San Francisco, CA

Cowboys toughest obstacles in the NFC: San Francisco 49ers preview

Published

2 years ago

July 22, 2024

The Dallas Cowboys are projected to be one of the better teams in the NFC this season. Many of the other top teams in the conference are playoff teams from a year ago and are expected to be right in the thick of things again this year. To get a feel for what kind of challenges the Cowboys might face this season, we’ll run through their toughest competitors, starting with the reigning NFC champs.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Head Coach: Kyle Shanahan, seven seasons, 64-51 (.557)

The San Francisco 49ers are the team to beat in the NFC. They have advanced to the NFC Championship game in four of the last five years, twice moving on to the Super Bowl. They have stars on both sides of the ball with studs like Christian McCaffrey, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, and Fred Warner. They also benefit from the emergence of seventh-round pick Brock Purdy who is only halfway through his super-cheap rookie deal. The Niners are poised to make some noise once again in 2024.

2023 Statistics

Record: 12-5, 1st in the NFC West, the top seed in the NFC playoffs

Offense rank: Points (3rd), Yards (2nd), passing efficiency (1st), and rushing efficiency (4th)

Defense rank: Points (3rd), Yards (8th), passing efficiency (5th), and rushing efficiency (14th)

2023 Leaders

Passing: Brock Purdy = 69.4 % completion, 4,280 yards, 31 TDs, 11 INTs

Rushing: Christian McCaffrey = 1,459 yards (5.4 ypc), 564 yards receiving, 21 total TDs

Receiving: Brandon Aiyuk = 75 catches for 1,342 yards and 7 TDs

Sacks: Nick Bosa = 10.5

Tackles: Fred Warner = 132

Interceptions: Charvarius Ward = 5

Best offensive weapon

The 49ers re-upped on their most talented offensive weapon adding two more years to McCaffrey’s contract, keeping him in San Francisco through the 2027 season. This move welcomes criticism from the “running backs don’t matter” coalition, but McCaffrey might be an anomaly. After never missing a game his first three years, he struggled to stay healthy, missing 22 games over the next two seasons. But since being traded to the 49ers, his career has been revitalized. Shanahan has been a run-producing genius since joining the team and now has the league’s most explosive runner.

Best defensive weapon

Before the 49ers were this NFC force, they were cellar-dwellers in the NFC, going five straight seasons without a winning record. This level of suckitude rewarded them with a top-10 pick in four consecutive drafts. Their top draft selection was the no. 2 overall pick, Nick Bosa, in 2019. The Ohio State edge rusher has been a force since entering the league and finished with 18.5 sacks in 2022 when he won Defensive Player of the Year (beating second-place finisher Micah Parsons). Bosa is the highest-paid player on the 49ers as he is in year two of a five-year, $170 million deal.

Notable losses

The 49ers came out of the offseason unscathed as they didn’t lose any huge contributors. Their biggest losses were suffered along the defensive line as some former blue-chippers are now gone. Former fourth-overall pick Clelin Ferrell had a solid year for them last year, starting all 17 games. He now joins Dan Quinn in Washington. Arik Armstead has been a mainstay at DT for them over the last several years but signed with Jacksonville. The 49ers traded for Chase Young (second-overall pick in 2020) and Randy Gregory last year, but both signed elsewhere this offseason.

Notable additions

Just because the 49ers defensive line was picked through in free agency doesn’t mean it’s now a weakness. The team was aggressive in finding some quality replacements. They signed veteran edge rusher Leonard Floyd (ninth overall in 2016) to a two-year, $20 million deal. Floyd hasn’t missed a game in six years and has recorded at least nine sacks in each of his last four seasons. They also added a run-stopping defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos to a two-year, $18 million deal. And to help strengthen the middle, they added a defensive tackle Cowboys fans might remember as they traded a seventh-round pick to the Houston Texans for Maliek Collins. He is coming off one of his better years in the league with a career-high in tackles (41) and sacks (5) last year.

Top draft pick

The 49ers picked at the end of the first round but took advantage of the rich wide-receiving class by selecting Ricky Pearsall. This could be a preemptive strike to replace Aiyuk whose future in San Francisco is uncertain as he looks for a new deal.

2024 game against Dallas: Week 8, Sunday Night Football

Poll

Which team will be better in 2024?

100%

San Francisco 49ers

(6 votes)

6 votes total

Vote Now

Source link

Related Topics:blogging boys Cowboys dallas Dallas Cowboys Schedule ers Featured Francisco front page in NFC obstacles Preview san the toughest

Click to comment

San Francisco, CA

What’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?

