2019 San Francisco 49ers season

2019 San Francisco 49ers season
2019 San Francisco 49ers season
Owner	Jed York
General manager	John Lynch
Head coach	Kyle Shanahan
Home field	Levi's Stadium
Results
Record	13–3
Division place	1st NFC West
Playoff finish	Won Divisional Playoffs; (vs. Vikings) 27–10; Won NFC Championship; (vs. Packers) 37–20; Lost Super Bowl LIV; (vs. Chiefs) 20–31
Pro Bowlers	4 Selected but did not participate due to participation in Super Bowl LIV:; DE Nick Bosa; FB Kyle Juszczyk; TE George Kittle; CB Richard Sherman;
AP All-Pros	3 TE George Kittle (1st team); CB Richard Sherman (2nd team); DT DeForest Buckner (2nd team);
Uniform
	← 2018; 49ers seasons; 2020 →;

The 2019 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 70th in the National Football League (NFL), their 74th overall and their third under the head coach-general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. They finished their 2019 season with a 13–3 record, their best finish since 2011. Starting the season 8–0 for the first time since 1990, the 49ers surpassed their win totals from the 2016, 2017, and 2018 seasons combined. The 49ers were the second straight NFC West team to start 8–0, with the other being the 2018 Rams. With a Week 11 win over the Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers clinched their first winning season since 2013. Despite a loss to the Atlanta Falcons in Week 15, the 49ers clinched a playoff spot for the first time since 2013 with a Los Angeles Rams loss. The 49ers beat the Cardinals for the first time since 2014, won in Seattle for the first time since 2011, and beat the Panthers in the regular season for the first time since 2001.

The 49ers saw significant improvements during the season on both sides of the ball, with some analysts naming it one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in NFL history.^[1] Their offense finished second in the league in scoring (479 points, most for the franchise since 1998), second in rushing yards per game (144 yards per game), first in rushing touchdowns (23), and third in point differential (+169). The defense was sixth in the league in forced turnovers (27), second in total defense (281.8 yards per game), first in passing defense (169.2 yards per game), and fourth in sacks (48). This was the first time since 2003 that the 49ers finished in the top 10 in both scoring and yards per game.^[2]

The 49ers had the best record in their conference, winning the head-to-head sweep tiebreaker with the Packers and New Orleans Saints. This was the first time the 49ers obtained home-field advantage throughout the playoffs since the 1997 season. In the playoffs, the 49ers defeated the Minnesota Vikings in the Divisional Round and the Packers in the NFC Championship Game, advancing to Super Bowl LIV, their first championship appearance since the 2012 season. However, the 49ers lost Super Bowl LIV to the Kansas City Chiefs 31–20. Despite having a 20–10 lead heading into the fourth quarter, the 49ers suffered their second Super Bowl loss in franchise history. It was the first time the 49ers lost a Super Bowl when leading after the third quarter (previously 4–0). The Niners also failed to join the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots as the only franchises to win 6 Super Bowls, or win their first title in 25 years.

^ Barnwell, Bill (January 23, 2020). "Ranking the most unlikely Super Bowl teams ever, and where the 2019 49ers land". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.
^ Branch, Eric (December 30, 2019). "Now hear this: 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo is at his best when noise is deafening". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 30, 2022.

[1] Barnwell, Bill (January 23, 2020). "Ranking the most unlikely Super Bowl teams ever, and where the 2019 49ers land". ESPN.com. Retrieved March 30, 2022.

[2] Branch, Eric (December 30, 2019). "Now hear this: 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo is at his best when noise is deafening". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved March 30, 2022.

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