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An easy road for the 49ers

San Francisco should benefit from last-place schedule

I’m not a big Christian McCaffrey fan. He’s 29, and he’s had a lot of injury issues, making him look like an early pick who could blow up on the launchpad. That said, there is some sense in selecting him with a top-10 pick.

McCaffrey is healthy now, and that’s been the case for the entire offseason. He’s in a much better place physically than he was at this time a year ago. If he can stay healthy (however unlikely that might be) he’ll be one of the most productive running backs in the league.

And note that the 49ers could be helped dramatically by scheduling. They’ll play eight games against the AFC South and NFC South, which are probably the two weakest divisions. And San Francisco was a last-place team last year, so it will be getting the Bears, Browns and Giants, while the rest of the NFC West will be getting the better teams in those divisions.

Totaled up, the 49ers are playing against teams that went a combined 120-169 last year, making it the easiest schedule of the last 10 years.

Something to keep in mind with McCaffrey, Brock Purdy and the rest of the 49ers.

Three other teams have schedules that grade out among the 15 easiest of the last 10 years – Saints, Patriots and Titans. (A factor here is the addition of a 17th game, making a last-place schedule more of an advantage than it’s been in the past.)

EASIEST SCHEDULES (last 10 years)
YearTeamWinLossTiePct
2025San Francisco1201690.415
2025New Orleans1211680.419
2017Indianapolis1071463.424
2023Atlanta1211653.424
2023New Orleans1221643.427
2025New England1241650.429
2021Philadelphia1171550.430
2023Houston1241622.434
2023Indianapolis1251612.438
2020Baltimore1121440.438
2017Jacksonville1111423.439
2017Tennessee1111423.439
2017Cincinnati1151410.449
2025Tennessee1301590.450

—Ian Allan

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