The San Francisco 49ers seem talented enough on paper to be a playoff team next season. But football fans know the game is not played on paper.
There are no guarantees, and if the Niners end up missing the playoffs, it will be because of these three reasons.
Injuries
The 49ers have an older team that could definitely be exposed to a fair number of injuries if things don't go right. Last season was felled by injuries in many ways, and it’s not impossible to think there will be a repeat of that in 2026.
The defense had to deal with the majority of the injuries last season, as Fred Warner and Nick Bosa were lost with season-ending injuries. That made it hard for the Niners to make a playoff run, although they made a great effort despite the injuries.
There’s also a worry an intense travel schedule could be unkind to the 49ers on the injury front. It certainly doesn’t help going to multiple countries in the same season, so fans will be holding their breath throughout the year.
NFC West is too tough
Even if the Niners are able to stay relatively healthy, there’s a chance their division will simply be too tough. They have to contend with both the defending Super Bowl-champion Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams, who easily could’ve played in the Super Bowl and likely would’ve won, had a few things gone differently in the NFC Championship game.
The Rams went out and added Myles Garrett in the offseason, so they are going to be the favorite to win the division this upcoming season in all likelihood.
There’s a chance the 49ers could play decently and have a record of 9-8 or 10-7, and that’s not quite enough to make it as a Wild Card team if the Rams and Seahawks are ahead of them in the standings.
49ers' young players don’t make anticipated impact
The 49ers made some big additions in the offseason between Mike Evans, Dre Greenlaw, and Osa Odighizuwa. But they are truly counting on their younger players from their last few draft classes to make a big impact.
Players like Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, Malik Mustapha, and Renardo Green are going to have to step up and play well on defense. On offense, San Francisco may end up having to lean on young players like Connor Colby, Kaelon Black, and De’Zhaun Strubling, depending on how injuries play out.
One hopes the Niners get lucky with injuries, their division isn’t as scary as it seems, and the young guys step up, but it won’t take much going wrong for the 49ers to miss the playoffs this upcoming season.
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