Realistically, I wouldn't approach next year with giddiness. Teams rise, teams fall every couple of years in this league. It's carefully built that way. You have to be a master genius to keep things rolling near the top for more than three or four years. If that, even, depending on division foes. No matter how good a team may be, in the playoffs you also face other good teams who have momentum. We easily could have lost to the Saints last year or Atlanta this year. It took miracles for both. And that can't be factored into predicting the future.

So I expect a winning regular season next year, but not for sure necessarily. All division teams will be better, again. The Niners peaked this year and now that peak has passed. They have to climb the mountain right from the bottom again. They did it this year, but it's tough to keep expecting it. And there will be flaws and issues with the roster that need dealing with.

No way in the world can I think they have an inside track back to this game again just because they were there today. History is written, this team will never be assembled together again as they were a half hour ago.

After years of experiencing the joys and anguish of fandom, I just hope for the best and but don't project what may or may not happen into the future. Today might have been the last time I've seen them there in my lifetime while in the full swing of vitality (relatively so). A realistic opinion based on the gap between the last appearance. Or I will have other priorities if I last that long. In the scheme of things, it's a nice diversion, but I still am one of the really lucky ones who saw more than my share of greatness in past years.

Crossing that goal line one more time would have been great, but it's the failure of the team, not of the fans. I just hope next year is fun and exciting, and we'll see where it leads.