Whilst there is a gulf in class between the good and bad teams in the conference this season, the NFC is still wide open at the top. Could we be about to relive NFL history?

The 49ers and Cowboys share 10 Super Bowls between them, with five each.

San Francisco were the team of the 1980s, with four of their five titles coming between 1982 and 1990. Dallas dominated the 90s with three Super Bowls in four seasons. 

This era also saw a historic rivalry take place between both teams. Not only did they also meet in the NFC Championship game twice in the early 1970s, they also met four times at the same stage between 1980 and 1995. 

As historic rivalries often do, this era saw one of the most famous NFL moments. Fans of the sport during the era will never forget the infamous 1981 NFC Championship game and ‘The Catch’, Joe Montana throwing to Dwight Clark late in the fourth quarter. 

However, for years, these teams never met in the big moments. Neither team has won a Super Bowl in the 21st century, with San Francisco 0-2 in Super Bowls post-2000. Dallas have not even made it to the NFC Championship since they won it all during the 1995 season. They have since gone 4-10 in the postseason. 

Before last season, these teams had not met in the playoffs since January 15th 1995. Last season’s game was a taster of what is to come. Whilst they had not met in years in the postseason, the drama never left this rivalry. A strange play call from Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy saw them run a quarterback draw with just seconds left and no timeouts. This led to a frantic rush to spike to ball from Dak Prescott ultimately fail. We could be set for another historic matchup.

And there is no reason why not. When it comes to their offenses, San Francisco and Dallas are ninth and 10th respectively for total yards per game, and both feature in the top 10 for both rushing yards and total points per game. With defenses that are both in the top five for total yards allowed per game, these two should create an explosive encounter.

As it stands, at the time of writing, the 49ers would occupy the third seed in the NFC, with a current 9-4 record whereas the Cowboys would take the fifth seed spot despite having the joint second-most wins in the conference (10-3). This is due to their division rivals, the Philadelphia Eagles, having a 12-1 record as it stands.

There is a lot of belief that the 10-3 Minnesota Vikings are a team that has a better record than they should, but they are still a team with double-digit wins before the start of Week 15. This means that they, the Cowboys, Eagles and 49ers are the best teams in the conference. 

Should the 49ers, Vikings and Cowboys all win in the Wildcard Round in the currently projected matchups, this would see the Vikings host the Niners and the Eagles host the Cowboys off the back of a playoff bye.

Provided the Cowboys and 49ers both win, then once again these two teams would meet in the NFC Championship game. Both teams already lead the NFL for most NFC Championship appearances, and back-to-back seasons with these teams meeting could reload one of the game’s greatest rivalries.

The post How The Cowboys and 49ers Could Restart A Historic Rivalry appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The NFC West was considered the elite division in the NFL as little as a year ago but things have progressed since, despite having the current Super Bowl champions in the Los Angeles Rams. 

Russell Wilson is no longer in the division, and no one quite knows who will be the QB1 in San Francisco. 

But who is the divisions best quarterback? Here are the rankings of the NFC West quarterbacks from best to worst.

Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

What better place to start than with the QB1 of the Super Bowl Champions. Whilst Stafford was not the reason the Rams won Super Bowl 56 over the Cincinnati Bengals, with 3 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions, he was certainly the final piece of the jigsaw as the Rams hoisted the Lombardi Trophy for the first time since the 1999 season. 

The Rams were always contenders, making it all the way to Super Bowl 53, but there was always something missing at the quarterback position. Jared Goff did well but even he would admit he was probably not good enough to take the Rams where they needed.

He was traded to the Detroit Lions in exchange for Stafford and the rest is history. Stafford had reached the postseason on three previous occasions, but each time came up short at the first attempt. His lack of playoff wins was a factor pointed out by sceptics when he arrived but when the Rams made the playoffs, Stafford showed why the team gave up so much to get him. In four games, he threw for 1,188 yards, 9 touchdowns and 3 interceptions as well as having a 70% completion percentage (98 from 140).

In the regular season, Stafford also impressed. Only Tom Brady (43) threw for more touchdown passes (41), with Stafford throwing for the third-most passing yards (4,886). 

Stafford is clearly the choice for the number one spot on this list and it will take a lot for the other players in this list to catch him up.

Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)

Murray’s future is unclear, with his fifth option exercised but no longer-term deal in place at time of writing. 

The 2019 first overall pick has shown signs of his potential but is yet to fulfil this on a consistent basis. In three seasons, he has thrown for 11,480 yards, 70 touchdowns and 34 interceptions, whilst also recording  1,786 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns. 

A trend of Murray’s career so far is starting off the season well but tailing off down the stretch. He will need a big year to convince the Cardinals front office that he is the player moving forward. Either way, he still remains second on this list.

Jimmy Garoppolo (San Francisco 49ers)

When the 49ers lost to the Rams in the NFC Championship game back in January, it was seen by many to be the end of Jimmy G in San Francisco. However, he is still on the team.

Having missed OTA’s due to rehab on his shoulder,  he has yet to be traded. Say what you want about Jimmy G, but he wins games. Simple as that. Whilst he has never been the reason for the 49ers winning games, he is a very serviceable quarterback. With uncertainty over Lance after reports of the organisation being underwhelmed, Garoppolo is the right guy to be under centre for the 49ers in week one. 

Drew Lock/Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)

Whether it is Lock or Smith, there is no way they aren’t at the bottom of this list. Lock has a great start to life in the NFL, when he started for the Denver Broncos towards the end of the 2019 season, his 2020 and 2021 campaigns flattered to deceive. Meanwhile, Smith has been a backup for most of his career. Neither of these quarterbacks, whoever starts against the Broncos in week one, are likely to inspire confidence from fans or the Seattle coaching staff. 

The post Ranking the NFC West Quarterbacks right now appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Steph Sanchez

It feels like not too long ago, we were speculating about Jimmy Garoppolo’s future in San Francisco after a turbulent 2020 season derailed by an ankle injury. The questions would not stop after John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan traded up to No. 3 overall in the 2021 NFL Draft. Still, 49ers brass went out of their way to assure the media that Garoppolo wasn’t going anywhere. When the 49ers selected Trey Lance, it made sense to many why the team would feel comfortable keeping a proven veteran presence such as Garoppolo. Lynch and Shanahan cited the Alex Smith, Patrick Mahomes model several times, adamant that Jimmy Garoppolo is their starter. At the start of training camp, Shanahan even said there was “no open competition [at quarterback] right now.” 

By now, we shouldn’t take everything this team says at face value. Let’s not forget the way Shanahan had the NFL media convinced that they were interested in drafting Mac Jones at 3. Trey Lance’s camp performances had local media raving early. So much so that it felt that not considering Lance as the Week 1 starter seemed nearly impossible. 

So far, it seems that there is at least some truth to Shanahan’s words. It’s clear that the starting job will not, in fact, be handed over to the 21-year-old rookie. He will have to earn it. And not only that – Garoppolo will have to lose it. The 49ers are doing a great job of playing both sides and tempering national media and fan’s eagerness to see more of Trey Lance. John Lynch joined ESPN Adam Schefter’s podcast and when asked about Lance said he’s been “tremendous”. He then immediately shifted the discussion toward Garoppolo: “Lance being here has brought the best out of Jimmy Garoppolo”¦in practice in the offseason and practice in training camp thus far, he’s playing the best football since he’s been here.” Quite the ringing endorsement.

Through training camp, the “non” competition has been fierce. The first few days seemed to belong to Trey with reports like the ball “jumps out of his hand”. He takes risks downfield, he can run. Do these things sound familiar? No, because Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t do these things. It’s not Jimmy’s fault that Trey Lance’s strengths are Garoppolo’s weaknesses. But it’s likely no coincidence either. Being that as it may, Garoppolo is still doing what he does best. He strung together a number of solid practices, usually on days where the rookie struggled. 

Trey Lance’s struggles are the kind you would expect from a rookie still learning and adjusting to life in the NFL. A couple of botched handoffs, sometimes throwing too high and above his receivers are just a couple of the mistakes we’ve heard of Lance making. Garoppolo’s struggles are the same we’ve seen from the veteran before – throwing behind his receivers, no velocity on his throws, interceptions, no deep ball accuracy or power. Garoppolo is who he is. He can do the things he does well but we know (because we’ve seen) that he will mix in a few mistakes largely due to his limitations. 

