4 stats where 49ers were shockingly bad during 2021
By Peter Panacy
Usually, teams that make the conference championship games are good, and the 49ers were in 2021. Except in these four noteworthy stat categories.
There were surely a lot of reasons to complain about the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
Many of those complaints came early, particularly amid the four-game losing streak during the first half of the year, highlighting a time when the Niners would be 3-5 and looking at the cold, hard reality of missing the playoffs for the fourth time in five years under head coach Kyle Shanahan.
But, of course, San Francisco didn’t miss the postseason. No, it made it all the way to the NFC Championship game, part of the elite “final four” of the NFL.
Typically, these teams are dominant in a number of different statistical categories. And if you were to apply that to the 49ers, it’d be pretty true. The Niners owned the league’s No. 13 scoring offense, yes, but that was offset by the third-best defense in terms of yards allowed.
In many other categories, San Francisco ranked in the 10 best.
However, there are a number of statistical categories where the 49ers were not good at all last season. And whether or not these stat woes are resolved this offseason, looking at them can at least point out where the Niners need to improve in 2022.
No. 4: 49ers weren’t good in fourth-quarter scoring
Perhaps highlighting this facet, San Francisco having offensive troubles in the fourth quarter, is the fact Shanahan’s offense managed only 10 points combined in the fourth quarter of all three playoff games this season.
But that wasn’t just an anomaly.
The 49ers struggled a lot during the regular season in the fourth quarter, too, averaging 5.6 points in the final frame of regulation, tied for 25th in the league.
Putting that into context, the three-win Detroit Lions ranked better in fourth-quarter scoring with an average of 5.8 points in this frame. The four-win New York Jets averaged 6.4.
Whether this is on Shanahan for not possessing a late-game killer instinct, or because of players struggling to execute in the waning minutes of regulation, the Niners will need to figure out how to be more efficient in these situations.
Particularly in one-score games.