Golden Nuggets: Building the rivalry

Year 2 of the Kyle Shanahan era comes with much more expectation than year 1 did. The Jimmy Garoppolo trade in the middle of the season catapulted the 49ers from a bottom of the NFL team to a possible playoff team this season. This offseason has been used to find some weapons for Jimmy. They spent money on getting Jerick McKinnon and bolstering the offensive line. The 1st 2 picks in the draft were used on the offense.

If the 49ers can become competitive this season, the NFC West could be a very fun division again. A few seasons ago, the 49ers and Seahawks developed a great NFL rivalry. They played meaningful, hard fought games and were battling at the top of the NFC. This season could start a new rivalry. The 49ers and LA Rams have the 2 youngest head coaches in the game and both are considered offensive geniuses. Both coaches are under 40 years old and have their teams trending in the right direction. Both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jared Goff could develop into top quarterbacks. Lastly, it gives the NFL a great Bay Area vs. LA rivalry in the NFC West. Shanahan’s 49ers and Sean McVay’s Rams could be fighting each other for many years.

49ers links

He’s got some now | Giving Jimmy some help (Wagoner)

Could develop into the top coaching rivalry | Shanahan vs. McVay (Benoit)

Team’s weakness (Barrows)

Big things expected from him | Fred Warner (Maiocco)

Jimmy’s targets | Receiving corps (Biderman)

49ers audio

Insider podcast (Maiocco)