Sports Illustrated and The MMQB writer, Andy Benoit, has made his predictions for all 32 NFL teams this season. So how did the San Francisco 49ers fare? Did they tank and finish with three wins as Adam Rank of NFL Media predicts or did they finish around .500 as Las Vegas and several team beat writers predict?
Neither, actually. They made out pretty well in Benoit's prediction.
Benoit has the 49ers coming in second in the NFC West with a 10-6 record, behind the Los Angeles Rams who are projected to end up 12-4, which is the best record among NFC teams.
Even more significant than beating out the Seattle Seahawks for the No. 2 spot in the division is that Benoit has San Francisco making the playoffs as one of the two Wildcards in the NFC. He has the 49ers, the No. 5 seed, falling to the NFC East winners, the Philadelphia Eagles, the No. 4 seed, in the first round of the postseason.
The Eagles get knocked out of the postseason by the No. 1 seed Rams, who eventually fall to the NFC's Super Bowl representatives, the New Orleans Saints. Benoit has the New England Patriots repeating as champions, though, with a 27-23 victory over the Saints in Super Bowl LIV at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.
I know what you're probably saying. "Wow. How bold picking the Patriots."
"Yes, picking the Patriots feels boring and lazy," admits Benoit. "But their defense is much stronger than it was at this time last year, and they're one of the few offenses built around a smashmouth ground game. Oh, and when they're not pounding the rock, they'll rely on Tom Brady, who has still shown no sign of decline."
Click here to read the entire feature and all of the predictions by Benoit.