Why the San Francisco 49ers Could Take NFC Championship Again

The San Francisco 49ers hold 11/2 odds to repeat as NFC Champions. Will they break through again and take their second-straight NFC crown?

We will find out in February, but the Niners bring back some old school ways to a league that loves to pass. For one, they win games on defense, which carried the team to its first Super Bowl since 2012.

For another, they run the ball to set up an aerial assault that features an under the radar receiving trio along with one of the NFL’s best tight ends.

But as members of the NFC West, there are no guarantees the team even makes it to the playoffs with each of their rivals threatening to take the division and a playoff spot away from the Niners.

Not just that, they must contend with the infamous Super Bowl Hangover.

Here are 5 issues explained in greater detail.

1 – Golden Gate Defense

Even when the team loses a marquee talent like defensive tackle DeForest Buckner in a trade, they still win when they find his replacement in the first round of the same season’s draft. Enter Javon Kinlaw, who looks to make a splash larger than Nick Bosa’s this season.

Bosa burst onto the scene as a rookie, logging 9 sacks and making life tough for opposing quarterbacks. Here’s a widely known secret: Bosa isn’t going anywhere. And another secret: Bosa’s sack total will increase.

Here comes Arik Armstead, who led the team in sacks in 2019 with 10. Look for the ascending Armstead to continue his ascent as he wreaks havoc with Bosa.

The fourth man in the lineup is Dee Ford, who produced well with 6.5 sacks, but the Niners expect more from the player who owns the team’s second-highest salary.

The front four are enough to evoke memories of the Fearsome Foursome from the team’s rival, the Los Angeles Rams, with 4 players drafted in the first round manning the defensive line.

They also have a solid group starting at linebacker, with the injury prone yet talented Kwon Alexander playing alongside Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. Greenlaw excelled as a rookie drafted in the fifth round, logging 87 tackles.

Warner led the team with 118 tackles. And if Alexander stays healthy, he may accomplish his mission to be ‘legendary.’ Alexander is the leader of the group who many consider are emerging as the league’s best linebacking unit.

Scary thought when you pair this group with the team’s defensive line.


If they stay healthy, the Niners have another gold mine brewing at defense.

2 – Run to Glory

With the team re-signing running back Raheem Mostert. Mostert struggled to make himself a household name since he entered the league in 2015, but he found a home in San Francisco, logging 5.6 yards per carry on 137 touches.

Behind Mostert is Tevin Coleman, who often starting games in 2019 before he yielded time to Mostert and Matt Breida, the latter of whom is in Miami.

But running back Jerick McKinnon returns after spending 2 seasons on the sidelines with injuries. McKinnon, per fullback Kyle Juszczyk, looks ‘phenomenal’ upon his return. Potential NFL Comeback Player of the Year candidate? Perhaps.

As a group, this unit scored 15 rushing touchdowns in 2019 with Coleman and Mostert combining for 14.

Look for the team to use a committee again and operate as they did in 2019, when they rushed for 144.1 yards per game. During the 2019 NFC Championship Game, the Niners also used the run to their advantage, throwing just 8 times in a lopsided win over the Green Bay Packers.

3 – The Hangover

This is the ultimate challenge for the Niners and it’s more history and theoretical-based, so skip this section if theory isn’t your thing. But you can’t ignore how short most teams come to repeating the following season after losing the Super Bowl.

Let’s look at a few of them, sans the 2018 New England Patriots. The lone exception.

The 49ers themselves started falling apart following their Super Bowl run in 2012, yielding ground to the Seattle Seahawks. After the Seahawks lost Super Bowl XLIX to the Patriots, they have yet to return to the NFC Championship Game.

They also haven’t won the NFC West since 2016. The longest drought during the Russell Wilson era.

The Carolina Panthers haven’t won the NFC South since their 2015 Super Bowl appearance, and they made the playoffs just once since Super Bowl 50.

