3 stats 49ers should see improvement in 2021
By Peter Panacy
Getting healthy will be the 49ers’ first step towards having a better statistical season in 2021, and these three key areas could see a notable improvement.
The San Francisco 49ers‘ general lack of health in 2020 prompted head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch to rethink their offseason processes of player selection and addition.
Shanahan and Lynch went into free agency and the 2021 NFL Draft much more focused on players with better durability. Case in point, the Niners signed former Los Angeles Rams EDGE Samson Ebukam, who has never missed a game in his four-year pro career, to help alleviate the likely loss of oft-injured EDGE Dee Ford, who is still expected to miss serious time this year with a back injury.
San Francisco’s 6-10 finish last year can be attributed to many different things, and there’s no getting around the fact much of the disappointing results all led back to the injury factor.
But while getting healthy will help improve some key statistical areas in which the 49ers struggled last year, other notable moves and changes to the roster should also help matters, too.
A year ago, the Niners owned the NFL’s 21st-best scoring offense. Losing key weapons like quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Deebo Samuel and running back Raheem Mostert, as well as having an ever-shifting cast on the offensive line, influenced the less-than-desirable standing.
As long as San Francisco stays relatively healthy, particularly on offense, one might expect Shanahan’s squad to score more points easily, thereby resulting in a 2021 finish higher than 21st.
But that’s just one general area in which the 49ers may improve. Here are three additional, more specific areas in which the Niners should statistically improve this season.