By Jack Loder
The closing bell has rang out on the 2026 NFC arms race. The conference is set up for a second half to feature a war between two of its divisions, with seven teams competing for five spots. At 7-1, the 49ers can avoid the messiest parts of the battle if things go according to plan.
If there’s one thing John Lynch has proven he will do when his 49ers teams are contenders, it’s relentlessly add before the trade deadline. In 2019, it was Emmanuel Sanders. In 2022, the 49ers made one of the most impactful mid-season moves of the decade, acquiring Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers before the deadline. In 2023 it was Chase Young. 2024 and 2025 presented much more tedious if not hopeless postseason prospects for the terribly injured Niners and thus no big deadline moves.
But 2026 has brought prosperity, and more importantly, abundant hope. John Lynch and the 49ers brass met the team’s success with action, adding a pair of impact players from the Indianapolis Colts. DeForest Buckner returns to San Francisco on the defensive line nearly seven years after being dealt to the Colts before the 2020 draft. Keenan Allen, a veteran stalwart at wide receiver, joins the team in his 14th season. Are these moves as seismic as McCaffrey’s acquisition in 2022? No. Can they tangibly help the 2026 49ers win the Super Bowl? Undoubtedly.
It’s not all roses. Buckner and Allen are both on the back nine of their careers, especially Allen. Getting each through the regular and postseason healthy is far from a guarantee. The pros do far outweigh the cons in both deals. San Francisco parted with a fourth and sixth round pick, respectively. Capital that is easily forfeited in exchange for win now pieces, especially with the relative success of the 49ers’ 2025 and 2026 rookie classes so far.
So where does this leave the 49ers in the now heavily armed NFC? Firmly in control, if not the objectively most powerful group. The Bears are elite, and may only be getting better. The addition of Jeffrey Simmons makes an average defense a very good one.
The Seahawks and Rams have had a much rockier 2026 than most anticipated, but they’re far from out of it and would not be a welcome postseason opponent for San Francisco, even at Levi’s. Seattle added offensive guard Quenton Nelson a day before the Niners added Buckner. The Rams mostly held pat, assuming receiving weapons coming back into the mix.
The entire NFC North fits into the top 10 teams in the league in some order. The Packers and Lions are hot, with the Green Bay offense especially soaring of late. Detroit’s offense is always menacing, and its defense has bowed up of late. The NFC north fist fight will define the season’s final third in the conference. Could all three qualify? Will the division cannibalize itself and let in two or even three from the West? Cinema awaits.
The 49ers are positioned to witness this carnage in the rearview mirror if they continue to take care of business. Putting games in the win column before the fact is a precarious game in the National Football league, but bear with us.
Of the Niners’ remaining nine games, five are must wins. Another two are probably should wins. And the other two are can wins. Pull up the schedule and slice that anyway you’d like. I’ve got DAL, NYG, LAC, PHI, and AZ as wins before kickoff. MIN and LAR are games that are certainly loseable, but ones that the Niners should win if they play close to their standard. November 29 against Seattle is a toss up, as well as December 27 in Kansas City. Say the Niners lose both of those toss ups. At 14-3, they’d almost certainly have the NFC’s No. 1 seed. 13-4 would more than likely get it done as well, assuming the NFC North’s champ doesn’t go on an alpha run that distances itself from the rest of its division.
Nothing like some good old speculation. You wouldn’t be too far off if you deemed it fan fiction. But the 49ers have earned the right to be trusted, as long as they’re healthy. At 7-1, it’s perfectly reasonable to expect at least 6-3 the rest of the way. It’s No. 1 seed or bust for SF. And the expectations as a 1 seed are no secret.
