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Adam Rank received some backlash from the Niner Faithful last year after predicting that the San Francisco 49ers would finish the season with just three wins. Even with all of the question marks surrounding the team, that projection seemed to drastically underestimate the team's chances in 2019. Most felt the team would hover somewhere in the realm of .500.
The 49ers didn't win three games. They didn't play .500 football either. The team finished the season 13-3, won the NFC West, and earned the No. 1 seed in the conference before a playoff run that ended with a trip to the Super Bowl.
Rank was wrong, and all season long, he had to be reminded about that from fans.
The NFL Media analyst isn't underestimating the 49ers this year. Rank has San Francisco
finishing 12-4 in 2020, losing only to the Philadelphia Eagles, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Dallas Cowboys. The Seattle loss, by the way, is the Week 8 matchup at CenturyLink Field.
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Rank believes the Week 15 matchup between the 49ers and Cowboys could be the game of the year, with the two teams, in his opinion, being evenly matched.
A 12-4 record won't be enough to earn them the No. 1 seed again, says Rank. He has the 49ers as the No. 3 seed in the NFC.
"12-4, 'taking a step back,' but really, I think this team is better," explained Rank. "You think about Jimmy Garoppolo; I know a lot of people wanted to bring in
Tom Brady. That was ridiculous. Jimmy Garoppolo is a good quarterback. Raheem Mostert is a good running back.
Nick Bosa, obviously, is as good as advertised.
"You might feel disrespected. You might feel that I should say 13-3 or 14-2. You probably wish I would say 3-13 again. But here's the thing: To me, the 49ers are in a very similar situation to what the Chiefs were in last year. The Chiefs, two years ago, No. 1 seed, got knocked off in the AFC Championship Game, then went out and won the Super Bowl. I think it behooves the 49ers to kind of just, 'Alright, don't need to be the No. 1 seed again, and just kind of fly under the radar.'
"People look at the Eagles and some of these other teams that come out, and you have your best season ever. Even though, record-wise, it will be different from last year, I think they'll be much better."
Click here to listen to Rank's entire explanation of how he arrived at his 12-4 prediction.
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
