That the San Francisco 49ers reached last season’s NFC title game was pretty remarkable considering the team lost both of its top two QBs to season-ending injuries by midseason. Brock Purdy is now the clear starter under center and if he’s as good as he was as a rookie, the Niners absolutely can win Super Bowl 58.

A Closer Look at the San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Season

The #49ers have announced the following roster moves.

— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) August 8, 2023

• NFL Week 1: at Pittsburgh Steelers — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 2: at Los Angeles Rams — 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 3: vs. New York Giants — 8:15 p.m. ET (Prime Video)
• NFL Week 4: vs. Arizona Cardinals — 4:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 5: vs. Dallas Cowboys — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 6: at Cleveland Browns — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 7: at Minnesota Vikings — 8:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
• NFL Week 8: vs. Cincinnati Bengals — 4:25 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 9: BYE
• NFL Week 10: at Jacksonville Jaguars — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 11: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 12: at Seattle Seahawks — 8:20 p.m. ET (NBC)
• NFL Week 13: at Philadelphia Eagles — 4:25 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 14: vs. Seattle Seahawks — 4:05 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 15: at Arizona Cardinals — 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
• NFL Week 16: vs. Baltimore Ravens — 8:15 p.m. ET (ABC)
• NFL Week 17: at Washington Commanders — 1:00 p.m. ET (FOX)
• NFL Week 18: vs. Los Angeles Rams — TBD (TBD)

2022 Wasn’t on their Side

After losing in the NFC Championship Game to the Rams following the 2021 season, everyone expected the Niners to be excellent again last year. However, they lost starting QB Trey Lance to a season-ending injury in Week 2. Jimmy Garoppolo was lost in Week 13.

Brock Purdy, who was the last pick in the 2022 draft as Mr. Irrelevant, would relieve Jimmy G in that Week 13 game against Miami and played terrific. Purdy then went 7-0 as a starter, including home playoff wins over Seattle and Dallas. Alas, he was knocked out early in the NFC title game in Philadelphia due to a serious injury and the Niners were routed.

In his nine regular-season games, Purdy completed 67.1% of his passes for 13 touchdowns and four picks. His rating of 107.3 was the best in the league. He was third in Offensive Rookie of the Year voting.

Purdy had elbow surgery in March – had to wait that long for swelling to go down — and missed all of the OTAs, etc., but is in camp and cleared. During camp, 49ers linebacker Oren Burks initially hesitated to compare Purdy to Aaron Rodgers, whom Burks played with in Green Bay for four seasons, but then went ahead and did so.

“I would say the poise is very similar, especially coming from a young guy,” Burks said. “It’s very rare to see a guy coming into a situation like he did last year. He handled himself like a pro. Ultimately, getting the opportunity to play. I think he handled that probably better than any rookie I’ve seen with that opportunity, but I see a lot of similarities. But they’re both their own players.

Does Brock Have a Powerful Team?

Purdy is surrounded by arguably the best all-around running back in Christian McCaffrey, who was acquired via trade from Carolina last season, and one of the best all-around wideouts in Deebo Samuel and an excellent offensive line led by left tackle Trent Williams. McCaffrey could put up historic numbers with a full season in this offense. After he was dealt to the 49ers last October, McCaffrey put together 199 carries for 984 yards, hauled in 64 of 79 targets for 525 yards and scored 13 total touchdowns in 14 games (including playoffs).

Samuel finished the 2022 regular season with 864 yards from scrimmage and five total touchdowns across 13 regular-season games. The 27-year-old’s overall numbers came back down to earth following his standout 2021 season, most notably his 11.3 yards per catch, which marked a new low for his career. But Samuel dealt with some injuries last year and is healthy.

The defense lost excellent coordinator DeMeco Ryans, now the head coach in Houston. The 49ers had the No. 1 defense in the NFL last season, the fourth straight year they ranked in the top five in yards allowed. Ryans was with San Francisco from 2017-2022, going from defensive quality control coach to inside linebackers coach to defensive coordinator.

End Nick Bosa was the 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year. Bosa’s efforts helped San Francisco close out the regular season as the NFL’s top-ranked defense and contributed to No. 1 finishes in interceptions (20), scoring defense (16.3 points per game) and big play defense. Bosa led the NFL with 18.5 sacks to go with 19 tackles-for-loss, 48 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. He joined defensive tackle Dana Stubblefield (1997) and cornerback Deion Sanders (1994), to secure the hardware as the only Niners to win the award.

Bosa is still holding out from training camp as he wants a huge contract extension and surely will get it. Entering the fifth and final year of his rookie contract, Bosa, 25, is due $17.86 million in 2023. Bosa is known for his dogged work in the gym and is presumably staying in shape and at the ready as the business side of the game plays out. He’ll also have a new running mate, defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, to team with to hunt opposing quarterbacks.

Hargrave totaled 23.0 sacks over the past three seasons, including a career-high 11.0 last season. The 49ers saw firsthand in the NFC Championship Game just how dominant Hargrave can be when he had a sack, five tackles and a pass defensed, helping harass the 49ers’ quarterbacks and send the Eagles to Super Bowl LVII.

San Francisco is a 3-point favorite for Week 1 in Pittsburgh and has the 15th-toughest schedule in the NFL this season as its opponents combined for a .514 winning percentage in 2022. This team is absolutely stacked and if Purdy stays healthy, look out.

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READ MORE: San Francisco 49ers 2023 NFL Season Betting Guide