Super Bowl LV: Ranking top 5 NFL NFC contenders

1. San Francisco 49ers

The Saints have an extremely strong case for being considered the class of the conference going into the new season given the losses the Niners endured.

In addition to seeing Sanders depart, the 49ers also traded All-Pro defensive tackle DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts and saw left tackle Joe Staley retire.

The genius of the Niners’ offeseason, however, was the way in which they swiftly found replacements. Javon Kinlaw and Brandon Aiyuk were selected in the first round to fill the voids left by Buckner and Sanders, while San Francisco arguably upgraded on Staley by landing seven-time Pro Bowl left tackle Trent Williams in a trade on day three of the draft.

San Francisco’s offensive line will not be expected to miss a beat with Williams slotting into an offense he is familiar with from his time with Kyle Shanahan in Washington.

The questions will surround how quickly Kinlaw and Aiyuk can perform at a level comparable to their predecessors and, in an offseason with limited practice time, the wait may be longer than the Niners hoped.

Robert Saleh’s defense may be anticipated to take a step back after finishing 2019 second in DVOA. However, what must be remembered is that the Niners won the NFC despite ranking 27th in adjusted games lost.

Only five teams were more injury-struck than San Francisco in 2019. Key defensive contributors such as Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander, Jaquiski Tartt, D.J. Jones and Ronald Blair all saw their seasons either interrupted or ended by injury.

The 49ers will hope there is some regression to the mean in that department. Should those hopes be realized, then there is little reason not to expect a team with one of the most diverse and dangerous offenses in the NFL to contend for a return to the Super Bowl in 2020.