5 stats the 49ers must show improvement in 2019
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Offensive and Defensive Starting Field Position
This is an often overlooked category, yet it’s exceptionally important in the hand-in-glove nature of the NFL.
In 2018, the 49ers ranked third worst in starting field position, both on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, averaging starts and stands on the 26.2- and 30.9-yard lines, respectively.
There are a lot of reasons going into this lowly stat number. San Francisco turned the ball over a lot (we’ll get to that in a moment), and its own defense also forced an abhorrently low amount of turnovers, too (more on that as well). The 49ers defense also ranked 21st in forcing 3-and-out drives from opponents’ offenses.
But a big part of the statistical cog is on special teams which, according to Football Outsiders, ranked 14th in defensive value over average (DVOA) last season.
One of the key hopes here is to maximize the impact from San Francisco’s fourth-round NFL Draft pickup, punter Mitch Wishnowsky, who was viewed as the top at his position in this year’s class.
A keen ability to flip field position could help the proverbial dominoes fall, affecting both sides of this underrated category.