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CBS Sports Says 49ers are Big Winners of NFL's Schedule Release

Finally, some good news for the 49ers.
Grant Cohn|
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mikel Williams (98) works out during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images
May 9, 2025; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Mikel Williams (98) works out during the teamís rookie minicamp. Mandatory Credit: D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images | D. Ross Cameron-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

Finally, some good news for the 49ers.

Their offseason was widely panned by critics -- both Sports Illustrated and Pro Football Focus gave the 49ers a "D" grade for their moves. That's because they let nine starting players go and replaced them with rookies and second-year players. Call it the Moneyball approach to football.

Fortunately, the 49ers were one of the big winners of the NFL's schedule release according to CBS Sports.

"The San Francisco 49ers were hit hard by injuries in 2024, which helped derail their season," writes CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan. "As they look to leave last season well behind them in the rearview mirror, their fortunes are looking up in 2025. Based on their opponents' combined over/under win total for the upcoming season, San Francisco has the fourth-easiest schedule in the NFL.

"The Niners also square off against just three teams that made the playoffs in 2024: Los Angeles Rams (twice), Houston Texans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Niners also have a well-situated bye week coming in Week 14. After that, three of their final four games on the season are at home, with their lone road game being in Indianapolis to face the Colts."

Sullivan makes excellent points. The 49ers' schedule certainly is favorable.

Unfortunately for the 49ers, every other team in the NFC West has a relatively favorable schedule as well. And the 49ers were 1-5 against their division opponents last season. And they're still at the mercy of their oldest player, Trent Williams.

When Williams is out, the 49ers are 4-12 since 2020. Their offensive line is one of the worst in the league without him. Last season, he missed the final seven games with an ankle injury.

How many games will he miss this year? He hasn't played a full season since 2013.

The answer to that question will determine how successful the 49ers are.

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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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