San Francisco 49ers

Are the 2016 San Francisco 49ers Worse than Last Year?

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The San Francisco 49ers are 1-5 and are in danger of hitting their Week 8 bye with just one victory on the 2016 season. Is it really possible this group under head coach Chip Kelly is worse than what was seen under Jim Tomsula a year ago?

Pick a stat and, chances are, the San Francisco 49ers are either last, or next to last, in it.

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The 2016 Niners have done little, if anything, to suggest there’s an improvement over what was fielded a year ago.

And this prompts the question — are this year’s 49ers actually worse than 2015?

Former head coach Jim Tomsula received a lot of grief for his efforts that led San Francisco to a 5-11 finish and lowly stats on both sides of the ball. One might have argued he was too inexperienced, too unprepared and in no condition to coach a team at the NFL level.

When the Niners selected Chip Kelly to head coach the Niners in 2016, expectations were he would reinvigorate a 49ers offense that finished dead last in scoring a year ago.

Well, maybe. Currently, San Francisco ranks 19th in scoring with 127 points.

But the “improvements” end there.

Earlier this month, Eric Branch of SFGate.com broke down how the 2016 season was eerily similar to 2015 so far. Branch commented how the Niners’ Week 1 victories in 2015 and 2016 provided a false sense of hope and expectation.

Results from Weeks 2 through 5 were also not that different.

San Francisco was having problems under center. The running game, which looked so promising at the beginning of the year, stumbled and faltered with each week.

And the defense? Well, permeable at best.

The Defense Is Definitely Worse

The 2015 49ers could at least state their defense clamped down as the season wore on. Last year’s team only allowed two 30-plus-point games after their Week 3 drubbing at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals.

Kelly’s group, or should we say defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil’s, already matched that mark through Week 6.

O’Neil’s run defense has been the biggest problem. According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, the Niners are on pace to give up 2,789 rushing yards on the season. That’s the most given up by any NFL team since the 1985 Houston Oilers.

Last year, then-defensive coordinator Eric Mangini’s bunch gave up a total of 2,020 yards on the ground. A lot, by most teams’ measures, but nothing in comparison to what’s seen now.

In order to go no further than last year’s total, San Francisco would have to hold opposing teams’ running offenses to an average of 97.3 yards per game.

Probably not going to happen.

If there is some moderate hope, this year’s 49ers rank seventh in fewest yards allowed through the air (1,293). The Niners ranked 27th in this same category a year ago.

Nov 8, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) and quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) look on before the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers Quarterback Dilemma and Offensive Woes

No surprise, the Niners had problems under center and made a midseason switch at quarterback. Last year, it was Colin Kaepernick to Blaine Gabbert. This year, simply swap the names.

Much of a difference?

Of course, Kap could suddenly rediscover the magic which made him such a potent offensive weapon in 2012 and 2013. Is it likely? Probably not. He doesn’t have weapons around him. And the league is far better prepared for him now than when he first broke into the league.

It would be one thing if San Francisco had offensive weapons. But they don’t. Aside from running back Carlos Hyde, who happens to be hurt right now just like he was a year ago, and seldom-targeted wide receiver Torrey Smith, no one inspires fear into opposing defenses.

Pound for pound, this year’s Niners have exactly zero punch in addition to what we saw last year.

In 2015, San Francisco ranked 31st in all-purpose yards gained. This year, the 49ers are dead last.

So much for Kelly’s offensive upgrades.

Yes, Kelly is at fault for this as well. It’s not just a roster problem (we’ll get to that shortly). He knows all too well his defense is unable to keep pace with better, stronger and faster offenses. And yet the fast-paced, uptempo offense continues to put the defense at risk.

San Francisco is last in the league in average time per drive (2:01). The next worst team, the Miami Dolphins averages 2:15 per drive.

It’s not a working formula.

Roster Problems and the Question — 2016 a Worse Team than Last Year?

Of course, so much of this falls on general manager Trent Baalke. When Barrows appeared on Sacramento’s KHTK 1140 on Friday, he noted how the Niners’ GM had more net draft picks than any other team over the last five years.

And yet San Francisco’s roster is in shambles. While a handful of the 49ers’ first-round draft picks of recent years — Jimmie Ward, Eric Reid, Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner — are making OK contributions, the role and depth players are vastly inferior to what’s being seen around the league.