NFL playoff predictions roundup: How experts view 49ers’ chances originally appeared on NBC Sports Bayarea
The 49ers’ playoff journey officially begins Saturday when they host the rival Seattle Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium to launch Super Wild Card Weekend.
San Francisco has had no shortage of deep playoff runs over the last decade-plus, but coach Kyle Shanahan is trying to bring the Vince Lombardi Trophy back to the Bay Area for the first time since 1994. It’s in the hands of Shanahan, a top-ranked defense and quarterback Brock Purdy, the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft who is undefeated as a starter.
Can the 49ers go the distance? Here is what NFL pundits around the web are saying:
AFC Championship Game: Bills 35, Chiefs 27
NFC Championship Game: 49ers 17, Buccaneers 13
Super Bowl LVII: Bills 27, 49ers 17
“A 49ers victory would probably require two or more takeaways, a great day in the red zone and a big play or two from McCaffrey in the passing game. It’s hardly impossible to rule out that scenario, but there would be more paths toward Buffalo winning the game. I picked the Bills over the 49ers before the season, so I’ll stick with that now.”
AFC Championship Game: Bengals over Chiefs
NFC Championship Game: 49ers over Eagles
Super Bowl LVII: Bengals 31, 49ers 24
“Truth is, I wanted to stick with my preseason prediction and have the Bills get their storybook ending to an impossibly difficult season. But just based on how I’ve seen the Bengals play down the stretch, and the fact that they’re coming into this thing with a pretty serious edge, my head’s telling me to go with Zac Taylor’s crew. And that’s largely because they’re probably second in front-line talent in the playoffs, and second only to the team I see them meeting in a rematch of Super Bowls XVI and XXIII.
“That’s the Niners, for whom the equation is simpler. From Nick Bosa to Trent Williams to Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, to George Kittle to Christian McCaffrey to Fred Warner, there isn’t a roster in the NFL that can match San Francisco player for player. The biggest question, for the Niners, comes at quarterback, where they’re rolling rookie Brock Purdy out there. And it’s one I think they’ll be able to manage all the way until they meet Joe Burrow for all the marbles.”
AFC Championship Game: Bills 33, Chiefs 30
NFC Championship Game: 49ers 27, Eagles 24
Super Bowl LVII: Bills 33, 49ers 27
“During the two weeks between the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl, Shanahan ponders the same question that Bill Belichick pondered prior to Super Bowl 36: Brady or Drew Bledsoe? For Shanny, it’s Purdy or Garoppolo, whose foot has finally healed enough. And like Belichick, he stays with the hot hand.
RELATED: How Purdy ascended onto 49ers’ radar, became Mr. Irrelevant
“But when Purdy suddenly develops the yips, Garoppolo is summoned off the bench and brings the Niners back from a first-half hole. McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel begin imposing their will on the night, and Marv Levy and Jim Kelly are sweating bullets in the owners’ box. But Allen, in his huddle at the start of a late fourth-quarter drive, looks up in the stands and says: “Hey look, it’s Will Smith and Chris Rock!” It eases the tension, and Allen engineers a 98-yard drive that culminates in him leaping over the end zone third-and-goal from the 3.”
AFC Championship Game: Bills over Chiefs
NFC Championship Game: 49ers over Eagles
Super Bowl LVII: Bills 28, 49ers 17
“In the end, I chose the NFC’s most complete team and the AFC’s most deserving one. Just imagine how that would unfold. A Shanahan back in the Super Bowl and — based on these picks — losing once more. An inspirational story worthy of a movie. Years of tortured history upended. It’s the Narrative Bowl, and it would be glorious.”
AFC Championship Game: Bills 29, Chiefs 26
NFC Championship Game: Eagles 20, 49ers 16
Super Bowl LVII: Bills 33, Eagles 30 (OT)
“So, what will this game come down to? I’m expecting a sloppy first half followed by a high-scoring second half. This game goes to overtime, where Buffalo kicks a game-winning field goal on its second drive of the extra period. The Bills fulfill the ‘team of destiny’ narrative.”