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10 reasons the San Francisco 49ers win the NFC West in 2018

By Peter Panacy

LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - DECEMBER 31: Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates his touchdown against Los Angeles Rams during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers looks to pass during the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on December 31, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t lose. There’s your No. 1 reason why the 49ers win the NFC West. Heck, the Super Bowl at this rate.

OK, we can put the hype aside for a second and focus on the facts.

First, there’s the easy part. San Francisco was a one-win team before Garoppolo started in Week 12 last year. The Niners haven’t lost since. Even better, the 49ers scored on 62 percent of their drives with Garoppolo at the helm, which would have easily been No. 1 in the NFL had it been sustained over the entire season:

And all this with Garoppolo operating on a limited understanding of Shanahan’s complex offense and without No. 1 wide receiver Pierre Garçon, who missed the second half of 2017 with a neck injury.

Still, this whole story is Garoppolo’s. And there are plenty of reasons why he’s destined to be the next elite quarterback.

To quote Pro Football Focus:

"Over his five starts, Garoppolo completed 63.2 percent of his passes in the intermediate range at 10.8 yards per attempt. That’s where the elite quarterbacks make their money, and Garoppolo is following that blueprint to a ‘T’. What makes the numbers above even crazier is that he was playing with – on paper – one of the worst supporting casts in the NFL."

That supporting cast is improved now, which makes Garoppolo all the more potent.

Next: 10 things 49ers fans should know ahead of training camp

And if the 49ers can ride that momentum, plus cash in on some of the other reasons listed here, there’s a great, great chance they wind up taking home the NFC West crown in 2018.

It’s not as crazy as you may think.