Three Reasons the 49ers Will Return to the Super Bowl Next Season

The 49ers just experienced one of the most crushing defeats in Super Bowl history, but there are reasons to believe they'll return to the big game next season.

Here are three of those reasons.

1. A new defensive coordinator.

The 49ers defense gave up just 17.5 points per game last season -- third fewest in the NFL -- even though the players never fully bought into Steve Wilks as the defensive coordinator and didn't always give their best effort. It's hard to say why the players didn't buy into Wilks other than the fact that he was an outsider and they didn't know him. But it's impressive that they were able to rank third in points allowed despite a rocky relationship with their coordinator. Now the 49ers should hire someone the players like and will play hard for.

2. A better offensive line.

The right side of the offensive line has been the weakness of the 49ers offense since 2018 when they replaced Trent Brown with Mike McGlinchey. Now they have an opportunity to make that side of the line a strength, because they have a first round pick for the first time since 2021, and they would be smart to spend it on an offensive tackle, considering Trent Williams is getting old.

3. Improved young players.

The core of the team is older, but the 49ers still have young players who should improve next year, players such as Brock Purdy, Brandon Aiyuk, Aaron Banks, Spencer Burford, Ji'Ayir Brown, Talanoa Hufanga and Deommodore Lenoir.