Can defense carry the 49ers?
The 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game last season for the first time since 1997, and they did it in spite of quarterback Alex Smith, according to most pundits. Smith is back (so is Randy Moss, who is one of the more interesting wild cards this season), but the real strength of the 49ers is their defense. The real question is whether or not San Francisco can have similar success without a major improvement from their offense.