Aaron Lynch Says 49ers Have One of NFL's Best Teams

Aaron Lynch is not short on confidence in himself or his teammates.

The San Francisco 49ers are 1-6 after their 34-17 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, but the third-year linebacker believes his team is among the most talented in football.

"We possibly have one of the best teams in the NFL. Easily. Hands down," Lynch said, per Jennifer Lee Chan of Niners Nation. "We just need to know how to keep finishing games and work together throughout the whole game."

When asked to follow up on his statement, Lynch did not back down:

"

We show it in the beginning of games. We just need to come out and finish the games. We have easily the best team in our conference, for sure, hands down. I’m not even going to think twice about that. I know we have the best team. We just have to come together and as one unit and once we do that we’ll be fine.

"

There is some merit to the idea of San Francisco starting fast. The 49ers were up 14-0 through the first quarter Sunday before allowing 27 unanswered points. They also held a 14-0 lead over the Dallas Cowboys and 10-7 leads against the Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers, and San Francisco scored the first touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals.

All of those games resulted in losses, though, five of them by double digits. Since a 28-0 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Week 1, the 49ers have allowed 36.5 points per game in six contests. Their run defense ranks dead last in the NFL after allowing 249 yards against the Buccaneers in Week 7.

There are also major question marks at quarterback between former starter Blaine Gabbert and current starter Colin Kaepernick.

While there are some Pro Bowlers on the roster, such Joe Staley, Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea, suggesting the 49ers are the best team in the NFC is quite a statement.

Jeff Deeney of Pro Football Focus believes the roster doesn't have much talent:

The 49ers have a bye in Week 8 to regroup before facing the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 6. Perhaps the squad can prove Lynch right in the second half of the season.