Top 4 teams to challenge 49ers for NFC crown in 2020
By Peter Panacy
![Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers, Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers, Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)](https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/c_fill,w_720,ar_16:9,f_auto,q_auto,g_auto/shape/cover/sport/76ab73f87ebced9fad42dba9814a22496d58de27c51d2d522e404d54c854cc27.jpg)
49ers Challenger No. 3: Dallas Cowboys
Just like the hype surrounding the Niners’ longtime hated rival a year ago, the 2020 Dallas Cowboys are expected to be a serious threat to the NFC title after what’s turned into a pretty notable offseason.
About that hype entering 2019, Dallas was looking at an “all in” kind of year, particularly running into a number of high-profile players hitting contract years. Yet that ultimately transpired into an underwhelming 8-8 season, parting ways with longtime head coach Jason Garrett and some notable changes on both sides of the ball.
2020 is going to be a provocative year, yes. Especially with quarterback Dak Prescott’s contractual situation. He’ll want to ball out, of course, showing owner Jerry Jones he’s worth every penny of what’s going to be a massive new deal when that time comes.
Yet the Cowboys are also looking at an insanely good NFL Draft class, highlighted by the coup of a first-round grab, Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who fell to them at No. 17 overall somehow.
Don’t sleep on Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs in Round 2, either. Same with the fourth-round addition of Wisconsin lineman Tyler Biadasz. Either player could have gone in Round 1, and few would have argued against it.
The NFC East is still wide open, and the 49ers play in Dallas late in 2020, too.