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San Francisco 49ers: 10 Best & Worst Case Scenarios for the 2016 Season

By Peter Panacy

Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers free safety Eric Reid (35) jumps up with cornerback Tramaine Brock (26) to break up the pass intended for Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Steve Smith (89) on the final play during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) reacts to the crowd during the fourth quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 18, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53) reacts to the crowd during the fourth quarter of the game against the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Ravens 25-20. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 5: Defensive Efforts Against the Running Game

Teams could run against the 49ers a year ago. In 2015, the Niners ranked 29th in the league in yards allowed on the ground (2,020). Part of this was due to San Francisco’s offense falling behind early and often, and teams weren’t afraid to run the ball to chew up clock.

Still, the 49ers didn’t have the mettle or tackling prowess — outside of NFL-leading tackler NaVorro Bowman — to prevent the sizable gains on the ground.

Part of the reason was fellow inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite, who graded out with a minus-5.4 mark against the run, according to PFF.

San Francisco didn’t make any inside linebacker additions via the draft, so one has to wonder if this will come back to haunt the defense in 2016.

Best-Case Scenario

Bowman and nose tackle Ian Williams reemerge as some of the better run-stopping defenders in San Francisco’s lineup. And Wilhoite, or fellow ILB Gerald Hodges, step up and show vast improvement over their respective 2015 efforts.

Head coach Chip Kelly’s offense forces opponents to try and match what the 49ers do — hoping the scores will be close — which takes some pressure off of stopping the running game.

And we see more games in the mold of what the Niners did to then-leading rusher Devonta Freeman of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 last year.

Freeman was held to 12 yards on 12 carries.

Worst-Case Scenario

Failing to draft a tackling inside linebacker comes back to haunt San Francisco. While still remaining a force, Bowman isn’t capable of “doing it all” on defense. Teams take advantage of Kelly’s fast-paced offense and try to run the ball in order to give their own defenses a break.

As a result, the Niners remain susceptible to opponents’ ground games and aren’t able to close the gap on last year’s ugly numbers.

Next: No. 4: Who Steps Up as the No. 2 Wide Receiver?