There's not a lot going on around the NFL now in the wake of April's draft and the subsequent full release of the 2026 regular-season schedule, which means it's time for predictions and speculation to keep us occupied until training camp later this summer.
And those predictions can range from the ultra-optimistic variety to the absolutely wild, falling anywhere in between.
NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri and Tom Blair just dished out their game-by-game predictions for all 32 teams, and while there is no shortage of wild reactions from other fanbases (just ask FanSided's panel of site experts and editors what their thoughts were), Bhanpuri and Blair's predictions for the San Francisco 49ers are, well... mostly reasonable.
Emphasize "mostly."
Bhanpuri has the Niners finishing 10-7 and securing a Wild Card spot—hopes of clinching the division dashed by a five-game losing streak between Weeks 12 and 16, which is understandable, given that's the gauntlet portion of San Francisco's schedule.
Blair, meanwhile, was slightly more optimistic in his predictions, having the 49ers go 11-6 while still getting a Wild Card berth, and the Niners ultimatley do slightly better over those final few weeks.
But there's a Blair prediction that's absolutely wild and should make San Francisco fans' eyes roll.
NFL.com has wild 49ers-Raiders outcome that'd surprise everyone
Bhanpuri didn't go this route, so he's safe from any reactionary critique. But Blair suggested the 49ers would lose to the lowly Las Vegas Raiders in Week 9 at Levi's Stadium.
What?
Not only is it Vegas, coming off the No. 1 overall pick in the draft and just now beginning the initial phases of a full rebuild, but the Niners are also coming off their bye week and should be both fully rested and prepared.
Should the unthinkable happen with Las Vegas somehow upsetting San Francisco in what would have to be an absolute trap game, it'd be one of only three wins Blair is predicting for the Raiders this upcoming season.
OK, so stranger things have happened, and the trap-game description could feasibly apply if the 49ers are rusty.
But the likelihood of such an outcome seems awfully laughable, and the would-be reality of it would be downright embarrassing for Niners fans.
Hey, though... predictions are just that and little else.
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