The San Francisco 49ers enter the 2025 season fresh off the heels of a rough 2024. That rough season may have benefited them as they have a fortuitous schedule that 49ers reporter Tim Kawakami called the easiest he has ever seen.
Kawakami, a reporter and columnist for the San Francisco Standard, appeared on the Willard and Dibs Show on 95.7 The Game to discuss how the Niners may fare this season.
He broke down some early takeaways from training camp and the shakeup the 49ers had this offseason, but he also noted at the end, the Niners could still have a good year even after losing a lot of players, given their schedule.
"They've got such an easy schedule that, even getting rid of all these solid players and possibly risking some very thin position groups," Kawakami said. "They still might win 11 games... this is the easiest schedule I've ever seen the 49ers have."
Every NFC West team will obviously play each other twice, and they will also play every team in both the AFC and NFC South divisions. Both of those divisions are regarded as some of the weakest in the NFL, so the NFC West has a chance to do some damage against those teams.
Where San Francisco has a leg up over their NFC West rivals is in the fact it will play the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, and New York Giants since those teams also finished last in their respective divisions in 2024.
Add it all up and it is no wonder why the 49ers may very well have the easiest schedule of any NFL team next season. This bodes well for the Niners to bounce back this season, and quarterback Brock Purdy may benefit from the fact that there should not be too many games played in inclement weather.
Of course, everything can look nice and easy on paper but the team still has to go out and play the games. They are going to be relying on a lot of young players, especially on defense, so there are no guarantees the Niners are going to come roaring back to the playoffs in 2025.
Yet, their easy schedule is something noteworthy that should be kept in mind. The NFC West could be wide open this season though as it seems every team has a legitimate chance to win the division at this stage.