Instant predictions for 49ers’ 2026 slate

It’s a bit of a shame the first game of the season is in Australia, but at the same time, I’d rather get this one out of the way than have it midway through the season. Brock Purdy didn’t get to face the Rams last year, and this year he has much better weapons. Since it’s Week 1, only training camp stands in the way of the starting roster making it to this game. That is easier said than done.

As for a winner, I think the Rams win this one. As per usual, this game is going to be competitive as ever and will come down to the wire, as these games usually do. We’ll get the usual offensive showcase between Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan, but the Rams win and thank Australia for giving them an easier field.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 0-1

Week 2: vs. Miami Dolphins – Sunday, September 20, 1:25 p.m. PT

Miami is a much, much, much different team this year. Now that Mike McDaniel is gone, the entire roster is getting retooled.

They have a lot of positions without secured starters that will need to be figured out in training camp. So, with that in mind, whatever team the Dolphins field will be up against a 49ers team that is better at just about every position. The game is in Santa Clara, and the only way I see this one being competitive is if Australia’s field claims some victims in the week leading up to it. 49ers win.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 1-1

Week 3: vs. Arizona Cardinals – Sunday, September 27, 1:05 p.m. PT

Kyler Murray is gone, so that circus of him running around the field and somehow keeping things close (and how, only one can guess) is over. Also out is last year’s head coach at Arizona, Jonathan Gannon. Arizona’s defense could be tricky for the 49ers at times, but we’ll see what it looks like in 2026.

In the head coaching chair is, try to contain your excitement here, another member of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree, Mike LaFleur. Now they may have a good offense in the works, but as of this writing, Jacoby Brissett is the likely option for starting under center. That means the Cardinals are going to be developing. The 49ers, on the other hand, have a much more experienced defense. I imagine a lot of mistakes by the Cardinals on offense, the 49ers failing to capitalize, and it’s anyone’s game at the start of the fourth quarter—shortly after they come back from commercial, the 49ers do something to get some distance on the scoreboard and secure the eventual win. The Cardinals always make it a game no matter who is coaching, but I think the 49ers end this early in the fourth.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 2-1

Week 4: vs. Denver Broncos – Sunday, October 4, 1:25 p.m. PT

This will be the game for us to see what kind of defense the 49ers have. Week 1 in Australia is a terrible time to gauge how the defense will be. The Dolphins and Cardinals are not the level of play you want to gauge them against, either (unless those two teams manage to put up 45 points each on the 49ers—then you start worrying).

So the 49ers get Bo Nix as a litmus test. They also get Denver’s offseason acquisition in Jaylen Waddle. The Broncos also get to see Dre Greenlaw on the other side of the ball. Given the offensive power here, I’m going to give the win to the Broncos late with a walk-off field goal. I do think this could be one of the better games on Sunday.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 2-2

Week 5: @ Seahawks – Sunday, October 11, 1:25 p.m. PT

Hopefully, the 49ers only have to go to Seattle once this year. The defending Super Bowl Champions are going to want to do Seattle Seahawk things to the 49ers. Lumen Field is notoriously difficult to play at, though the home team might be taking a step back. There’s no Kenneth Walker this year (and instead, rookie Jadarian Price will be their new running back). There’s also the question of free safety. With those things in mind, this will be much, much more competitive than that NFC Divisional game we saw, but it’s going to be the same outcome: a Seahawks win. I don’t think the 49ers come out on top in this one, just because of location and the craziness that happens in these games, but I do think they keep it close.

Don’t worry, it will get better.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 2-3

Week 6: vs. Washington Commanders – Monday, October 19, 5:15 p.m. PT

I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess the NFL is hedging bets that Brandon Aiyuk may find his way to Washington before this game so that they can have him against his former team. That’s my guess anyway.

Jayden Daniels did not have a good 2025 season and will need to bounce back in a big way. The defensive side of the ball saw a lot of turnover in the offseason, and it might be a while before they get things going. Thinking of the new defense and the fact the Commanders don’t have either Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel (yet) there’s too many new faces there for me to give Washington an edge. The game is in Santa Clara, and by my predictions, the 49ers are 2-3 at this point, so they are going to try to get back to .500. 49ers win this one.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 3-3

Week 7: @ Atlanta Falcons – Sunday, October 25, 10:00 a.m. PT

49ers defensive coordinator Raheem Morris will get to have some payback on the team that sent him packing. Only Bijan Robinson scares me with this Falcons offense.

For the 49ers, I don’t know what to expect from this Morris defense, but I do know they are much better than whatever game plan Michael Penix runs. The 49ers get back to a winning record.

Commence the winning streak.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 4-3

Week 8: BYE

Please be healthy at this point, 49ers. Please?

Week 9: vs. Las Vegas Raiders – Sunday, November 8, 1:05 p.m. PT

I was going to really go down about Fernando Mendoza surprising everyone. And maybe he does get his due with all the pedigree he got in the lead-up to the 2026 NFL Draft. Then I realized what colors he wears. I don’t need to really document this one. 49ers win.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 5-3

Week 10: @ Dallas Cowboys – Sunday, November 15, 1:25 p.m. PT

And here we are with me hoping the Cowboys can look somewhat like a football team by Week 10. Why am I hoping they are at least minimally successful? Because this could get flexed into primetime. As it stands, the 49ers get only five primetime games. Meanwhile, the Rams have the most in 2026, with seven.

The game is in Jerry World. While the Faithful could invade, I have a hunch the Cowboys are none too happy with having the 49ers either embarrass them on nationally televised regular-season games or end their season in the playoffs (also on nationally televised games). So the Cowboys will probably give the 49ers their best shot.

