Will the 49ers Return to the NFC Championship Game this Season?

The 49ers have gone to the NFC Championship Game in four of the past six seasons.

In 2020, they missed the playoffs entirely having won only six games. Then the next season, they were fresh and reinvigorated, and immediately returned to the NFC Championship.

Now, they're coming off another six-win season. As a result, they've had a longer offseason than usual to prepare for the upcoming season. That's why Bleacher Report expects the 49ers to be in the Super Bowl mix this year.

"By reaching the Super Bowl during their 2023 campaign, the 49ers played an extra three games and played into February," writes Bleacher Report's Kristopher Knox. "They played an extra three games in 2022 as well, which means they played roughly two-and-a-half seasons over those two years.

"This year, San Francisco has had a full offseason to get healthy, rest and reload. Players like McCaffrey and Williams should be ready to go by the start of the season, and an influx of rookie talent—the 49ers' first five draft selections were defenders—should help replenish a defense that ranked 29th in points allowed last season.

"San Francisco also brought back defensive coordinator Robert Saleh this offseason.

"Aiyuk (torn ACL, MCL) is likely to miss regular-season time, but if the rest of the offense is and can stay healthy while the defense rebounds, San Francisco should be back in the Super Bowl mix. The 49ers have done it before, as they followed an injury-impacted 6-10 campaign in 2020 with an appearance in the NFC Championship Game the following year."

Knox makes good points, but there's no guarantee that Saleh will turn around the 49ers' defense in just one year. With up to five rookies projected to start, the 49ers are expecting to take lumps on defense for at least the first half of the season. If things go according to plan, the defense will be humming by November at the earliest.

And by then, will Christian McCaffrey, Trent Williams, Nick Bosa and George Kittle all still be healthy? If so, they certainly could another Super Bowl run. But so much has to go right for them.