Niner Noise
FanSided

3 reasons why 49ers win Super Bowl 55 in 2021

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after winning the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers beat the Packers 37-20. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA - JANUARY 19: George Kittle #85 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after winning the NFC Championship game against the Green Bay Packers at Levi's Stadium on January 19, 2020 in Santa Clara, California. The 49ers beat the Packers 37-20. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
4 of 4
Next
Jimmy Garoppolo, 49ers
Jimmy Garoppolo #10 of the San Francisco 49ers (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

No. 1: Yes, Jimmy Garoppolo Should Improve in 2020

It’s fair enough to criticize quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for some of the 49ers’ gaffes and mistakes in Super Bowl 54. He missed a number of wide-open targets during the game, especially that fourth-quarter overthrow intended for Emmanuel Sanders, which could have given San Francisco a game-winning lead.

Garoppolo might never wind up being a true elite signal-caller, especially one of those capable of consistently carrying the weight of his offense for an entire season.

More from Niner Noise

But let’s keep things in perspective. Garoppolo has just 26 starts under his belt. That’s less than the quarterback he faced in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (31), and even fewer than two-year pro Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (27).

Plus, Garoppolo missed a major chance to continue absorbing head coach Kyle Shanahan’s complex offense in 2018, suffering his infamous ACL injury in Week 3 that year against those same Chiefs. As such, Garoppolo’s 2019 campaign essentially became the first full year in which he had a chance to experience it and hone his skills to it.

Here’s the comparison: In 2015, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan completed 66.3 percent of his passes for an 89.0 passer rating during his first season under Shanahan, when the latter was the offensive coordinator in Atlanta. A full season later, Ryan’s numbers increased to 69.9 and a league-leading 117.1, respectively, en route to the NFL’s MVP.

This isn’t to say Garoppolo will put up MVP-like numbers in 2020. But there’s solid evidence he’ll improve. Perhaps a lot.

Next. 5 reasons why 49ers lost Super Bowl 54 to Chiefs. dark

The trick, of course, will be continuing to move beyond each opponent after reaching the playoffs. And it will involve avoiding the same pitfalls and mistakes the 49ers committed in Super Bowl 54.

But given the circumstances, the Niners still pose an excellent chance to back up their heartbreaking Super Bowl loss with a Super Bowl win the following year.