San Francisco 49ers Team Preview & Predictions for the 2015-16 NFL Season

Once a dominant force in the NFL, the San Francisco 49ers suddenly became pushovers in an instant as they were arguably the team that took the hardest hit this offseason. It’s already bad enough that they had a mediocre 8-8 record to close out last season in head coach Jim Harbaugh’s sendoff year, but for them to see a massive overhaul to their roster this offseason is just downright cruel.

Will the Niners still have as good a shot at another Super Bowl appearance this year in front of their hometown? Read on as we break down how things are shaping up for the Bay Area club heading into the regular season.

Check in on San Francisco’s other division rivals after this article. Head on over to our previews for the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals and St. Louis Rams.
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2015-2016 San Francisco 49ers Preview

Overview

Expectations were high in 2014 as the 49ers were just fresh off their third-straight NFC Conference Championship appearance. But then, in the middle of last year’s regular season, things started to fall apart. Inconsistent play from the offense coupled with the noise surrounding then-head coach Jim Harbaugh’s tenure with the organization ultimately led to San Francisco’s free fall.

[sc:NFL240banner ]Things just got worse from there on out, as the Niners saw more significant departures this offseason. Let’s take a quick body count of the key players who said farewell to the club: four to retirement (Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, Chris Boreland, and Anthony Davis), five to free agency (Frank Gore, Mike Iupati, Michael Crabtree, Dan Skuta, and Chris Culliver) and one to a trade (phenomenal punter Andy Lee).

Yes, even San Francisco’s special teams took a kick to the gut. Talk about going from a land of milk and honey to a nuclear wasteland. Even the top coaching positions had shake-ups, as Jim Tomsula takes over Harbaugh’s head-coaching duties together with new coordinators Geep Chryst on offense and Eric Mangini on defense.

Offseason Review

Damage control for the mass exodus of talent was integral for the 49ers to head into training camp and preseason with high spirits.

For one, signing versatile wideout Torrey Smith from the Ravens to replace Crabtree is really more of an upgrade than a straight-up replacement. Smith has less wear-and-tear on his body, and had 767 yards receiving with an average of 17.4 yards per catch and 11 touchdowns last season, as opposed to Crabtree’s 698 yards at 10.3 yards per catch and just four TDs.

However, other signees such as running back Reggie Bush and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett are obvious downgrades from what the Niners had in Frank Gore and Justin Smith, respectively, this past season.

Yet, it’s still hard to discredit them right away, as they still have a lot of big-name talents on the roster. It’s just that with the sheer number of Pro Bowl-level of players that have departed, we’ve overlooked the rest of the team’s remaining stars that can still produce at a high level.

The offense still has Colin Kaepernick as its starting quarterback (more on him later), two-time Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis, four-time Pro Bowl tackle Joe Staley and every-down-highlight-reel receiver Anquan Boldin.

The defense, meanwhile, will be thrilled to have standout linebacker NaVorro Bowman back in action after missing all of last season recovering from his torn ACL and MCL in his left knee. Bowman tallied 145 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions in a stellar 2013 campaign before suffering the aforementioned injury in the final minutes of the NFC Championship Game against the Seahawks.

Sadly, disruptive outside linebacker Aldon Smith’s (19.5 sacks in 2012) off-field issues got the better of him yet again. This time around, he won’t be joining the club any longer after being arrested under the suspicion of a hit-and-run, DUI and vandalism just this past week. The loss of Smith just added another crippling blow to an already depleted San Francisco roster.

But still, the terrific tandem of Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea as safeties round out an otherwise intimidating Niners defense. San Francisco ranked fifth in the league in total yards allowed last season.

Key Player – Colin Kaepernick

Let’s face it: San Francisco’s pedestrian 2014 season was largely because of Colin Kaepernick’s regression in the passing game. His stats actually say otherwise, as he had a few hundred passing yards more than that of 2013, and his completion rate even rose from 58.4 to 60.5 percent.

