The San Francisco 49ers are a team that is likely to have a target on its back all year. The Niners are the defending NFC Champions, and they had the lead in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl before falling to the Kansas City Chiefs. Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch view the team as having unfinished business. This team is bound and determined to win the Super Bowl this season.
The 49ers are clear favorites in the NFC West once again. If the team cruises to the division title, that means its toughest and most important games will come in the postseason. However, the NFL does not pay off after what happened last year or on preseason expectations.
The 49ers have a loaded offensive team and also a hard hitting and opportunistic defense, so that means that they will be favored in most games this season. They know that the combination of quarterback Brock Purdy, running back Christian McCaffrey and a receiving crew that includes Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, tight end George Kittle and rookie Ricky Pearsall is going to light up the scoreboard in most games.
Still, overconfidence can become an issue for any team that has found consistent success. That’s where Shanahan is going to have to stay vigilant with this team.
