Tag: 49ers predictions

ESPN predicts 49ers to finish 2024 schedule strong

ESPN shared scored predictions for the 2024 season’s final three weeks and it shows the 49ers finishing the season strong.

The San Francisco 49ers have just three games left in their 2024 season.

Sitting with a 6-8 overall record and a 1-4 mark in NFC West games, San Francisco is all but eliminated from the NFL playoffs.

Still, the 49ers want to end the 2024 season with some pride and they have the opportunity to finish with a winning record if they win out.

With games left at Miami (6-8), versus Detroit (12-2) and at Arizona (7-7), San Francisco has the opportunity to end the season with some momentum and set the table for a return to prominence in 2025.

Using simulations from its Football Power Index, ESPN forecasted every remaining game in the NFL’s regular season, including how the 49ers’ final three games would play out.

ESPN’s simulation forecasts San Francisco to close its final three weeks strong. Here’s what the simulation produced for scores in the 49ers’ final three games of 2024:

  • Week 16: San Francisco 24, Miami 14
  • Week 17: Detroit 38, San Francisco 31
  • Week 18: San Francisco 19, Arizona 10

While these results wouldn’t have the 49ers finishing with a winning record, it does have San Francisco closing with two more wins and a one-score loss against the projected No. 1 seed in the NFC in Detroit.

Among some of the other notable projections from ESPN’s FPI, the simulation forecasts the Los Angeles Rams to top the Seattle Seahawks in the season’s final week, 16-7, and capture the NFC West crown.

ESPN’s FPI projects the full seeding in the NFC to play out as follows: Detroit is the No. 1 seed, Philadelphia No. 2, Tampa Bay No. 3, Los Angeles No. 4, Minnesota No. 5, Green Bay No. 6 and Washington No. 7.

In the AFC, ESPN’s FPI projects the Kansas City Chiefs to capture the No. 1 seed, though Buffalo would close to within one game of Kansas City after a Chiefs loss against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 17.

The full AFC Playoff picture looks like this per ESPN’s FPI simulation: Kansas City is the No. 1 seed, Buffalo No. 2, Pittsburgh No. 3, Houston No. 4, Baltimore No. 5, the Los Angeles Chargers No. 6 and Denver No. 7.

Kickoff for San Francisco at Miami in Week 16 is set for 1:25 p.m PT and the game will air on CBS.

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Sydney Warner shares hilarious game prediction for husband, 49ers LB Fred Warner, vs. Bears

Sydney Warner shared her Chicago Bears game prediction for her husband, 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, on their podcast, “Warner House.”

Ahead of the San Francisco 49ers‘ Week 14 date against the Chicago Bears, fans got the latest installment of the “Warner House” featuring San Francisco linebacker Fred Warner and his wife, Sydney.

In addition to a full recap of the 49ers’ snow game at Buffalo, fans were also treated to the Warners’ Christmas plans.

Sydney also shared a hilarious prediction for what to expect from Fred Warner in the 49ers’ Sunday date against the Bears.

“I predict that you are going to have one pick and you’re going to punch the ball out once. And then, you might like tip another pick, but then somebody else will catch it. How does that sound? I didn’t want to get too overzealous,” Sydney Warner said.

The zaniness of Sydney’s prediction earned a belly laugh from Fred.

With San Francisco currently stuck in a three-game losing streak, Fred joked that maybe it was the right time for a crazy prediction.

“Too overzealous? Honey, this is the time to go nuts. What do we have to lose here? So, redo the whole thing. Go crazy,” Fred Warner said.

Sydney Warner couldn’t be talked into more than two picks and a forced fumble, though.

Fred then asked for her total tackles prediction.

“You better get at least seven or you’re in trouble. Seven or you’re in trouble,” Sydney Warner said.

Let’s hope for Fred’s sake that he can deliver a big game against the Bears to stay out of Sydney’s doghouse.

In the meantime, San Francisco fans would happily sign up for any one of those three turnover predictions coming true against Chicago.

Fred Warner currently has a team-leading 88 total tackles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack on the season. Warner had a 45-yard pick-six in the 49ers’ 30-13 win over the New England Patriots in Week 4.

Kickoff against Chicago is set for 1:25 p.m. PT with the game set to be televised on Fox.

49ers free agency prediction: Former All-Pro walks for big contract

The 49ers have telegraphed their plans at safety.

