The 49ers will take on an underdog role Sunday in Dallas when they open their playoff slate. Tipico Sportsbook has them as 3.5-point underdogs on the road against the NFC East winners. This is something San Francisco will need to get used to.

As seasoned as the 49ers might be and as well as they’ve played over the second half of the year, they’re still liable to be the underdog in each of their postseason matchups.

Their path if they beat Dallas and there are no additional upsets would send them to Green Bay and then Tampa Bay. It’s a brutal stretch that not many teams would be able to get through.

Improbability has defined the 49ers’ season to this point though. They fell to 2-4, then to 3-5, then they ripped of seven of their last nine to sneak into the postseason as the No. 6 seed. Even their playoff-clinching win needed one of the most improbable comebacks in NFL history.

San Francisco may go into AT&T Stadium as underdogs, but even if they win they’ll for good reason hold on to that title. While they may not be the betting favorite to win any of their playoff games, it would be unwise to count this year’s team out.