49ers Week One: Three Bold Predictions
The 49ers travel to the Windy City to face the Bears in the season opener. Here are three bold predictions for this matchup.
Week One of the NFL season is almost here! Months of waiting have come down to only days. The 49ers head off to Chicago to face off with the Bears at famed Soldier Field. The game looks to be a mismatch as the 49ers have Super Bowl aspirations, while the Bears are looking to find players for the future that can help Justin Fields bring the Bears back to respectability.
The 49ers are the considerable favorites and with a big separation of talent between teams, they look to start the season off on a high note at 1-0.
Now, let’s look at three bold predictions that will affect the outcome of the game.
Three Bold Predictions For The 49ers’ Week One Matchup
Trey Lance and The Deep Play
I expect the 49ers to prioritize the deep ball against a young Bears secondary led by rookie first-rounder Kyler Gordon. Lance, who is known to throw a deep ball with great success, is going to look down the field to open up the defense and gain confidence. Adding an improved deep ball to an offense that already is explosive will take this team to different heights.
With the addition of speedster Danny Gray to go with Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, the 49ers have a legitimate deep threat that will force the defense to pay attention to him, allowing for Aiyuk and Deebo to thrive even more.
Bold prediction: On the first play of the game, look for Trey Lance to run play action and for Lance to target rookie Danny Gray on a go route to signify the new era of 49ers football under Trey Lance by completing a deep bomb.
It's officially Trey season in San Francisco. 🔥@treylance09 | @49ers pic.twitter.com/Mhw7Fzg0vg — NFL (@NFL) August 30, 2022
Nick Bosa
Nick Bosa is a man amongst boys. Before his fourth professional season, Bosa was ranked the 25th best player in the NFL by his peers and the third-ranked pass rusher in the league. The Bears are the perfect opponent for Bosa to get out to a fast start as he tries to make his first all-pro team in 2022.
The pass rush should be very good this season and even though Bosa will see his fair share of double teams in week one, he has the opportunity to singlehandedly shut down a below-average offensive line.
Bold Prediction: Bosa gets 3 sacks and a forced fumble as he looks to make his first career all-pro team and win the Defensive Player of The Year award.
Richard Sherman picks Nick Bosa to be DPOY and says 49ers gonna have to bring out the brinks truck for him pic.twitter.com/bkiHMge6lA — Alex 👋 (@Dubs408) August 25, 2022
49ers Running Game
It’s no secret what Kyle Shanahan likes to do. He likes to run the football and punish opposing defenses to set up play-action. The 49ers even with a shaky offensive line can run the football due to the excellent schemes Shanahan comes up with.
Last year the Chicago Bears were ranked 23rd in the NFL at defending the run. The 49ers should be able to run the ball and run it well. With the addition of Tyrion Davis-Price and the switch to Trey Lance being the full-time starter, Shanahan has even more toys to play with in addition to Elijah Mitchell, Jeff Wilson Jr, and Trey Sermon.
The threat of a mobile quarterback is something the 49ers have never had under Kyle Shanahan. The last time Kyle Shanahan had a mobile quarterback was in Washington with Robert Griffin III where he took the league by storm. The 49ers hope for that to be the case with Trey Lance.
Bold Prediction: The 49ers rush for over 200 yards and score multiple touchdowns on the ground as part of an offensive explosion to open up the season.