‘4 Downs’ with Rich: the San Francisco 49ers’ Biggest Questions ahead of the ‘26 NFL Season!

The 49ers had 20 sacks last season. Denver led the league with 68.

Rich sat with that number for a second on his four-down season preview, then asked the room whether he had it right that Myles Garrett individually outsacked the entire San Francisco defense. Nobody rushed to correct him.

First down: are all these summer injuries an annoyance, or a sign of things to come?

The list is long enough to be its own segment. Christian McCaffrey and his load management, which Rich is fine with as long as it ends with him ready for Week 1. Nick Bosa back for Week 1. George Kittle on the field for Week 1. Mike Evans ready too. Ricky Pearsall is done for the year, which is the one genuinely settled item. Everything else is thighs wrapped, quads, the usual August vocabulary that either means nothing or means everything.

Second down: the wide receiver room, which Rich framed as another trip in the football DeLorean.

Pearsall going down sends you back to Deebo Samuel. Mike Evans is deep into a Hall of Fame career and the question is whether he adds a ring in San Francisco. And then there is the rookie out of Ole Miss, the only player from that Fiesta Bowl team who has not gone back to college, who arrives carrying the same weight a lot of young players carry. Some people wanted San Francisco to take somebody else in the first round instead of trading out for a second.

"If this kid is as good as everybody believes, then let's roll," Rich said.

Third down: what does Raheem Morris's defense look like?

This is where the 20 sacks live, and Rich called the number nuts. Morris arrives highly touted for good reason, and everyone already loves playing for him. The question is whether he can restore the opportunistic, takeaway-machine version of this defense. Get Fred Warner protected. Dre Greenlaw is back. They are a different team with those two on the field.

Fourth down: was last year a mirage, or is this a Super Bowl contender again?

Rich was careful about what he is not questioning. Not the coaching. Not the quarterback anymore. Not much about this team at all, and certainly not the fan base. The mirage case is entirely about schedule. San Francisco snuck up on a league that had written the year off as a rebuild, then nearly won the conference in the regular season and reached the divisional round, off a last-place schedule. This year it is a third-place schedule, in a division that houses the two best teams in the conference.

Chris came out for Brock Purdy, which is a shift.

"I've come around on him," he said, putting Purdy in the top half of the league and calling him tough and gritty after a season of battling through injuries. Losing Kittle in the first game threw everything off. Kittle is ramping back up with a chance to play Week 1, Evans is in the building, and the rookie has flashed.

"I like their offense," Chris said. "It all comes down to the defense."

The near-term math is simple enough. Three home games right after the trip to Australia, a visit to Seattle in Week 5, and a target of 4-3 or 5-2 at the bye.