The 49ers’ preseason schedule was finalized Friday. The opponents were officially announced during the schedule release in early May, but the dates were still in flux. Friday’s release gave dates and times for those matchups.
Week 1 | Saturday, Aug. 15, 6:05pm, 49ers at Broncos
Week 2 | Friday, Aug. 21, 7:00pm, 49ers vs. Raiders
Week 3 | Saturday, Aug. 29, 10:00am, 49ers at Bears
Week 4 | Thursday, Sept. 3, 7:00pm, 49ers vs. Chargers
It remains to be seen whether the NFL will even have preseason games as COVID-19-related shutdowns could roll into August in some states. There’s no word on how the league would handle its schedule if some states are open and others aren’t.
California has had some of the most stringent stay-at-home orders which casts some doubt on the regular season taking place, much less the preseason.
The schedule itself features the usual preseason showdowns with the Broncos and Chargers, along with the return of the annual preseason meeting with the Raiders. Fan violence eliminated the usual exhibition matchup between the former Bay Area rivals, but they’re picking it up again now that the Raiders have moved to Las Vegas.
The most important game will be the August 29 affair in Chicago. The third preseason contest is typically a final dress rehearsal for he regular season. It’s also a 10:00 am Pacific Time kickoff, which is unusual, but will benefit the 49ers since they’re due to play back-to-back East Coast games with 10:00 am Pacific Time starts in Weeks 2 and 3. Getting to practice that early start time should be beneficial.