check us out on twitter Author: Peter DiPaola
San Francisco is coming off a 4-12 season, and finished 3rd in the NFC West, in a disappointing season, which included their quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo tearing his ACL in the 3rd game of the season.
Per Pro Football Reference, here are the 49ers offensive and defensive rankings from 2018:
OFFENSE:
Points 342 (21st)
Total yards 5769 (16th)
Passing yards 3867 (15th)
Rushing yards 1902 (13th)
Passing touchdowns 26 (17th)
Rushing touchdowns 7 (30th)
DEFENSE:
Points 435 (28th)
Total yards 5546 (13th)
Passing yards 3732 (11th)
Rushing yards 1814 (14th)
Passing touchdowns 35 (31st)
Rushing touchdowns 13 (15th)
San Francisco had issues on both sides of the football, one statistic that stood out, was that they only had two interceptions on defense all season long, and neither were from cornerbacks. Another was that only one player had over 10 sacks, which was their defensive tackle, DeForest Buckner, who had 12. This offseason the 49ers traded for Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Dee Ford, who had 13 sacks and 7 forced fumbles in 2018. They also landed Nick Bosa, defensive end from Ohio State with the 2nd overall pick in the draft. Giving them much needed help on defense in regards to their pass rush.
They also added cornerback Jason Verrett, from the Los Angeles Chargers, who missed all of 2018, on the good side, he did make a pro bowl in 2015. While that was 4 years ago, if he can be healthy, he has the potential to help bolster their pass defense.
On the offensive side of the football, the 49ers drafted two receivers in a row in the draft, they took Debo Samuel in the second round and Jalen Hurd in the 3rd round. Which is helpful, because no 49er receiver go over 500 yards receiving in 2018, the only player that did was tight end George Kittle. Kittle had 1,377 yards and 5 touchdowns on a 88 receptions. Kendrick Bourne was the only 49ers wide receiver to go over 30 receptions, he had 487 yards and 4 touchdowns on 42 catches. Fullback Kyle Juszczyk had the third most receptions on the team with 30.
Not only did they add talent at wide receiver, but also signed free agent running back Tevin Coleman, who in 2016 for the Atlanta Falcons, played in 49er's head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. In that season he racked up the following numbers:
Rushing-520 yards and 8 touchdowns on 118 carries
Receiving-421 yards and 3 touchdowns on 31 receptions
That was while he was splitting time with running back D'Onta Foreman.
By adding key pieces on both sides of the football the 49ers show they are looking to grow and improve, and now with those pieces and their quarterback coming back from an injury, there should buzz around this team.
While they do play in a tough division that features the Rams who made the Super Bowl last season, and the Seahawks who have had plenty of success this past decade, the 49ers on paper, could be a playoff team. The regular season is under 3 months away, keep an eye on this team. Their moves are why they made our list of the most improved teams.
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