Niners Nation
The New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks will be playing in Santa Clara in two weeks for the Super Bowl. The San Francisco 49ers entered the 2025 season with one of the highest-projected win totals in the NFL. They reached that mark, yet despite all of the injuries, it felt like the team overachieved.
The Niners ran into a buzzsaw in the playoffs that just so happened to play in their own division, but it’s not a stretch to say the 49ers could have been in the Super Bowl under a different simulation. Of course, that would have likely meant Brandon Aiyuk returned, Nick Bosa stayed healthy, and Fred Warner never dislocated his ankle, which is a stretch given how much injuries factor into such a violent sport.
The offense remained among the best in the NFL, thanks to Kyle Shanahan’s prowess as a play-caller. The defense couldn’t get many stops, while the special teams, which were average, felt like they were better than ever compared to the previous five seasons.
Today’s question of the day: What are the 49ers missing that makes them a Super Bowl-caliber team?
The 49ers found a kicker who could make his kicks. They finished 13th in DVOA on special teams, but they began to slip in December. Skyy Moore became less effective, and the coverage teams, which were obviously injury-related, took a step back. The team is headed in the right direction, but still has a long way to go on this side of the ball. Consistency remains an issue.
It goes without saying that the 49ers need to win the battle of attrition. It’s a fight they’ve lost seemingly every year, save 2023. Injuries cut down what could have been a promising 2025 season, and took a developmental year away from Mykel Williams and a stepping-stone season from Ricky Pearsall.
My answer: A playmaker in the secondary.
Finding wide receiver help is essential. The pass rush will look night and day with Bosa on the field. One area where the Niners are severely lacking is having a playmaker in the secondary.
The Patriots eliminated one side of the field all season because they have a star cover corner in Christian Gonzalez. When Gonzalez was targeted in coverage in the fourth quarter during the playoffs, he allowed 12 receiving yards on eight targets. Even if you take away the gift of an interception he had this past weekend, Gonzalez forced four incompletions on 19 playoff targets, only allowing a 36.8 completion percentage. He allowed one of the lowest success rates in the previous few seasons at cornerback.
The 49ers don’t have that type of player in the secondary. The Nick Emmanwori’s or Devon Witherspoon’s do not exist on this roster. Quinyon Mitchell or Cooper DeJean aren’t, either. This offseason, whether it’s the draft or in free agency, it’s imperative for the Niners to find a playmaker in the back end.
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