49ers remain at center of unbelievable NFL streak

Sep 23, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA; San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan watches play on the sidelines during the first half against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

60 minutes of playing against the San Francisco 49ers apparently has a tendency to really wear down a team.

The Washington Commanders lost on Sunday to the Cleveland Browns by a 24-10 final score. The defeat for Washington came one week after they played the 49ers in Week 16 (a 37-20 victory for San Francisco).

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter pointed out, the Commanders’ loss to Cleveland continued a hard-to-believe NFL streak. On the 2022 campaign as a whole, teams that have played the 49ers remain winless (now 0-14) the next week after doing so.

Teams that have played the 49ers this season are now 0-14 the next week after they play them. “It could be a coincidence, but we like to think not,” 49ers’ HC Kyle Shanahan said last month.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 1, 2023

San Francisco has completed games against 15 opponents so far this season. The Kansas City Chiefs were the only ones to win their following game after playing the 49ers (defeating the Tennessee Titans in Week 9). But Kansas City had a bye in Week 8 to recover from their date with San Francisco in Week 7 … so the aforementioned winless streak still lives on.

The 49ers, who are known for their rugged NFL-best defense as well as their methodical play, are facing the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 17. Thus, it seems like all but a lock to back Kansas City to defeat Las Vegas when they meet in Week 18 (though it probably won’t take a lot to beat the Raiders these days).