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The San Francisco 49ers clinched the NFC West and locked up the No. 1 overall seed in the conference with their win over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night, capping off what has been a pleasantly surprising regular season in the Bay.
Now, the 49ers will begin their quest to win their first Super Bowl since the 1994-95 campaign, but in a loaded NFC that features fearsome challengers, it won't be easy.
With a first-round bye under wraps, San Francisco is in wait and see mode in terms of who it faces in the Divisional Round of the playoffs.
In the meantime, here are three burning questions for the Niners as they enter the postseason for the first time since 2013-14.
3. Can the 49ers consistently stop the run?
As good as the 49ers' defense was as a whole this season, they were not particularly adept at stopping the run.
San Francisco allowed 112.6 rushing yards per game this year, which ranked 17th in the NFL. Not terrible, but not what one would expect from a defense that has developed such a dominant reputation, either.
In addition, the Niners surrendered a hefty 4.5 yards per carry.
That is concerning, especially in the playoffs when rushing attacks tend to become more prominent.
In a conference that includes running backs such as Alvin Kamara, Dalvin Cook and Aaron Jones, the fact that the 49ers have been so wishy-washy against the run this season could end up becoming a problem.
2. Is Jimmy Garoppolo ready for a playoff run?
This marked the first full season Jimmy Garoppolo has ever had as a starting quarterback in his NFL career.
Yes, he witnessed Tom Brady go on Super Bowl runs as a backup in New England, but I don't care how much you learn by watching: it's not the same as getting out on the field and having to do it yourself.
Garoppolo has had an up and down year in 2019, with his second half certainly being more impressive than the first half.
However, Garoppolo's last few games were not all that impressive, as he threw just two touchdowns and a couple of interceptions over the final three weeks of the regular season.
Is Garoppolo ready to lead the 49ers on a Super Bowl run?
1. Do the 49ers have enough experience?
It's not just Garoppolo; San Francisco's entire club as a whole is very young.
The Niners can lean on veterans such as Richard Sherman and Emmanuel Sanders, but that doesn't change the fact that most of their core if very inexperienced and has never played in games of this magnitude.
Having home-field advantage throughout the playoffs will definitely help in that regard, but playoff football is a different animal, and it's something most of these guys have never dealt with before.
The 49ers will be fighting with experienced teams such as the New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers as they try to make it out of the conference, and in close games, that experience could make all of the difference.
It's questionable as to whether or not San Francisco is talented enough to overcome that lack of experience, but it remains to be seen.
