Prior to Sunday’s 23-6 preseason win over the Dallas Cowboys, the San Francisco 49ers had 100-to-1 odds to win Super Bowl 50, which will be played at their home stadium. That’s the same odds as the crosstown rival Oakland Raiders that haven’t had a winning season since 2002.
On Monday, those odds had shrunk to 85-to-1. A big reason why was the three snaps that linebacker Navorro Bowman played on defense. Bowman hadn’t played since suffering a devastating knee injury in January of 2014, but he made his presence felt immediately.
Bowman made three tackles, stuffing running back Darren McFadden twice and then dropping running back Lance Dunbar on dumpoff pass for a loss. McFadden and Dunbar might not be very impressive players, but the Cowboys have one of the best offensive lines in the entire league.
With a healthy Bowman, the 49ers have a legitimate playmaker on defense. During an offseason in which linebacker Patrick Willis, linebacker Chris Borland and defensive end Justin Smith retired and the team released pass-rusher Aldon Smith, getting a player like Bowman back was a significant lift.
Bowman was Pro Football Focus’ top-graded inside linebacker in 2013 and 2011. He was sixth in 2012.
To say Bowman was the 49ers’ best defensive player when he got hurt isn’t hyperbole. There is still some question how much Bowman will be able to play on his surgical-repaired knee and how effective he can be without great players around him, but there’s no doubt that the 49ers are better with him than they were without him.
Apparently, it takes Bowman two hours to prepare his knee to get ready to play. His knee also still bugs him, but he told Peter King of The MMQB he hopes that won’t always be the case.
“I can see the light, and that’s what’s driving me. When camp first started I was able to hit a spin move and that didn’t hurt so now it’s, Can I run through a person? Or get fallen on? Or be able to get up off the ground and not say Ahhhh! [In discomfort.] Those are the things I am still worried about, but it’s going to come one day. But right now, the knee’s on my mind.”
From 2011-2013, the 49ers ranked 2nd, 2nd and 3rd in points allowed. In 2014 without Bowman, they dropped to 10th. The first year was Aldon Smith’s rookie year. Justin Smith played all three years. The only major difference was that Willis played just six games and they didn’t have Bowman.
It’s possible that the 49ers will still take a step back on defense, but if those three snaps from Bowman were any indication, their demise is greatly overstated. Not only had their Super Bowl odds dropped to crazy-low levels, but every other team in the division was expected to make more noise in a tough NFC West.
Aside from quarterback Colin Kaepernick, there is no more important player than Bowman. At least not if the team is going to overcome a tumultuous offseason or improve on their 8-8 record.