The 49ers of 2019 routinely played intense, nail-biting, down-to-the-wire games.
Eight of the 49ers’ games were decided in the closing minutes, including two outcomes that had to be decided by replay reviews from the NFL officiating office in New York after the final seconds had already run off the clock.
It seemed that every heart-pounding, sweaty-hand outcome of the previous two seasons ended with the 49ers trying to find some silver lining. And now we can look back and discover that plenty of good things for the 49ers amounted from all of their setbacks during Kyle Shanahan’s first two years as head coach.
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This season, in retrospect, could not have been possible without all those closes losses of 2017 and ’18. Those losses provided valuable lessons. It also helped the 49ers' draft status, enabling them to select program-enhancing players on offense and defense in 2019.
The 49ers won the NFC West last Sunday with a typically engrossing 26-21 victory over the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers snapped an eight-game losing streak in Seattle and wrapped up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
It was a memorable 49ers regular season, to be sure. And it is time to hand out the team awards and look back on the key moments:
Most Valuable Player
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It’s tight end George Kittle ... of course.
Seahawks coach Pete Carroll last week called Kittle the best player on the 49ers. Right tackle Mike McGlinchey said after the 49ers’ dramatic win in New Orleans, “He’s the best in the world.”
Kittle is the 49ers’ best player. And McGlinchey was not specific about which category in which Kittle ranks No. 1 world-wide, but we tend to agree with his assessment, regardless.
Last year, Kittle became the first tight end in 49ers history to have 1,000 yards receiving. He set the all-time single-season NFL tight end record with 1,377 yards. This season, he missed two games with knee and ankle injuries, and still had 85 receptions for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns.
Kittle is the only tight end in 49ers history to register 1,000 yards receiving. And, now, he’s done it in back-to-back seasons.
But Kittle’s contributions are more than just numbers. He is a great blocker. His energy and enthusiasm are contagious. He is just goofy enough to keep his teammates loose when things are getting harrowing.
Offensive Player of the Year
Jimmy Garoppolo had one of the best seasons for a 49ers quarterback in franchise history. He did it in the clutch, too.
Garoppolo engineered four game-winning drives in the fourth quarter of games this season. The 49ers twice drove 75 yards for second-half touchdowns in Week 17 after Seattle twice had pulled to within one score.
After sustaining a season-ending injury in Week 3 in Kansas City in 2018, Garoppolo was the only quarterback to attempt a pass this season. His 69.1 completion percentage was third-best in franchise history for a single season, and his 3,978 yards were No. 4 among 49ers quarterbacks.
Defensive Player of the Year
This one can go several different ways, but the award goes to ... cornerback Richard Sherman.
Sherman essentially closed one side of the field to opposing offenses. In the 49ers’ most important game of the season, the Seahawks never once even tested Sherman. The field essentially got a lot more narrow with Sherman holding things down from his position on the left side.
Nick Bosa, Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Fred Warner were among those who made valuable contributions, but Sherman did a consistently super job from a position where mistakes are glaring and can determine outcomes. This one was special, as he was named to the Pro Bowl for the fifth time in his career.
Sherman’s passer-rating against was just 46.8, the third-best mark of any cornerback this season, according to Pro Football Focus. He allowed just one touchdown the entire season, and he allowed just one catch for every 19.1 snaps in coverage, the second-best mark in the NFL, via PFF. In addition, Sherman was PFF’s highest-rated corner of the decade.
Special Teams Player of the Year
Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was tied for 12th in the NFL with a solid 41.6 net average. Although he probably did not live up to the lofty expectations that come with a punter being selected in the fourth round of the draft, Wishnowsky was reliable and very consistent.
Comeback Player of the Year
Garoppolo might win the award in balloting that takes into account the entire league, but in this space, the team honor goes to safety Jimmie Ward.
Ward sustained fractured forearms in both of the past two seasons. His first five NFL seasons were marked by injuries and constant position changes with the 49ers’ defensive backfield. Through all the public scrutiny directed at his injuries, Ward persevered and became better because of it.
The 49ers never wavered in their belief that Ward was somebody they wanted on the team. He signed to remain with the 49ers on a one-year contract. He sat out the first three games of the season after undergoing surgery to repair a broken finger. Ward started the final 13 games, and he was a steadying presence in the secondary.