However, it was his QB rating that fell significantly – from 91.6 in 2013 to 86.4 in 2014 – no thanks to a 19 touchdown, 10 interception output. This led to the 49ers’ second-consecutive 30th-place finish in passing offense. It also didn’t help that Kaepernick lacked the proper decision-making in the pocket, as he was sacked 52 times last year – the league’s worst – to go along with eight fumbles.

To right his wrongs, Kap enlisted the aid of former Super Bowl Champion and natural pocket passer Kurt Warner in the offseason. If Kaepernick takes Warner’s advice of staying in the pocket to heart, combined with his natural ability to rifle the ball at long distances, he could very well be a lethal weapon all on his own once more. Kap already has the right skill-set, so it’s all about the growth of his mental fortitude and on-field awareness that will push him to the next level.

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Key Game – vs. Baltimore (October 18)

One half of the Harbaugh brothers won’t be around in another showdown against the Ravens, but the stakes could be just as huge as their previous encounters.

After road trips to Pittsburgh and Arizona in Weeks 2 and 3, the 49ers have the displeasure of welcoming Green Bay at home in Week 4 before travelling back out to New York to face the Giants the following week. Assuming that San Francisco wins its home opener against Minnesota, the rest of that stretch mentioned earlier could have the team in a 1-5 hole early into the season.

Week 6 is the early make-or-break point for Niners, as they are going up against a Baltimore team that is pretty much in the same mold as the them. Both teams rely on rock-solid defense to win games, and both have questionable offenses heading into the new season.

A win at Levi’s Stadium over their Super Bowl XLVII opponents will do wonders for their confidence heading into their Week 7 home game against vitriolic rivals in the Seattle Seahawks. A loss, however, can pretty much seal the team’s chances of even making a late playoff run.

The schedule gets a little easier towards the end of the season, but the Niners have got to win competitive games such as this to prove that they can still hang with the rest of the contenders around the league.

Best/Worst Case Scenario for the Season

Best Case Scenario

Kap evolves into a formidable pocket passer while still having some treads on the read-option game with Torrey Smith as his breakout Pro Bowl go-to receiver. The defense remains impenetrable, led by Bowman’s resurgence as a DPOY candidate. A wild card playoff berth with a run as deep as the divisional round is still a possibility.

Worst Case Scenario

Kaepernick regresses even more, and the running game from Carlos Hyde and Reggie Bush is nowhere to be found. The defense suffers from more injuries and off-field shenanigans. Dead-last in the division and third-worst in the NFC.

Complete Schedule

WEEK | DATE | OPPONENT | TIME (ET)
1 | Mon, Sep 14 | Minnesota | 10: 20 PM
2 | Sun, Sep 20 | @ Pittsburgh | 1:00 PM
3 | Sun, Sep 27 | @ Arizona | 4:05 PM
4 | Sun, Oct 4 | Green Bay | 4:25 PM
5 | Sun, Oct 11 | @ N.Y. Giants | 8:30 PM
6 | Sun, Oct 18 | Baltimore | 4:25 PM
7 | Thu, Oct 22 | Seattle | 8:25 PM
8 | Sun, Nov 1 | @ St. Louis | 2:00 PM
9 | Sun, Nov 8 | Atlanta | 5:05 PM
10 | Bye Week | |
11 | Sun, Nov 22 | @ Seattle | 5:25 PM
12 | Sun, Nov 29 | Arizona | 5:05 PM
13 | Sun, Dec 6 | @ Chicago | 2:00 PM
14 | Sun, Dec 13 | @ Cleveland | 2:00 PM
15 | Sun, Dec 20 | Cincinnati | 9:30 PM
16 | Sun, Dec 27 | @ Detroit | 2:00 PM
17 | Sun, Jan 3 | St. Louis | 5:25 PM

Writer’s Prediction

San Francisco ends up at the bottom of the NFC West with a record of 5-11.
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