The 49ers finished one of their most successful regular seasons ever with a 13-3 record, an NFC West crown, and the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC.
Their season was as thrilling as they come, with four fourth-quarter comebacks, and three losses all on the final play of the game. We went back through the season and issued some team and individual awards.
Best win
Week 14: 48-46 at Saints
There’s a slew of arguments to be made for the best win of the year for the 49ers, but their 48-46 road win over the Saints was the first time all season the defense truly struggled. Even as San Francisco jumped out to an 8-0 start, there were questions over what the offense was capable of the event the defense faltered.
That exact scenario played out at the Superdome, and Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49ers offense had answers every time. Even when the Saints scored to take the lead with under a minute to go, it wasn’t enough to notch a win. Garoppolo found George Kittle for a monster run down the sideline that put the 49ers in position to kick a game-winning field goal as time expired. It was the arrival of San Francisco as the NFC favorite, and more proof of their all-around capabilities as a ball club.
Best play
Emmanuel Sanders throws 35-yard TD pass to Raheem Mostert
The 49ers’ win over the Saints had so many wild plays that it sometimes gets lost that wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders actually threw a touchdown pass. It came on a reverse pass where Sanders was under duress from a blitzing linebacker.
Mostert leaked out of the backfield on the play and found himself wide open down the right side as chaos reigned in the backfield. Sanders saw the running back, and despite the unanticipated pressure, uncorked a dime to Mostert, who could’ve walked in for his easiest score of the year.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan was sensational all game in New Orleans, but pulling that play out of his bag to cut the Saints’ lead to 27-21 midway through the second quarter was big. Plus, it was just a really cool play.
Best single-game offensive performance
Week 8: Tevin Coleman vs. Panthers
This was our pick at the midway point of the season, and it remains at the top in a list of some pretty remarkable offensive showings. Coleman against Carolina became the first player in team history to run for three touchdowns and catch another in the same game. He finished with 118 all-purpose yards and averaged 9.5 yards per carry on 11 attempts. Coleman struggled through the latter half of the year, but if he regains the form he found against the Panthers, he’ll be a key factor for the 49ers in the playoffs.
Best single-game defensive performance
Week 8: Nick Bosa vs. Panthers
This also stays after getting the nod at the halfway point. Bosa put on a show against the Panthers with three sacks and an interception. The No. 2 overall pick became the 22nd NFL player to notch three sacks and an interception in a game. He is the first 49ers defender on that list. While Bosa had a ton of productive weeks that didn’t culminate in any sacks, he put it all together in Week 8 to quantify his production on the stat sheet.
Under-the-radar star
DL Arik Armstead
It looked like Armstead was on his way to a Pro Bowl and possibly an All-Pro team. He led the 49ers with 10 sacks. His 11 tackles for loss were second on the team, and his 18 quarterback hits were also the second-most. There’s an argument to be made that Armstead was the second-best defensive lineman on the 49ers this season. He also played 16 games and plays every spot on the defensive front. Armstead hasn’t been under the radar for anyone that watches the 49ers, but his lack of recognition on the national level made him our under-the-radar star.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
WR Deebo Samuel
This award belonged to Justin Skule at the halfway mark. Samuel at that point had just 18 catches, 187 yards, one touchdown reception, and five rushes for 37 yards and one touchdown on the ground. The way Samuel came on at the end of the year made him the easy choice for 49ers Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Over the final nine games, Samuel had 39 receptions for 615 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed nine times for 122 yards and two touchdowns. It was a remarkable close to the season, and he wound up setting a record for 49ers rookie wide receivers with 961 yards from scrimmage. The No. 36 overall pick has become an essential part of the 49ers’ offense, and he’s the lone rookie consistently producing on that side of the ball.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
DE Nick Bosa
It doesn’t get more obvious than this. Bosa had 9.0 sacks, and led the team with 16 tackles for loss and 25 quarterback hits. He is a relentless force on the edge against the run and pass, and his 80 quarterback pressures were the most ever for a rookie by a wide margin according to Pro Football Focus. San Francisco got a tremendous effort from rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw, but Bosa was simply the best rookie on the team, and will likely be recognized as the top defensive rookie in the league.
Offensive Player of the Year
TE George Kittle
Kittle might be the best all-around player in the NFL. He’s a sensational blocker and an elite pass catcher. The 49ers’ offense doesn’t operate the same when he’s out, and he’s single-handedly helped carry them to some wins this season. Had he not missed two games with knee and ankle injuries, Kittle might’ve eclipsed the 100-catch mark, and had an outside shot at breaking his own record for receiving yards in a season by a tight end. He finished the year with 85 receptions, 1,053 yards and five touchdowns. The 49ers had a ton of good players on offense, but Kittle was the best of them.
Defensive Player of the Year
DE Nick Bosa
With all due respect to Richard Sherman and Fred Warner, both of whom were very close to taking this award, Bosa has been the best defensive player for the 49ers. His impact is so apparent on every snap, and he combines elite pass-rush skills with an uncommon motor that makes him nigh impossible to block.
Sherman shuts down an entire side of the field, and Warner patrols the middle of the front seven as a dynamite do-everything linebacker. The 49ers defense just seems to go as Bosa goes though. When he’s getting into the backfield, he wreaks havoc. When he doesn’t, the 49ers are vulnerable.
MVP
QB Jimmy Garoppolo
It’s not easy elevating Garoppolo to this level considering the other worry players on the team, but the quarterback was tremendous in his return from a torn ACL.
The team didn’t lean on him much early in the season, but his workload increased down the stretch as the 49ers’ defense faltered. He delivered four fourth-quarter comebacks, and orchestrated four game-winning drives. His 3,978 passing yards were the fourth most in team history, and his 8.4 yards per attempt were the third-most in the NFL.
San Francisco relied plenty on their defense and run game, but Garoppolo made a ton of plays down the stretch to keep the 49ers in games and to win them some others. Arguments can be made for several other players, but Garoppolo gets our 49ers MVP vote.
