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As the 2025 NFL season approaches, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has identified the San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears as two of the league’s top turnaround candidates. In his latest playoff forecast, published Wednesday, Barnwell projected both teams to return to the postseason after disappointing 2024 campaigns.
Barnwell picked the 49ers to win the NFC West, citing their injury-plagued 6-11 season and poor performance in close games as factors unlikely to repeat. He pointed to a more favorable 2025 schedule and a return to health as key reasons for optimism.
“If last year’s Chargers were the obvious case for a fallen team likely to improve and make it to the postseason, this year’s 49ers are their natural successor,” Barnwell wrote. “They went 2-6 in one-score games, faced the most injuries of any team by adjusted games lost, and played the NFL’s toughest schedule in 2024.”
He added that the 49ers now face the league’s easiest schedule and benefit from the return of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who was hired this offseason to re-energize the defense. Although Barnwell expressed doubts that San Francisco could replicate the ceiling of its 2022 and 2023 teams due to aging stars and cap constraints following Brock Purdy’s contract extension, he still believes the team is positioned to contend.
On the Bears’ side, Barnwell predicted a wild-card berth — their first playoff appearance since 2020. He acknowledged Chicago doesn’t present the same level of statistical regression as other rebound candidates but emphasized the impact of offseason changes, particularly at head coach and quarterback.
“What I think the Bears did do, though, is make a major coaching upgrade by going from Matt Eberflus and Thomas Brown to Ben Johnson,” Barnwell said. “If that turns out to be the case and Johnson unlocks the best from Caleb Williams in the process, the Bears might have significantly improved performance from the two most important positions in football.”
Barnwell originally had the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card mix but removed them following last week’s blockbuster trade that sent star linebacker Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. That move, he wrote, opened the door for Chicago to emerge as a playoff contender.
The Bears finished 5-12 in 2024 and went 3-7 in one-score games. With Johnson now leading the offense and 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams entering his second season, the organization hopes to end one of the league’s longest quarterback droughts and build a sustainable foundation.
Chicago also made notable roster upgrades during the offseason, including additions at wide receiver and along the offensive line. The Bears begin their 2025 season on Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings on September 8 at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN.
Meanwhile, the 49ers will open their campaign on the road against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, September 7 at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX.
The post [ESPN expert predicts 49ers, Bears to make huge...
