When general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan took over the San Francisco 49ers in 2017, it was pretty forgivable the team would end up going 5-11. After all, the Niners cleared out over 70 percent of the roster from the previous season and were essentially starting fresh.
In 2018, amid a 4-12 campaign, one might blame San Francisco’s lackluster record on a swarm of injuries and hard luck — realities in the NFL just as real as touchdowns, field goals and interceptions.
Speaking of the latter, the 49ers didn’t exactly have a lot in that category.