(By Daisy Barringer)

Well, we did it. No one thought it would happen like this—that the 49ers would be the first team in the NFL to clinch their division—that we'd do it with a 10-2 record—that we'd do it with Alex Smith at the helm—BUT WE DID IT. And, I, for one, couldn't be happier that I was so very, very wrong.

It's pretty surreal to sit here and type that the San Francisco 49ers are going to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. I'm not giddy; I'm not elated; I'm not smug—I'm just quietly taking it all in. WHICH IS REALLY WEIRD. Because even though I saw Frank Gore running into the tunnel with the giant 49ers flag, even though I saw Staley dump the vat of Gatorade on Coach Harbaugh, even though I saw the final score of 26-0 on the big screen…It just doesn't feel real yet.

The San Francisco 49ers are the NFC West Champions.

HOLY @#)(*@)#($*@)#($*)(@#*$)@)#$*)@(#*$@#!!!!!

So yeah. I'm actually kind of speechless. Almost. Do you know what it takes to render me mute? Seriously, people. I feel like George Clooney could ask me out on a date and I wouldn't shut up. But the Niners win the division? I'm now dumbstruck. (Also, I'm much more Jared Leto than George Clooney, but I knew you'd judge me if I admitted that tidbit. Oh. Crap. Well THERE YOU GO. Judge away.)

So since I'm apparently clueless as to what to say about the 49ers and instead am divulging my obsession for strung out B-list musicians and former teen actors, how about I get back to why we're actually here and try to break down some of the key moments in the game?

• Alex Smith had a career-high 142.3 passer rating AND his longest pass of the season, a 52-yard Crabtree TD.

• Frank Gore, though disappointing from a fantasy perspective (21 rushes for 73 yards and 0 TDs), surpassed Joe Perry as the franchise's all-time leading rusher. Candlestick erupted when the announcement was made. Pretty amazing stuff.

• Speaking of Gore, he has 909 yards on the season and will easily pass 1000 for the fifth time in his career.

• And speaking of records, David Akers kicked four field goals, setting a franchise record for field goals in a season (32). Fine, that's not REALLY a record you want to see, but hey. We're winning. I'll take it.

• The Niners sacked A.J. Feely four times, two of them by rookie Aldon Smith who is a beast. Watch his awesome sack celebration here. "I was just happy," Smith said. "Run home, you know? I guess I'm going to call it "Run home, siddown." You know, like you're in trouble, you run home real quick and sit down somewhere. You don't want to get into trouble." I mean... come on, how much do you love this guy?!

• WR Kyle Williams continues to impress. The guy is just super fast as we saw when he outran the St. Louis secondary on an 8-yard slant pass that he turned into a 56-yard TD. Apparently the guy runs a 4.43 in the 40-yard-dash. I only run that fast if someone says there's only one bottle of wine left. And even then… Let's just say the guy is impressive; I'm a fan.

• Rams RB Steven Jackson managed 19 yards on 10 attempts. So awesome to watch him get stuffed again and again and again.

• Our defense leads the league in fewest points allowed. Which leads me to the one dark cloud looming over us right now:

Patrick Willis left the game in the first quarter with a hamstring injury. He's getting an MRI today, but apparently it's not believed to be too serious. Let me just tell you when I saw Willis go down, my heart sank. I might have even turned to my friend and said, “We can't do this without Willis.” By “this,” I didn't mean beating the Rams; rather, I meant the playoffs. I just can't imagine our defense without him. I will say though that Larry Grant totally stepped up with six tackles, a sack, and two tackles for losses. Still, fingers crossed Willis can help lead us to a No. 2 seed and numerous playoffvictories. GET WELL SOON P-WILLIE!

And to the fans who insisted on doing the wave when the Niners were on offense. Joe Staley tweeted it best when he requested that the fans never do that again, and I 100% agree. How is it possible that football fans STILL don't know to be quiet when the offense is at work? I mean, it's really simple: When your defense takes the field, scream your head off, stomp your feet, do anything and everything you can to distract the other team's offense and keep them from making a play. But when YOUR offense is up? Shut your big fat mouth and give the players a chance to communicate. While everyone was doing the wave? Alex Smith got sacked on third-and-nine. Certainly not totally the fans' fault, but still.

Also, the wave? Really? It's just ALWAYS a bad idea. I would know.

So what now? Now that we're heading to the playoffs for the first time in nine years? Well, this week you're going to hear a lot about what's next for the 49ers. First order of business: Clinching the No. 2 see and home-field advantage. (Unfortunately, Green Bay has the No. 1 seed pretty much locked down. Stupid Packers.) Second order of business, the continual “Can the 49ers really win in the playoffs?” You'll hear people slam our offense, talk about how teams have figured us out, how everyone plays better in the playoffs (except, apparently, us), how there's no way we can beat Green Bay blah blah blah blah blah.

They can say whatever they want. As for me, I'll be sitting here, a dazed look on my face and stars in my eyes, just waiting for the fact that the 49ers are the NFC West Champs to finally sink in. You'll probably know when it happens because from Ocean Beach to the McCovey Cove, you'll be able to hear me screaming:

"Who's got it better than us?!"

Prediction for Next Week: San Francisco over ARIZONA.