There are reasons to believe the 49ers will return to the Super Bowl next season, but there also are reasons to believe they won’t.
Here are those reasons.
1. Health.
The 49ers were about as healthy as could be this past season. They didn’t suffer a major injury to their starting quarterback or their starting running back for the first time in forever, and their roster almost was at full strength going into the Super Bowl. That probably was an aberration. It’s impossible to say which players will get injured, but we do know that Dre Greenlaw is coming off a torn Achilles and could miss some or all of the upcoming season. In addition, Talanoa Hufanga is coming off a torn ACL, and lots of key players are 30 or older.
2. The NFC will be better.
Last season, the 49ers clearly were the best team in the NFC, but they didn’t dominate the Packers and Lions in the playoffs the way oddsmakers expected the 49ers would. The 49ers trailed for the majority of those games. Next season, both Green Bay and Detroit should be better, considering they’re young teams with cap space. In addition, each of the teams in the NFC West should be better, considering the Seahawks just upgraded at head coach, and the Cardinals and Rams are rebuilding fast.
3. The schedule will be tougher.
The 49ers will have to face the Chiefs, the Bills, the Lions, the Packers, the Dolphins and the Vikings, not to mention the Rams twice and the Cowboys. That’s brutal.
