Now that the bye week is over it’s now time for the 49ers to prepare for their matchup with the Cleveland Browns. Hopefully the bye gave the team the ability to get some of the banged up players the time they needed to heal and get ready for the stretch run, as starting with Cleveland the 49ers play 3 straight games against teams with at least a .500 record. The 49ers also have big late season games against the Ravens on Thanksgiving, which will also be a meeting of the Harbaugh brothers, and just 3 weeks later they will get a visit from defending AFC Champions, the Pittsburgh Steelers. These games will test the teams’ toughness and resolve, and let’s not forget the remaining games against the rest of the division. After the huge win in Detroit and the subsequent “Handshake Gate”, it’s time to see what the team is made of and how well they respond when they run into potential playoff teams. Let’s just remember though that the first step towards the playoffs starts this Sunday at Candlestick against the Browns.