49ers schedule: Predicting wins and losses over second half of 2018

Niner Noise rethinks game predictions for the San Francisco 49ers, taking a look at the second half of the 2018 schedule and dishing out wins and losses for each game.

The 2018 NFL schedule officially reached its halfway point after Week 9, and the San Francisco 49ers find themselves 2-7 after pulling off a lopsided 34-3 win over the visiting Oakland Raiders on Thursday Night Football.

Niner Noise’s 2018 NFL predictions for the Niners’ schedule accounted for one thing the team has been without for most of the year, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Once he and running back Jerick McKinnon were lost to season-ending ACL injuries, the season was essentially awash. Head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad simply didn’t have enough talent to overcome the numerous injuries and setbacks that have plagued the team all year long.

That said, win No. 2 has to feel pretty good. Watching second-year quarterback Nick Mullens take the national spotlight and emerge victorious was a nice little storyline.

It’s anyone’s guess whether or not Mullens will continue to start under center, or if Shanahan will elect to go back to the guy Mullens replaced, C.J. Beathard, for whatever reasons may come.

One thing is for sure, though. A Mullens-led 49ers squad looked far more efficient and potent than anything Beathard has commanded.

With their second win under their belt, the Niners have seven games left on the schedule, which looks like this:

Provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 11/5/2018.

Having only three of those seven games on the road, with the only elongated road trip to take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 12, should benefit San Francisco’s record.

So let’s have a little fun with our revised NFL predictions machine and try to guess the Niners’ wins and losses over this final stretch, pointing out specific reasons why for each.