49ers are Most-Likely Team to Go from Worst to First in Their Division

Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, the 49ers generally go to the NFC Championship or finish last in their division. There isn't much in between.

Last season, they finished dead last in the NFC West. The season before, they went to the Super Bowl and lost. That's why this season, so many people expect the 49ers to bounce back. In fact, Fox Sports says that the 49ers have the best chance to go from worst to first in their division of all the teams that finished last in 2024.

"This was a decently easy call when it comes down to likelihood, though I do think the Rams are going to be a hard team to overcome for the top spot in the NFC West," writes Fox Sports' Carmen Vitali. "That being said, last year was an uncharacteristically bad year for the Niners and I don’t expect that to continue. They still have one of the better rosters in the division, and they just paid quarterback Brock Purdy.

"If San Francisco gets running back Christian McCaffrey back and healthy, all bets are off as to who wins this division. That is an 'if,' though. The Niners snagged a couple of defensive linemen with their first two picks in the draft to make up for their losses there, too."

Unfortunately for the 49ers, both of those defensive linemen -- Mykel Williams and Alfred Collins -- missed minicamp with leg injuries. And banking on a 29-year-old running back coming off bilateral Achilles tendonitis and a torn PCL to carry the offense like he did when he was 27 seems unrealistic.

But to be fair, the Rams have a much tougher schedule, plus they need Matthew Stafford and Davante Adams to stay healthy all season, and they're older players. So the 49ers certainly have a legitimate chance to go from worst to first. But so do the Chicago Bears. It will be interesting to see which team is better this year. They will face each other in Week in Week 17 at Levi's Stadium.