While there are plenty of concerns surrounding the San Francisco 49ers just days removed from their Week 1 season-opening kickoff against the Seattle Seahawks (injuries, a depleted wide receiver room, etc.), it's also worth mentioning the Niners have plenty of things going in their favor, too.
Case in point, the NFC West isn't exactly a powerhouse of a division. Especially with all kinds of uncertainty surrounding Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford's health and back issues, which could open the door for head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad to reclaim the division title after losing it to L.A. a season ago.
Oh, and San Francisco's schedule? It's the easiest in the NFL, at least based on last year's win-loss totals. Those might not mean everything, per se. But they do provide a solid indicator of what's to come.
Playing both the AFC South and NFC South, the two weakest divisions in the league, adds another bonus.
So, will the 49ers exceed projected expectations, or will they fall short?
A panel of CBS Sports analysts weighed in.
CBS Sports: 49ers will surpass win totals in 2025
Polling a group of CBS Sports minds -- Pete Prisco, Jared Dubin, Josh Edwards, Jordan Dajani, John Breech, Garrett Podell, Zach Pereles, Cody Benjamin and himself -- Tyler Sullivan went through all 32 teams' win/loss targets and predicted whether or not each would surpass or underwhelm.
As for the Niners, whose win/loss projection total is at 10.5, the panel is definitely siding with the over.
Here's what Sullivan had to say about the prediction:
"No team has an easier schedule in the NFL this season than the Niners in 2025. Not only is the path easier, but they should also see some positive regression in the injury department after being ravaged last season. Yes, they've seen an exodus of key players, but Brock Purdy, Trent Williams, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey still reside in the Bay Area and should produce an elite offense. Meanwhile, don't sleep on what the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh could do to that unit. "
Granted, San Francisco seems to have a troubling history with injuries over the years, and 2024 wasn't simply an anomaly on that front.
However, assuming the pendulum at least modestly swings back the other way, it's fair to assume the 49ers will easily surpass their six-win total from a year ago, especially if contributions from cornerstones like Purdy, Kittle and McCaffrey are solid enough.
The X-factor, as Sullivan mentioned, is Saleh's return to the defense.
A year ago, defensive collapses throughout the year under one-and-done coordinator Nick Sorensen, fully doomed the Niners' chances despite having an OK offense that lacked McCaffrey for all but four games. While the offense wasn't great, the defense was the primary issue.
San Francisco spent considerable effort revamping that side of the ball during the offseason, headlined by the Saleh reunion.
Should Saleh get the most out of that transformed unit, while the offense stays within itself, it's not hard to disagree with CBS Sports' assessment on the 49ers' future.
Assuming they stay mostly healthy, of course.