San Francisco 49ers under more pressure than most in 2019

The San Francisco 49ers haven’t done much winning lately. Back in 2017, owner Jed York made sweeping changes. He hired John Lynch to be his general manager before landing Kyle Shanahan to be the next head coach. The duo was supposed to be dynamic, adding a new chapter to a reach history out on the left coast.

So far, it hasn’t happened. The San Francisco 49ers have enjoyed plenty of lauded moves, including a draft class that included both defensive end Solomon Thomas and inside linebacker Reuben Foster in the first round. Both have been busts. Then there was the trade at the ’17 deadline to land New England Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for a second-round pick. So far, Garoppolo has won a few games, torn his ACL and left far more questions than answers.

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Now, heading into 2019, the 49ers have to win. The franchise has not reached the playoffs since the 2013 season, posting a hideous 17-47 record over the past four campaigns. With Garoppolo healthy and the roster loaded up with another fresh draft class, it’s time for Shanahan, Lynch and San Francisco to get the job done.

Ascending to the top of the NFC West won’t be an easy task. The San Francisco 49ers are clearly better than the Arizona Cardinals on paper, although Arizona was able to sweep San Francisco a year ago for two of its three wins. The Cardinals also have Kyler Murray under center. Still, the 49ers have the superior roster.

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The question is whether San Francisco can compete on a. real level with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. Seattle has one of the best head coach-quarterback combinations in the league in Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson. However, the Seahawks lost plenty this offseason, trading away defensive end Frank Clark and free safety  Earl Thomas. If the 49ers can play to their perceived level of talent, there’s reason to believe they can fight for second place in the West.

Doing more than that would be a chore considering the strength of the Rams, but that’s expected.

San Francisco shouldn’t be fighting for the division title, but it should be challenging for a winning season and a wild card berth. If that doesn’t happen, one wonders how long Shanahan and Lynch get before calls begin coming loudly for their jobs.