The San Francisco 49ers have been telegraphing their plans in the back end of their secondary since the 2023 draft, and those plans don’t involve bringing back former All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga.

In the 2023 draft they weren’t slated to pick until late in Round 3, but they traded up to the No. 87 overall pick where they selected safety Ji’Ayir Brown. His versatile skill set made him an easy fit in the 49ers defense, and they needed to get younger at that position.

They affirmed their commitment to their plans in the 2024 draft when they used a fourth-round pick to select safety Malik Mustapha. That choice confirmed Hufanga’s time in San Francisco wouldn’t likely last beyond his rookie contract, which is up after the 2024 season.

Choosing to move on from Hufanga isn’t because he hasn’t had a strong four seasons with the 49ers. He was a quality special teams contributor as a rookie, then earned a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2022 in his first season as a starter on defense.

Injuries cut his 2023 season short and may cost him a majority of the 2024 campaign, but he’s still a quality player who will likely earn a contract in free agency north of what the 49ers can afford.

At some point the 49ers have to decide where they’re going to trim their roster financially, and the two safety spots are an easy choice given the other talent they’ve paid on the defensive side of the ball. That they used two draft picks at the position was confirmation they’d be going with rookie contracts at the two safety spots.

There’s always a chance Hufanga’s market is muted and he returns to the 49ers, which gives San Francisco a good problem on their depth chart. However, his penchant for generating turnovers and creating big plays for a defense should make him a valuable asset on the free agent market. If there’s even a handful of teams interested, his value will quickly sail above what the 49ers can realistically afford.

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49ers offense falls off in ESPN analyst’s bold prediction

An ESPN prediction has the 49ers offense falling off some. We don’t see it.

The San Francisco 49ers are returning virtually all of their starters on offense in 2024.

That’s a significant deal considering how dominant they were on that side of the ball last season. They ranked No. 1 in points scored, offensive efficiency, and offensive EPA per play according to ESPN.

Their only change to their starting lineup will be at right guard where rookie third-round pick Dominick Puni figures to step in for the rotation of Spencer Burford and Jon Feliciano.

Despite all that, ESPN analytics guru Seth Walder made an offensive dip his bold prediction for the 49ers’ 2024 season. Via ESPN:

The 49ers’ middling offensive line play will catch up to them and they’ll fall out of the top four offenses in the league (in terms of expected points added per play) as a result. The only lineman they can feel great about is left tackle Trent Williams, and even he carries risk, given that he’s 36 years old and currently holding out. Left guard Aaron Banks, center Jake Brendel, right guard Spencer Burford and right tackle Colton McKivitz all showed weakness in either run or pass block win rate last season.

This is becoming a theme in the pre-season analysis of the 49ers. Their offensive line is an easy weak spot on the roster to point to, and Walder did so with his prediction. He doesn’t mention Puni, but a rookie third-round pick wouldn’t like alter the projection much.

Williams did return to the fold and will get three days of practice in before Week 1. He joins Banks on the left side with Brendel at center. Puni will man right guard alongside McKivitz.

There certainly could be a dip in offensive production if the offensive line falters. However, the 49ers have a good track record under head coach Kyle Shanahan of piecing together offense behind a questionable offensive line. That group had some bad moments last season, but it certainly wasn’t terrible. Puni could also provide an upgrade at RG.

With quarterback Brock Purdy getting a full offseason under his belt without requiring rehab for a major elbow injury and the return of all but one starter on offense, we’ll lean toward San Francisco once again generating a top three NFL offense and proving Walder’s prediction wrong.

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ESPN projects 49ers as a lock to return to postseason

A rocky offseason didn’t stop ESPN from making the #49ers a postseason lock.

Despite an offseason full of drama and an injury to a star player, the San Francisco 49ers are still in good shape to make a trip back to the postseason.

Left tackle Trent Williams ended his holdout just a couple of days after wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ended his hold-in. Aiyuk was back in practice Tuesday, as was running back Christian McCaffrey who returned from a calf injury that cost him the entire preseason.

