The 49ers are the NFL's second-worst team. They're 1-12. They haven't won a game since the first week of the season when they beat Jeff Fisher. They just lost to the Bears and Jets.
The 49ers are terrible, but they don't even know it. According to linebacker Aaron Lynch, they're one of the best teams in the NFL.
In October, Lynch said that they have "one of the best teams in the NFL, easily. Hands down." And on Tuesday, Lynch said something similar.
"It (his mind) hasn't changed at all. I think we showed in the beginning of the game that we have one of the better teams in the league," Lynch said, per CSN Bay Area. "The record isn't gonna show that -- we're whatever it is, 1-11 or 1-12, whatever that is -- I don't really look at the record. I look at how we all play and I think we all played our ass off this game and I still feel like we have a really great team."
Mildly related: Here's a photo of Lynch holding up his shoe.
Anyway, here's how the 49ers rank in some relatively important categories:
- 29th in yards gained per game
- 26th in points scored per game
- Last in yards allowed per game
- Last in points allowed per game
- 29th in DVOA
Thoughts, Lynch?
"Obviously the stats aren't gonna show that we have one of the best teams," he said, "but as far as the way we play together and how we are on the field, I think we have a great team, so we just got to keep building off of that."
According to SportsLine, the 49ers still have a 21.01 percent chance of landing the first pick in the 2017 NFL Draft despite the fact that the Browns have yet to win a game. That right there gives you an idea of just how bad the 49ers are. If you're competing with the Browns, you're not good.
Anyway, the 49ers still have three games left against the Falcons, Rams, and Seahawks. So, at best, they're probably looking at a 2-14 season, in which case they might go down as the greatest 2-14 season in NFL history (in Lynch's mind, at least).
