ESPN's Bill Barnwell believes the San Francisco 49ers will bounce back in 2025, predicting the team to win the NFC West. He's not alone. Oddsmakers and analysts have favored the Bay Area squad for much of the offseason, largely because the 49ers own the NFL's easiest schedule. That gives San Francisco a clearer path to the postseason compared to their divisional rivals.
Barnwell included the 49ers among last year's disappointments most likely to rebound in 2025.
"In addition to being a perennial playoff team before last year's 6-11 season, the 49ers have a strong quantitative case for improvement," Barnwell explained. "They went 2-6 in one-score games, faced the most injuries of any team by adjusted games lost, and played the NFL's toughest schedule in 2024."
Still, Barnwell expressed some caution. Despite an easier slate of opponents, he isn't convinced San Francisco can reach the same ceiling as its 2022 and 2023 squads. The roster's aging foundation and the departure of key veterans—moves made to clear room for quarterback Brock Purdy's contract extension—create uncertainty.
"But a healthier version of the 49ers with Robert Saleh coaching up the defense should be a significant upgrade," Barnwell added. "If the Rams do take a step backward because of their own injuries, the 49ers would be the team best positioned to pounce."
When it comes to the Super Bowl, though, Barnwell does not have San Francisco advancing. Instead, he predicts the Kansas City Chiefs will make amends for last season's championship loss, defeating the Green Bay Packers 24-17.
NFL.com predicts more Super Bowl heartbreak for 49ers
A couple of NFL.com contributors were slightly more optimistic about San Francisco's chances. Contributors David Carr and Brooke Cersosimo both picked the 49ers to reach Super Bowl LX—but each has them falling short against the Baltimore Ravens. Such an outcome would mark Kyle Shanahan's third Super Bowl defeat since becoming San Francisco's head coach.
"A healthy Christian McCaffrey turns in one of his finest seasons, while Robert Saleh brings discipline and stability back to San Francisco's defense," Carr wrote. "But the story of the year belongs to Baltimore. The Ravens prove to be the league's bully this year, riding another MVP season from Lamar Jackson and a defense transformed by the emergence of rookie Malaki Starks. Baltimore wins a 30-27 thriller."
Cersosimo added: "A healthy 49ers team gets back to the Super Bowl for the third time in the Kyle Shanahan era. Standing in the way, however, is the best roster in the NFL and Lamar Jackson, who puts together a campaign for the ages and delivers on his draft night promise seven years ago: 'They're gonna get a Super Bowl out of me. Believe that.'"
Out of the 29 NFL Media contributors surveyed, none predicted the 49ers as Super Bowl champions in 2025.