San Francisco 49ers: 3 realistic goals for 2021 season

Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers with Kyle Juszczyk #44 (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
Head coach Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers with Kyle Juszczyk #44 (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /
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Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports /

The 49ers are looking for a massive turnaround in 2021 after scuffling to a 6-10 finish last year, but there need to be some realistic goals set.

It might be best for San Francisco 49ers fans to put the idea of a Super Bowl “revenge tour” on hold.

Or maybe just scratch the idea altogether even though that might be tough in the wake of what happened in February 2020 during Super Bowl LIV.

By most accounts, the Niners should be a playoff team this year. At least that’s what FanSided’s Matt Verderame predicted, having San Francisco go 10-7 en route to a Wild Card berth and an unfortunate early exit from the postseason.

While that could sound a bit premature, given the 49ers still have a significant chunk of the roster that helped them get to the Super Bowl two seasons ago, it might be a bit more worthwhile to set some more realistic expectations for this team in 2021.

Especially considering there’s inevitably going to be a massive transition from veteran quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the top-drafted rookie, Trey Lance, at some point in the not-so-distant future.

That, too, should be part of the realistic goals head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. should have for the upcoming season. If anything, Shanahan and the Niners should be thinking about the long game rather than making a quick, desperate stretch to go “all in” this season and focus solely on winning a Super Bowl.

If it happens, great. But it would be wiser if San Francisco focuses on these three realistic goals and expectations for the upcoming 2021 campaign.