49ers schedule: Way too early win/loss predictions for 2023

49ers’ 2023 road opponents

Arizona Cardinals

Unless the Cardinals take drastic action, they should be bad again in 2023 while they continue to search for an identity. Cue the conversations about how they can unload Kyler Murray’s contract this time next year.

It’s another sweep of Arizona for the 49ers.

Los Angeles Rams

It must continue to be said that the Rams have struggled against the 49ers for years now (sadly, save for one game, which we won’t discuss any further). There are a lot of questions about this roster heading into 2023, especially after the injury-plagued 2022 that Matthew Stafford just came through.

Another sweep.

Seattle Seahawks

I hate this, but it’s well-documented that the Seahawks have been really good at home against the 49ers in recent years. This is the anti-Rams situation.

In fact, since head coach Kyle Shanahan arrived, the 49ers have only beaten Seattle five times overall and just twice in the Pacific Northwest. Three of those wins, including one on the road for the Niners, came in 2022.

That means the 49ers just manage a 5-1 interdivisional record in 2023.

Philadelphia Eagles

I’ll go on record: if the Eagles win the Super Bowl on Sunday, I want to see that season-opening Thursday Night Football contest as an NFC Championship Game rematch.

Maybe this time the Niners will have one healthy starting quarterback for the entire game and we’ll get to see what these two NFC heavyweights are really made of.

Maybe I’m just willing this into existence, but I want to see the 49ers get the chance to show how good they are and beat the Eagles on the road this time.

So I’m calling it now. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Washington Commanders

The Commanders are sort of a milder version of the 49ers on the east coast.

They have a strong defensive, especially along the defensive line, and depend heavily on this unit to keep them in games in spite of who is playing quarterback on their offense.

And after just missing the playoffs (the only NFC East team to do so), they’ll be looking to improve their offense to give themselves a better chance at competing in a very difficult division. One way they might be looking to do so is by hiring 49ers’ offensive assistant Anthony Lynn as their new offensive coordinator, a move that’s still a possibility.

Still, barring some massive movement, Washington still stands to be a very winnable game for the 49ers. And so I expect they will win.

Cleveland Browns

It seems like the 49ers have at least a few games where they lose to teams they have no business losing to. Last year it was Chicago (albeit in an opening week monsoon), Atlanta, and a putrid Denver team. This upcoming season doesn’t have a lot of obvious candidates, but you can count the Browns among the options.

They should continue to have a talented defense and they’ll be heading into 2023 with a full offseason and season for DeShaun Watson, who will have a lot to prove given the scandal surrounding his life and how poorly he played in his return last year.

Still, I can’t quite make the leap with Cleveland, however, their division rivals feel like the perfect trap game.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are well-coached and should once again feature a finicky and difficult defense. All their success, or lack thereof, will be predicated on the improvement of Kenny Pickett from his rookie season into year 2.

If he can show marked improvement and continue to put the team in a position to win, Pittsburgh will be another tough matchup for the 49ers, especially on the road.

This one, I think, will be the AFC North game they’ll drop on their travels in 2023, which means a less-than-stellar 1-3 record against that division.

Minnesota Vikings

The Vikings were the luckiest team in the NFL last year, as they won an absurd eleven one-score games last year while finishing with a point differential of -3. All the while, they won 13 games and the NFC North title.

Based on that, they should have won between eight and nine games in 2022.

This doesn’t seem like a team destined for a long run as division champs, despite what happens with Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Especially consider the Lions might be on the rise.

This is a game the 49ers should win.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Speaking of teams on the rise, we come to the 49ers’ extra road game. And it’s one that comes with the intrigue of a possible international trip, as the Jaguars, who are owed by Shahid Khan who also owns Fulham FC of the English Premier League, and so gives up a home game each season to bring his team to London.

The Jags might have been a little ahead of schedule in 2022, winning their truly putrid AFC South division and winning a home playoff game in dramatic comeback fashion against the Chargers. But a good offseason could see them elevate themselves a little closer to the AFC’s elite group of Kansas City, Cincinnati, and Buffalo.

This feels like it could be a difficult matchup for the 49ers, especially if they do end up in London.

Final road record: 6-3

Final overall record: 12-5

Sure, it’s early, but it’s fun to speculate about what the team’s record might look like so far in advance. The offseason will tell us a lot, a fact that is as true for the 49ers in many ways as it is for most teams.