Even with their best shot, I think Kyle Shanahan puts together a clinic. I expect this to be a high-scoring game with a touchdown in the two-minute drill giving the 49ers the win. In the Cowboys’ home stadium. Again.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 6-3

Week 11: vs. Minnesota Vikings – Sunday, November 22, 5:20 p.m. PT

The Mexico City game. Well, we can wish the 49ers were in California, but at least the game isn’t in Minnesota. The 49ers haven’t won there since the 90s.

If there is any sort of quarterback battle in Minnesota between Kyler Murray and JJ McCarthy, it’s a good guess that McCarthy will have settled things at this point. I won’t put it past Minnesota to bench McCarthy and play Murray just because the 49ers seem not to have an answer for him. Like, ever. In reality, the Vikings are going to ride with McCarthy, see what they have, and not pull him for one game. Either quarterback, the 49ers win. If it’s McCarthy, it’s more convincing. If it’s Murray, for whatever reason, the 49ers win, it’s a bit closer.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 7-3

Week 12: vs. Seattle Seahawks – Sunday, November 29, 1:25 p.m. PT

I’ve gone ad nauseam about this, but the 49ers’ schedule seems so…strange. They do some of the most traveling in the league by default. Yet, the NFL insists on pushing them out the door for two international games and, upon returning from their second of said international games, turn right around and face a division rival. A division rival that won the whole thing the year before and isn’t even in the same neighborhood of miles traveled as the 49ers are.

Oh, and the Seahawks are returning from a bye week.

All that said? I’m going to take the 49ers here. I think this is the game where they play some of their most complete football for four quarters and edge out a win against their rivals. The win will also have dire consequences for the postseason.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 8-3

Week 13: @ New York Giants – Sunday, December 6, 10:00 a.m. PT

And we follow up the Seahawks game with an East Coast 10:00 a.m. start time. Come. On. NFL. The gauntlet of 2019 is nothing compared to this gauntlet the 49ers enter, starting with the Mexico City game. Good thing it’s the Giants. The bad thing is, one team can only go so far in this gauntlet before dropping a game. The 49ers’ winning streak gets snapped here.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 8-4

Week 14: vs. Los Angeles Rams – Sunday, December 13, 1:25 p.m. PT

Meanwhile, the Rams get a mini-bye before they come to face the 49ers in Santa Clara, as they will be playing on Thursday Night the week prior. I hope the Rams are happy with how all this worked out: they only have to play one away game against the 49ers as opposed to the usual two. Too bad they aren’t winning this one.

I have the 49ers dropping their game in Australia, but beating the Rams here. Expect a wild one here with Brock Purdy storming down the field for the walk-off field goal. And since Jake Moody isn’t on the team, the 49ers can make it.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 9-4

Week 15: @ Los Angeles Chargers – Thursday, December 17, 5:15 p.m. PT

If only this game could have been at Levi’s. While we’re at it, let’s invite Trent Baalke and Jim Tomsula for the reunion? What’s Joan from Payroll up to? Remember those days?

Ok, this is the 49ers Thursday night game, and hopefully, it’s their only Thursday night game. I imagine the Faithful will show up and take over the stadium (again). Predicting a winner for this one is tough. I think Jim Harbaugh would love nothing more than to beat the 49ers, even if the man behind the misery during his tenure (Trent Baalke) is no longer associated with the franchise. After the game with the Rams, and how the 49ers have faced two teams getting rest, I think exhaustion creeps up here.

I’m curious what happens here in the postgame.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 9-5

Week 16: @ Kansas City Chiefs – Sunday, December 17, 1:25 p.m. PT

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice…

In this case, I’ve learned that the 49ers won’t beat the Chiefs until they show us they can. Until we learn differently, I’ll take Chiefs and whatever craziness ensues in that game. Whether it’s the regular season or the postseason, I’m not going to be guessing the same thing, hoping for a different outcome. Andy Reid has had Kyle Shanahan’s number, and I’ve seen enough not to think this could be any different, especially with the game in Kansas City.

Many of the 49ers from the team that lost the Super Bowl to the Chiefs aren’t there, so I don’t expect too chippy a game. The 49ers drop a game, and we all move on. Or overreact—your choice.

Prediction: LOSS
Record: 9-6

Week 17: vs. Philadelphia Eagles – Sunday, January 3, 5:20 p.m. PT

Man, the end of this schedule is brutal. The 49ers host the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of the NFC Wild Card. Not much is going to change in this game either. The 49ers are going to get things right here and beat the Eagles. I imagine some playoff seeding may be in place by this point, which will add to the atmosphere.

Plus, the Eagles can’t be none too happy about what happened last year and the 49ers punking them (again). This will be must-see TV.

Regardless, the 49ers recover from their loss to KC and beat Philadelphia.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 10-6

Week 18: @ Arizona Cardinals – January 9/10, TBD

These games are scheduled out based on teams’ records going into Week 18. The general idea is that the NFL doesn’t want to schedule the final Sunday Night Football game between two teams playing for the first pick in the 2027 draft. Knowing what the Cardinals will be facing and who they have to face in the league, they will be on fumes. Meanwhile, the 49ers are either going to have a playoff spot locked up or a division title in their grasp. The Cardinals will want to ruin the party if things go this far, but I doubt they will have much success. The 49ers end the regular season with a win and hopefully go into the postseason without the Great Disappointment having not shown its face.

Prediction: WIN
Record: 11-6

Final Record 11-6

A few of these could go either way. In the Chargers game, I could see the 49ers getting a win out of it, while maybe the Cardinals trade wins rather than get swept. Really, at this point, I’m just hoping the team can stay healthy for once.

But what are your schedule predictions? Are you convinced the 49ers can run the table? More than 11 wins? Less?