
5. 49ers
Around this time last year, there were plenty of football fans that believed the San Francisco 49ers could sneak up in the NFC as a surprise Super Bowl contender with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
After watching Tom Brady’s former backup end the 2017 season on a hot note by going 5-0, the 49ers finally seemed to have a reliable quarterback to build the franchise around.
Unfortunately, San Francisco watched Garoppolo’s 2018 campaign come to an end early after the quarterback suffered a torn ACL in September, putting the team in a tough position on offense.
Losing Garoppolo the way they did was a crushing blow for the 49ers, but at least with an offseason to recover, he’s back to his normal ways on offense.
While it was impressive to watch San Francisco earn a tough win on the road opening weekend against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, it was even more impressive to see the 49ers crush the Cincinnati Bengals on the road as well.
The 49ers were considered to be one of the teams that could give the Rams a surprise un for their money in 2018, and even though it took an extra year, Los Angeles better be alert when it comes to their division rivals.