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The 49ers are Favored to Win the NFC West Over the Rams in 2025

This is perplexing.
Grant Cohn|
Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts after making a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images
Dec 12, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers linebacker Fred Warner (54) reacts after making a tackle against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images | Cary Edmondson-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

This is perplexing.

The 49ers are coming off a 6-11 season and just got rid of nine starters including Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward. On paper, they're worse than last season when they finished dead last in the NFC West.

And yet, despite all that, the 49ers are plus-125 favorites to win the NFC West according to Draft Kings. The Rams have the second-best odds at plus-185, and the Seahawks and Cardinals are tied for the third-best odds at plus-600.

Does this betting line mean that oddsmakers truly believe the 49ers will win their division next season?

No, it doesn't.

This betting line reflects the fact that most of the betting public still thinks the 49ers are a dominant team when healthy. But the reality is that Brandon Aiyuk probably won't play much this season, Trent Williams misses games every year and Christian McCaffrey probably won't ever be the player he was a couple seasons ago. He's getting old and his body is breaking down.

The rest of the 49ers stars played last season, and they still went 6-11. It seems unlikely that McCaffrey and a bunch of rookies will propel the 49ers to a division title, but stranger things have happened.

It seems more likely that the Rams will win the division, considering they won it last season, their defense is young and ascending and they recently signed Davante Adams to replace Cooper Kupp. Big upgrade.

But the Rams haven't been to a Super Bowl since 2022, and the 49ers just went last year. And that's why so many casual fans still think they're the best team in the division.

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

If you or someone you know has a gambling problem and wants help, call 1-800-GAMBLER.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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