San Francisco 49ers Believe They Can Be Serious Super Bowl Contenders In 2020

The San Francisco 49ers believe this 2019 NFL season is a Super Bowl season or a bust. Despite going 4-12 last season and losing their starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to an ACL injury, head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch believe they can push to the very top this season, and so do the players.

“I think I’m going to win. I don’t think I’m going to lose,” 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman said, according to Bleacher Report. “Some people see things differently. Some people are like, ‘Man, just let it happen.’ Some people are like, ‘Well, I called the shot. I plan on making it.'”

The obvious question is, are they serious? This is a team that has gone 17-47 in the past four seasons. This is the team that passed up on current league MVP Patrick Mahomes and Houston Texans leader Deshaun Watson, and decided to pick up defensive linemen Soloman Thomas from Stanford in the 2017 draft. Thomas ended up having four total sacks in 30 games of play. The 49ers haven’t hit the bullseye with every draft pick under Lynch and Shanahan, but within the draft and outside it, pieces started to assemble.

George Kittle, last year’s breakout tight end, was the 146th pick in 2017 draft, and Shanahan saw his potential from a mile away at the start of that draft. Kittle broke the record for most receiving yards by a tight end with almost 1,400 yards last season, despite having to play with a backup quarterback for 13 games. He was the eighth-highest receiver in terms of yards last season.

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On the other side of the ball, Lynch seems to be building his ideal vision of a defense. In 2017, they signed Sherman for three years, edge rusher Dee Ford for five years, and Kwon Alexander to lead the defense with a four-year contract. Although they drafted Reuben Foster from Alabama, who has now been traded to the Washington Redskins, they drafted Fred Warner the following year, who was the 70th overall pick. Warner had 70 solo tackles in his first season in the NFL. With the 49ers using their second overall pick to draft Nick Bosa, Lynch expects his underrated defense to be one of the best this season.

Analysts question if Garoppolo has enough targets to throw to. Jordan Matthews, Deebo Samuel and Jalen Hurd have talented potential to cover the wideouts, while Dante Pettis recorded just under 500 yards last season. The wideouts will be crucial for the 49ers to relieve pressure off Kittle, who will be every defensive coordinator’s target come next season. However, Lynch says he has confidence in his receivers, and says it’s up to Garoppolo to become the All-Pro quarterback he believes he can be.

“He needs to play,” Lynch says, according to Bleacher Report. “I don’t care how talented you are, you’re going to go through growing pains playing that position in this league.”