SF 49ers win ten games, miss playoffs in recent Madden simulation

Truthfully, as much as we like to play the role of prognosticator, pull out the San Francisco 49ers‘ schedule, and place checkmarks next to the games we see as being easy wins, none of us know how things will play out until we see the Niners take the field and watch them battle for four quarters. That won’t stop us from making guesses though, will it?

We can, at times, be so obsessed that we use any method of evaluation to give ourselves a better understanding of opponents and where their weaknesses and deficiencies are. We pay for Pro Football Focus premium accounts. We subscribe to ESPN+. We’ll even turn to Electronic Arts and run a Madden NFL 23 simulation if we have to.

Thankfully, the latter option has been taken care of for us. AppTrigger, FanSided’s home for all things related to online applications and gaming recently ran a full-season simulation stretching from Week 1 to the Super Bowl. Be forewarned. You’re not going to like what they came up with.

The 49ers reach double-digit wins but miss out on a postseason berth in AppTrigger’s 2022 full-season Madden NFL simulation.

There’s no need to restart your cell phones and tablets or adjust the resolution of your computer monitors. This isn’t a drill. AppTrigger‘s Madden sim led to a third-place finish for the 49ers despite a ten-win season. Here’s a list of all eight division winners.

• Buffalo Bills, AFC East (9-8)
• Kansas City Chiefs, AFC West (13-4)
• Baltimore Ravens, AFC North (12-5)
• Indianapolis Colts, AFC South (12-5)
• Philadelphia Eagles, NFC East (10-7)
• Arizona Cardinals, NFC West (11-6)
• Green Bay Packers, NFC North (13-4)
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NFC South (12-5)

The Wild Card Teams are as follows: Cincinnati Bengals, Jacksonville Jaguars, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, Carolina Panthers

We love AppTrigger and the work they do there, but we respectfully disagree with their findings. Sure, they have nothing to do with how a Madden sim turns out, but that’s beside the point.

There’s some good football being played in the west. We can discuss the perennial powerhouses at the prep level (Mater Dei, Servite, and St. John Bosco for instance). We can mention the best divisions in the NFL (the NFC West and the AFC West). All eyes are on the ‘left coast’, and three teams from the National Football Conference’s best division could earn postseason berths at the regular season’s end.

Despite losing their opener, the Rams will be fine. We’ll see what happens with the Cards, but let’s make something clear. Double-digit wins are to be expected by the 49ers. This isn’t a third-place team. They have the potential to be elite.

Trey Lance has been given the keys to a Ferrari, and he’s been asked to simply keep the car on the road. He’ll, no doubt, be able to accomplish that. Fans have nothing to worry about.

The 49ers will earn a postseason berth. That’s a guarantee. In the Bay Area, gold isn’t just one of the Niners’ team colors. It’s a standard. Here’s to another playoff appearance and a deep run during the postseason. This time, we’re hoping they punch their ticket to football’s biggest game.