5 most winnable games 49ers will have on 2022 NFL calendar
By Peter Panacy
49ers Opponent No. 2: Washington Football Team
It was a bit of a toss-up, too, trying to determine if Carolina or the Washington Football Team should switch spots on this ranking.
Both have similar situations in one way or another, namely at quarterback and dealing with other star players who dealt with injuries over the course of the year. If there were a few things separating the two, however, head coach Ron Rivera is much more established and successful than Matt Rhule, and Washington’s defense is surely more trustworthy and potent than that of the Panthers.
Read More: Predicting where Jimmy Garoppolo and other QBs end up playing in 2022
However, neither team has a truly effective quarterback. And while the journeyman backup, Taylor Heinicke, showed some pluck en route to the Football Team going 7-10 this season and being in the running for a playoff berth right down to the final weeks.
It doesn’t seem likely, though, Washington will want to commit to Heinicke as a long-term answer, and the Football Team is one of many picking a bad year to seek out a franchise-caliber quarterback.
In the end, the major difference between Carolina and Washington in this ranking is San Francisco being at home for this particular game.