# 2023 San Francisco 49ers season
The 2023 [San Francisco 49ers](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-49ers) season was the [National Football League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-football-league) franchise's 74th season, in which the team finished 12-5, won the [NFC West](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-west), and reached Super Bowl LVIII, losing 22-25 in overtime to the Kansas City Chiefs on February 11, 2024, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG) • [2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) • [3](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Regular season record | 12-5, first place in the NFC West, with a .706 winning percentage[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG) |
| Points scored / allowed | 491 points for, 298 against, a net of +193[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG) |
| Home / road / division | 5-3 at home, 7-2 on the road, 5-1 in the division[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG) |
| Postseason | Divisional playoff win 24-21 over Green Bay; NFC Championship win 34-31 over Detroit; Super Bowl loss 22-25[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) |
| Final overall record | 14-5 including the playoffs[4](https://apnews.com/article/bed96677697deb0dfb1fa757288ab4bb) |
| Final DVOA standing | Second overall, first on offense, fourth on defense, 25th on special teams[5](https://www.theoffside.com/2024/2/7/24062599/super-bowl-chiefs-49ers-history-ranking) |
| Head coach | Kyle Shanahan[3](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1) |
## Regular season
**Opening streak.** The 49ers began the season with a 30-7 road win over the [Pittsburgh Steelers](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-steelers) on September 10, followed by wins at the Rams (30-23) and at home over the Giants (30-12) and Cardinals (35-16).[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) The 30-12 Thursday-night win over New York was San Francisco's 13th straight regular-season victory, and [Christian McCaffrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/christian-mccaffrey) scored a touchdown in his 12th consecutive game. The Giants blitzed quarterback [Brock Purdy](https://www.edgepedia.org/brock-purdy) on 33 of his 39 dropbacks, and he threw for 247 of his 310 passing yards against the blitz, including touchdowns to rookie Ronnie Bell and Deebo Samuel.[6](https://apnews.com/article/ade65719a305de2516a28509a9ec6385) A 42-10 win over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5 left San Francisco 5-0.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/)
**Midseason slide.** From Week 6 through Week 8 the team lost three in a row, 17-19 at Cleveland, 17-22 at Minnesota, and 17-31 at home to [Cincinnati](https://www.edgepedia.org/cincinnati), before its Week 9 bye.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) After the bye the 49ers won six of seven, including 34-3 at Jacksonville, 31-13 at Seattle, and 42-19 at Philadelphia.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) A 19-33 home loss to Baltimore on Monday, December 25 was the last regular-season defeat other than a 20-21 season-finale loss to the Rams on January 7.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) The season closed with the team entering the playoffs on a one-game losing streak.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG)
**Roster business.** [Nick Bosa](https://www.edgepedia.org/nick-bosa)'s contract holdout ended four days before the season opener, when he agreed to a five-year, $170 million extension with $122.5 million guaranteed that made him the NFL's highest-paid defensive player.[7](https://apnews.com/article/4dc5feec5ead57102eb0243ec8ee027d)
## Postseason
San Francisco, seeded first in the NFC with home-field advantage, hosted Green Bay in the divisional playoff round on January 20 and won 24-21.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) In the [NFC Championship Game](https://www.edgepedia.org/nfc-championship-game) on January 28, the 49ers fell 17 points behind Detroit at halftime, then scored 17 points in an eight-minute span of the third quarter to tie the game and pulled away in the fourth quarter for a 34-31 win.[2](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/) • [4](https://apnews.com/article/bed96677697deb0dfb1fa757288ab4bb) Purdy's 51-yard pass that deflected off a defender's facemask into [Brandon Aiyuk](https://www.edgepedia.org/brandon-aiyuk)'s hands helped spark the rally. McCaffrey had two touchdown runs and backup Elijah Mitchell scored on a 3-yard run to make it 34-24 with 3:02 to play.[4](https://apnews.com/article/bed96677697deb0dfb1fa757288ab4bb) The win sent San Francisco to its sixth [Super Bowl](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl) appearance and its first since the 2019 season, after conference-title losses in the previous two years.[4](https://apnews.com/article/bed96677697deb0dfb1fa757288ab4bb)
## Super Bowl LVIII
In [Super Bowl LVIII](https://www.edgepedia.org/super-bowl-lviii) on February 11, 2024, the Chiefs beat the 49ers 25-22 in overtime. McCaffrey totaled 160 yards from scrimmage, but two touchdowns and three field goals were not enough, and San Francisco's overtime possession decisions drew scrutiny after the loss.[3](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1) The game was the second Super Bowl to go to overtime; head coach [Kyle Shanahan](https://www.edgepedia.org/kyle-shanahan) was on the losing side of both, the first being Super Bowl 51, which he lost as offensive coordinator of the [Atlanta Falcons](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-falcons).[3](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1) Kansas City coach Andy Reid won his third title in the game.[3](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1)
## Season in review
By efficiency measures the 2023 49ers were among the league's strongest teams: they placed second in overall DVOA, first on offense, and fourth on defense, with special teams 25th.[5](https://www.theoffside.com/2024/2/7/24062599/super-bowl-chiefs-49ers-history-ranking) The team's point differential of +193 was second in the league behind Baltimore's +203, and the 12-5 record tied Dallas and Detroit for the NFC's best.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG) The road record of 7-2 exceeded the 5-3 home mark, an unusual distribution for a team that clinched the division and home-field advantage.[1](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG)
## References
1. [2023 NFL League Standings, NFL.com](https://www.nfl.com/standings/league/2023/REG)
2. [49ers Historical 2023 Schedule, 49ers.com](https://www.49ers.com/schedule/2023/)
3. [Mahomes, the Chiefs, Taylor Swift and a thrilling game. It all came together at the Super Bowl, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/14ec9984e04cb9906a29dd1db52315d1)
4. [Brock Purdy, 49ers rally from 17 points down, beat Lions 34-31 to advance to Super Bowl, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/bed96677697deb0dfb1fa757288ab4bb)
5. [Super Bowl history: Where do 49ers & Chiefs rank among recent champions if they win?, SB Nation](https://www.theoffside.com/2024/2/7/24062599/super-bowl-chiefs-49ers-history-ranking)
6. [Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers win 13th straight in the regular season, beat the Giants 30-12, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/ade65719a305de2516a28509a9ec6385)
7. [49ers sign Nick Bosa to a record-setting contract extension to end his lengthy holdout, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/4dc5feec5ead57102eb0243ec8ee027d)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Rugby and other football codes › National Football League › NFL teams and franchises › NFL team seasons 2020 to present*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 20, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license