The San Francisco 49ers were one score away from winning the Super Bowl last February.
This year, the reigning NFC champs will be watching the title game from home.
Quarterback Brock Purdy and Co. were primed for another run through the conference and were expected to make a splash in the postseason. Instead, they struggled to win six games during the season.
Their in-state division rival, the Los Angeles Rams, clinched the NFC West more than a week ago. They went 10-7, while the Niners finished with a 6-11 record, last place within the division.
At least six of those 49ers losses were by seven points or less. That includes four of them in games against opponents within their own division.
True, missing out on the postseason is a disappointing finish for San Francisco. However, there are some concrete reasons why the long-term benefits will actually help the 49ers gear up for a return to prominence in the not-so-distant future.
1. 49ers benefit from higher picks in NFL Draft
Having just won six games, San Francisco has the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. After the past three seasons of prosperity, the 49ers have not picked this early in Round 1 since 2021 when they traded up to No. 3 overall to select quarterback Trey Lance.
Last year, San Francisco picked Ricky Pearsall with its first-round pick. The wide receiver showed glimpses of greatness and validated a strong potential career in the Bay Area.
He was the 49ers' first player taken on Day 1 of the NFL Draft in three years.
A year prior to Lance, the 49ers selected defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in Round 1. Pearsall and Aiyuk, as of now, are expected to be a part of the big picture for San Francisco.
The biggest offseason needs for the team are run defense and offensive line.
By finishing with a worse record, the Niners not only boast a top-11 pick but will have earlier selections in subsequent rounds to address those needs with rookie talent.
2. 49ers are in need of some rest
Sure, the injury bug crippled the 49ers' hopes in returning to the Super Bowl for a second season in a row. However, missing the playoffs gives veteran players like tight end George Kittle, linebacker Fred Warner, defensive end Nick Bosa and more some much needed rest to rebound in 2025.
Likewise, injuries to Aiyuk, running backs Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason and Elijah Mitchell, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw all led to the Niners' demise in 2024.
That was a similar theme the last time San Francisco last missed the playoffs in 2020.
Thus, the rest from not playing in the postseason would benefit head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. in the long run. With 17 regular-season games and at least two or three playoff games since 2021, that's almost 20 games per year in the last three seasons for San Francisco.
Aging veterans like Kittle, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, center Jake Brendel and defensive end Leonard Floyd are all over 30 years old. The added wear and tear on those particular players, and others, won't be repeated at the conclusion of 2024, giving them a chance to heal up, rest and better prepare for a refreshed 2025 campaign.
The 49ers' average age a season ago was 26 years old and seven months. In 2024, it was closer to 26.98 years old. That's while injuries affected many of the Niners' star players.
3. After all, the 49ers do play in the NFC
The last time San Francisco won just six games in a season was 2020. A year later, the 49ers won 10 games and made the playoffs.
Then, in three consecutive seasons, San Francisco made it to the NFC Championship match. In that third appearance, the 49ers finally made it to the Super Bowl after a four-year hiatus.
The last 12 Super Bowls have featured an NFC West team seven times. That's more than half of the last championship games featuring the Niners, Rams, Seattle Seahawks or Arizona Cardinals.
San Francisco has appeared in three of those. Unfortunately, it has lost every Super Bowl since the 1994 season, the last time the franchise hoisted the Lombardi Trophy.
The NFC South rarely turns out a 12-game winner. The NFC North and NFC East are rather competitive, though.
However, the NFC West has an aging quarterback in Matthew Stafford for the Rams. The Cardinals' Kyler Murray and the Seahawks' Geno Smith have yet to make it to an NFC Championship matchup in their respective careers.
Purdy, with a healthy and revamped roster, could be poised to return to the NFL's grandest stage. After eight Super Bowl appearances, the 49ers are hungry to win a sixth.