In Part 1 of my San Francisco 49ers 2021 schedule predictions, I gave you guys my predictions for Weeks 1 – 7, after which I had the 49ers at a record of 5-1. Today, I will provide you guys my predictions for the outcomes of Weeks 8 – 13 of the schedule. Let’s get into it!
Week 8: San Francisco 49ers @ Chicago Bears
The Bears are an interesting team. On paper, they are a solid team with players such as Akiem Hicks, Roquan Smith, and Eddie Jackson on defense, and Allen Robinson and Tarik Cohen on offense. However, in the past few years, they haven’t been able to make deep playoff runs. Many would argue that this is a result of poor quarterback play. Enter Justin Fields. The rookie quarterback taken with the 11th pick in this year’s NFL draft flashes with both his arm strength and athleticism. If Bears head coach Matt Nagy can structure his offense around the young signal caller and put him in a position to succeed, the Bears have the pieces around him to succeed. However, in this game, I believe that the 49ers have what it takes to beat the Bears. They too have an elite defense, and I believe that their ability to run the ball and keep the clock running will be able to keep Justin Fields off the field. While inclement weather may play a role in the outcome of this game, the 49ers have shown that they have what it takes to go to Soldier Field late in the year and come away with a victory. Therefore, I have them winning this game, moving their overall record to 6-1.
Week 9: Arizona Cardinals @ San Francisco 49ers
This will be the second time the 49ers play their divisional opponent Arizona Cardinals. In the first matchup in Week 5, I had the 49ers losing to Arizona, due to a tough schedule in the lead up to the game as well as the fact that they were on the road. However, second time around, the 49ers will be the home team. The Cardinals will be coming off of a tough game against the Green Bay Packers, and will be on the road against San Francisco. I think Jason Verrett has shown that he can guard DeAndre Hopkins in man coverage, and the 49ers offense has shown that it can score against Arizona’s defense. San Francisco has shown in the past two seasons that it has what it takes to defeat Arizona, and I believe that they will do so here. With this victory against Arizona, the 49ers overall record moves to 7-1.
Week 10: Los Angeles Rams @ San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers have had the Rams number over the past two seasons, having swept them both in 2019 and 2020. It seems as though Kyle Shanahan has figured out how to beat Sean McVay’s team. However, the Rams made a significant improvement at quarterback this offseason, trading for former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford to replace Jared Goff. He should allow the Rams to open up their playbook, and we may see some plays with Stafford that McVay couldn’t dial up with Goff, due to his limitations. However, I believe that the 49ers defense is well equipped to stop the Rams offense no matter who the signal caller is, even with new defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans calling the plays. The Rams, like the 49ers, also have a new defensive coordinator, Raheem Morris, and they return most players from the #1 ranked defensive unit last year. Regardless, the 49ers have shown in the past that they are capable of containing star defensive lineman Aaron Donald, as well capable of scoring points on the Rams defense. Add in the fact that they are playing at home, and I believe that this will be a hard fought victory for the 49ers against an improved Rams team. Their overall record now stands at 8-1.
Week 11: San Francisco 49ers @ Jacksonville Jaguars
Not much to say here. The Jaguars were picking 1st overall for a reason: they are a rebuilding team. While they have promising players like Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne, the 49ers are much better top to bottom, and will come away with a victory in this game. Their record is now 9-1.
Week 12: Minnesota Vikings @ San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers defense is built to stop non-mobile quarterback such as Kirk Cousins. In fact, it was only two seasons ago that the 49ers sacked Cousins 6 times in the Divisional Round of the playoffs in a 27-10 victory. However, say what you want about Kirk Cousins, he is a good NFL quarterback. He has shown he can stay healthy, and can win games in the NFL regular season. The Vikings have two solid receiving options on offense in Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen. However, they did lose left tackle Riley Rieff to the Bengals, as well as reliable tight end Kyle Rudolph. The 49ers again are the better team top to bottom, with a defensive line that will be able to get after Kirk Cousins, defensive backs that are capable of covering Jefferson and Thielen, and a run first offense that should be able to put up points on the Vikings defense. This matchup is in Week 12, meaning that injury concerns could be a factor. I don’t anticipate the 49ers to be fully healthy at this point in the season, but I also anticipate the Vikings to be in a similar scenario. Adding in the fact that the 49ers are playing at home leads me to believe that this will be another victory for the red and gold. Their overall record now stands at 10-1.
Week 13: San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks
This is the second matchup between the 49ers and Seahawks this season, with the first one ending in a 49ers win at Levis Stadium. The second time around won’t be as easy for the 49ers, who will travel to CenturyLink Field to take on their divisional opponent. As I said in Part 1, the Seahawks always play well against the 49ers, who don’t seem to have an answer for receiving duo D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett, or star mobile quarterback Russell Wilson. Add in the fact that they will have to deal with the raucous, loud Seattle crowd and the cold December Seattle weather, and this becomes a very tough matchup for the 49ers. I except the Seahawks to use the crowd to their advantage, and come away with a victory in this game. This is only the second loss for the 49ers this season, and their overall record stands at 10-2.
In the competitive NFC with a 17 game season, teams will most likely need at least 10 wins to be in the playoffs. After Week 13, I predict that the 49ers will have a record of 10-2, meaning that they are right around the number of wins needed to secure a spot in the playoffs. However, you can never get comfortable in the NFL, and the 49ers will strive to win as many games out of their remaining five as they can, in order to secure the coveted #1 seed. Next time, I will provide my predictions for Weeks 14 – 18 of the 49ers’s 2021 schedule!