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Right now, the San Francisco 49ers are the favorites to represent the NFC in the next Super Bowl. No pressure.
It shouldn’t be much of an issue. The 49ers finished the regular season last year with a 13-4 record, earning the No. 2 seed in the NFC. They steamrolled through the first two rounds of the playoffs, before losing the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. It’s not difficult to imagine a similar scenario this season, right down to another matchup with the Eagles in January, albeit with the outcome very much TBD.
We’ll take a look at the latest DraftKings Sportsbook lines and predict if the San Francisco 49ers can beat their 2023 win total. The odds below are as of May 8, 2023.
NFC West win totals
San Francisco 49ers: 11.5 (Over 11.5 +110, Under 11.5 −130)
Seattle Seahawks: 8.5 (Over 8.5 −105, Under 8.5 −115)
Los Angeles Rams: 7.5 (Over 7.5 −140, Under 7.5 +115)
Arizona Cardinals: 5.5 (Over 5.5 +110, Under 5.5 −130)
Notable offseason moves
The 49ers pulled off a spring win over the Eagles, signing away free agent defensive tackle Javon Hargrave. He’ll slot in next to Arik Armstead, and on the same line with Nick Bosa, giving them one of the most disruptive defensive fronts in the NFC.
The team scored another offseason win by re-signing safety Tashaun Gipson. They didn’t make too many more splashy moves in free agency, but did a nice job adding depth with additions like OL Jon Feliciano, DE Austin Bryant and DE Clelin Ferrell.
After giving up a bunch of draft picks in trades over the last few seasons, the Niners didn’t add anyone in the 2023 NFL Draft until the third round. But they did land a new kicker and some players with the potential to turn into starters down the road.
San Francisco 49ers prediction: Over 11.5
Sure, other teams in the NFC got better too, and the Eagles aren’t going anywhere, but the 49ers remain one of the best teams in the conference. They’re helped, too, by their division.
What moves might change our prediction?
The elephant in the room here is the quarterback situation. Brock Purdy was a pleasant surprise last season—from Mr. Irrelevant to playoff hero—but he’s still recovering from an injury. We’ve yet to see if he can play like that for a full season or if his success last year was just a fluke. They still have Trey Lance, also recovering from an injury, but the fact that Purdy is already penciled in as the starter doesn’t speak well for Lance’s future.