Getty Brock Purdy goes for the end zone over the Cardinals' defense on January 8, 2023 in Santa Clara.
There are former San Francisco 49ers who have a strong feeling about the 2022-23 team, to the point where one of them doesn’t believe the Niners will be on the road at all during the postseason. Not even traveling to No. 1 seed Philadelphia for the NFC championship game.
Donte Whitner predicts the title game will instead be played in Santa Clara…with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in town as the former NFC champion with the Niners predicted a Bucs versus 49ers NFC title bout for January 29.
“The 49ers are going to beat the Seattle Seahawks this weekend,” Whitner first predicted on “Hitner’s Hot Take” via NBC Sports Bay Area on Monday, January 9. “The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are going to beat the Dallas Cowboys. The second week of the playoffs, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will travel to Philadelphia, upsetting the Philadelphia Eagles in preparation to come to Santa Clara to play the 49ers in the NFC championship.”
All it took was less than 40 seconds for “Hitner” to deliver his bold prediction. But outside of his hot take, he’s not shying away from showing his confidence in this year’s 49ers.
Does ‘Hitner’ Believe the 49ers Will Win it All?
Standing in front of jubilant 49er fans outside of Levi’s Stadium before the 38-13 trouncing of the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, January 8, Whitner got asked how far he sees his former team going in the playoffs.
“Well I have to agree with the fans once again out here: 60% of them thinks the 49ers can win it all…I agree,” Whitner said on 49ers Pregame Live.
Whitner, who played in Super Bowl 47 with the 49ers, then dove further.
“When you think about playoff football, it’s a step up from the regular season and there are certain criteria that you must check off,” Whitner explained. “First and foremost, you must play a physical style of football — check mark for the 49ers. You must have a supreme running game — another check mark for the 49ers. And thirdly, you must have a dominant run defense. We talk about going on the road in the playoffs and being able to have success? These are the three criteria the 49ers check off. Long-term success is in the 49ers’ future.”
.@DonteWhitner believes the 49ers can win it all 🏆
49ers Pregame Live is airing right now on NBC Sports Bay Area and streaming here: t.co/62Rv4dXjeF
Looking Ahead to Wild Card Contest, Plus Super Bowl Odds
First thing is first before Whitner’s prediction can come to fruition: Round three with the Seahawks.
The ‘Hawks not only escaped 19-16 over the Los Angeles Rams to finish 9-8 but watched the Detroit Lions stun the Green Bay Packers 20-16 to reward Seattle with the No. 7 seed.
This Seahawks team has an offense that scores at will, ranking fourth during the regular season in touchdowns. Also, quarterback Geno Smith put together one of the best seasons of his career with 30 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions while additionally producing his first-ever 4,000-yard NFL season (4,282). His 11 picks are also the lowest total of his career when he’s started in more than 10 regular season games.
Outside of Smith, Kenneth Walker III rushed for 114 yards on 29 carries in the season finale while Seattle produced five sacks to solidify their playoff berth (five different defenders got a sack). Meanwhile, wide receivers D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett return to the playoffs but this time without Russell Wilson.
The 49ers, though, owned the regular season series by sweeping the ‘Hawks by scores of 27-7 in Week 2 and then 21-13 in Week 15 to secure the NFC West title. San Francisco will look to avoid what happened last season in the playoffs when it comes to scaling a division rival: Last season they swept the Rams before falling in the NFC title game.
As for the Super Bowl odds, the 49ers hold the fourth-best odds to win it all at +550 per The Sporting News. The Kansas City Chiefs hold the best odds at +350.
Whitner, though, believes Tom Brady and company will be in the Bay Area for the last Sunday of January.
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Ex-NFC Champ Predicts Surprise Opponent for 49ers in NFC Title Game