Jimmy Garoppolo finished training camp with the following stats 128 completions out of 204 attempts, earning him a 62.7% completion rate. Of those 128 attempts, he threw seven touchdowns and six interceptions. Trey Lance on the other hand finished with 115 completions out of 167 attempts. This gives Lance a 68.9% completion rate with 11 touchdowns and two interceptions. Two of Lance’s touchdowns were rushing touchdowns. 

It is important to note that Garoppolo has spent camp with the first-team offensive line and most of the first-team skill position players. Lance had a total of two snaps with the first-team offensive line in all of camp. The rest of his time was spent behind the reportedly abysmal second-team line. It’s also important to put into perspective that the second-team defensive line has players that could be starters on other teams. 

It’s hard to gauge Lance’s performance if he and Garoppolo are not given equal opportunities. It seems like Shanahan wants to put Lance through the NFL gauntlet before deeming him “ready”. The tough question is what constitutes as “ready” in Kyle Shanahan’s mind. We may never know the answer to this question until Shanahan names Lance the starter. Recent quotes from John Lynch and Shanahan may be an indication as to how they’re currently leaning on their decision. Just within the week before the team’s first preseason same, Kyle Shanahan said “Trey Lance is going to play for us this year”. When asked about the quarterback starting job, John Lynch said “It’s Jimmy’s right now and Trey’s pushing.” 

In the team’s first preseason game against the Chiefs, Jimmy Garoppolo played just one series to start the game. It was a serviceable, classic Garoppolo performance.  He hit his guys for short yardage throws and let his receivers do the rest with their YAC abilities. Trey Lance played 29 snaps which felt like a good chunk of the game. He only played a couple of snaps with the same offensive line that Garoppolo played behind. Lance made the most of his time in the pocket, escaping out to his left and delivering a 49-yard throw that would result in an 80-yard tuddy to WR Trent Sherfield. Lance was in command and showed why he has more upside than Garoppolo. At one point, his only incompletions were on drops.

Unfortunately for the rookie, however, the second-team offensive line could not hold up their end of the deal. After a couple of impressive series, Lance had a difficult time escaping pressure or making accurate throws under duress. 

I imagine this is exactly what Kyle Shanahan wanted him to go through to see how he would respond. It could have gone better but you could certainly make a case for Lance on his upside alone. If he can improve his under-pressure performance in following preseason games, it might be time to call the fight.

The post Who is the front runner for the 49ers QB position? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Andy Davies

The San Francisco 49ers are one of the most successful franchises in NFL history. Only the New England Patriots and Pittsburgh Steelers (both 6) have more Super Bowl wins than the 49ers (5). The 49ers’ five Super Bowls all came between the years of 1981 and 1994. They have lost two since, in the 2012 and 2019 seasons. The quarterbacks that led the 49ers to the Lombardi Trophy were Hall of Famers Joe Montana and Steve Young. Three of those five wins saw Montana as the starter and Young as the backup.

Young is seen by many as the best backup quarterback in history, considering the gold jacket that he earned despite many years as the backup to Montana. He would win a Super Bowl as the starter after the franchise moved on from Montana. Ever since Young decided to hang up his cleats, the 49ers have struggled to find his replacement. Have they found the guy in Trey Lance?

Perhaps, but here is why the quarterback situation involving Lance and current starter Jimmy Garoppolo could prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West during the 2021 season.

Struggles Since Young

Jeff Garcia was the man to come in for Young. During his five seasons in the Bay, he threw for 113 touchdowns and 56 interceptions as well as 16,408 passing yards. He had a 35-36 record as a starter for the 49ers in the regular season and a 1-2 record in the postseason, meaning he never hit the heights of his predecessor.

Alex Smith was the number one overall pick in 2005, shattering Aaron Rodgers’ dreams. However, he was a good quarterback, not a great quarterback. Colin Kaepernick replaced Smith and took the 49ers to the Super Bowl. They ended up losing to the Baltimore Ravens in a game often called the ”˜Blackout Bowl’. Kaepernick failed to live up to the standards he set that season.

He would be kicked out of the league for taking the knee in a protest against police brutality in 2016. He has not played a snap in the NFL since. Jimmy Garoppolo was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers midway through the 2017 season. He gave hope to the organization after winning all five of the games he started in 2017. The fanbase had hope going into the 2018 season.

