The 49ers’ brutal stretch of games after a relatively soft start to the year hasn’t diminished much over the course of the season. Their schedule is one of the NFL’s hardest over the final eight weeks.
Early prognostication on their 16-game slate showed a stretch of games against teams expected to struggle like the Jets and Giants. The back end of their schedule was much more difficult with games against the likes of the Rams, Saints, Bills and Seahawks.
While the front of their schedule was more difficult than expected with the Cardinals, their Week 1 opponent taking a step forward, and their Week 5 matchup against the Dolphins turning into a more difficult game than expected, the difficult final portion of their schedule holds up.
They’re at the Saints before a Week 11 Bye. Coming out of the Bye they’re at the Rams, then home against the Bills. That’s three games against teams that could conceivably wind up in the Super Bowl. There’s a brief reprieve against the Cowboys and Washington, but then they finish at the Cardinals and home against the Seahawks.
NFL Rest-of-Season Strength of Schedule #clayprojections pic.twitter.com/etvCT7CsZt
— Mike Clay (@MikeClayNFL) November 10, 2020
Not factored into Mike Clay’s strength of schedule chart is the injuries the 49ers are facing. He’s simply laying out which teams have the hardest schedule. That doesn’t factor in what kind of uphill climb a team like San Francisco is facing with all their injuries. Even their softer games at Dallas and home against Washington become a little more daunting if they’re as banged up as they look coming out of Week 9.
Starting the season at 4-5 was always going to make a playoff run improbable for San Francisco. Their difficult schedule combined with a rash of injuries illustrates just how steep that climb is.