Bill Barnwell of ESPN made a case for all 32 NFL teams to make it to Super Bowl LV. Yes, even the Jacksonville Jaguars, who, according to ESPN, have the lowest odds to get that far. The San Francisco 49ers were able to reach the big game last season, which surprised many analysts, and came close to winning it all.
What is the key to the 49ers' Super Bowl hopes? Staying healthy.
"To get back and over the top, they need quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to stay healthy and some of his receivers to join him," wrote Barnwell. "We already know how great the defensive line can be, but the 49ers' defense took a step backward when it lost linebacker Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt to injury at midseason.
"On the whole, the Niners had the league's seventh-most injured defense by adjusted games lost; if they can be healthier on defense and the Seahawks take a step backward, as expected, San Francisco could run this back in 2020."
Only three teams had better odds, per ESPN, of reaching Super Bowl LV. They are the Kansas City Chiefs, Baltimore Ravens, and New Orleans Saints.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have done a great job rebuilding the 49ers roster, and that culminated in an impressive 2019 campaign that ended with a Super Bowl berth.
Added Barnwell: "San Francisco had been 14-47 since Jim Harbaugh left for Michigan, and then they won 15 games between the 2019 regular season and playoffs."