his absence, starting left guard Doug Legursky will move over to play center, and Trai Essex will play in Legursky’s regular position. Sanders injury is not too detrimental to the team’s success since he plays behind Mike Wallace, Antonio Brown, and Hines Ward. Carter has played sparingly in his first season out of Fresno State.

Out for 49ers: None

Doubtful for Steelers: None

Doubtful for 49ers: None

Questionable for Steelers: WR Arnaz Battle, CB Curtis Brown, QB Ben Roethlisberger

Aside from James Harrison’s one-game suspension for his hit on Cleveland Browns quarterback Colt McCoy, Roethlisberger’s ankle injury has been the biggest concern for the Steelers. Roethlisberger remains a game-time decision and would clearly be a big blow to the team’s chances at winning if backup Charlie Batch is in his place. Battle says he expects to play Monday night and rookie Brown’s status for the game is unknown with a knee injury.

Questionable for 49ers: WR Braylon Edwards, FB Bruce Miller, T Joe Staley, LB Patrick Willis

The big names possibly missing the nationally-televised game for the 49ers are Staley and Willis. After not practicing or working out on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, Willis will likely sit out again with his injured hamstring and give backup Larry Grant his second straight start. As for Staley, after suffering concussion symptoms last week, the left tackle has told the press that he is on course to be cleared for contact and will likely start against the Steelers instead of backup Alex Boone. Edwards and Miller, both with knee injuries, will likely be available to play as well.

Probable for Steelers: T Marcus Gilbert, S Troy Polamalu

Polamalu has been limited in practice and was a full participant in practice on Saturday. Starting right tackle Gilbert has been fighting an illness recently, but says he feels much better after practicing Friday and Saturday. Both should be free to play as usual Monday night.

Probable for 49ers: None

Sources:

NFL Injuries, Yahoo! Sports

Pouncey ‘Not Expected’ To Play, Roethlisberger May Miss Monday Night, Behind the Steel Curtain

Steelers 49ers Saturday Injury Report Week 15 – Roethlisberger Questionable, Pouncey Out, Steelers Depot

Patrick Willis News and Notes, Yahoo! Sports

49ers Vs. Steelers Injury Report: Joe Staley Awaits Final Word On Status, Niners Nation

OT Gilbert likely to play Monday night, CBS Sports

More from this contributor:

NFL Teams with Toughest Strength of Schedule for Rest of 2011 Season: Fan’s Take

NFL Teams with Easiest Strength of Schedule for Rest of 2011 Season: Fan’s Take

Jacksonville Jaguars at Atlanta Falcons Week 15 Injury Report Assessment: Fan’s Preview

2011 NFL Teams with Toughest Strength of Schedule from Weeks 13-17: Fan’s Take

Five 49ers with Great Games in 26-0 Shutout Win Over Rams: Fan’s Take

Austin Chang is a lifelong football fan, San Francisco 49ers supporter, and contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Follow him on Twitter @_austinchang.

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