What very little remained of the 49ers' playoff hopes completely evaporated with their 23-15 loss to Washington on Sunday. San Francisco isn't mathematically eliminated from postseason contention yet, but it's only a matter of time until that happens.
After losing to Washington, the 49ers can finish with no more than eight wins this season. That simply won't be enough to qualify for the playoffs in the NFC.
And with San Francisco's fate in the current season all but decided, we officially can start looking ahead to the next one. The good news for the 49ers is, they're assured to have a much easier schedule next season, and potentially could have a top-10 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft.
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With the loss to Washington, the 49ers (5-8) would hold the 12th pick in the draft if the season ended today. They are only one game ahead of the Cowboys (4-9), who currently hold the fifth pick and will face San Francisco in Dallas next week. Plenty could change in the final three weeks of the regular season, as there currently are six NFL teams with four wins, and four teams with five victories each.
Here is the full 2021 NFL Draft order, as things currently stand:
- New York Jets (0-13)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (1-12)
- Cincinnati Bengals (2-10-1)
- LA Chargers (4-9)
- Dallas Cowboys (4-9)
- Carolina Panthers (4-9)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-9)
- Miami Dolphins (via Houston Texans (4-9))
- Philadelphia Eagles (4-8-1)
- NY Giants (5-8)
- Detroit Lions (5-8)
- San Francisco 49ers (5-8)
- Denver Broncos (5-8)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-7)
- New England Patriots (6-7)
- Chicago Bears (6-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (7-6)
- Baltimore Ravens (7-5)
Heading into the offseason, there is no bigger decision the 49ers face than who will be the team's starting quarterback moving forward. The 2021 NFL Draft has several promising QB prospects, and a top-10 pick theoretically would put San Francisco in position to select one of them. Clemson's Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State's Justin Fields likely will be out of the 49ers' reach, but BYU's Zach Wilson and North Dakota State's Trey Lance potentially could be there for the taking.
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The 49ers might not have a shot at the playoffs, but there still is plenty at stake for them through the remainder of the regular season.