Many non-49ers fans had San Francisco down as their dark horse for the season. A season-ending injury to Garoppolo in Week 3 saw the starting role shared between Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard. However, the 49ers finished 4-12 as they went into 2019 with the second overall pick. Nick Bosa was selected and transformed the defense of San Francisco and Jimmy G had the best season of his career. He threw for 3,978 passing yards, 27 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. Despite these stats, Garoppolo saw his production limited in the NFC Championship game as the coaching staff decided to use more of their running game. This led to many questions leading to the Super Bowl. The 49ers threw away a ten-point lead in the fourth quarter as they would end up losing to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl 54.

Garoppolo was criticized heavily for an overthrown pass to Emmanuel Sanders that would have given San Francisco back the lead. His 2020 season saw a mixture of poor form and injury. During the 2021 offseason, the 49ers traded up with the Miami Dolphins to gain the number three overall pick. They took Lance with the pick, showcasing their intentions to eventually move off from Garoppolo. There is now talk of whether San Francisco and head coach Kyle Shanahan will start Lance in week one. The other scenarios discussed are either Lance coming in mid-season or sitting out the whole campaign as the backup to Garoppolo. The uncertainty will have a significant impact on the 49ers’ season.

The Strength of the NFC West

This is a problem that will affect all four teams in the best division in the NFL. There is a chance that all four teams can make the playoffs. Los Angeles has an exciting new quarterback in 2009 first overall pick Matthew Stafford. Both the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals have quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray that they would never dream of trading away. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ starting quarterback is largely unpopular by fans, due to a mixture of the overthrown pass in the Super Bowl, his poor 2020 campaign and his injury record.

San Francisco has the least trusted quarterback in the division. With the position being one of the most crucial in all sports, it does not bode well for a team when there is uncertainty in the position. Garoppolo may be benched at some point during the season for Lance. However, the 49ers would be putting a rookie that will still be learning the system into the toughest division in the NFL.

Learning From Mahomes, Jackson, Tua and Burrow

If San Francisco are to help Lance succeed, they will need to take some lessons from recent draft classes. Patrick Mahomes, widely seen as the best quarterback in the league, spent all but one game of his 2017 rookie season as a backup to Alex Smith. The Chiefs then traded Smith the following offseason and Mahomes has never looked back. In his first three full seasons as a starter in the NFL, he has reached two Super Bowls, winning one. He has also been crowned MVP and Super Bowl MVP and reached three successive AFC Championship games. All three have been at home. On the flip side, 2020 first overall pick Joe Burrow started in week one of his rookie year. He wouldn’t last the season, only playing ten games before injury curtailed his first NFL campaign. He was impressive before his injury but there are no guarantees he will be the same player when he returns.

Lamar Jackson was a backup to Joe Flacco during his 2018 rookie year but won the starting role midseason. He has since gone on to win an MVP award and is the future of the franchise. Meanwhile, the Miami Dolphins brought Tua Tagovailoa in mid-season but he struggled in his rookie season. He is seen to already be on the hot seat, with many feeling the Dolphins rushed him in. These examples all show there are reasons for the 49ers to be hasty when it comes to choosing when to bring Lance into the starting role.

Lance Or Garoppolo In 2021?

The 49ers will have to decide soon who their starter will be in 2021. Considering Lance has only played one full season (2019), he is likely to start the season as the backup. He only threw for a combined total of 31 passing attempts, two touchdowns and 1 interception across the 2018 and 2020 seasons, albeit the latter campaign being disrupted by the pandemic. He is likely to be a work in progress but his 28 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in 2019 mean that he is one for the future.

Garoppolo will likely start in week one but it was clear from the NFC Championship game that Shanahan doesn’t completely trust him.

Jimmy G is a capable quarterback but his health is a concern. Expect Garoppolo to remain as the starter provided the 49ers are winning games but for Lance to come in should Garoppolo either be injured or start the season poorly.

Should this happen, this will be the end of Garoppolo’s time in San Francisco. Depending on timing, he will then be traded either before the deadline or in the 2022 offseason.

Can The 49ers Returning Players Avoid A Repeat Of 2020?

