San Francisco 49ers: 2018 Season preview, prediction and more
Offensive Preview
After winning all of his first seven games a starter, one could be forgiven for thinking success is almost guaranteed for Garoppolo. While he is bound to finally taste defeat in 2018, Garoppolo should still get the offense humming in 2018 and, if recent history is instructive, Garoppolo’s first full season as a starter should be one in which he becomes one of the NFL’s elite at quarterback.
The second year in the Shanahan scheme is typically the season in which it sinks in for his quarterbacks. Matt Ryan was MVP playing under Shanahan in 2016 and Garoppolo has the supporting cast to produce a similarly memorable campaign this time around.
He will be playing behind what looks a vastly improved offensive line that kept him clean throughout preseason. Rookie Mike McGlinchey is an upgrade over Trent Brown in the run game and is just as effective in pass protection, his athleticism making him much more suited to the offense.
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The interior also appears improved, thanks predominantly to the addition of center Weston Richburg who, providing he avoids any injuries akin to the concussion that cost him most of 2017, should be pivotal to the run game and excel at protecting Garoppolo. In 2016, per the Football Outsiders Almanac, he allowed only one sack and four blown blocks.
The receiving options have been restocked, too. Garoppolo’s rapport with Marquise Goodwin continues to grow and he will hope to strike up a similar understanding with Pierre Garcon. Trent Taylor was a go-to target from the slot as a rookie and did not seem to have lost a step when he returned from offseason back surgery in preseason.
Tight end George Kittle is primed for a breakout year as the starting end despite separating his shoulder in the preseason opener, but it is the potential of Dante Pettis, Richie James and Kendrick Bourne that gives this group a really high ceiling.
San Francisco will hope Pettis uses his speed and route-running craft to develop into a No. 1 receiver having thrived at Washington on the outside, in the slot and as a return man. James also has return upside and figures to see plenty of early action from the slot and out of the backfield given his dynamism after the catch.
Bourne is the most physically imposing Niners wideout and had the look of another potential No. 1 in his late 2017 emergence. He could be the answer to the Niners well-documented red zone woes, but if San Francisco’s receivers simply do a better job of holding on to the ball then they should improve. Per the Football Outsiders Almanac, the 49ers dropped 41 passes in 2017, the second-most in the league.
The season-ending knee injury to Jerick McKinnon was a significant blow to the passing game as well as the ground attack. McKinnon was set to be used in numerous ways, including being split outside as a receiver.
James and fullback Kyle Juszczyk may see more targets as a result of that, while the running game will be in the capable hands of Matt Breida and Alfred Morris, the astute signing of the latter giving the Niners a back who not only had his best years in Shanahan’s system but also performs well in short-yardage situations.
The upside of that committee backfield may be limited following McKinnon’s injury but, with the combination of the coordinator and the personnel, this offense is a strong bet to be one of the league’s best. It is what happens on the other side of the ball that will determine how far the Niners go in 2018.