The 2019 NFC West title was decided by inches.
Just ask 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who sealed the 49ers' division title with a tackle of Seattle Seahawks tight end Jacob Hollister at the goal line on the final play of their Week 17 matchup. That tackle locked up the division and the No. 1 seed in the NFC for the 49ers.
So it's not completely far-fetched to think the Seahawks come out on top during the 2020 season.
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NBC Sports NFL analyst Peter King believes the Seahawks will win the NFC West this season, and explained why in his latest "Football Morning In America" column.
"San Francisco, up by two scores with eight minutes left in the Super Bowl and with so many key guys returning, is a logical pick, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Niners went 12-4 and steamed to the top seed," King wrote. "I’m picking Seattle to edge the Niners in the division. It’s overly simplistic to say it’s a referendum on the quarterbacks, but that has much to do with it.
"I trust Russell Wilson over Jimmy Garoppolo."
With the 49ers not winning the division, King has San Francisco as the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs, meaning they would have to go on the road for their first-round playoff game and likely wouldn't have a home playoff game before the Super Bowl:
- Dallas Cowboys
- New Orleans Saints
- Seattle Seahawks
- Minnesota Vikings
- San Francisco 49ers
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Detroit Lions
San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo has been the target of much criticism since the 49ers blew a 20-10 fourth-quarter lead to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV.
But 49ers players and coaches have spent the entire offseason defending Garoppolo against the haters.
It's clear by King's reasoning that the sting of Garoppolo's performance in Miami Gardens hasn't worn off.
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It will be up to Garoppolo to come out early in the season and prove to the doubters that he has learned from last season and has improved as a quarterback.
If he hasn't, then King and the rest of the critics likely will be right about Garoppolo and the division.