This is key if the 49ers are to challenge for both the NFC West and the NFC. After earning the number one seed and reaching Super Bowl 54 during the 2019 campaign, San Francisco finished 6-10 in 2020 and bottom of the division. A ”˜Super Bowl Hangover’ played its part but the main cause of such a decline was down to a colossal amount of injuries the team suffered. Along with the aforementioned Garoppolo, the 49ers also saw Bosa, Dee Ford, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel and Solomon Thomas miss large chunks of the 2020 season due to injury.

San Francisco had 33 players reported questionable and there were 186 occasions when the 49ers reported a player on injured reserve. They had the second-most injuries of any team in the NFL over the past twenty years. Should all these players come back, then this 49ers roster will be one of the best in the league. This will make life much easier for whoever the San Francisco starting quarterback is.

However, from the strength of the division to the uncertainty at quarterback, San Francisco will find it tough to win the NFC West.

The post Why the QB situation may prevent the 49ers from winning the NFC West appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Reese Nasser

The San Francisco 49ers drafted running back Trey Sermon with the 88th overall pick in the 2021 draft. Sermon was one of the most prolific running backs in college the last four years. He spent his first three collegiate seasons at Oklahoma, and then found his way to Ohio State. 

In his four seasons, Sermon was a workhorse back. Outside of the 2019 season where his year ended early due to injury, Sermon never had less than 116 rushing attempts. 

He finished his college career with one of the more impressive resumes seen in recent years. He ended with 29 touchdowns and 3432 yards from scrimmage. 

Sermon’s biggest fault was his ineffectiveness in the passing game. In his 45 games, he caught just 48 passes for 486 yards. Even with catching less than 50 passes, he still proved to be a playmaker once he got the ball in his hands, averaging just over 10 yards per receptions. 

Now with the San Francisco 49ers, Sermon may have fallen to the perfect team. In San Francisco Sermon won’t be looked at to be the number one back. That responsibility will fall to veterain running back Raheem Mostert. Mostert has solidified himself as an above-average back who is at his best when there is another capable player in the backfield. That is where Sermon will step in. 

It is rare where a player may have been drafted to the perfect organization. In Sermom’s case, he may be one of those lucky players that gets to experience that. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has proven to be someone who can fully utilize his players. He also seems to prefer to run a two-running back backfield. This could also land in Sermon’s favor. Sermon could become one of the next great NFL running backs while Shanahan is his head coach. Here’s why. 

Built for the Offense 

With how often this team utilizes the ground game, it would be difficult for a running back like Trey Sermon to not fit in with this unit. They run often and prefer running backs that can handle carrying the ball at a high rate. 

Sermon has proven to be capable of carrying the running back load for teams. He could shine in an offense such as San Fransiscos. They have brought the best out of most of the players in their backfield, and Sermon could be the next man up. 

49ers Run History 

The San Francisco 49ers have found their success by relying heavily on their run game. When eventual future QB1 Trey Lance takes the helm, the offense could look different, but that is not the case yet. 

With Jimmy Garappolo still leading the charge, the 49ers have played better when throwing less and forcing teams to stop the run. The best example of this is the 2019 NFC Championship game. Garappolo threw just eight passes but the 49ers scored 37 points. In this outing, the 49ers relied entirely on their run game. Raheem Mostert finished the game with 21 attempts, 220 rush yards, and four touchdowns. 

Could Become the RB1

The running back depth chart could be shuffled heading into week one. Mostert has appeared in 16 games just once in his career. He is coming off of a season where he was only able to play in eight games. 

This is where Sermon could step up. With his successful track record in college and ability to stay healthy, for the most part, the 49ers may turn the ball over to Sermon on a regular basis. A one-two punch consisting of Sermon and Mostert could break out into one of the top duos in the NFL. 

While Sermon wasn’t very effective in the pass game in college, that could change in the NFL. Shanahan could utilize him in a manner where they are able to play away from Sermon’s weaknesses and let him flourish at what he is good at. He plays physical and he plays big. He could become a long term solution for the 49ers at running back.

The post Why Trey Sermon can be great under Kyle Shanahan appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The San Francisco 49ers offense was a shell of it’s ritual Top 5 self in 2020. The 49ers offense was ranked fourth in the league in 2019 and then fell back to 15th in 2020. Headed into the 2021 season, expectations loom for Kyle Shanahan to reignite the offense into a lethal machine. 

