3 stats 49ers should see improvement in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: 49ers’ Offensive Turnovers
2020 Stats: 31 turnovers, second most in NFL
A key reason behind San Francisco’s lackluster scoring offense last year was the tendency to turn the ball over.
Boasting 31 turnovers — 23 interceptions and nine fumbles lost — and averaging nearly two per game is a quick way to cut into scoring chances while also leading to shorter defensive stands which, in turn, helped influence the 49ers’ rankings for few yards allowed on defense but a sizable number of points surrendered.
More on that in a second, but one might see how cutting down on interceptions should be a key goal for Kyle Shanahan and Co. this season.
A big fix might have already happened: the Niners bidding farewell to No. 2 quarterback Nick Mullens, whose league-worst 3.7 interception percentage on 12 picks thrown over 10 games last year was a primary reason why San Francisco’s INT totals were so high.
Granted, Jimmy Garoppolo’s career-2.7 interception percentage isn’t great. But even shaving off five or six picks from last year’s ghastly totals should help drastically improve a number of areas on both sides of the ball, considering the hand-in-glove and complementary nature of the game.
More scoring opportunities, longer offensive drives and better defensive stands could all be the result of fewer turnovers.
And whenever rookie quarterback Trey Lance takes over, noting his 0.3 interception percentage in college, the hope will be for the 49ers to get even better in this particular department.
Related Story: Trey Lance can help cut down on 49ers heavy INT numbers
For now, though, Garoppolo being even slightly better at protecting the ball than Mullens should go a long way towards improving this ever-too-important Niners statistical category.