San Francisco 49ers: The key tests of Kyle Shanahan's first season
As the San Francisco 49ers look to improve on a 2-14 season, here we look at the key tests they will face in Kyle Shanahan's first campaign at the helm.
With all the additions the San Francisco 49ers have made to their roster and the hiring of Kyle Shanahan as head coach, there is a prevailing school of thought that this improved squad should see an upturn in performances, if not a drastic improvement in results.
However, the 49ers remain one the inferior powers in the NFC West and, while there schedule is only rated as the 20th toughest in the NFL, a tough start could provide Shanahan with something of a baptism of fire.
But which games will prove a measuring stick for the Shanahan-led 49ers? There are a number of sections of the schedule that will provide the sternest examination of the new-look Niners. That starts with a home-opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Last season the 49ers had no problem hanging points on the Panthers defense, but never looked like stopping Cam Newton and Co. on the other side of the ball. Though San Francisco has added talent to the front seven, the home-opener with Carolina presents a significant challenge to the Niners defense, which will be making the change to a 4-3 under coordinator Robert Saleh.
Putting the concerns over Kelvin Benjamin's conditioning to one side, there is no doubt the Panthers are better on offense, having drafted two extremely versatile talents in Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel. How San Francisco performs against a team that has the potential to again become a juggernaut will offer an early window into the potential of Saleh's defense.
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Following that difficult opener is a trip up north to Seattle, where the Niners have not won since 2011. San Francisco was boat-raced by the Seahawks in a 37-18 loss at CenturyLink Field last season and previous visits have not gone much better. If Shanahan can get the 49ers to be even vaguely competitive in Seattle, then that will count as progress.
More tests will await Shanahan and San Fran when they head away from home in the 2017 season. The 49ers' average margin of defeat in seven road losses in 2016 was 17.8.
Simply put, the Niners were dreadful on their travels last term, they were rarely involved in close games and lost heavily to under-performing teams such as the Buffalo Bills and the Chicago Bears. Those kind of results will inspire little confidence for a five-week stretch in the 2017 season in which the 49ers play four games on the road and face a home meeting with the Dallas Cowboys.
The road opposition comes in the form of the Arizona Cardinals, two playoff contenders in the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts, and a Philadelphia Eagles team that has added a host of new weapons to quarterback Carson Wentz's arsenal. After last year's away results, Shanahan's reputation will be enhanced if that stretch is anything other than miserable.
After a Week 11 bye, things appear smoother for the 49ers, who should have the opportunity to finish another potentially trying campaign on a high.
Though they face the Seahawks in Week 12, three of the final five weeks of the season see the 49ers take on the Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars and Los Angeles Rams, three inept franchises who provide San Francisco with opposition they have a strong chance of defeating.
Matchups with two strong AFC South teams in the Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans offer the Niners more imposing challenges. However, the home stretch of the regular season could see them end the campaign on a high note and help keep the positivity that has been present throughout the early stages of the John Lynch and Shanahan era going into the 2018 offseason.