PFF is expecting San Francisco to suffer a bit of a post-Super-Bowl-loss drop off in 2020.
Early 2020 season win totals were recently posted for those looking to place a bet and had the 49ers at 10.5 wins. That's two-and-a-half wins short of this past season's total.
PFF doesn't even envision San Francisco reaching that number. Data analyst Eric Eager sees the 49ers falling short of double-digit wins during the upcoming season, noting that San Francisco is in a very similar situation as the 2018 Los Angeles Rams. Sean McVay's team lost Super Bowl LIII and then failed to reach the playoffs this past season, finishing with a 9-7 record.
"[The 49ers] have a great, young offensive mind," writes Eager as he compares the team to the 2018 Rams, "a quarterback who is good but needs infrastructure to succeed and a defense that was among the league's best, especially up front."
So why does the PFF analyst believe the 49ers will go down a similar path as their division rivals?
"With Emmanuel Sanders, Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward set to be free agents, and with only $13 million in cap space," explains Eager, "and a situation where the team likely needs to get better fundamentally just to stay the same, look for the 49ers to remain a good team in 2020 but, like the Rams, fall short of double-digit-win expectations against a schedule that includes non-NFC West opponents New England, Dallas, Buffalo, New Orleans, and Green Bay."
More San Francisco 49ers News
-
Injuries in the spotlight during 49ers' short week ahead of Rams game
The San Francisco 49ers are quickly shifting focus from Sunday's victory over the Chicago Bears to their upcoming NFC West showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. With only a few days to prepare, the 49ers will host the Rams at Levi's Stadium on Thursday night, as both teams aim... -
Kyle Shanahan on benefits and challenges of short week ahead of 49ers-Rams showdown
After playing on Sunday afternoon, the San Francisco 49ers face a quick turnaround as they prepare to host the Los Angeles Rams on Thursday night. A compressed week like this presents unique challenges, especially for a team dealing with injuries—a recurring issue for the... -
49ers abandoned by bad teammate, fall to Rams: Rapid reactions
What a pathetic performance by the San Francisco 49ers. The offense was horrid and the defense, even though they played well for three quarters, couldn't hold off the Los Angeles Rams in the final quarter, as the 49ers lost 12-6. The loss didn't mathematically eliminate the... -
49ers' Kyle Shanahan expects Isaac Guerendo to "play like a starting running back"
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting the Chicago Bears on Sunday, and the starting running back for the 49ers will be the player who was their fourth-string running back going into training camp—rookie Isaac Guerendo. This will be the rookie's first NFL start, but he has...