Respected NFL analyst Cynthia Frelund is known for her data-driven projections, so her latest prediction might make San Francisco 49ers fans a little uneasy.
During an appearance on Bay Area radio station KNBR on Wednesday, Frelund was asked for her thoughts on the upcoming Week 1 matchup between the 49ers and the New York Jets.
"Uh-oh," Frelund began, hesitating as she realized her response might not go over well with the hometown audience.
"It's going to be a close game," Frelund continued. "... I do actually have the Jets coming out just a smidge on top. I know that [T] Trent Williams is back. However, they haven't all worked together, and one of the keys to this entire offense is to keep [QB] Brock Purdy clean. By the way, that's the key for any offense.
"But with [Jets QB] Aaron Rodgers there, this is a situation where I think they could come in and sneak one."
Frelund projects the Jets to edge out the 49ers with a score of 23-21 or something close to that. Apologetically, she added, "I'm sorry. It's not me, it's the [analytics] model."
Monday night's game will be the 15th all-time meeting between the 49ers and Jets and the first since San Francisco's 2020 victory at MetLife Stadium. The 49ers are 11-3 all-time against the Jets and 4-2 against them at home.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Frelund below.