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The NFL Draft is exactly one week away, and the NFL season is, in theory, five months away. It appears it might well be a lot longer than that, though the league is reportedly creating contingency plans and may schedule games in a way that makes shortening the season amenable to teams and playoff pictures (i.e. having division games in the second half of the season, and non-division and non-conference games in the first half).
Source says it should be fairly obvious when the NFL schedule for the 2020 season is released how it could be shortened if needed. The schedule is expected to be released May 8 or May 9 as a full schedule, but structured in such a way it could be easily shortened if necessary.
— MarkMaske (@MarkMaske) April 16, 2020
But at this juncture, the NFL has at least publicly held that it expects to have a full season with fans (which, as many medical experts have made clear, is not viable). But it’s the NFL. In all likelihood, there will be some form of a season, given the league has the longest period to see how other professional leagues handle the coronavirus pandemic.
Assuming that season does take place, the 49ers will enter it with the second-best odds of winning the Super Bowl, per Caesars Sportsbook, with 7-1 odds. The top team? The Kansas City Chiefs, at 4-1. The 49ers’ over-under win total is set at 10.5, tied with the New Orleans Saints for third-most. The Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens are projected at 12.0 wins. San Francisco also has heavy odds to make the playoffs at -325.