Outlook for the 49ers
By: Jake Rajala
The San Francisco 49ers just can’t quite win a Lombardi trophy. If they don’t win a Super Bowl, it seems they suffer injuries across their roster. At least they have found their true QB in Brock Purdy. They also have an Offensive Player of the Year-caliber player in Christian McCaffrey. With that all said, I’m going to take a unique angle by untwining the best and worst case for the 49ers.
Worst
As noted, the 49ers suffer many injuries each season. Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games, Nick Bosa missed three games, Brock Purdy missed two games, George Kittle missed two games, and Deebo Samuel missed a pair of games. Not only do they often suffer injuries, but they play in one of the most dangerous divisions in football. SF went 1-5 against their division foes last season! The Seahawks got Sam Darnold, the Rams have Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, and the Cardinals are not a pushover with Kyle Murray.
I believe their worst record could be 5-12.
Best
The 49ers could return to the big dance if CMAC stays healthy. We witnessed Saquon Barkley lead his team to win the Super Bowl. McCaffrey may not be able to hop over defenders backward, but he sure is a better pass catcher than Barkley. On defense, the combination of Bosa and Fred Warner is very daunting, as well. The 49ers were 12th in TOP, which isn’t that bad. They were also 12th on 3rd down conversions. The factor that holds back the 49ers is their 27th in turnover margin per game.
I believe their best record could be 13-4.
The 49ers are a pleasure to watch when they are not decimated by injuries. CMAC and Kittle are a joy to watch. I believe there may be some drawbacks early on without Deebo Samuel, but Kyle Shanahan knows how to utilize other weapons to shine. Their biggest knock is that they need to execute late in the game against divisional opponents.
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