Did the 49ers have the talent to win the Super Bowl every* year, 1981-1998 (18 years)?! YES! They were the best or one of the best teams every season.
*Except for 1982.
By the way, Montana was 49ers QB, 1981-90; Young 1991-98.
Thread ...
SRS: Combines point differential with strength of schedule.
In 1981, 49ers' SRS was 2nd of 28 teams in RS. Won first Super Bowl.
1982 was disrupted by a strike. 49ers actually had a positive point differential of +3. But they finished 18th in SRS (-2.43) and had a 3-6 record. Not SB quality.
49ers' SRS rankings (out of 28-30 teams each year)
1983: 2
1984: 1 (won SB)
1985: 3
1986: 3
1987: 1
1988: 6 (2nd worst SRS of 1983-98 era ... but won SB!)
1989: 1 (won SB)
1990: 5 (despite 14-2 record)
1991: 2 (but did not make POs!)
1992: 1
1993: 1
1994: 1 (won SB)
1995: 1
1996: 2
1997: 7
1998: 3
49ers SRS rankings, 1981-1998
7x 1st
4x 2nd
3x 3rd
1x 5th
1x 6th
1x 7th
1x 18th
14x in top-3! (and that's whole league, not just NFC)
14 seasons in top-3 SRS!
49ers won 5 SB, but probably UNDER-performed based on SRS.
Of course, NFC was very tough in this era.
Washington, Cowboys, Bears, Giants, later Packers.
If 49ers had been in weaker AFC, likely would have had many more SB appearances, c. 7-12. But maybe NOT more SB wins.
May 10, 2025 18:12
