Following another deep playoff run that saw the 49ers fall short of a championship against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team enters 2024 with the best roster in the NFL and eyes on finishing the job. Year after year under Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers have won many games and played football well into January but have fallen short of the ultimate prize.
Fred Warner, Nick Bosa, Trent Williams, Christian McCaffrey, George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Brock Purdy return as the best core in the NFL. Aiyuk is waiting for a contract extension but is still under the team’s control.
The elephant in the room is Purdy’s impending extension. The going rate for a starting quarterback rises by the day. The 49ers are getting top-ten quarterback play for pennies on the dollar.
What are the 49ers’ biggest obstacles in 2024?
Injuries
Last season, the 49ers experienced injury luck, with only Talanoa Hufanga going down for the season against Tampa Bay. Trent Williams and Deebo Samuel missed three games, and McCaffrey played every game except the season finale against the Rams. Kittle and Mooney Ward played through core muscle injuries and still put up massive seasons.
Unfortunately, in the Super Bowl, the team lost Dre Greenlaw and Jon Feliciano, but for the most part, the team was healthy during the season.
Football is a war of attrition. Injuries can’t be predicted, and the 49ers play a physical style of football. As long as the 49ers don’t have significant injuries to their impact players, they will be in the driver’s seat in the NFC.
The NFC
The NFC West hasn’t been much of an issue for the 49ers as they continue to beat the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, and Seattle Seahawks regularly. The Philadelphia Eagles felt like the team’s biggest competition, but after a blowout win in Philadelphia, that theory was busted. Dallas wants to be in the 49ers’ way but never can be.
The two playoff opponents for the 49ers are the teams closing the gap the quickest. Green Bay and Detroit nearly knocked off the 49ers and improved in the offseason. The Lions, in particular, added Carlton Davis and more cornerback help in the draft and boast a very young and talented roster.
Green Bay has Jordan Love heading into his second entire season as starting quarterback with the chance of another leap for the youngster. Philadelphia, Dallas, Green Bay, and Detroit will likely be playoff teams, but the Lions and the Packers are closing the gap quicker than the other NFC teams.
The Chiefs
The 49ers and Chiefs will meet again in the regular season at Levi’s Stadium. While a 49ers win won’t give the team back the Lombardi. They do need to get a win under their belt against Kansas City to clear a mental hurdle.
If the two teams meet again in the Super Bowl, a regular season win will go a long way to instill confidence in the team.
For the full conversation between myself and Brian Peacock of Locked on 49ers, watch the video below: