5 bold predictions for San Francisco 49ers, NFC West in 2020

No. 4: Rams will be bottom of the NFC West

In the NFL, it’s impossible to win if you don’t have control of the trenches and are able to force your will on your opponent.

The 49ers understand this, and their lines on both offense and defense are very skilled and powerful.

For this year, however, the Rams are significantly less powerful in these areas.

One of the reasons quarterback Jared Goff regressed in 2019 was the below-average blocking, allowing 47 sacks for the year and a lot of pressure to stifle the Rams offense. This hasn’t been rectified.

Meanwhile, the defensive line will once against be led by defensive tackle Aaron Donald who will one day be enshrined in Canton. However, the team lost EDGE Dante Fowler and the failure to find a replacement makes their pass rush much weaker.

There’s a similar problem with the linebacker position, as Cory Littleton has signed elsewhere to leave the team very weak at the position.

The one standout is the secondary, which is the strongest part of the entire team. However, having the secondary isn’t enough given they finished outside the playoffs last season with a stronger defense.

It could be a long year for the team, and I think the Cardinals will surpass L.A.