San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) - Steph Chambers/Getty Images
The 2024 NFL regular season is just a couple of weeks away, and the San Francisco 49ers will kick off their season during Monday Night Football. Now that the preseason is here and rosters are becoming more clear, it is the perfect time to create predictions for this season’s games. Here is a look at the 49ers’ week-by-week schedule, predictions for each game, and record predictions.
San Francisco 49ers 2023 Recap
Starting the 2023 season, the 49ers were dominant. They looked as though they would be the Super Bowl champions. They went on to win their first five games of the season, before losing in week six against the Cleveland Browns. They then went on a three-game losing streak, also losing against the Minnesota Vikings and the Cincinnati Bengals. The 49ers went on to win their next six games, eventually losing against the Baltimore Ravens. San Francisco then lost their final game of the season against the Los Angeles Rams. They do have the excuse though that they rested their starters. Still, the 49ers season ended with a 12-5 record. The 49ers were the first seed in the NFC, moving all the way to the Super Bowl. Their season ended sadly with a Super Bowl loss against the Kansas City Chiefs.
San Francisco 49ers 2024 Game Predictions
Week 1: Vs. New York Jets (MNF) – Win
To open up the 2024 regular season, the San Francisco 49ers will face the New York Jets. This should be a big game as Jets’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers is making his long-awaited return after tearing his Achilles in 2023. The Jets have a solid defense and on paper a great offense. Now, what could make this hard is if there is no Trent Williams for the 49ers. If he is not with the team, there is a chance this could go more towards the Jets. It is going to be a tough week one matchup. Being a home game for the 49ers on top of their dominant team, San Francisco will get the win.
Week 2: @ Minnesota Vikings – Win
While no team should ever be counted out, the 49ers should definitely beat the Minnesota Vikings in week two of the NFL season. Yes, Justin Jefferson will make this game competitive. Even if the 49ers defense focuses on him, that means other players can get open a little easier. If the team can stop Jefferson though, San Francisco should take the win. The Vikings are already being riddled by injuries, which means the start of the season could be slow for them. Their quarterback situation also is not the best with Sam Darnold set to start. While anything can happen, the 49ers should take the win this week.
Week 3: @ Los Angeles Rams – Win
The Los Angeles Rams should not be counted out, but injuries to Matthew Stafford, even if he plays, could be concerning. The big issue with the rams is not the major injuries as much as lingering ones. The Rams still have tough players on both sides of the ball. While Los Angeles focused on defense in the draft, they are rookies replacing now-retired Aaron Donald. With players like Puka Nacua, the Rams will keep the score close, but this is setting up to be another 49ers win. The Rams should keep this a competitive game though.
Week 4: Vs. New England Patriots – Win
The New England Patriots are going through a major rebuild this year. A new quarterback and a new coach leads to growing pains. Now, of course, the fear of a trap game is always there. While the Patriots have not yet named a starting quarterback, Drake Maye has been doing very well during the preseason. Even though initially it seemed as though they would not start Maye, and instead go with veteran Jacoby Brissett, Maye’s preseason showing may change that. On paper though, this is a win for the 49ers.
Week 5: Vs. Arizona Cardinals – Win
This is definitely a more skeptical game than it has been in the past. Rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and a healthy Kyler Murray could keep this a high-scoring game. For now, this will go down as a 49ers win because San Francisco has a more complete team, but the defense will need to step up big time. If the San Francisco offense competes the way they can, the 49ers should still defeat Arizona.
Week 6: @ Seattle Seahawks (TNF) – Win
It’s a short week and an away game, but the 49ers will go into Seattle and win. Now, 6-0 is difficult to achieve. It was week six when the 49ers lost their first game in 2023. Seattle still has a strong team, but this is a team that San Francisco knows how to beat. Of course, there is a new head coach and it will not be the exact same, but the 49ers have stopped Geno Smith in the past, they can do it again.
Week 7: Vs. Kansas City Chiefs – Loss
As much as 49ers fans will not want to hear it, this is a predicted loss. The 49ers have a more complete team all around, but something about the Kansas City Chiefs gives the 49ers a problem. San Francisco has not beaten the Chiefs during the Kyle Shanahan era. Until that happens, this will be a predicted loss for the 49ers.
