Oh, how the for the after a 3-5 start and what could have been another losing season under Kyle Shanahan. Fresh off an upset of the NFC's No. 1-seeded in Lambeau, Shanahan, and the 49ers are preparing for their second NFC Championship bid in three years. They'll play another NFC West foe, the Los Angeles Rams, in a .Yes, that's right. San Francisco is within one win of returning to the Super Bowl, just two years after the 49ers fell to the on the biggest stage. How on Earth did Shanahan and Co. get here? Let's review with a look back at their key acquisitions, most Jason Vargas Jersey important wins and other notable moments from their 2021 campaign:C (free agency, )DE (free agency, )CB (free agency, )The 49ers didn't make any major splashes after their 6-10 finish in 2020, relying more on the return of injured starters like QB Jimmy Garoppolo, TE and DE . But Mack, the longtime Falcons center, has helped keep the trenches intact, while Ebukam has logged six sacks (including playoffs) as one of the top pa s rushers outside of Bosa. Norman, meanwhile, was an emergency addition to a battered secondary and remains better suited for a reserve role, but Tug McGraw Jersey his experience has come in handy several times throughout the year. QB (first round, third overall)RB (sixth round, 194th overall)CB (third round, 102nd overall)Lance is such a big wild card on this team in the wake of Garoppolo's late-season push; imagine San Francisco re-evaluating its future at QB if/when Jimmy G -- the guy they paid a premium to replace -- makes another Super Bowl appearance. But he ably stepped in to replace an injured Garoppolo several times, even logging one win as a spot starter, and could be an underrated run-game weapon for Shanahan in the playoffs. Mitchell, when healthy, has been the top ball-carrier for one of the game's steadiest rushing teams, nearly eclipsing 1,000 yards during the regular season. And Thomas worked his way into a starting role on the outside, improving with each nod as a No. 1.Week 10 vs. Rams: The 49ers entered this matchup with the more-talented Rams desperately needing a win, having fallen to 3-5 thanks to a blowout lo s to Arizona at home the week prior. exploded at the right time, however, setting the stage for his future role as the every-week focal point of Shanahan's attack, racking up over 100 total yards to aid an efficient outing from Garoppolo. ' defense, meanwhile, sacked twice and picked him off just as many times, leading to a 31- Darryl Strawberry Jersey 10 upset that shifted the powers in the West and kicked off a 7-2 finish from San Francisco. Week 18 vs. Rams: Can you sense a pattern here, with the Rams on deck in the NFC title game? Needing a win to clinch a playoff berth despite their strong finish to the season, the 49ers looked dead in the water against their rivals in this rematch at SoFi Stadium, going into halftime down 17-3 with little working offensively. But then both sides of the ball came to life, with and the pa s rush heating up on Stafford and Garoppolo finishing strong with some precision Jay Bruce Jersey darts to guide a 27-24 overtime win. The victory marked Shanahan's sixth straight against Sean McVay's Rams, dating back to 2019.The dynamic ground game: Between Elijah Mitchell and Deebo Samuel, Shanahan has found ways to control the clock and extend drives on the ground. Some weeks, he's gotten RB1 production from other backs, like reserve , with no hiccups. Other times, he's called on Lance to carry part of the load while filling in for Garoppolo. But they win in the trenches, and their ball-carriers take advantage of open space -- key ingredients for January succe s.The persistent pa s rush: got all kinds of love for his record-chasing sack artistry in Pittsburgh this season, but let's not overlook Nick Bosa, who logged 15.5 sacks in the regular season and has already added 2.5 in the Jacob DeGrom Jersey playoffs. Coupled with Armstead, Ebukam, and the rest of the unit, he's a constant threat to opposing teams' QBs. Coordinator DeMeco Ryans is on a hot streak utilizing his personnel, stifling Dallas and Green Bay in back-to-back playoff upsets.WeekOpponentResult1at W, 41-332at W, 17-113vs. PackersL, 30-284vs. L, 28-215at L, 17-107vs. L, 30-188at W, 33-229vs. CardinalsL, 31-1710vs. RamsW, 31-1011at W, 30-1012vs. W, 34-2613at SeahawksL, 30-2314at W, 26-23 (OT)15vs. FalconsW, 31-1316at L, 20-1717vs. W, 23-718at RamsW, 27-24 (OT)Wild Cardat W, 23-17Divisionalat PackersW, 13-10NFC Championshipat RamsTBD