LEAP YEAR

Driving factors behind 49ers’ new winning ways

- Craig Massei

How did the 49ers take the gigantic leap from the outhouse to the penthouse in so short a period of time this year, seemingly skipping several steps along he way? Let us examine the ways with the major factors that have turned San Francisco from a struggling operation nobody was much excited about entering this season into the talk of the NFL and a team nobody wants to face during the upcoming playoffs.

STAYING THE COURSE: The Jimmy Garoppolo-fueled 5-0 finish to the 2017 debut season of the Kyle Shanahan/John Lynch regime suggested the 49ers were quickly on their way and primed to be a contender and the NFL’s new darlings in Year 2 of the rebuild. That’s not how it worked out. Instead, the team regressed from 6-10 to a 4-12 finish last season, tied for the second-worst record in the league. There was an extensive list of factors that contributed to the backslide, particularly a slew of significant injuries, but it shook the new foundation that had been established and raised questions whether Shanahan and Lynch were adept enough in their new, demanding first-time roles. But both men remained true to their plan to build the team and revitalize the organization, aggressively pursuing new personnel and fresh talent until they got it right. The 49ers’ rebirth and rise to powerhouse status this season suggest they actually were getting it right all along.