What exactly will be the hurdles for Kyle Shanahn to lift off the 49ers offense? Let’s dive into the three biggest questions for Shanny’s west coast offense. 

1. How ready will Trey Lance be?

The biggest question on the offense is unequivocally the QB spot. The 49ers drafted Trey Lance third overall with expectations that he will be a future All Pro. Lance carries sky high potential, but can he hit the ground running in 2020? 

If Lance is in sync with the offense and even slightly more efficient than Jimmy G, I believe it’s a no-brainer that Lance starts in the fierce NFC West. We witnessed Justin Herbert get thrown under the fire early and walk out with the offensive rookie of the year award. Lance has similar ability to Herbert, but he will unveil more victories due to the fact that he has a better team. 

2. How much will Trey Sermon be involved

I believe it’s vital that rookie RB Trey Sermon becomes a weapon early in the season. All too often fans view a year one RB blossom later in the season. Jonathan Taylor and D’Andre Swift didn’t become a true impact player until several weeks into the 2020 campaign. It will be especially beneficial if Lance and Sermon develop a strong trust in each other before the most important matchups later in the season arrive.

Jerick McKinnon and Tevin Coleman are no longer in the building. Sermon will need to a productive piece in the RB group, but he truly will need to be special if they want to return to winning the NFC West. 

3. The health of Trent Williams

The health of Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and George Kittle is very important. Although, all star weapons are returning healthy and coming off unusual injuries. The “star player with repeated injuries” is none other than the All Pro LT Trent Williams.

The last time that Williams logged more than 14 games was all the way in 2014. If Williams missed three to four games, it could spell disaster for the potential starting rookie QB. Williams’ health is even more valuable with the divisional opponents beefing up their pass rushing units.

It’s clear Aaron Donald rests in Los Angeles, but now the 49ers have to prepare for J.J. Watt and a healthy Chandler Jones in Arizona. If the 49ers also want to win games against the likes of the Buccaneers and Saints pass rush in the postseason, they will need their prominent LT on the field. 

The post 3 biggest question marks for the 49ers offense appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

After making an appearance in the 2019 Super Bowl, the San Francisco 49ers had extremely bad luck with injuries in 2020. By week 9, Jimmy Garoppolo, Richard Sherman, Nick Bosa, Solomon Thomas, Dee Ford, George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, and a few other less notable players wound up on IR. Surprisingly, the 49ers were still able to win 6 games, with 4 of those coming in the first 8 weeks of the season. It’s very fair to say that they would have had a much better season with better injury luck, but we’ll never know just how good this team could have been in 2020. Instead, we can assume that the 49ers will have much better luck with injuries in 2021, and we can look forward to this season and speculate how good they may be this year. Below, I’ve done just that, and you can find what I think to be the Win/Loss floor and ceiling for this 2021 49ers squad. Oh, don’t forget there is an added 17th game going forward, so records are going to look weird for a bit.

Worst Case Scenario

Week 1: W at Lions

Week 2: W at Eagles

Week 3: L vs Packers (with Rodgers)

Week 4: L vs Seahawks

Week 5: L at Cardinals

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: L vs Colts

Week 8: L at Bears

Week 9: L vs Cardinals

Week 10: L vs Rams

Week 11: W at Jaguars

Week 12: W vs Vikings

Week 13: L at Seahawks

Week 14: W at Bengals

Week 15: W vs Falcons

Week 16: L at Titans

Week 17: W vs Texans

Week 18: L at Rams

For me, the worst-case scenario for the 49ers is about on par with how they performed in 2020 as I have them finishing at 7-10. Even if the 49ers have poor injury luck again, it’s likely that they are able to defeat the lowly Lions, Eagles, Jaguars, Vikings, Bengals, Falcons, and Texans. That doesn’t need much explanation, those teams are not in good shape, and the 49ers are well-coached. Now, for the non-conference losses. The Packers with Aaron Rodgers are one of the best teams in football, the Colts are a very good playoff-caliber team and this assumes Carson Wentz can return to form, the Bears at home would be a tough beat and Justin Fields will likely be starting by week 8, and the Titans are a solid and well-rounded team that would be tough to beat in Tennessee. For the conference losses, the NFC West is a very tough division full of playoff teams, and there’s a scenario where the 49ers go 0-4 against the Seahawks and Rams. 

