The San Francisco 49ers have been blessed with one of the easiest schedules in the entire league in the upcoming 2023 NFL season.
According to Sharp Football Analysis, using a model that factors in projected win totals for opponents based on Vegas oddsmakers, the Niners are expected to have the third easiest schedule in the NFL, only ahead of the Indianapolis Colts and Carolina Panthers in their strength of schedule.
How could that be for a team that just came away with the NFC West title? Well, for one thing, they get to play each of their divisional rivals twice, and the NFC West is certainly a division on the downturn in terms of talent.
While the Los Angeles Rams still hope to be competitive, they’re far from the juggernaut they were when they won the Super Bowl in 2022. The Arizona Cardinals figure to be a rebuilding team after losing franchise quarterback Kyler Murray for a significant chunk of the upcoming campaign.
And the Seattle Seahawks are in the midst of a mini rebuild after trading away former Super Bowl champion Russell Wilson and many of his costars from their golden era.
The Niners also enjoy the fortune of drawing the NFC East this year, which is a relatively weak division outside of the Philadelphia Eagles. While the Dallas Cowboys can present a challenge, San Francisco should meet little resistance dispatching the New York Giants and Washington Commanders if they enter those matchups healthy.
Here’s how they think the 49ers’ 2023 campaign will shake out:
Week 1 | vs – L |
---|---|
Week 2 | |
Week 3 | vs. – W |
Week 4 | vs. – W |
Week 5 | vs. – W |
Week 6 | |
Week 7 | vs – W |
Week 8 | |
Week 9 | Bye |
Week 10 | vs – W |
Week 11 | vs. – W |
Week 12 | |
Week 13 | |
Week 14 | |
Week 15 | |
Week 16 | |
Week 17 | |
Week 18 | vs. – W |
Realistically, the 49ers could start their 2023 campaign off 7-0. They should be favored in each of their seven first games, including a homestand against Dallas. They’ll start off the year on the road against the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Los Angeles Rams, both games that they should win handily.
Then, they return home for matchups against the New York Giants and the Arizona Cardinals, both also very winnable contests.
If they can get past Dallas in Week 5, they only have to beat the Cleveland Browns on the road in their next game to get to 6-0. The Minnesota Vikings await them in their seventh matchup, but that’s certainly a gettable one, as well.
There’s a very good chance that the San Francisco 49ers can go undefeated through seven games before they see their first real Super Bowl contender in the Cincinnati Bengals on October 29th. Of course, anything can happen, but expect the Niners to start off the season hot.
With 61 days remaining until Steelers 2023 regular season football begins against the 49ers, here's a 61-yard pick-6 by Chad Scott (@CoachChadScott) in 2001 against the Chiefs. #HereWeGo #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/KdgNfcR8p2
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) July 11, 2023
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| Title: Could the San Francisco 49ers start 7-0 in the 2023 NFL season?
| Author: Andy Quach
| Date: July 11, 2023