Ward is a big reason the 49ers allowed just 34 pass plays of 20 yards or more – tied for best in the league. Although Ward was not ever fully satisfied with his performance because he believes he should be generating more takeaways, his comeback to the team this season is a big reason the 49ers enter the playoffs in such an advantageous position.
Most Improved Player
Raheem Mostert’s roster spot was never in doubt. He already established himself as the 49ers’ best player on special teams and, perhaps, the best in the NFL.
In 2019, Mostert continued to be the 49ers’ best special-teams player. But he was also the 49ers’ best running back and their best touchdown producer.
In December, Mostert took over as the 49ers’ top running back and ended up leading the team in rushing with 772 yards on 137 rushing attempts for a 5.7 yard average. He also led the 49ers with 10 touchdowns – eight rushing and two receiving.
Oh, by the way, Mostert also led the 49ers with 14 tackles on special teams.
A Master of Timing
Defensive lineman Arik Armstead established himself in 2018 as a force in the run game. The 49ers brought him back on the fifth-year option because of his ability to make an impact on those run downs.
This season, as he gets set to enter into unrestricted free agency, Armstead did it all.
Said Sherman, “The Brinks truck is going to back up for him. Beep, beep.”
While continuing to be a force in the run game, Armstead also was the 49ers’ leader in sacks. After registering nine sacks in his first four seasons, Armstead piled up 10 sacks in 2019 and showcased he is a defensive lineman for all downs.
Best Cameo Appearance
The 49ers had already lost one game when Kittle was out with an injury, and they were close to losing another, trailing the Arizona Cardinals by three points in the final minute of the Week 11 at Levi’s Stadium.
Enter Jeff Wilson, the 49ers’ No. 4 running back, for his only offensive play of the game.
Shanahan singled out Wilson for his ability to run this one particular route. And Wilson delivered, shaking Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones, making the catch of the Garoppolo pass, and turning upfield for the 25-yard game-winning touchdown.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Sure, the 49ers considered defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the No. 2 overall pick for a period of time before the draft. But it was always fairly obvious Nick Bosa would be the man.
The only real issue with Bosa was his durability. Others scrutinized his social media without doing the homework on Bosa’s relationships with teammates and coaches from every imaginable background.
Bosa played all 16 games and rarely came off the field, and he quickly became a popular teammate. Bosa registered nine sacks and accounted for 80 quarterback pressures while facing a constant barrage of double-team blocking tactics.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel and veteran Emmanuel Sanders provided the 49ers with two reliable pass-catching targets down the stretch of the season. Samuel got better and better and better.
Samuel, a second-round pick from South Carolina, ranked fourth among rookies with 802 receiving yards. He led all rookies with 17 receptions of 20 yards or more. He also led all NFL wide receivers with 159 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Samuel had three games with 100 or more yards receiving, including Week 17 when he came through with 102 yards receiving and a 30-yard touchdown run.
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Offensive Play of the Year
On a fourth-and-2 from their own 33 against the New Orleans Saints, coach Kyle Shanahan called a play on which Kittle messed up repeatedly during the week. But when it counted, Kittle came through.
It’s called a choice route. Against man coverage, Kittle can break his route whichever direction the defender gives him. Garoppolo is locked onto Kittle and merely reacts to whichever way Kittle chooses too run. New Orleans Saints rookie C.J. Gardner-Johnson played Kittle to the inside, so Kittle broke to the outside.
Kittle picked up the first down, and a lot more. Saints safety Marcus Williams attempted to tackle Kittle by his facemask. Two other Saints jumped on in their futile attempts to bring him down. The play went for 39 yards, with an additional 15 yards for the facemask penalty, to set up Robbie Gould’s game-winning kick for the thrilling 48-46 victory.
Defensive Play of the Year
Just two weeks earlier, Ward went low on Atlanta’s Julio Jones at the goal line on the game-deciding play. Jones was able to bend backward and break the plane of the goal line for the winning touchdowns.
On Sunday in Seattle, 49ers rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw went high on Seattle’s Jacob Hollister on the fourth-down play to keep him out of the end zone. Greenlaw had good coverage and made a sturdy tackle to keep Hollister out of the end zone in the closing seconds on a fourth-down play to preserve the 49ers’ exciting 26-21 victory over Seattle.
That play meant the 49ers earned the No. 1 overall seed and earned a first-round bye. If Greenlaw had failed to prevent the touchdown, the 49ers would be gearing up for a cross-country trip to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the wild-card round of the playoffs.