Best Case Scenario

Week 1: W at Lions

Week 2: W at Eagles

Week 3: W vs Packers (No Rodgers)

Week 4: W vs Seahawks

Week 5: L at Cardinals

Week 6: Bye

Week 7: W vs Colts

Week 8: W at Bears

Week 9: W vs Cardinals

Week 10: W vs Rams

Week 11: W at Jaguars

Week 12: W vs Vikings

Week 13: L at Seahawks

Week 14: W at Bengals

Week 15: W vs Falcons

Week 16: L at Titans

Week 17: W vs Texans

Week 18: L at Rams

In a best-case scenario, I have the 49ers finishing with a 13-4 record. Even in a best-case scenario, I believe that the 49ers would only split the season series with the Seahawks, Rams, and Cardinals. This division is so good that it has the insane possibility of 4 playoff teams. The only other loss I have is at the Titans for the same reason stated above. Some notable changes here are wins against the Packers, Colts, and Bears. This scenario assumes that Aaron Rodgers is not playing for the Packers, Carson Wentz is still not good, and the Bears’ QB situation is too much to overcome for them.

The 49ers have an argument for having a top-3 roster in the NFL. Considering the fact that there is no way they have as poor of injury luck as they did in 2020, I believe they will enjoy a lot of success throughout the 2021 season. I would give a much higher chance of them going 13-4 than 7-10. I would be extremely surprised if they don’t make the playoffs.

The post 49ers win/loss ceiling in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (Twitter: @AdamHulseSports)

The NFL Draft is now complete as this offseason continues to push along. Teams are filling out their rosters and preparing their personnel for this upcoming season. With the free-agent market thinning out, and most of the worthy prospects already being signed, if a team needs a player to improve an area of their game, the trade market may be the best way to do it at this point.

For teams looking for a running back, an interesting name that could be available via trade is Raheem Mostert of the San Francisco 49ers. He, unfortunately, dealt with some injuries last year but was very productive in the 8 games that he did play, accumulating 677 total yards and 3 total touchdowns. He is a useful weapon out of the backfield and comes with a relatively cheap contract, but his time with the 49ers may be running short.

Mostert is set to become an unrestricted free agent after the upcoming season, so it would make some sense for the 49ers to explore trade options now instead of letting him potentially walk for nothing at the end of the year. The fact that the team used two of their draft picks this year on running backs Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell, and also signed free agent Wayne Gallman to join a stable of backs that already included JaMychal Hasty and Jeff Wilson, could be a big indicator that the 49ers are already thinking about moving forward without Mostert.

If San Francisco does in fact look to deal him, here are three potential fits that may be interested in acquiring the versatile back via trade.

Buffalo Bills

The Bills are a team that has been reportedly looking for more help at the running back position. Devin Singletary and Zack Moss didn’t do enough last year to help their young superstar quarterback Josh Allen. This is already a dynamic offense, and one of the best all-around teams in the NFL, but if they could improve their rushing attack they would be even more dangerous.

Mostert would be a good fit in Buffalo, not only for his rushing abilities but for his contributions in the passing game as well. He would give them another solid option out of the backfield and allow for a true committee approach to the position. This is a role that Mostert is already comfortable with because Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers offense utilized him in that exact way. The Bills are already a real contender this year, but making a move for Mostert could improve their chances even further.

Tennessee Titans

The Titans have the most dominant running back in all of football. That beast is of course Derrick Henry. He’s coming off of a monster season where he rushed 378 times for 2027 yards and 17 touchdowns. All three of those totals lead the entire NFL. He is the true definition of a workhorse at the position, and he is as durable as they come, but for the longevity of his career and to optimize peak performance, it might be time for the Titans to get him some help to share the load.

This is where Mostert could come in. The offense would still obviously feature Henry as its main threat, while the contrasting style of Mostert would serve as a nice change of pace as the second option at running back. The one thing missing in the arsenal of Henry is that he is basically a nonfactor in the passing game. Mostert could assume those duties and do so effectively in a third-down back type of role. He could bring a new look to the Titans backfield that they were clearly missing last year.

