NFL.com predicts 49ers will return to playoffs in 2025

NFL Media analysts Ali Bhanpuri and Adam Rank recently shared their predictions for every NFC team's record in 2025. Both see the San Francisco 49ers bouncing back after last year's disappointing 6-11 campaign and returning to the playoffs.

Bhanpuri projects the 49ers to finish 11-6, good for second place in the NFC West behind the Los Angeles Rams and earning the fifth seed as a Wild Card. Rank has San Francisco at 10-7, also in the postseason as the seventh seed, but with a third-place division finish behind the Seattle Seahawks and Rams.

Because Bhanpuri provided a more detailed analysis, his breakdown is worth a closer look. He envisions the 49ers opening the season with four straight wins, including a statement victory on the road in Seattle.

"Healthier and refocused after last year's fourth-placed finish in the West, the 49ers kick off the campaign with a convincing win at Seattle, setting the stage for a flawless first month," Bhanpuri wrote.

That hot start is followed by a brutal midseason stretch in which San Francisco wins just one of six games, capped by a sweep at the hands of the Rams.

"Instead of evening the season series with L.A., the Niners fall yet again to their rivals in SoCal," Bhanpuri explained. "The defeat not only delivers a massive blow to San Francisco's division title hopes, it extends the Niners' head-to-head losing streak to five games (including playoffs)."

Despite the skid, Bhanpuri sees the 49ers finishing strong, winning six of their final seven games, with their only late-season loss coming at the hands of the Cleveland Browns on the road.

One of the trickiest matchups to project on the schedule, according to Bhanpuri, comes in Week 6 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which he predicts as a loss.

"A win at Tampa is certainly possible," Bhanpuri noted. "San Francisco will be coming off a post-TNF mini-bye and hasn't lost to the Bucs since 2018 (including a narrow victory on the road last year after the bye). But four road trips over the first six weeks and the Bucs' high-octane offense combine to take their toll on Kyle Shanahan's crew."

Below are the game-by-game predictions by Bhanpuri and Rank.

In both scenarios, the 49ers reclaim a spot in the postseason after missing out last year. The question will be whether Kyle Shanahan's squad can take full advantage of the (projected) opportunity.

"As high as I am on the 49ers, even great teams have bad games," Bhanpuri concluded. "And I see a few that fit the bill this year, including at New York and at Cleveland. But no matter. The Niners' favorable slate affords them some room for error. Welcome back to the dance, San Fran."