Week 8: Vs. Dallas Cowboys (SNF) – Win
Week eight of the NFL season will have the San Francisco 49ers and the Dallas Cowboys face off during Sunday Night Football. If the prediction for the previous week is true, the 49ers will be looking for a bounce-back game. What a better way to do it than against the Cowboys at Levi Stadium? The Cowboys took a nasty loss to San Francisco last year and will still give it all, but the 49ers will walk out with a win and ride into the bye week happy.
Week 9: Bye Week
Week 10: @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Win
Week ten of the season when the 49er face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers is right after the bye. The San Francisco should be fresh, and it should make traveling to the East Coast for a weekend a tad easier. Tampa Bay is a good team, but the 49ers should be able to walk away with a win, especially if they come back from the bye healthy.
Week 11: Vs. Seattle Seahawks – Win
In week 11, the Seattle Seahawks will head to Santa Clara to take on the 49ers. This will be another win and a sweep against Seattle for the 49ers. Yes, the Seahawks are competitive, but the 49ers can handle it. Seattle has strong defensive backs, but San Francisco also has numerous weapons to get past them.
Week 12: @ Green Bay Packers – Win
Week 12 will have a playoff repeat between the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers. Although the Packers are predicted to have a tough team, and they likely will, the 49ers will still take the win. The Packers do have the edge of it being a homegame and Jordan Love has shown he is a strong player, but 49ers may still have a more complete team. San Francisco may even have some players returning from injuries being the middle of the season.
Week 13: @ Buffalo Bills (SNF) – Win
The Buffalo Bills will be competitive this year, but they lost a lot of players in free agency, especially on the defense. With this being in Buffalo the weather will definitely play a factor. A night game in December could be risky for a California team, but it being in the beginning of December could go either way. It is also the 49ers second away game in a row which is not easy. This will be a game to watch that can go either way but is still predicted as a 49ers win.
Week 14: Vs. Chicago Bears – Win
The Chicago Bears have built up a big team this year. It may be a young team with Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze, but they are already building up a strong connection. The 49ers lost to the Bears in 2022 when Chicago was the worst team in the league record-wise. This is a predicted 49ers win, but could definitely be a close one, could even be a Bears upset win.
Week 15: Vs. Los Angeles Rams (TNF) – Win
This is another close call, but being in the middle of the season and the Los Angeles Rams have an early bye-weak, the 49ers will win this one. If the 49ers are healthy, they are the better team. The defense will still need to step up to not let Nacua or Kyren Williams make big plays. The 49ers struggled to stop the run last year, hopefully, they fix that this year.
Week 16: @ Miami Dolphins – Win
The Miami Dolphins have a strong team, and will likely compete in the AFC East, but the 49ers will still get the win against them. Playing on the East Coast is not always easy, and the 49ers have a tough stretch of games, but they should be able to walk out with a win. The key will be stopping the run game given the depth the Dolphins have at running back.
Week 17: Vs. Detroit Lions (MNF) – Loss
The game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers will be a big one during Monday Night Football. It will likely be very meaningful being late in the season as well. The reason this could be a 49ers loss is due to the hunger from the Lions. Losing the lead they had in the NFC Championship game will be leaving a sour taste in their mouth. While the 49ers still have a very good chance, the prediction is this will be a loss.
Week 18: @ Arizona Cardinals – Win
This game could very well come down to what the playoff outlook is. If the 49ers are secure, they may only play their players for a short time. If they play starters the whole time, this should be a win. There is a chance that the Cardinals are pushing for a wild card spot too and be playing extremely hard. It is difficult to predict the final game of the season, so on paper, this will go down as a win for the 49ers.
San Francisco 49ers Record/Standing Predictions
The ceiling with this current 49ers team is that they have a 15-2 season. The floor is still a 12-5 season. The 49ers have the ability to win all of these games, but it will come down to health, weather, and simply fatigue. There is also a chance that similarly to 2023, the 49ers may rest starters in the final game ahead of playoffs which can affect the outcome.
