The preseason was not especially kind to him. 49ers. They went 1-2 and didn’t play particularly well against the Raiders in Week 1 or against the chargers in Week 3. Their only win came against the Broncos in Week 2 on a kicker field goal. Jake Moody.
Their starting units looked good in their brief appearances, though, and USA TODAY’s Nate Davis saw enough to give the 49ers a boost to their record-breaking projections for 2023.
San Francisco was originally projected to win the NFC West 11-6 during the first Davis race to predict each team’s record. They jumped to 12-5 after preseason and their NFC West rivals, the Rams, fell to 6-11 overall.
By jumping to 12 wins, the 49ers would tie the Eagles for the top of the NFC in the Davis projections. That would make their Week 13 head-to-head matchup the deciding factor in which club gets the No. 1 seed and a Round 1 bye. As if that game needed any more publicity.
A 12-win year would mean a lot went right for San Francisco, and if they make the playoffs with 12 wins as a No. 1 seed, they could be really tough to beat in the postseason.