Maiocco’s way-too-early 49ers 2024 game-by-game predictions

The previous time the 49ers went to the Super Bowl (and lost), the organization took an abrupt downward turn the following season, finishing 6-10 in 2020. San Francisco hopes to avoid a similar outcome during the 2024 NFL season, and now it knows the path it will have to take to get back to the mountaintop, as the league released the full schedule Wednesday. The 49ers are coming off a season in which they earned the No. 1 seed and engineered two comeback victories in the playoffs to win the NFC title. But they fell short of their ultimate goal with a 25-22 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. Still, the 49ers know they are the target of every team in the NFC. And they will face many challenges along the way, including six games against NFC playoff teams from a year ago. The 49ers will also square off against AFC powerhouses Kansas City and Buffalo. With the release of the 2024 regular-season schedule, it is also time for our way-too-early predictions for the upcoming year. We envision the 49ers producing similar results as a year ago, when the club went 12-5 and claimed the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Here's a look at the schedule that awaits: Week 1: vs N.Y....