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Sports Illustrated Projects the 49ers to Win Under 10.5 Games

The 49ers are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.
Grant Cohn|
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) forces a fumble while sacking San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) in the fourth quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct 29, 2023.
Cincinnati Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson (91) forces a fumble while sacking San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) in the fourth quarter of the NFL game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the San Francisco 49ers at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Oct 29, 2023. | Albert Cesare/The Enquier / USA TODAY NETWORK

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San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers are feeling pretty good about themselves right now.

They just extended Fred Warner, George Kittle and Brock Purdy, they got all their business done before OTAs because they want a "drama-free" offseason, and they have the easiest schedule in the NFL on paper.

And yet, Sports Illustrated projects them to win just 8 games next season -- below their over/under of 10.5.

"This total is surprisingly high for a team that had a player exodus this offseason," writes Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano. "Yes, the 49ers still have plenty of talent, but it’s not a given that Trent Williams and Christian McCaffrey will stay healthy or that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk will quickly regain his top form after a significant knee injury. There will be many inexperienced players starting on the defensive side."

Manzano's analysis is correct.

When people make excuses for the 49ers' 6-11 season last year, they generally point to injuries. But the biggest injuries occurred to Williams, McCaffrey and Aiyuk, and they're still giant question marks this season.

In addition, Brock Purdy missed two games last season with injuries to his throwing arm, and the 49ers' offensive line got weaker this offseason with the losses of Aaron Banks and Jaylon Moore. For some odd reason, the 49ers decided to get cheaper on their offensive line while they made the biggest investment into a quarterback in franchise history. Those moves don't go together.

Finally, the defense could start up to 6 rookies in Week 1.

So even though the 49ers have an easy schedule, 2025 is a transition year for them and they know it. If they play their cards correctly, tney just might be Super Bowl contenders in 2026.

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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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