San Francisco 49ers schedule and 2021 season predictions

Kyle Shanahan is a mere 1-3 at home against Seattle at home against Seattle since taking over as the 49ers’ head coach. That must change if San Francisco wants to rebound following an injury-plagued 2020 season. The good news? These 49ers match up extremely well against the Seahawks — primarily on defense. A healthy Nick Bosa returning with All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner should do just enough against Russell Wilson and Co. to come out on top at home in this Week 4 matchup.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 24, Seahawks 20

Week 5 — @ Arizona Cardinals

The 49ers and Cardinals have played competitive games over the past couple seasons. Last year saw Arizona win by four in Santa Clara to open the campaign and lose by eight at home later in the season. Back in 2019, San Francisco took both games by a combined 13 points. The moral of the story here? Expect a close affair with the Cards coming out on top at home. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Cardinals 27, 49ers 23

WEEK 6 BYE

Week 7 — vs. Indianapolis Colts

Whether the San Francisco 49ers start Trey Lance or Jimmy Garoppolo, this figures to be a low-scoring game. Both teams want to win with their defense and controlling the clock. Long drives, plenty of field goals and Carson Wentz making just enough plays in the final minutes to secure a victory.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Colts 23, 49ers 20 

Week 8 — @ Chicago Bears

Perhaps, this could be a matchup between Trey Lance and Justin Fields. However, it now seems more likely that Chicago will roll with Andy Dalton under center. If so, Matt Nagy’s squad is much too limited on offense to really make this a competitive game. Expect a 49ers win going away in the Windy City. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 28, Bears 20

Week 9 — vs. Arizona Cardinals

Protecting the home field against fellow NFC West opponents is going to be a big deal for the 49ers in the ultra-competitive division. San Francisco is just 4-8 against said opponents at Levi’s Stadium since Kyle Shanahan took over in 2017. We’re expecting the team to flip the script in 2021. In this particular matchup, the 49ers’ defensive line will have a distinct advantage over the Arizona offensive line in front of Kyler Murray and be able to lead to a season split.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 28, Cardinals 24

Week 10 — vs. Los Angeles Rams

Two of the favorites in the NFC West heading into the 2021 NFL season, whoever comes out on top in this division will have to take care of business in their head-to-head matchups. Unfortunately for the 49ers, Los Angeles seemingly has matchup advantages clear across the board. That includes Cooper Kupp and Robert Woods taking advantage of slower-footed 49ers cornerbacks and the presence of Aaron Donald against a still-questionable interior of the 49ers’ offensive line. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Rams 31, 49ers 27

Week 11 — @ Jacksonville Jaguars

Another potential matchup between two rookies, Trevor Lawrence is the sure-fire starter for Jacksonville. He also has a ton of weapons and a solid offensive line in front of him. At the very least, that should make Jacksonville competitive against better teams after losing its final 15 games a season ago. Unfortunately, the defense remains a major question-mark. Whether it’s Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance under center for the 49ers, they should score enough to win in Duval. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 30, Jaguars 27

Week 12 — vs. Minnesota Vikings

I am still not sold on Kirk Cousins being able to go to into Levi’s Stadium against a fully-healthy 49ers defense and accomplishing a darn thing. His last appearance against this unit led to an historically bad Vikings performance on offense. With Nick Bosa back and questions lingering on the Vikings’ offensive line, look for a narrow San Francisco home win.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 20, Vikings 17

Week 13 — @ Seattle Seahawks

The recent history of this rivalry is interesting. Last season saw the 49ers lose by a mere three points in Seattle despite Garoppolo going down to an injury. Back in 2019, it clinched the NFC West with a dramatic win over the Seahawks in the Pacific Northwest in Week 17. What does this mean? Despite holes for both the Hawks and 49ers heading into 2021, we can expect close games. Look for Russell Wilson and Co. to hold court at home. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Seahawks 31, 49ers 23

Week 14 — @ Cincinnati Bengals

At the very least, Cincinnati should be fun in 2021. Last year’s No. 1 pick, Joe Burrow, is slated to return completely healthy after suffering a torn ACL in 2020. He’ll have rookie No. 5 pick Ja’Marr Chase to toss the rock to. Add in Tee Higgins, and this offense could be good. Unfortunately, the Bengals’ defensive front seven is a hot mess after their defense yielded nearly four touchdowns per game in 2020. The 49ers will take advantage of this. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 27, Bengals 20

Week 15 — vs. Atlanta Falcons

The Kyle Shanahan game. Could this be Atlanta’s way of finally proving it has moved on from that era of Falcons football? I am not buying it in this Week 15 matchup in California. Whether it’s Jimmy Garoppolo or Trey Lance under center, these 49ers have way too much firepower on offense for the Falcons to be able to stay afloat.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 31, Falcons 23 

Week 16 — @ Tennessee Titans

Here’s an interesting stat. Ryan Tannehill is 18-8 as the Titans’ starter since joining the team back in 2019. Since the start of the 2014 season, all other Titans quarterbacks boast a combined 34-52 record as starters. There’s just something about Tannehill sharing a backfield with Derrick Henry. In and of itself, that should be enough for Tennessee to come out on top at home in what will be a hotly-contested affair. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Titans 24, 49ers 21

Week 17 — vs. Houston Texans

This could get laughably bad, especially if the 49ers are playing for postseason positioning and the Texans end up being as bad as we envision. Now that there’s a good chance Deshaun Watson could be forced to sit out the 2021 season, that’s magnified further. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 49ers ended up resting some of their starters after the first half in this home outing.

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: 49ers 41, Texans 10

Week 18 — @ Los Angeles Rams

Los Angeles won both games against its division rivals a season ago by a combined 11 points. That’s despite the fact Jared Goff threw two touchdowns against three interceptions in those matchups. With Matthew Stafford acting as a major upgrade under center in 2021, this won’t be a problem. At the very least, it should allow the Rams to protect their home-field in this matchup. 

San Francisco 49ers schedule prediction: Rams 27, 49ers 24

San Francisco 49ers projected record: 11-6