Coming off an injury-plagued season that completely took them out of the playoff picture, the San Francisco 49ers are looking to bounce back huge during the 2021 NFL season. With Jimmy Garoppolo looking better than ever during training camp and the preseason, Trey Lance impressing the 49ers coaching staff, and George Kittle, Nick Bosa, and Dee Ford set to be back at full strength next season, this Niners squad is looking to take back the NFC by storm and bring the Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay Area.

In their quest to win back the NFC West and regain homefield advantage all throughout the playoffs, the Niners will have a tough road ahead of them. Especially with an ultra-competitive division that has depth and talent on both sides of the ball. Looking to return to playoff stardom next season, let's take a look at four bold predictions for the San Francisco 49ers heading into the 2021 NFL season.

The San Francisco 49ers will run a highly efficient two-quarterback system 

With an intense quarterback competition taking place between Jimmy G and Trey Lance, it may be hard for Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan to make a decision on which one of these stellar quarterbacks to start for the entire season. Given the differentiating skillsets of both players, it would give the Niners a strategic advantage to implement a two-quarterback system.

This innovative offensive game plan would throw off opposing defenses all season long and allow them to run all kinds of trickery while lighting up the scoreboard with their up-tempo style of play. Alternating between Garoppolo and Lance every few offensive possessions would allow both quarterbacks to get a ton of playing time while giving the Niners the flexibility to change up their offense throughout the season. This new approach to their offensive game plan would make them a top-five offense in the NFL.

The San Francisco 49ers will be a defensive juggernaut once again in 2021

Due to a number of injuries to their defensive line and secondary, the Niners were limited to how effective they could be on defense last season. With Nick Bosa and Dee Ford set to back at full strength next season, this will definitely provide the Niners with a huge boost on their defensive front and give a ton of relief to Fred Warner who was their defensive anchor for the entirety of the 2020-21 NFL season.

The addition of HaHa Clinton-Dix will give San Francisco the perfect partner-in-crime to play alongside Jimmie Ward and give them a deep and dynamic secondary that will be able lock down the league's best receivers on a weekly basis. Between their stars coming back fully healthy and the new additions they've made on defense, the Niners are primed to be an elite defensive unit once again in 2021.

San Francisco 49ers will win back the NFC West

Now that the competition is revving up in the NFC West, the Niners will definitely have their work cut out for them next season. However, it was only a few seasons ago that they were division champions, and although they'll have to change up their game plan, they still have the perfect balance of talent, depth, and experience on both sides of the ball to overtake the Seahawks, Rams, and Cardinals in 2021.

Especially with offensive weapons like George Kittle, Raheem Mostert, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk at the helm for San Francisco. Looking to start fresh and build off of the success from their Super Bowl run in 2020, the 49ers are going to be back with a vengeance and show the league why they're still the team-to-beat in the NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers will hoist the Lombardi Trophy in 2022

With a full offseason to rest and recover while adding new talent and making adjustments to their game plan, the San Francisco 49ers have put together a well-rounded roster that can run with the best of them. Their biggest challengers in the playoffs will be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs, but they now possess the talent and explosiveness to hold their own and defeat either opponent in a postseason matchup.

It won't be easy, but it was just a few seasons ago that the Niners were NFC champions and were one big play away from bringing home the Lombardi Trophy. This upcoming season, they'll have even greater odds to do so and have a deeper roster to help them achieve this. So come next season, it can definitely be expected that this re-tooled and rejuvenated Niners squad will hit the ground running and fight their way to becoming Super Bowl champions in 2022.