49ers projected Super Bowl LXI champs over Chiefs — SkimNews
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- Stephen Oh simulated all 193 remaining regular-season games and 13 playoff games to project the final 14-team playoff bracket, crowning the 49ers Super Bowl LXI champions over the Chiefs 25-24 — a matchup that would mark the third Super Bowl meeting between the two franchises in seven years.
- NFC East produced a historically bizarre Week 5 in which all four teams went winless: the Cowboys fell to the previously winless Buccaneers, the Eagles blew a lead in the final eight seconds against Jacksonville, and the Commanders and Giants tied.
- Eagles are projected to win the NFC East title with an 8-9 record despite being knocked out in the first round by the Seahawks 20-19, making them just the second division winner of the simulation era to finish under .500.
- 49ers (5-0) claim the NFC's top spot, with the model highlighting a soft five-week stretch ahead featuring only one opponent (the Raiders) with a current winning record before a Week 11 showdown against the undefeated Vikings in Mexico.
- Chiefs (4-0) are projected as the AFC's top seed and beat the Bills in the AFC Championship 26-23, pushing Patrick Mahomes' record against Buffalo in the postseason to 5-0.
- Bears are the simulation's most notable NFC miss, finishing 9-8 and one spot outside the wild card, while the Colts and Steelers are both projected at 9-8 and out of the AFC field.
Why it matters: Week 5's NFC East results — where two teams faced each other and all four still went winless — produced a scenario the model resolves by handing the division to the Eagles at 8-9, the lowest projected winning record for a division champion. The 49ers' soft upcoming schedule (one winning-record opponent in five games) gives the simulation a clear path to the top seed before a Week 11 clash that could recalibrate the entire NFC bracket.
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