The San Francisco 49ers’23-17 loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday Jan. 19 was a sour end to a great season.

In fact, the last three seasons have been bittersweet for the Niners as they have reached the playoffs in all three seasons, but failed to win a Super Bowl.

Many Niner fans are probably feeling like this team will never get over the hump and win their sixth Super Bowl.

After enduring the countless years of mediocrity before Harbaugh took over as head coach, I can truly say that this is a good problem to have.

What Harbaugh has done in his first three years as head coach is incredible given the chaos and disarray that he inherited with this team.

He gave the team direction and it has consistently yielded great results. All he needs to do is tweak the formula.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has shown flashes of greatness, but he still has to improve his mechanics and leadership ability to reach elite status.

Of course not all of the blame for the offense falls on Kaepernick’s shoulders. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s once revolutionary offensive schemes have seen a decline in effectiveness over the past three years, and he needs to adjust the passing game to get the upper hand on defenses once again.

The Niners were ranked 30th this season in passing yards and 14th in red zone efficiency, which was partially because of their lack of depth at the wide receiver position.

Luckily the Niners are well-equipped to remedy these issues this offseason, thanks to general manager Trent Baalke.

The 49ers have six draft picks in the first three rounds and 13 picks in total for the 2014 NFL draft, which will help them restock the wide receiver position and replace some players who they can’t afford to keep because of salary cap issues.

Another reason to approach next season with optimism is the fact that the Niners are getting back three young, talented players who were lost to injury this season.

The most notable of these three is running back Marcus Lattimore, who should play a big role in the running game alongside Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter.

Cornerback Chris Culliver and defensive end Tank Carradine will also play key roles on defense next season.

So stay faithful and optimistic Niner fans, because that elusive sixth Super Bowl is not too far over the horizon.