That would mean the first loss comes against the Jaguars, Bucs, Seahawks or the Eagles.
49ers fans are a confident bunch these days. Why shouldn’t they be? The team has scored 30 points in three consecutive weeks with a feeling of still not fully firing on all cylinders. The concerns about Brock Purdy’s elbow have faded with his performance to open the season. The defense looks every bit like the defense from last season. Lastly, the regime of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are here to stay for the foreseeable future.
As confident as the fans are, realistically, the team isn’t going to go undefeated. We asked the readers what week they believed the 49ers would drop their first game, and we presented six options: Week 5 against Dallas, Week 6 against Cleveland, Week 7 against Minnesota, Week 8 against Cincinnati, Weeks 9-13, or Week 13 against Philadelphia.
The fans aren’t worried about the MNF tilt in Minnesota, with that game only garnering two percent of the vote. The Week 8 matchup with the Bengals finished with six percent of the vote, and the SNF Week 5 matchup with Dallas came in with eight percent.
The Cleveland matchup finished third in the voting with 12 percent of the vote, and it appears 49ers fans are considering the cross-country trip and how stifling the Browns defense has been through three weeks.
The rematch of the NFC Championship Game in Philadelphia has 26 percent of the fans concerned. Considering how Philadelphia has played, even with a 3-0 record, they haven’t looked their best. That can change by Week 13 with a hostile crowd in Philadelphia and the war of words between the two teams.
Weeks 9-13 ran away with the vote at 46 percent. Instead of pinpointing a single game, this was probably the safest choice. The good news is it won’t be Week 9, as the 49ers have their bye week. In weeks 10 and 11, the 49ers face back-to-back Florida teams in Jacksonville and at home against Tampa Bay. Week 12 is the Thanksgiving matchup with the Seahawks in Seattle.
The 49ers are capable of beating every opponent, but in the NFL, slip-ups happen. Unless we are in for a historic season, it is not a matter of if but when for this team.