It’s hard to argue that the San Francisco 49ers have one of the most talented rosters in the NFL. They have studs on both sides of the ball with the only question mark being at the quarterback position. San Francisco looks to have solved that quarterback issue when they struck gold with Brock Purdy aka “Mr. Irrelevant”.
Purdy led the 49ers to the NFC Championship game before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles. Purdy coincidentally suffered a significant shoulder injury in that game. Is Purdy back to full health and ready to lead San Francisco on a title run? Find out below as we offer a preview and record prediction for the 2023-2024 season.
The Good
For a handful of years, Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers deployed a running-back-by-committee approach. Shanahan’s zone-running style offense relies heavily on the play-action game to be successful. While it worked for the most part San Francisco never had a game-breaker in the backfield. That all changed last year when the 49ers traded for Christian McCaffrey. The trade signified a change in philosophy for Shanahan and it showed the front office was all in on winning a Super Bowl.
While it didn’t quite go as planned it was still a major success bringing in McCaffrey. There are now no limitations with what this offense can run thanks to McCaffrey’s versatility. The 49ers have an upper-echelon offensive line anchored by Trent Williams and weapons on the outside. I see no reason why this can’t be one of the best offenses in the league this season.
The Bad
One of the main storylines heading into this season is the absence of Nick Bosa. Bosa wants a new contract but so far the 49ers front office hasn’t budged. This is the type of off-the-field issue that could linger and needs to be resolved for the 49ers to have success. Bosa is way too valuable to this defense and without him, they will start to show cracks. My hope is that the two sides reach a last minute deal and Bosa is ready week 1.
The Prediction
Despite the ongoing Bosa issue I still expect the 49ers to win the NFC West. There is just too much talent on this roster and I expect Bosa will eventually return in the near future.
2023 Record: (12-5 1st in the Division)
Leave a comment