Michael Silver sees the San Francisco 49ers' 2020 season as an anomaly. The fanbase hopes he is correct. Nothing would please its members more during the upcoming season than to see a team that more resembles the 2019 squad rather than the injury-plagued squad from last season.
"I think the 49ers are the favorite, not only in the NFC West but in the NFC," Silver said on NFL Network, much to the surprise of colleagues Judy Battista, Jeffri Chadiha, and Rhett Lewis. "And in the NFC West, I don't think it's close."
As for the division-rivals Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, Silver feels those teams have their own questions to answer and shouldn't automatically be considered better than a Kyle Shanahan roster that looked awfully impressive not too long ago.
"I know people are excited about Matthew Stafford," Silver commented. "He better be great for what they gave up to get him. Les Snead, the general manager, talked the other day about superpowers. Let's hope that Matthew Stafford has many, many superpowers that thus far have produced zero playoff victories in 12 seasons."
Silver goes on to describe the situation with Seattle and Russell Wilson as "a mess." Even if the quarterback returns, there will be some damage control to undergo.
"He basically threw offensive lineman under the bus, in a lot of people's eyes," Silver explained. "I think there could be some awkward moments in that locker room, and obviously, he and Pete Carroll have some bridging of their relationship to do.
"The 49ers, to me, are very much like the team that came very, very close to winning the Super Bowl, and I do write off last year to the insane wave of injuries they experienced. I know they might lose some guys. You get Nick Bosa back healthy, if Jimmy Garoppolo ends up being the quarterback and can stay healthy, you see them trying to fortify what they have.
"They re-signed fullback Kyle Juszczyk, which is huge. They're trying to get Trent Williams back. I think the 49ers are going to be a force to be reckoned with, and they start the NFC West Derby right now on the very top."
The latest on the @Seahawks and Russell Wilson... and how I see the NFC West at this early date... (hint: it's similar to the way I saw it 14 months ago) @nflnetwork @judybattista @jeffrichadiha @RhettNFL @49ers @RamsNFL @AZCardinals pic.twitter.com/TAq0sblUrj
— Michael Silver (@MikeSilver) March 15, 2021