Niner Noise
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Why the red zone is of utmost importance to the 49ers in 2017

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Michael Crabtree #15 of the San Francisco 49ers catches a pass short of the goal line against the St. Louis Rams during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium on November 2, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. The St. Louis Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-10. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 02: Michael Crabtree #15 of the San Francisco 49ers catches a pass short of the goal line against the St. Louis Rams during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium on November 2, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. The St. Louis Rams defeated the San Francisco 49ers 13-10. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 24: A general view of the goal line marker inside Levi’s Stadium prior to an NFL football game between the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers on August 24, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – AUGUST 24: A general view of the goal line marker inside Levi’s Stadium prior to an NFL football game between the San Diego Chargers and San Francisco 49ers on August 24, 2014 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

Why the Red Zone Is So Important to the 49ers

It’s kind of cliche — heck, the red zone is important for every team — but the 2017 49ers are going to need to execute here as effectively as possible.

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Perhaps even overachieve.

San Francisco is a long ways away, personnel-wise, from fielding a good-to-elite offense. Even with Kyle Shanahan calling the shots, it’s a skilled-players league. And Shanahan won’t have a dynamic QB-WR tandem like he did with Matt Ryan and Julio Jones in Atlanta.

A year ago, the Falcons averaged 4.2 red-zone scoring attempts per game, per TeamRankings.com. That number was second in the league and led way to the Falcons boasting the NFL’s best scoring offense in 2016.

In comparison, the Niners averaged just 2.8 red-zone attempts per game, which was 28th. So while San Francisco was good at converting, the scoring chances came few and far between.

The 49ers aren’t going to field a prolific offense like Shanahan had with the Falcons a year ago. Therefore, it’s likely the Niners are going to be much closer to the 2.8 average than the lofty 4.2 seen by Atlanta last year.

Also worth noting is San Francisco’s defense, which was historically bad a year ago. While improved, the Niners defense is far away from being able to bail out its offense on a regular basis.

Next: Kyle Shanahan, running backs and the 49ers passing game

So if Shanahan and Co. struggle to find success in the red zone as often as possible, the 49ers’ 2017 campaign is going to be a tough one, to say the least.