3 stats in which 49ers may regress in 2021

While not much went right for the 49ers in 2020, there were a few statistical categories that were impressive but likely won’t carry over into 2021.

For those who don’t like to see what negative things may happen to the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, at least statistically, just go ahead and check out some areas where head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad shows some improvement this upcoming season.

For some of the realists, this one’s for you.

A 6-10 finish is nothing to get excited about. Especially when one considers Shanahan has endured three losing seasons out of four since becoming the Niners’ head coach, and all three of those years have incurred 10 or more losses.

Yes, injuries played a massive role in determining San Francisco’s 2020 outcome. There’s no getting around that, and the law of averages suggests things will be much better in 2021, particularly after Shanahan and general manager John Lynch put a focus towards onboarding players this offseason with a better track record of health and durability.

All that said, the 49ers actually performed well, statistically, in some areas last year despite all the challenges and setbacks. Case in point, then-defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was responsible for a defense that ranked fifth best in the NFL, in terms of yards allowed (5,030), which is quite impressive despite the loss of many a key defensive contributor, namely EDGE Nick Bosa and cornerback Richard Sherman, for most of the season.

Saleh is gone now, opening the door for first-year coordinator DeMeco Ryans to leave his mark. Ryans’ learning curve, paired with the inconsistent nature of defenses in today’s NFL, likely points to the Niners not quite being that good, at least at preventing opposing defenses from moving the ball.

But these three other statistical categories could wind up seeing some regression in 2021, too.