The 2019 season could wind up determining how the foreseeable future goes for the 49ers. A step forward means they’re on the right track. A lateral step or a step back could be the start of a disaster.
It’s still entirely too early to come up with predictions for games in the 2019 campaign, but we went through San Francisco’s schedule to try and get an early projection on what their record might look like.
Here are our way-too-early game-by-game predictions for the 49ers’ 2019 season:
Week 1 | 49ers at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
San Francisco lost to the Bucs last year in perhaps the ugliest game they played all season. A healthy Jimmy Garoppolo should help their fortunes unless the Bucs’ pass defense takes a jump into the realms of the NFL’s best.
Pick: 49ers, 27-24 (1-0)
Week 2 | 49ers at Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have a new head coach and may be angling toward a complete tear down and rebuild. Perhaps a healthy Andy Dalton regains the magic that made Cincinnati a perennial playoff contender through the early part of his career, but this should be a winnable game for the 49ers against a worse team.
Pick: 49ers, 24-20 (2-0)
Week 3 | 49ers vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are gone, but the Steelers still come stocked with playmakers on offense. It’s hard to imagine this group doesn’t bounce back with a strong 2019 after missing the playoffs a season ago. Winning the home opener would be nice for San Francisco, but opening with Pittsburgh at Levi’s Stadium is a tough draw.
Pick: Steelers, 34-27 (2-1)
Week 4 | Bye week
An unequivocal victory for San Francisco.
Week 5 | 49ers vs. Cleveland Browns (Monday Night Football)
What a strange time that the Browns can’t be circled as a win in late April. A vastly-improved roster and a coach to potentially maximize that talent has the Browns primed to offer a very serious run to the top of the AFC North. The 49ers have the benefit of coming off the bye, and their chances to win increase dramatically if they’re fully healthy by this contest.
Pick: Browns, 24-23 (2-2)
Week 6 | 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
The 49ers have yet to beat a fully functioning iteration of Sean McVay’s Rams. On the other hand – the Rams should be getting a much-improved version of the 49ers. This could wind up being the best Rams-49ers game we’ve had since 2017 when LA escaped Santa Clara with a 41-39 win early in the year.
Pick: Rams, 38-28 (2-3)
Week 7 | 49ers at Washington
This is a must-win for San Francisco. Washington’s quarterback situation still isn’t resolved, and they have holes all over their roster. This is a game the 49ers have to get if they’re going to take a leap next year.
Pick: 49ers 37-17 (3-3)
Week 8 | 49ers vs Carolina Panthers
Week 8 feels like it’s going to be a turning point. Assuming the 49ers get through their first six games with three wins, getting a W against the Panthers not only puts them above .500 entering the second half of the year, it gives them a win against a team that should be in the playoff hunt.
Pick: 49ers, 27-24 (4-3)
Week 9 | 49ers at Arizona Cardinals (Thursday Night Football)
A new coach, potentially a new quarterback, and in the early stages of a rebuild. The Cardinals have the look of an opponent the 49ers should beat. Arizona took home a pair of victories against San Francisco last season. The 49ers have to reverse that trend this year.
Pick: 49ers, 38-13 (5-3)
Week 10 | 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks (Monday Night Football)
The extra days off after the Thursday game should be helpful for San Francisco, but they’ll still be facing a divisional foe that’s had their number the last half decade. A win at Levi’s Stadium in 2018 should give the 49ers a bit of their swagger back going into this game. It’ll be a must-win if San Francisco is going to stay in the race.
Pick: 49ers, 26-21 (6-3)
Week 11 | 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals
Again – the 49ers should be better than Arizona. They have to show it this year, especially at home.
Pick: 49ers, 27-17 (7-3)
Week 12 | 49ers vs. Green Bay Packers
This game should have a playoff vibe if all goes well for both teams. These could potentially be the two wild card teams in the NFC. Green Bay will have a new coach and should be pretty stacked defensively after a strong free agency period. They might be the team to beat in the NFC.
Pick: Packers, 31-28 (7-4)
Week 13 | 49ers at Baltimore Ravens
It seems every game against the Ravens turns into a heavyweight brawl. There’s a chance Baltimore regresses some after a trip to the playoffs last season, but traveling across the country to face the Ravens at home where they’re very tough to beat is a tall task for a still-growing 49ers club.
Pick: Ravens, 17-13 (7-5)
Week 14 | 49ers at New Orleans Saints
This will provide a good measuring stick assuming all these games play out like we think. The 49ers can either establish themselves as a bona fide playoff team with a win, or they can leave realizing they have a long way to go before contending with the league’s best. Playing well is the likely goal here considering the Saints will be a popular Super Bowl pick out of the NFC.
Pick: Saints, 30-20 (7-6)
Week 15 | 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons
Kyle Shanahan will face his former team for the first time, and again, there could be more playoff implications in this one. With back-to-back losses to the Ravens and Saints, a home game against the Falcons suddenly feels like a game the 49ers need to have. Getting the Falcons outside of the dome should slow them down some, and Shanahan should have some insight on how to bother Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan.
Pick: 49ers, 31-27 (8-6)
Week 16 | 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams
Assuming both clubs are healthy at this late juncture, there could be a ton on the line. San Francisco would be in the thick of the playoff hunt at 8-6, while the Rams may be looking to lock up a No. 1 seed or the NFC West. The 49ers probably won’t win this one, but the Rams won’t roll the way they did at Levi’s Stadium a season ago.
Pick: Rams, 28-24 (8-7)
Week 17 | 49ers at Seattle Seahawks
The 49ers haven’t won in Seattle since 2011, and that probably won’t change this year if both clubs are healthy in the final week. Seattle, even with a small decline from the Seahawks, continues to be a very difficult place to play for opponents.
Pick: Seahawks, 23-17 (8-8)
***
Finishing 8-8 wouldn’t be ideal, but it’s an unequivocal step forward for San Francisco. The goal this year will be a postseason berth. Eight wins would leave them short of that. However, a .500 finish is an improvement, and that’s the ultimate long-term goal this season.