Published

3 hours ago

July 9, 2026

Press Room

What’s next for San Francisco Giants as MLB trade deadline approaches?

The San Francisco Giants have a lot to consider at this juncture of the MLB season.

There were mid-level expectations for the Giants at the start of the season. On paper, it seemed like the Giants could battle for a wild card berth.

The Giants won’t meet those expectations.

A week before the All-Star break, San Francisco has the third-worst record in baseball at 38-54. The Giants lost 10-0 to the Toronto Blue Jays on July 8, held hitless through eight innings.

It’s becoming increasingly obvious that this team won’t be competitive down the stretch, which has many of the Giants faithful singing a NxWorries tune, wondering what to do and where to go from here.

It’s evident that a shake-up is needed. It’s simply a matter of where they start and what they can realistically do to change things in the dugout. But one thing’s for sure: the Giants are sellers heading into the trade deadline.

What should the Giants do now?

The Giants have to accept their fate. Entering the season, they looked like a team that could compete with anybody, but then the baseball games were played and that proved to not be the case. So now San Francisco has to look itself in the mirror and figure out what went wrong and how to make things right – well, better than they have been going, anyways.

Here are a few ideas:

Get aggressive in the trade market, sell high

It’s easier said than done, but the Giants have to get off the expensive contracts eating up their salary. Reason being, you won’t be able to get any talent, let alone invest in your prospects, if there isn’t enough dollars to go around by the time negotiations occur.

It’s also a matter of how aggressive they plan to be and who will be prioritized. Who is untouchable? ESPN’s Jeff Passan has Giants outfielder Jung Hoo Lee as a top-ranked trade candidate. He plays all throughout the outfield. Offensively, Lee ranks top 10 in MLB in batting average and strikeout rate.

Lee, 27, makes $22.83 million this season and next, before going down to $21.33 million in both 2028 and 2029. Although not a star, the Giants can sell teams on Lee being a promising, solid all-around player.

Move on from veteran players

With a record like San Francisco’s, the best thing you can do for the fans is give them something to be hopeful for. That’s not aging veterans.

Examine the market for your guys who are age 30 and up, or are occupying a ton of salary space.

Rafael Devers turns 30 in October. His age isn’t so much a problem, but his contract … combined with the lack of expected production. Devers has had a down year so far, batting .244, registering 86 hits and 18 homers. He’s under contract through 2033 at a hefty price tag.

Others to consider moving on from are Willy Adames and Matt Chapman. They’re fan favorites, but based on age and dollars it all makes sense. Adames is under contract through 2031 at over $31 million per season. Chapman is locked up through 2030 at over $25 million per year.

It’s hard to say goodbye, but in the best interest of the Giants, they have to find new homes for these guys. And honestly, it wouldn’t be surprising if Devers, Chapman and Adames wanted to find a new home if it meant playing for a contender and a chance at a World Series title.

Retain young talent, bring in fresh faces

There’s promise for the future in this squad with guys like Bryce Eldridge, Blade Tidwell and Drew Gilbert. It’s a start.

“The San Francisco Giants, who would love to trade two of their infielders at the trade deadline, need to clear space for power-hitter Bryce Eldridge. They realize it’s stunting his growth as an infielder to keep using him as a DH at the age of 21,” USA TODAY Sports’ Bob Nightengale wrote.

Eldridge has had plenty moments as a designated hitter but none bigger than his walk-off grand slam against the Washington Nationals on June 10.

Another intitiative San Francisco needs to focus on is hanging on to guys like Logan Webb, Heliot Ramos, Casey Schmitt and Landon Roupp. The best bet is to hang on to them to help usher in a new era. Years from now, when the team has a new look, you can decide whether to leverage them for additional assets.

However, in the interim, hold on to those guys for dear life because teams will come knocking as MLB gets closer to the trade deadline.

Source link

San Francisco, CA

Bay Area Teen Waymo Riders Nabbed For Allegedly Shooting Projectiles From Robotaxi

Published

13 hours ago

July 8, 2026

Press Room

Bay Area Teen Waymo Riders Nabbed For Allegedly Shooting Projectiles From Robotaxi

San Mateo Police said they were contacted by Waymo about the two 15-year-old riders after they were seen drinking and shooting from the vehicle. The vehicle was stopped as police responded and officers were able to safely remove the teens.

An investigation determined the teens were shooting Orbeez water beads and drinking while being chauffeured around the city.

Source link