NFL Power Rankings: Predicting every team's worst-case scenario in 2024

2. San Francisco 49ers: 10 or 11 wins, lose in Divisional Round

The San Francisco 49ers are just one of those teams whose proverbial floor is enviable to most franchises around the league. The 49ers’ roster is loaded. They have a tremendous head coach in Kyle Shanahan who always builds a stellar staff. They have the type of depth to sustain injuries. 

The 49ers just simply won’t be a “bad” team barring major injury. So the worst possible outcome for this team assuming everyone mostly stays healthy is another premature exit from the playoffs. The 49ers nearly suffered this fate in 2023 when they let the Green Bay Packers come into their house and nearly knock them out of the playoffs. Not reaching the Super Bowl – not winning the Super Bowl – would be a failure this year for the 49ers, but losing before the NFC Championship?

That would be grounds for some extreme possible outcomes in the 2025 offseason.

1. Kansas City Chiefs: 10 wins, lose AFC Championship

The Kansas City Chiefs are just this good, right? No one in their right mind is predicting the Chiefs to lose nine games and miss the playoffs. It truly feels like this team has reached a “floor” of being penciled in for the AFC Championship game.

Maybe the worst-case scenario is that they have to play that game on the road…

Must be nice. The Chiefs are a dynasty, a juggernaut – whatever you want to call them. They are the best team in the league and one of the best in league history. Of course, an injury to Patrick Mahomes would be a nightmare for the Chiefs, but we’re not talking about worst-case scenarios just in terms of injury. This team – on the field – has a floor of the NFL’s final four.

That’s a wild but likely true sentence.