49ers NFL schedule: Too-soon win/loss predictions for 2022

49ers win/loss predictions: NFC West

Let’s get the NFC West out of the way first, the three obligatory inter-divisional road games and three road games San Francisco will have against the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals.

Last season, the 49ers went 2-4 within the NFC West, the only two wins against the conference-champion Rams.

However, there are reasons to suspect the NFC West diminishes as the NFL’s toughest division. Los Angeles went all-in on its bid to win a Super Bowl, and Seattle endured the first sub-.500 season with quarterback Russell Wilson at the helm. While it’s not a back-breaking situation, neither the Niners, Rams nor Seahawks have a first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, and only Seattle is in the clear in terms of being under the salary cap this offseason.

The biggest question, though, is whether or not San Francisco can improve within the division over last year’s mark.

49ers vs. Seahawks

Wilson is one of those quarterbacks linked to blockbuster-trade rumors, and that would clearly change everything if he’s moved this offseason.

He’s still rostered, though, yet it’s reasonable to assume it’ll take a year for Seattle to retool if it wants to keep him through the end of his two years remaining on his current contract.

The 49ers have won just one game in Seattle, Week 17 of the 2019 season, dating back to 2012, so let’s go ahead and suggest the Niners lose their road bout versus the Seahawks this year, too.

Splitting the series would still be an improvement, though.

Prediction vs. Seahawks: 1-1

49ers vs. Rams

Well, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s six-game win streak against Rams head coach Sean McVay was nice, but it ultimately came to a crashing end in the NFC Championship game.

However, Shanahan’s 10-5 record, including that playoff bout, is still considerable ownership. And if one is banking on Los Angeles suffering some kind of Super Bowl hangover, regardless of the outcome, it wouldn’t be too shocking to see San Francisco reestablish its dominance over LA once again.

Prediction vs. Rams: 2-0

49ers vs. Cardinals

Ever since quarterback Kyler Murray has been in the picture, the Cardinals have been a feisty opponent for the 49ers, including those nail-biting victories in 2019 and outside the flop of a performance Arizona showcased to close out 2020.

Let’s forget the Murray-less game versus the Niners that the Cardinals won last year, shall we?

So much of this depends on when the two Arizona games fall on the schedule. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s squad now has a reputation for second-half collapses during the regular season, evidenced by the Cards going 1-4 over their final five games of the year.

Kind of similar to what happened in 2020, too.

We can’t speculate on when San Francisco will play Arizona both times in 2022, but it’s surely within reach to split the series.

Prediction vs. Cardinals: 1-1