Things are falling into place for the 49ers just in time for the regular season, and it helped them land as a playoff lock in a projection from ESPN’s Bill Barnwell. He leaned on their offensive efficiency and overwhelming top-end talent as reasons they’d return to the postseason despite a tumultuous offseason coming off a Super Bowl loss:

While the debates about Brock Purdy’s impact on the offense rage on, all we can say for sure is teams haven’t yet found a way to stop the former seventh-round pick consistently. Since Purdy entered the starting lineup in Week 13 of the 2022 season, the 49ers are a league-best 18-5, lead the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play on offense, and rank third in EPA per play on defense. They’ve been the best team in football over that stretch, even if it hasn’t yet yielded a championship. Barring a rash of injuries to Purdy and his fellow superstars atop the San Francisco roster, this team will be back in the playoffs for another run.

San Francisco is one of eight teams from last year’s playoff field that Barnwell picked to return. They joined the Rams, Packers, Lions and Cowboys from the NFC. In the AFC the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens were all considered locks to return to the postseason.

We’ll learn a lot about the 49ers’ chances early in the year. If they’re going to have any hiccups from their offseason they’ll show in the first few weeks. Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco has been consistently very good through November and December which always puts them in a good position to make a postseason push. If they can avoid an early-season collapse, it’s easy to draw a path to a fifth playoff berth in six years for the 49ers.

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A bunch of predictions for 49ers 2023 season

A bunch of predictions for the #49ers 2023 season.

The 49ers on Wednesday officially begin their week of practice ahead of Sunday’s season opener in Pittsburgh.

That means it is officially time to drop some predictions! Get excited.

San Francisco should be good again this year in their quest to get over the NFC championship hump that’s thwarted them in each of the last two seasons. With that comes some mostly rosy outlooks on the season ahead.

Here are a bunch of our predictions for the 49ers’ 2023 campaign:

Who are the experts taking in Chargers vs. 49ers?

Find out who national pundits are favoring in the matchup between the Los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.

The Los Angeles Chargers are 7.5-point underdogs to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 of the 2022 regular season. The over/under is 45.5 points, per Tipico Sportsbook.

That means oddsmakers are taking bets on whether the two teams will combine to score more than or fewer than 45.5 points.

My score prediction for the game is a 28-21 win for the 49ers, with a combined total of 49 points. So if I were putting money behind my prediction, I’d bet the over.

As for game picks, analysts favor Kyle Shanahan’s Niners in this primetime showdown.

Expert Pick
Nate Davis (USA Today) 49ers
Jarrett Bell (USA Today) 49ers
Mike Clay (ESPN) 49ers
Matt Bowen (ESPN) 49ers
Pete Prisco (CBS Sports) 49ers
Bill Bender (Sporting News) Chargers
Gregg Rosenthal (NFL Media) 49ers
Bleacher Report 49ers

Sunday’s game will begin at 5:20 p.m. PT and will be televised on NBC.

49ers 2022 season predictions

Some predictions for the 49ers’ 2022 season from @KyleAMadson and @nicholasmcgee24:

The 49ers open their 2022 season in Chicago on Sunday. It’ll be time for the speculation to end and the analysis of what we’re all seeing on the field to begin.

That being said, there’s still some room for speculation, which means it’s time to make some predictions. We sat down and went through everything we know about the 49ers based on last season, this offseason and the preseason to jot down a handful of predictions that are almost certain to be correct.

(Note: We recommend they still play out the season just in case)

Here are our Niners Wire staff predictions:

Accountability: Revisiting our pre-season 49ers predictions

Holding ourselves accountable on some good and not-so-good #49ers predictions from before the year.

The 49ers’ 2021 season was bizarre. There was the quarterback situation, Brandon Aiyuk’s start, a perpetually banged up backfield on both sides of the ball and a run to the NFC championship game despite all that.

We went back through our predictions from before the year and fell victim to some of the weirdness with several predictions missing the mark by a wide margin. On the other hand, we hit some right on the head.

Let’s hold ourselves accountable and run back through our pre-season guesses:

9 bold and not-as-bold predictions for 49ers in 2021

Prediction time! 9 predictions for the #49ers’ 2021 season.

It’s prediction time!

The 49ers open their 2021 regular season in Detroit on Sunday, which means the time is upon us to put official predictions down on paper for posterity. Chances are some of these will be wrong, but there’s a chance that some of them are right. And if we’re not living for the hope that a prediction we put on the internet comes true, then what do we really have, ya know?

Anyway, predictions for the 49ers’ 2021 season: