3. San Francisco 49ers

The raining NFC Champions will have a tough climb if they want to get back to the Super Bowl and that starts with a challenging NFC West. The 49ers were an exciting team to watch in 2019 but expecting regression after a Super Bowl is usually the correct guess.

Losing DeForest Buckner is going to be a big hit to the 49ers’ defensive line. Replacing him with rookie Javon Kinlaw out of South Carolina could help to try and lessen the blow, but there is a high chance that the defense takes a slight step back this year.

On the other side of the ball, wide receiver was a weak area last year for San Francisco and not enough was done to turn that into a strength. Brandon Aiyuk, the wide receiver out of Arizona State, was drafted in the first round to try and change the balance of the offense. He will help, but the 49ers are still going to struggle moving the ball against better defenses this year.

While this is still a strong team and a push for the Wild Card spot is absolutely within their reach, winning the NFC West in back to back years is a difficult thing to do. After a huge jump last year, they regress this year as they fight to get back to the playoffs.