The NFL season is just around the corner, and we’re working through the league’s new offseason prospects, training camp news and 2014 team projections. Read on for everything you need to know about the San Francisco 49ers and for other NFC previews check out our Seattle Seahawks preview and the breakdown of the always-dangerous Green Bay Packers.
For other teams, a 12-4 record is nothing to sneeze at. For the San Francisco 49ers, in a tough NFC West division, it was just not good enough. With a few key additions after the 2014 NFL Draft, the 49ers will be looking to get one over Seattle this time around, steal back the first-round bye, and return to the Super Bowl for the second time in three years.
[sc:”Football Articles” ]San Francisco 49ers Team Preview for the 2014/2015 NFL Season
Offseason Updates (8/22/2014)
San Francisco’s pass-rusher Aldon Smith has been outstanding in training camp. However, the pass rusher is facing the possibility of a six- to eight-game suspension after he pleaded no contest to weapons charges and DUI charges earlier this year, among his most recent personal-conduct offenses.
Losing Smith for almost half the year would be another hit to the Niner defense, which also saw starting safety Antoine Bethea suffer a concussion after a block from Denver rookie receiver Cody Latimer in their preseason matchup. Bethea must first be evaluated under the league’s concussion protocol before returning to full practices or games.
Overview
2013 Regular Season Record: 12-4 SU/10-5-1 ATS
The San Francisco 49ers had a shaky start last season, going 6-4 SU in their first ten games.
[sc:NFL240banner ]Quarterback Colin Kaepernick, though, proved that he wasn’t a one-season fluke as he tore up the NFL in his last six regular season games, winning every one while posting a QB rating of 108 or higher in five of those contests.
In his first full season with the Niners, Kaepernick showed that he was the real deal, becoming only the 12th player to throw for more than 3,000 yards and rush for more than 500 yards in the same season.
Helping him on the offense was running back Frank Gore who reminded the league that age isn’t everything. Gore rushed for 1,114 yards last season, posting his seventh 1,000+ rushing yard season in his illustrious nine-year career.
Tight end Vernon Davis also had a stellar season last year with 13 touchdown receptions, making him the only tight end in NFL history with multiple 13-plus touchdown seasons.
The trio’s offensive brilliance carried the 49ers in the final stretch run as they finished the regular season with a 12-4 SU mark. They still fell short of the Seattle Seahawks, however, San Francisco‘s kryptonite bearers, who finished at 13-3 SU. This year they will be looking to regain the NFC West division title which they won in 2011 and 2012 and are priced at +130 to do so.
That loss in the division race proved to be crucial as they met each other once again in the NFC Conference Finals with the Seahawks having home field advantage, which they promptly used to eliminate the Niners for the second-straight year.
This year, the 49ers will hope to avenge that defeat and they are the third-favorites to win the Super Bowl this season at +650 behind only the Seahawks and the Broncos.
Offseason Highlights
The 49ers already had one of the most stacked rosters in the league but they were able to strengthen it a bit more with their pickups in the 2014 NFL Draft.
They drafted defensive back Jimmie Ward in the first round and he will fill the void left by the departures of Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown to free agency.
The 49ers were already one of the best teams in the league when it comes to the running game, ranking third with a 137.6 rushing yards allowed per game clip but that didn’t stop them from drafting Ohio State running back Carlos Hyde with the 57th pick. Hyde will assume the big running back role, filling SF’s need for powerful goal-line rushing.
But it was their selection of Marcus Martin in the third round that made scouts took notice. The 49ers were on the lookout for a center once they decided not to re-sign Jonathan Goodwin and it seems the 320-pound Martin will fit the bill.
All that said, San Francisco’s biggest move was re-signing their free agents, particularly Anquan Boldin who built a solid partnership with Kaepernick last season. Having acquired the services of Stevie Johnson (1,000+ receiving yards from 2010-2012) via a trade with the Buffalo Bills, the 49ers will be four men deep in the receiving department with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis also in the mix.
The one who steers the ship though is Kaepernick and the 49ers awarded him with a six-year, $126 million contract extension in the offseason. It only emphasizes the 49ers’ belief in their young quarterback’s ability to win ball games and in the process lead them to their sixth Super Bowl triumph.
Key Betting Matchups of 2014 NFL Season
The 49ers have posted double-digit winning seasons in the past three years and they are expected to do the same this season which is the reason why their total wins line is set at 10.5. Nevertheless, San Francisco has the fourth-toughest schedule this season, in part because of these two games on their schedule.
October 19 – @ Denver Broncos
Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers travel to Denver to face reigning NFL MVP Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. This could have easily been the Super Bowl matchup last February if not for a last-gasp defensive stand by the Seahawks and it will be interesting to watch the veteran Manning take on the young upstart in Kaepernick.
December 14 – @ Seattle Seahawks
Both games with the Seahawks will be must-watch TV but the latter one could decide the division once and for all, with the 49ers travelling to Seattle in Week 15. San Francisco has found it difficult dealing with the 12th man, going 1-4 SU in their last five away games in Seattle, and they will rely on their veterans to steady the ship and steal a win against their division rivals.
Writer’s Prediction
San Francisco will record their fourth straight ten-plus win season, registering an 11-5 record and going over their line of 10.5 wins. Create a betting account now to get into all the football action as the NFL season approaches.
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