The San Francisco 49ers won’t win the NFC West in 2024

The San Francisco 49ers have really found their feet over the last two seasons, finishing first in the NFC West for both. Brock Purdy has come in and done a good job adapting the Kyle Shanahan system and running the offense the way it should be. Add to that a defensive front that consistently wreaked havoc, and it led to the 49ers going to the Super Bowl. That was all great, but things will be different for 2024, and it’s expected that the 49ers will take a step back and not win the division again this season.

It starts with the coaching changes. The 49ers fired Steve Wilks, while the playoffs weren’t the best performance as they struggled to stop the run against the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions and generally struggled against the Kansas City Chiefs, the defense still stood just the third fewest points. . They decided to hire from within as Nick Sorensen now takes over as the new defensive coordinator, but that is still an adjustment that will have to be made. That’s in addition to losing more coaches in Anthony Lynn, Darryl Tapp, Klint Kubiak and James Cragg.

There is also the matter of Brock Purdy. Purdy is a very capable quarterback, and it shows in his career highs of 6,997 yards and 50 touchdowns while having an adjusted completion percentage of 77.6% with just 16 touchdowns. Purdy does what he’s asked, but that’s the problem: He’s not necessarily a game-changing quarterback. When the team as a whole wasn’t clicking on full cylinders or the talents around him, like Deebo Samuel, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, etc., weren’t playing at full health, the struggle to take the team to the next level was fierce.

The talent at the skill position is there, but the offensive line is necessarily not at the level it once was, creating a new problem for the 49ers to continue their level of success. Trent Williams is turning 36, and if he misses time at all, the consistency on the line will fall apart, and that will only further hinder Purdy’s play.

On defense, it’s the defensive line that will be a real problem. Nick Bosa is still there, but they’re counting on Leonard Floyd, who doesn’t necessarily help establish the lead, an area where they’ve struggled. Javon Hargrave and Maliek Collins are both older players at the bottom of their careers, and the backups are Kevin Givens and Jordan Elliott, which doesn’t necessarily add up to anything great for the inside of the line either. With the loss of Chase Young, Arik Armstead, Javon Kinlaw, Clelin Ferrell and Sebastian Joseph, the line must prove it can still provide a pass-rush factor while improving against the run, and that doesn’t make it great entering the season. .

With inconsistencies on the horizon for the 49ers and a lack of game-changing talent at the quarterback position, this leads to San Francisco falling a step behind in the NFC West. The Seattle Seahawks may not necessarily have the best quarterback talent, as Geno Smith isn’t a needle mover, but they do have the offensive plan to build an athletic and strong offensive line. Additionally, the defense showed improvement last year, and with players like Boye Mafe, Riq Woolen, Devon Witherspoon and now Byron Murphy II, under a proven defensive mind like Mike Macdonald, they are on their way to an increased season of production to run the offense to challenge. of the 49ers.

For the Rams, they were close last season and will be the best to challenge the 49ers. Matthew Stafford is the game-changing quarterback who can challenge a defensive unit that is losing talent, and he has receivers like Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp, along with the stable ground game with a good duo like Kyren Williams and Blake Corum to help. If San Francisco can’t apply pressure or stop the run, the Rams automatically have the advantage for any matchup. While the retirement of Aaron Donald hurts, they also have an up-and-coming talent in Kobie Turner, and a dominant edge rusher in Jared Verse who also brings stability to the defense.

The fact that the Rams and Seahawks made big improvements this season while the 49ers got weaker at positions they struggled with last season will lead to a downward trend. Ultimately, the 49ers’ declining consistency, from the coaching staff to the talent, will lead to them losing the NFC West this season.

Check out the following links for more NFL content:

–2024 NFL Draft Complete 32 team-by-team grades

–Post-draft Top 10 NFL quarterbacks entering the 2024 season

–Top 10 New NFL Quarterback-Wide Receiver Duos Entering 2024

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