49ers Playoff and Super Bowl Predictions

I’ve waited as long as possible to make this prediction. I’ve given the 49ers and the rest of the 31 NFL teams time to shuffle their rosters and make all the additions they want.

I’ve waited as long as possible to make this prediction. I’ve given the 49ers and the rest of the 31 NFL teams time to shuffle their rosters and make all the additions they want.

Now, it’s time to play football. Here’s who I think will make the playoffs and win the Super Bowl.

AFC

No. 1 Seed: Kansas City Chiefs.

For one more year, Patrick Mahomes still is the biggest bargain in sports -- he’s taking up only 2.4 percent of the Chiefs salary-cap space this season. And the Chiefs now have a running back who looks fantastic -- rookie Clyde Edwards-Helaire. He’s quicker and more explosive than Kareem Hunt, the former Kansas City running back whom the Chiefs hadn’t replaced since they released him.

No. 2 Seed: Pittsburgh Steelers.

They had the fifth-ranked defense last season, and their win-loss record was 8-8 despite Ben Roethlisberger missing 14 games. And they still would have made the playoffs as the seventh seed if seven teams had made the playoffs last season as they will this season -- the NFL changed the playoff format.

And now the Steelers have Roethlisberger back, and he’s the second-best quarterback in the AFC after Mahomes when healthy.

No. 3 Seed: Indianapolis Colts.

They went 7-9 last season with Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer as their quarterbacks. Now they have Philip Rivers, a borderline future Hall of Famer who is a statue, but still an effective passer when protected. And the Colts might have the best offensive line in the AFC. Plus they now have DeForest Buckner on their defensive line. This team could win 11 games.

No. 4 Seed: Buffalo Bills.

The best team in the AFC East now that Tom Brady doesn’t play in it anymore. The Bills defense gave up the second-fewest points in the NFL last season, plus their offense has a young running back, Devin Singletary, who averaged 5.1 yards per carry as a rookie in 2019. The Bills will play the 49ers Week 13 at Levi’s Stadium.

No. 5 Seed: Baltimore Ravens.

They went 14-2 last season as their Wild Cat three-tight-end offense caught defensive coordinators off guard. But defenses adjusted, and the Ravens lost in their first game of the playoffs. This season, defenses will be more prepared for Baltimore’s unique offense. The Ravens still should be quite good, but they won’t win the AFC North.

No. 6 Seed: Tennessee Titans.

The Titans won nine games last season, mostly because Ryan Tannehill became the starting quarterback midway through the year and went 7-3 while posting a quarterback rating of 117.5. It was by far the best stretch of his career, and he probably can’t sustain it. His play should regress, but the Titans still should make the playoffs as a Wild Card.

No. 7 Seed: Houston Texans.

The Texans looked terrible during their season opener against the Chiefs. Most of the Texans yards and points came in garbage time when the game essentially was over. Head coach Bill O’Brien doesn’t yet seem to know how to use the talent he has on offense. But the Texans still have lots of talent which should carry them to a Wild Card spot.

NFC

No. 1 Seed: Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

They had the No. 3 offense in the NFL last season with Jameis Winston, who threw 30 interceptions. Now they have Tom Brady, who is way better than Winston and probably will throw fewer than 10 picks this season. Plus they have Rob Gronkowski. The offense should be elite. And the defense should be elite, too. Defensive coordinator Todd Bowles is one of the best in the NFL -- as good as Vic Fangio and Robert Saleh.

No. 2 Seed: Seattle Seahawks.

They still have Russell Wilson, a future Hall of Fame quarterback, plus they have a playmaker on their defense for the first time in years -- I’m talking All Pro safety Jamal Adams. This will be the best Seahawks team of the past half decade.

No. 3 Seed: Minnesota Vikings.

They added 25-year-old Pro Bowl defensive end Yannick Ngakoue to a defense that gave up the fifth-fewest points in the NFL last season. Plus, the Vikings still have one of the best running-back tandems in the NFL -- Dalvin Cook and Alexander Mattison. The Vikings are a much tougher team than the Packers, who will fall off this season.

No. 4 Seed: Dallas Cowboys.

Firing Jason Garrett was the best move the Cowboys made this offseason. They now have a legitimate NFL head coach, Mike McCarthy, who has won a Super Bowl and runs a competent offensive system. Plus, the Cowboys drafted wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and have one of the best sets of offensive skill players in the NFC. Dallas is a tough matchup for any team.

No. 5 Seed: New Orleans Saints.

They’re still a juggernaut, but they play in the same division as the Bucs, who are better than the Saints this year. So the Saints will have to win road playoff games to make it to the Super Bowl. Not easy.

No. 6 Seed: San Francisco 49ers.

The Niners are in the same position as the Saints. The Niners still are elite, but may have fallen behind a division rival, at least for one season. The Niners were one foot away from finishing second to the Seahawks in the NFC West in 2019. Now the Seahawks seem much improved, while the 49ers seem the same. And the Seahawks have an all-time great quarterback. Meaning the 49ers will need Jimmy Garoppolo to play like an MVP as well. And he just might -- quarterbacks often play like MVPs when they’ve played for Kyle Shanahan more than one full season.

No. 7 Seed: Arizona Cardinals

The NFC West is the best division in the NFL and will send three teams to the playoffs. Kyler Murray could become an MVP candidate as early as this year. He’s every bit as physically gifted as Patrick Mahomes.

Super Bowl: Chiefs over Buccaneers

For one more season, the Chiefs have a super team. As long as they’re relatively healthy and Mahomes earns just 2.4 percent of their cap space, they’re as close to unstoppable as an NFL team can be. But in 2021, their Super Bowl window will shut for good, as Mahomes will become the highest-paid player in the NFL. And the 49ers Super Bowl window could still be open. They haven’t mortgaged their future for one run at the Super Bowl this season. At least not yet.