Ditto for their division rival, the Atlanta Falcons, who made the playoffs as a wildcard after losing Super Bowl LI and since 2017, haven’t made the playoffs.

Then there are the Los Angeles Rams, who made the Super Bowl following the 2018 season only to miss the playoffs last year.

Another knock on the Niners is that 2019 may even look like an outlier, given the fact the team finished no better than 6-10 from 2015 to 2018. Are they one and done? Is quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and coach Kyle Shanahan one and done?

Theoretical? Yes. Alarming? Also a yes.

History is against the Niners.

4 – Reinforcing the Aerial Assault

As I write this article, the San Francisco 49ers just signed tight end George Kittle to a lucrative contract extension, which means he will remain a 49er for years to come. And he leads the team’s aerial assault that ranked a solid thirteenth in 2019.

Kittle amassed 85 receptions and 1,053 yards while then-rookie Deebo Samuel came on with 57 catches for 802 yards, averaging 14.1 yards per reception.

Samuel can develop into a borderline deep threat. He is also a dual threat receiver who can run as well as he catches. He may not be there to start the season, however, following an off-season injury, but he will return during the season barring a setback.

The Niners drafted Brandon Aiyuk in the first round to replace the departed Emmanuel Sanders. Aiyuk. An Odell Beckham Jr. clone, Aiyuk has a similar body type and speed to Beckham. He is also a legit deep threat, averaging 18.3 yards per reception in 2019 at Arizona State.

The Niners have a third deep threat in Travis Benjamin, who can take over the role at slot receiver. Built along the same lines as Sanders, look for Benjamin to receive ample playing time in the offense, likely using his speed to create mismatches.

Another player to watch is rookie seventh-round draft pick Jauan Jennings, who possesses all the traits of a sleeper prospect. Jennings stands at 6’3, 212lb, and can play a role in taking on the NFL’s more physical corners.

The 49ers boast more than enough weapons in the passing game, which can and will produce when they use the run to set up the pass later in the game. Something this offense is built for.

5 – The NFC West Goes Wild

This is where things get tough for the Niners. They play in the NFC’s and perhaps the NFL’s deepest division in the NFC West, which boasts 4 good football teams. Each of whom can put up enough wins for the entire division to make the playoffs in 2020. A first since the 2002 realignment.

But the Niners must also uphold their 5-1 record if they wish to keep control of the division and score a top seed in the playoffs, if not even a first-round bye.

You got the Seattle Seahawks surging, who would’ve taken the West in 2019 had the Niners not beaten them in the season finale. Quarterback Russell Wilson is still among the league’s best and will carry his team through almost any situation.

You have a phoenix rising over the desert down in Arizona, with the Cardinals brewing what may become the NFL’s hottest and most exciting offense in 2020. Great defenses like the Niners often match up well against great offenses.

Except a special talent like Kyler Murray’s dual threat ability throwing to the NFL’s second-best receiver in DeAndre Hopkins will create mismatches for even the best defenses. Along with a versatile running back like Kenyan Drake.

Then you have the Los Angeles Rams, just 2 seasons removed from their own Super Bowl appearance. They too boast one of the league’s best passing attacks.

While the Niners defense should overwhelm the Rams poor offensive line and inexperienced yet potentially lethal running game, quarterback Jared Goff is one of the fastest decision makers in football.

Few quarterbacks get rid of the ball faster than Goff, and it contributed to the Rams allowing the fewest number of sacks in 2019.

Conclusion

The Niners are still a safe team to bet on despite the Super Bowl hangover jinx and the fact they play in the NFL’s deepest division.

They still have the league’s best defense and one of the most feared defensive lines in the game.

The Niners also have a fantastic rushing offense that will set up plays for one of the league’s best tight ends in George Kittle, who leads one of the league’s most underrated receiving units.

Do you like the Niners this season or will you go with the hangover trend and put your money on someone else to win in 2020?