San Francisco 49ers · Franchise era 6 of 7
Harbaugh's instant contender: the San Francisco 49ers story
Franchise era
2011—2014
Harbaugh's instant contender
San Francisco 49ers
The story in one sentence
Jim Harbaugh immediately unlocked a loaded roster, reaching Super Bowl XLVII and three straight conference championship games.
A ferocious defense reaches three NFC title games
Patrick Willis, Frank Gore and Colin Kaepernick gave the era its recognizable core.
Its ending created the conditions for the shanahan machine.
Timeline
How it unfolded
Before 2011
What came before
An explosive early-2000s offense supplied one last playoff comeback before instability took over and Willis became the next defensive foundation.
2012-01-14
Divisional Round: New Orleans Saints vs San Francisco 49ers
2013-01-20
Conference Championship: San Francisco 49ers vs Atlanta Falcons
2013-02-03
Super Bowl: Baltimore Ravens vs San Francisco 49ers
After 2014
What came next
Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch rebuilt through the lines, then used motion and versatile playmakers to reach multiple Super Bowls with changing quarterbacks.
The core