3 reasons why 49ers make the playoffs in 2021

No. 3: 49ers schedule is favorable

One of the benefits of being a good team that had a bad season (for whatever reason) is you can have a favorable schedule the next year.

The 49ers figure to be competitive in the NFC West if nothing else, but their gains will need to be made in the non-divisional games.

They will find a good chance of doing so in their games against the NFC North. The division has a Minnesota Vikings team stuck in mediocrity, the Detroit Lions that just swapped Matt Stafford for Jared Goff, the Chicago Bears who could be very hot or cold depending on their own rookie quarterback, Justin Fields, and a Green Bay Packers outfit that may never see quarterback Aaron Rodgers again.

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The team also gets the luxury of a last-place schedule, facing the Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons and Cincinnati Bengals this season (the addition of a new AFC opponent of course being due to having a 17-game schedule from this season).

The AFC South looks like it can provide some wins for San Francisco, too. The Tennessee Titans will be a strong playoff team again, but the Indianapolis Colts should fall down the standings unless quarterback Carson Wentz can revitalize his career.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will be an intriguing team in the Trevor Lawrence era, but the rookie quarterback should have at least some sort of learning curve for the NFL. The Houston Texans, meanwhile, are the worst team in the NFL and it honestly isn’t even close.

If the 49ers are performing to at least a reasonable imitation of their 2019 selves, they should be able to bank enough wins to get back into the playoffs.