ESPN’s Mike Clay projected the 49ers to be a slightly above-average team heading into 2021, believing the offense would rank around 15th with the defense doing the heavy lifting, ranking ninth.
Clay wasn’t far off, despite the 49ers being on the verge of another Super Bowl. It took the Rams blowing a double-digit lead in Week 18 for San Francisco to sneak into the playoffs, not to mention the help needed throughout December from other teams to make it.
Heading into 2022, Clay projects the 49ers as the 17th best team, with the 20th, yes, 20th best offense and 9th best defense.