A year ago at this time, particularly after the 2017 San Francisco 49ers finished strong on a five-game win streak, there was enough hype to suggest head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad would legitimately compete for a playoff berth. After all, the Niners landed a franchise quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo and seemed poised to take a young, promising roster deep into the postseason.
It didn’t happen, of course. Garoppolo suffered a season-ending ACL tear, and the 49ers would finish with a disappointing 4-12 record.
Entering 2019, it’s going to be interesting to see how Shanahan and Co.