Miami Dolphins

The Dolphins are one the worst teams in the NFL at the running back position. Their offense is both young and solid everywhere else, including Jaylen Waddle, DeVante Parker, Will Fuller, and Mike Gesicki catching passes from now second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. They have invested heavily in the offensive line and in targets for Tua, but the one thing still missing is a reliable option in the backfield.

Mostert could potentially solve that very problem. If acquired, he would instantly be the best running back on the team. Providing Tua with a more consistent rushing attack would be a valuable asset for his development. It would take some of the pressure off of him to carry the entire load and would also open up the play-action passing game that he is so good at. All of these things considered, and including the fact that he was born in the state of Florida, the perfect fit for Mostert just might be Miami.

The post Should 49ers Trade away Raheem Mostert: 3 Potential Fits appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

Kyle Shanahan’s offense exited the 2020-2021 season with the 15th ranked offense and question marks presuming key positions on offense. Due to the lackluster offensive display and a fourth-place finish in the division, Shanahan made retooling the offense a high priority in the off-season. Now, at the eclipse of the NFL draft, it’s safe to say the new look offense is a major upgrade over the 2020 version. Not only did Shanny impress the NFL world with his additions to the offensive unit, but I believe he put a spark into the unit that can return it to being Top 5 in the league — as it was in 2019. 

Below are three reasons why:

1. Return of George Kittle

George Kittle, the prolific TE, may have just proved in 2020 he’s one of the most indispensable players in the entire league. Kittle showed his worth to the 49ers when he was standing on the sideline for eight games and their offense was abysmal. 

In 2019, Pro Football Focus ranked Kittle the top player in the NFL. So, you may expect serious hurdles when he went down — but nobody would have foreseen the offense looking flat and being a third-down avalanche. Kittle is the key to the run game and pass game. In the past when Kittle went down with an injury, it was revealed that the 49ers YPC went from 4.9 with Kittle in the game, to 3 with him on the sidelines. Kittle flat out demolishes and laughs his way to crushing defenders for the success of the 49ers run game.

In the passing game, Kittle is one of the fastest and “arguably toughest to bring down” skill players in the NFL. Kitlte isn’t just a stat machine, but he also has a knack to making plays at the biggest moments. 

It’s hard to ask much more from a tight end than to be an elite run blocker and an elite pass catcher when the player’s team needs it the most. 

2. Brandon Aiyuk entering year two 

The ceiling of the offense will rely heavily from explosion on the perimeter. Former rookie Brandon Aiyuk is the most talented wideout and they need the former first round pick to show out next season. Aiyuk missed four games last year, but his 16 game average would’ve been very impressive for a rookie: 

• 997 yards
• 7 touchdowns
• 80 receptions

It’s also important to point out that Jimmy Garoppolo missed 10 games last season. Aiyuk performed well with one of the worst QB situations in the league. If Aiyuk is being the electric player he is, it will help his QB play beyond his abilities, create more opportunities for George Kittle from the TE position, then ultimately it will help the team in “tough divisional and playoff games”. 

Aiyuk simply can be the home run hitter and offer what they need to complement methodical drives and a strong running game. 

3. Kenneth Gainwell and Elijah Mitchell 

1991. That was the last time prior to 2021 that the 49ers drafted two RBs in the same draft. Shanahan drafted Trey Sermon AND Elijah Mitchell in the 2021 NFL draft. The 49ers selected Sermon early in the draft (third round), while the 49ers got a steal with Mitchell in the sixth round. 

Sermon clocks a 4.58, which isn’t great for a RB, but the 6’1 220 bruising RB will be a good complement to Mostert’s speed. It can be lightning and thunder in the 49ers backfield. Mitchell is an elusive RB that’s been compared to Alvin Kamara. Kamara may be a stretch and Tarik Cohen may be a better comparison, but Mitchell will likely be involved in the passing game and a nice sprinkle as the RB3. 

The two rookie RBs will look to make an immediate impact in Kyle Shanahan’s orchestra that likes to be very precise with the running game.

The post 3 reasons why the 49ers could return to a top 5 offense: New RBs arrive appeared first on Pro Football Mania.