San Francisco 49ers: Way Too Early Win-Loss Predictions for 2016 NFL Season

The 2016 NFL schedule has officially been released, and the San Francisco 49ers will embark on what has been ranked as the league’s toughest schedule. Niner Noise makes some all-too early predictions on the 49ers’ wins and losses.

The San Francisco 49ers own the toughest schedule in 2016. We knew this already, as teams’ opponents for the upcoming season had already been announced long before the NFL’s official schedule release took place Thursday.

CBS Sports’ John Breech broke down every team’s schedule for the upcoming year, and the 49ers’ strength of schedule was hardest with opponents’ winning percentage coming in at .555.

Now, we know exactly how the 49ers schedule will pan out in head coach Chip Kelly’s first year at the helm.

Here’s the list of games, courtesy of the team’s website:

San Francisco has two prime-time games this season — the first coming against the Los Angeles Rams who, potentially, could wind up with a quarterback like Bay Area native Jared Goff now that the team owns the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.

So perhaps that is a storyline to watch.

How will the rest of the schedule pan out? Honestly, it’s funny and somewhat absurd to make predictions on the schedule at this point in the year. Yes, the 49ers are not likely going to be very good in 2016. And early indications do point to a tough schedule.

But the draft, training camp, the preseason and the ever-present worry/reality of injuries could change everything between now and any given game.

And anyone who has watched the NFL long enough can tell you how much parody exists at this level. A 10-6 team one season can easily go 4-12 the subsequent year, even if there isn’t a lot of roster turnover.

Still, we are all fans. And fans love predictions.

So Niner Noise will give them to you.

Next: Week 1 vs. Rams