The 2022 season was the San Francisco 49ers' 73rd in the National Football League (NFL), their 77th overall, and their sixth under the head coach/general manager tandem of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch.
After having an underwhelming start, with notable season-ending injuries, combined with a 3âÂÂ4 start before the bye week, the 49ers won the rest of their games, improving on their 10âÂÂ7 record from the previous year after a Week 16 win over the Washington Commanders. With a Week 15 win against the Seattle Seahawks, and with the Rams and Cardinals both being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention, they won the NFC West for the first time since 2019 and clinched a playoff berth, also becoming the NFL's first team this season to win their division. The 49ers swept the NFC West for the first time since 1997, which included sweeping the Seahawks for the first time since 2011. With a 41âÂÂ23 victory over the Seahawks in the Wild Card round, San Francisco completed a 3âÂÂ0 sweep of all three games played against Seattle. The next week, the 49ers defeated the Dallas Cowboys 19âÂÂ12 in the Divisional round, defeating them in the playoffs for the second consecutive season. The 49ers lost to the Philadelphia Eagles 31âÂÂ7 in the NFC Championship in which injuries to third-stringer Brock Purdy and fourth-stringer Josh Johnson during the game and first-stringer Trey Lance and second-stringer Jimmy Garoppolo previously in the season made the 49ers unable to stay competitive. This was also their worst playoff loss since 2002 against Tampa Bay where they were blown out 31-6 in the Divisional Round.
The season was highlighted by the emergence of rookie quarterback Brock Purdy, taken last in the 2022 NFL draft, who started after an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo (who himself replaced the injured Trey Lance) and went 5âÂÂ0 as the starter to end the regular season before winning his first two playoff games. The 49ers were well-balanced and dominant on both sides of the ball during the season. On offense, they finished 5th in total offense with 365 yards per game and 6th in scoring, averaging 26.5 points a game, while also finishing first in the league in plus/minus differential with a +173. On defense, they were even more dominant, as they finished first in the league in both total defense and defensive scoring (306 yards per game and 16.3 points per game respectively). They also finished first in the league in turnover differential with a +13, which included 20 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries.
The 49ers entered free agency with the following:
Draft trades
Here are the 49ers preseason opponents and schedule.
On May 4, the NFL announced that the 49ers would play the Arizona Cardinals during Week 11 on at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, as part of the league's International Series. The game kicked off at 6:15 p.m. MST/5:15 p.m. PST, and was televised on ESPN, with the Cardinals serving as the home team.
The remainder of the 49ers' 2022 schedule was announced on May 12.
With the win, the 49ers improved to 10-4 and they clinched the NFC West for the first time since 2019.
With the overtime win, the 49ers improved to 12-4 and they finished 3-2 against the AFC and 5-3 on the road.
With the win, the 49ers finished the regular season at 13-4 and they finished 8-1 at home while sweeping the NFC West.
Statistics correct as of the end of the 2022 NFL season