Rough start to 2024 for 49ers almost identical to 2022 season

The San Francisco 49ers dropped a key Week 7 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Next week they face a key NFC rival in a primetime game at home looking to get back on track followed by a bye week in Week 9.

Déjà vu, anyone?

The above paragraph could apply to both the 2022 and 2024 Niners. In 2022, San Francisco entered Week 7 with a record of 3-3 and lost to the Chiefs to drop to 3-4 in a game it had opportunities to win just like in 2024.

Of course, the 2022 Niners caught fire and won their final 10 games of the regular season and then went on to win two playoff games before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.

Do the 2024 Niners have a similar run in them?

Probably not. The vibes around this 49ers team are very different. They have more injuries than the 2022 team did, including one to wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in Week 7 that seems quite likely to end his season.

That is not to say this team will wilt like a flower. While it is true that the Chiefs own the 49ers as of late, the latter has owned its next opponent, the Dallas Cowboys, just as much in recent years.

One hopes Week 8 against the Cowboys will be reminiscent of Week 8 in 2022 when the Niners owned the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football to get back on track.

If the 49ers are able to do that, they will enter the bye week with some momentum and can look forward to a second half of the season where they could get some reinforcements. Christian McCaffrey, Jake Moody, Talanoa Hufanga, and Dre Greenlaw are all key players the Niners could get back in the second half which could give them a key boost.

However, the 2024 Niners have a much tougher second half schedule than the 2022 team did. This season, San Francisco will have tough games on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills as well as a Monday Night Football matchup with the Detroit Lions in Week 17.

It will not be easy, but if the Niners can hang in there and beat all of their division rivals the rest of the year and finish with a record of 10-7 or something like that, they should be in a good position to win the NFC West and make the playoffs.

It sounds easy on paper, but we all know that whatever was written on paper prior to 2024 for the 49ers can be shredded, thrown out the window, and then set aflame.

But 49ers fans can at least take some solace in the fact that this is familiar territory for the Niners and that they have had strong seasons after rough starts before.

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