After the 49ers fell short of a championship once again, Aaron Schatz thinks they’ll get it done this season.
The San Francisco 49ers have had plenty of success under head coach Kyle Shanahan, but they are still searching for a Super Bowl victory. NFL Expert Aaron Schatz, the Chief Analytics Officer at FTN Fantasy, who is known for creating several innovative analytics, including DVOA, thinks this will be the year they reach the promised land. During a guest appearance on Good Morning Football this week, Schatz predicted that the 49ers will defeat the Baltimore Ravens in Super Bowl LIX this season.
Schatz’s prediction is by no means a huge deviation. The Ravens and 49ers have consistently been two of the most formidable teams in each of their conferences for several seasons. While the Ravens have not reached a Super Bowl with quarterback Lamar Jackson, they have reached the playoffs in five of the past six seasons and were the top seed in the AFC last season. If not for a close loss to Kansas City in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore would have faced the Niners earlier this year.
It’s especially no surprise that Schatz, who created DVOA, is keen on both teams. The Ravens and 49ers were the two best teams in the league last year, per DVOA, tiers above the rest of the NFL. The 49ers ranked first in Offensive DVOA and fourth in Defensive DVOA (although they were 25th in Special Teams DVOA). The Ravens ranked fourth in Offensive DVOA, first in Defensive DVOA, and third in Special Teams DVOA, claiming the top overall spot. They were the only two teams to rank in both the top five of Offensive and Defensive DVOA. The eventual champions, Kansas City and the Detroit Lions, were the only other teams to rank in the top 10 of both categories.