Over the last half-decade, the San Francisco 49ers have cemented themselves as a dominant force within the National Football League, consistently finding themselves deep into the playoffs. With four NFC Championship game appearances and two trips to the Super Bowl in the last five seasons, expectations are sky-high for the storied franchise.
Fox Sports analyst Chris Broussard shared his insights on FS1’s “First Things First” this Monday, emphasizing that it’s about time the 49ers secured a Super Bowl victory. Broussard argued that the team has been on the brink of greatness but needs to finally break through and win the championship, especially considering their recent near misses.
According to Broussard, the 2024 season is crucial for head coach Kyle Shanahan and his squad, indicating it’s a “Super Bowl or Bust” situation. “How many years can you knock on the door?
If you don’t kick it in, at some point, it’s like ‘my goodness!’ They need to win because, in the last five years, they lost it twice,” he articulated, referring to their shortcomings in both the Super Bowl and the NFC Championship games.
The road to the Super Bowl, however, won’t be easy for the 49ers. Still reeling from their Super Bowl 58 defeat to the Kansas City Chiefs—a game that slipped away from them in overtime—the 49ers are poised to enter the 2024 season as one of the teams to beat. But a demanding schedule awaits, filled with formidable opponents and challenging matchups.
The season opener presents an immediate test as the 49ers are slated to face off against a revitalized Aaron Rodgers and his New York Jets. The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with an early Super Bowl rematch against the Chiefs and a high-stakes game versus the Dallas Cowboys leading up to the bye week. Post-bye, matchups against playoff contenders like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, and Buffalo Bills will test the 49ers’ resilience, while a season finale against the Miami Dolphins’ potent offense looms as a potential decider for playoff positioning.
Ranked No. 12 by ESPN in terms of the Strength of Schedule, the 49ers’ path to the Super Bowl is littered with obstacles. Only through navigating these challenges can Kyle Shanahan and his team solidify their legacy and capture the prize that has eluded them in recent years: the Lombardi Trophy.
