NFL playoff risers: Barnwell on six surprising teams, and what’s next

NFL Media analyst Maurice Jones-Drew ranked a whopping five NFL teams as more talented than the San Francisco 49ers, last season's Super Bowl runner-up. That may seem like a lot, and some teams listed above head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad will probably surprise fans. The five teams above San Francisco, ordered by rank, are the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Kansas City Chiefs. You read that right. The defending Super Bowl champions rank fifth on this list. As for the 49ers, here is what Jones-Drew had to say about the Bay Area team: "The 49ers ranked in the top five in

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had a pretty good statistical season last year. He passed for 3,978 yards — the fourth-most in franchise history, joining names like Steve Young and Jeff Garcia. That's not bad. He tossed 27 touchdowns through the air and added another on the ground, but also threw 13 interceptions. That's something to improve. Garoppolo guided the 49ers to 13 regular-season wins, a division championship, home-field advantage, and a playoff run that ended with a trip to the Super Bowl. Again, not bad. Yet, Garoppolo shouldered much of the blame for February's Super Bowl loss. Then the 49ers flirted with the idea of bringing in Tom Brady. Garoppolo knew that's just part of the

Jimmy Garoppolo is another year removed from the ACL injury that shortened his 2018 season. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback can focus on football and not have to worry about whether or not his knee will hold up in a game or how it will respond to that first big hit. While everyone tried to downplay that aspect of last offseason's preparation, it had to always be in the back of Garoppolo's mind. "It's night and day compared to where I was last year, at this time," Garoppolo told reporters on Tuesday via a video conference call. "At this time last year, it was more so getting back to being in a live pocket, having live bullets flying around me,