The San Francisco 49ers have either made the NFC Championship Game or missed the playoffs entirely in each of the past 22 seasons, showcasing how they have been the NFL\'s biggest boom or bust franchise across both the Jim Harbaugh and Kyle Shanahan eras.
• Missed Playoffs (15 Seasons): 2003-2010, 2014-2018, 2020, 2024.
• Made NFC Championship (7 Seasons): 2011, 2012, 2013, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023.
The 49ers made the NFC Championship Game in Harbaugh\'s first three seasons before missing the playoffs entirely in his fourth and final season as they opened Levi\'s Stadium in 2014.
After cycling through Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, the 49ers hired Kyle Shanahan ahead of the 2017 season and they reached the playoffs and both the Super Bowl in his third season with the franchise. After suffering a number of key injuries in a disappointing 2020 season, the 49ers reached the NFC Championship in their next three seasons.
The 49ers enter the playoffs as a longshot to reach the NFC Championship Game as they will have to win successive road games as the No. 6 seed. The 49ers open the playoffs at the Philadelphia Eagles and could be without both Trent Williams and Ricky Pearsall for the game in addition to their season-ending injuries to Nick Bosa and Fred Warner.