4 bold predictions for 49ers 2023 season

49ers bold prediction No. 3: Niners fail to win NFC West

Not long ago, ESPN analyst Louis Riddick went on The Rich Eisen Show (h/t 49ers Webzone) and predicted it would be the Seattle Seahawks and not the 49ers who ultimately win the NFC West in 2023.

"[Seattle] was a year ahead last year, and I thought last year they were a playoff-caliber Wild Card-type of team when I saw them in the preseason and went out there for training camp," Riddick told Eisen. "And people said, 'You need to find a new job, because analyzing football isn't the job for you. There's no way Seattle's gonna be that good, they'll be a top-5 drafting team.' Seattle is for real. I'm gonna jump right back on—I never got off [the train]. I'm still on that train, and I think they win the West. I think they take it from San Francisco."

Interesting.

Well, the Hawks were supposed to be awful in 2022 in the new post-Russell Wilson era, but they nevertheless managed a 9-8 record, made it into the playoffs and ultimately were eliminated by the Niners in a hard-fought Wild Card game.

Following an excellent offseason, perhaps Riddick's bold prediction comes true, and we'll go ahead and adopt it here.