The San Francisco 49ers have a wonderful history that includes five Super Bowl victories and eight overall appearances. Therefore, it’s pretty easy to find some great teams in an organization with such a rich history. When examining the 10 greatest 49ers teams of all time, it’s essential to consider the impact they made and the caliber of the team. Putting together an all-time best 49ers team list can be daunting, especially with so many choices.
All 10 of these teams either won a title or came agonizingly close to winning one. They are some of the best 49ers teams in history, and all were very elite. Without further interruption, here are the 10 greatest 49ers teams of all time.
10. 2023-24 49ers
The 2023-243 49ers came absurdly close to winning their sixth Super Bowl. Brock Purdy put them in field position to take the lead late in the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, the defense would allow Patrick Mahomes to do the same thing and tie the game. Then, it happened again after Purdy gave them the lead in overtime, only for the defense to allow Mahomes to march down the field and score.
This 49ers’ squad was stacked on offense, with Purdy having Christian McCaffrey in the backfield, and George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, and Brandon Aiyuk on offense. Of course, many Niners fans recall the devastating injury to Dre Greenlaw, which, in all likelihood, marked the shifting of momentum. This is probably one of the greatest 49ers teams never to win a Super Bowl. Likewise, it is probably one of the best 49ers teams of all time that just got a bad draw in the end.
9. 2022-23 49ers
Going with another recent pick here. This 49ers team was built to win, and they were headed for a mega clash with the Eagles. Unfortunately, life did not work out that way, as Purdy suffered a brutal injury that saw the 49ers turn to backup quarterback Josh Johnson. Johnson also suffered an injury, forcing the Niners to turn to McCaffrey as an emergency quarterback. Then, they put an injured Purdy back into the game. It did not go well, as the Niners lost 31-7 to the Eagles. That game prompted discussions about a quarterback rule change.
Even though the Super Bowl run did not end well, the Niners still had an excellent season and found a new quarterback in Purdy. This loss propelled them to the Super Bowl in the following season.
8. 2019-20 49ers
Staying in the Kyle Shanahan era, the 49ers had a dominating running game and a quarterback named Jimmy Garoppolo, who was having a stellar season. Additionally, they had an elite defense, led by Nick Bosa and Fred Warner. The Niners even led the Chiefs by 10 points in Super Bowl LIV before the defense collapsed in the fourth quarter.
The Niners still had a great season, as Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman emerged out of the...