San Francisco 49ers will win the NFC West in 2020, and here’s 5 reasons why
1. Defensive continuity
The 49ers kept the bulk of their team together, with their most significant loss coming when they traded DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the 13th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Buckner was arguably San Francisco’s premier defensive player and it may take some time for Kinlaw, whom they selected with their first pick in the first round of the draft, to replicate his impact despite the former South Carolina defensive tackle’s obvious physical gifts.
Yet a defense that was among the best in the NFL last season has otherwise been kept together, and it remains comfortably the top unit in the NFC West.
Where that continuity will be most important is in the secondary, where the Niners signed Jimmie Ward to a contract extension after he finally enjoyed a breakout year at free safety.
He and the underrated Jaquiski Tartt are an excellent safety pairing and, with Emmanuel Moseley emerging at boundary corner across from Richard Sherman, the Niners finally have consistency at what had long been an area of concern. That secondary has the benefit of playing behind a ferocious pass rush and perhaps the most athletic group of linebackers in the NFL.
It is reasonable to expect a defense that finished second in DVOA last season and lost a player of Buckner’s caliber to regress.
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However, this is a relatively young defense in which the likes of Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw should continue to develop in a system that is not overly complex. The defense may take a step back, but not one big enough for any of their division rivals to knock them off.