10 Problems the San Francisco 49ers Could Face Next Season

Feb 3, 2013; New Orleans, LA, USA; Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Anquan Boldin (81) stiff arms San Francisco 49ers defensive back Chris Culliver (29) as San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh reacts during the fourth quarter in Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

5. The Secondary
In the regular season, the Niners’ cornerbacks (Carlos Rogers and Tarell Brown) and safeties (Donte Whitner and Dashon Goldson) were generally effective at containing an opposing team’s passing game.

However, in the playoffs, the Falcons and the Ravens exposed some serious weaknesses in the secondary. In the NFC Conference Championship, Matt Ryan completed 30 of 42 passes for 396 yards and three touchdowns against the Niners. In the Super Bowl, Joe Flacco completed 22 of 33 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns. In the Super Bowl, Chris Culliver, the 49ers’ nickel cornerback, was out-played, and Carlos Rogers and Donte Whitner had poor performances as well.

The 49ers lost Dashon Goldson in free agency, but they will most likely fill this void by drafting a free safety who can come in and compete with Craig Dahl for the starting spot. It also remains to be seen what kind of impact Nnamdi Asomugha will have as well, but the Niners could still certainly improve their secondary in several areas.