SF 49ers: Ranking 3 biggest weaknesses four weeks into 2020
By Peter Panacy
2020 is revealing the SF 49ers’ prospects for returning to the Super Bowl are going to be much tougher than thought, namely with these weaknesses.
The SF 49ers‘ “revenge tour” in 2020 to get back to the Super Bowl, and win it this time, has had its share of hiccups.
At 2-2, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad doesn’t look like a legitimate contender to hoist the Lombardi Trophy this upcoming February. Making the playoffs could also be a stretch, too, especially considering how tough the NFC West is right now and the fact the Niners are dead last within the division, thanks to the Arizona Cardinals pulling off that Week 1 win at Levi’s Stadium.
That loss, paired with the Week 4 prime-time defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, points out some serious concerns about Shanahan’s team over the first quarter of the season.
Yes, injuries have been a major factor. Losing players like quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and tight end George Kittle for shorter lengths of time have hurt. So have season-ending injuries to defensive linemen Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas, decimating what was thought to be San Francisco’s best overall unit, the defensive line.
Yet the Niners D-line isn’t the weakest link for the SF 49ers over these first four weeks. Despite the injuries, this unit has helped the Niners reach the No. 2 spot among top scoring defenses.
No, there are other units that have been far more problematic for San Francisco over the course of the season. While it’s unknown how the SF 49ers adjust or if any of these three positional units bounce back, what we do know is these three positions have been letting Shanahan and Co. down over the first four weeks of 2020.