San Francisco 49ers: Ranking the 10 Worst Teams in Franchise History

No. 5: The 2015 49ers

Regular-Season Record: 5-11, fourth in the NFC West

There may be those who would argue the 2015 49ers should be higher on this list. And given just how boring and uninspiring one-year head coach Jim Tomsula’s squad was, those fans might be right.

Like many other coaches on this list, Tomsula inherited a mess. The departures en masse following the 2014 season, including former head coach Jim Harbaugh, meant the 2015 49ers would be in for a slew of challenges few teams would be able to combat even under the best of circumstances.

Still, the promotion of Tomsula from defensive line coach was seen more as a personality move from CEO Jed York and the 49ers front office rather than tabbing the right coach for the job.

And the results were reflected on the field.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick never found headway once Harbaugh left and was benched in Week 9 in favor of backup QB Blaine Gabbert. San Francisco’s offensive line was permeable, and injuries also took their toll across the board.

Not surprisingly, the 2015 49ers finished with the league’s worst offense that season (238 points scored). And they weren’t much better in most other offensive categories.

Despite some early season problems, the Niners defense gained some headway in the second half. But this unit still allowed the third-most yards in the league (6,199) when the season was over.

Tomsula was fired after just one season along with the majority of his ineffective coaching staff.

But what keeps this team from reaching any higher is simple: San Francisco has a few more teams, either statistically or due to other circumstances, which make 2015 seem not as bad as it seems.

Perhaps just the recent memory of the 2015 season calls for this to be higher. But not necessarily when one puts it into context.

Next: No. 4