Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.
Despite losing the Super Bowl yet again, analysts still widely consider the 49ers to have the top roster in the NFL. Recently, Pro Football Focus writers Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman ranked the 49ers’ roster no. 1 and explained why.
“Despite their Super Bowl loss, the 49ers are arguably the most talented team in the NFL,” wrote Wyman and Wasserman. “They are loaded with playmakers on offense who provide the perfect environment for Brock Purdy to succeed. They consistently boast a top-five defense. Patrick Mahomes has twice been the primary obstacle in their quest for a Lombardi Trophy. There are no such hurdles, however, in their consistent regular season success. Twelve wins is the expectation for this team.”
I would agree that the 49ers probably have the most talented team in the NFL, although it’s also the oldest roster. Still, 12 wins is a reasonable expectation for the 49ers, although I expect they’ll win 11 games this season.
But to write that “Patrick Mahomes has been the primary obstacle in their question for a Lombardi Trophy” is just factually inaccurate. The 49ers have intercepted Mahomes three times in two Super Bowls — they’ve held their own against him.
The primary obstacle in the 49ers’ quest for a sixth Lombardi Trophy has been head coach Kyle Shanahan. He has the best roster in the NFL, and yet he keeps getting outcoached badly by Andy Reid and Steve Spagnuolo.
The gap between Shanahan and Reid is far greater than the gap between Mahomes and Brock Purdy. And that’s why the 49ers aren’t champions. But it’s cool that their roster is good.
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