San Francisco 49ers: Bold Predictions for Regular Season
By Marc Grandi
49ers’ Offense Will Rank Among NFC’s Best
Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Michael Crabtree is healthy. Anquan Boldin has been re-signed. Vernon Davis decided to attend training camp after his failed holdout. Colin Kaepernick is eager to prove he’s worth his large contract. And, oh yeah, they traded for Stevie Johnson, signed Brandon Lloyd, drafted playmakers Bruce Ellington and Carlos Hyde, and still have Quinton Patton under their wing.
Forget the preseason struggles. Things are looking pretty good for the 49ers’ offense.
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The only pressing questions on the offensive side of the ball concern the offensive line. Will San Francisco and Alex Boone reach an agreement, or will Boone’s holdout continue? If it does linger on, who replaces him? Joe Looney, Jonathan Martin, or Adam Snyder?
None have performed that well in the preseason — giving Boone’s holdout more gravity.
The only other problem the San Francisco 49ers have on offense is figuring out who will be the team’s third wide receiver. Johnson seemed to be a lock for that spot at training camp’s beginning, but after his poor showings in the preseason, the spot is very much wide open.
It has been rumored that Johnson may not even make the team. Both Ellington and Patton can play on special teams while Johnson cannot, and many feel Lloyd has played his way onto the roster with his performance in training camp.
Either way, this offense is primed to be one of the NFC’s best. They won’t be as good as the offensive juggernauts of the NFC (the Saints, Eagles, and Packers), but they’ll be up there.
They’ll certainly be the best offense in the West, and they might be one of the few teams in the NFL to rank in the top five in not only offensive yards per game, but also yards allowed per game. New Orleans did that last year, but couldn’t rely upon their defense in critical situations.
This deadly combination of fearsome defense and efficient offense should be enough to propel the 49ers to the league’s best record.