ESPN projects 49ers as a lock to return to postseason
Despite an offseason full of drama and an injury to a star player, the San Francisco 49ers are still in good shape to make a trip back to the postseason.
Left tackle Trent Williams ended his holdout just a couple of days after wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk ended his hold-in. Aiyuk was back in practice Tuesday, as was running back Christian McCaffrey who returned from a calf injury that cost him the entire preseason.
Things are falling into place for the 49ers just in time for the regular season, and it helped them land as a playoff lock in a projection from ESPN's Bill Barnwell. He leaned on their offensive efficiency and overwhelming top-end talent as reasons they'd return to the postseason despite a tumultuous offseason coming off a Super Bowl loss:
While the debates about Brock Purdy's impact on the offense rage on, all we can say for sure is teams haven't yet found a way to stop the former seventh-round pick consistently. Since Purdy entered the starting lineup in Week 13 of the 2022 season, the 49ers are a league-best 18-5, lead the NFL in expected points added (EPA) per play on offense, and rank third in EPA per play on defense. They've been the best team in football over that stretch, even if it hasn't yet yielded a championship. Barring a rash of injuries to Purdy and his fellow superstars atop the San Francisco roster, this team will be back in the playoffs for another run.
San Francisco is one of eight teams from last year's playoff field that Barnwell picked to return. They joined the Rams, Packers, Lions and Cowboys from the NFC. In the AFC the Chiefs, Bills and Ravens were all considered locks to return to the postseason.
We'll learn a lot about the 49ers' chances early in the year. If they're going to have any hiccups from their offseason they'll show in the first few weeks. Under head coach Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco has been consistently very good through November and December which always puts them in a good position to make a postseason push. If they can avoid an early-season collapse, it's easy to draw a path to a fifth playoff berth in six years for the 49ers.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: ESPN projects 49ers as a lock to return to postseason
