The Road to 4-12, Week 12: What The World Is Waiting For

Parity is a funny thing. It doesn't mean, as I'd hoped, that the 49ers have a chance to win on any given Sunday. In practice, this is what it means: the teams that defeat the 49ers every Sunday are of similar skill levels, despite their records.

This is why the Niners played the Seahawks tight two weeks ago but resurrected Steve McNair's season last week. This is why it's becoming impossible to guess the margin of defeat: 2 points or 41? One has to wonder how badly USC or Texas would beat the Niners. For that matter, UC Davis matches up pretty well in some key positions. It'd be a dogfight.

Now that we're out in front of the Reggie Bush Derby, I should be content with merely sniffing the hind quarters of the bell curve. And I will be, once the season is over. But this week is my Super Bowl Sunday. This week is payback for the Thrilla In Distrito Federal. Arizona Cardinals versus the San Francisco 49ers: are you getting chills?