The COVID-19 pandemic threw the NFL into an unprecedented state of uncertainty. One of the minor questions that arose for the 49ers involved their regular-season schedule, which had them traveling to face the New York Jets and New York Giants in Weeks 2 and 3. The team requested such scheduling so they could stay on the East Coast between the two games the way they did last year between Weeks 1 and 2 when they faced the Bucs and Bengals on the road, and Weeks 13 and 14 when they faced the Ravens and Saints on the road.
There was some concern that COVID-19 safety regulations may keep the club from getting to stay on the East Coast between their bouts with the two New York teams. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday said the plan is still to hunker down out East.
“For me, I haven’t thought about it much, but I’m expecting that we can go there and stay there and I think we’re going to stay at the Greenbrier in between for a week,” Shanahan told media via video conference. “So, I believe that has been approved. No one’s told me that we’re not doing it. So, usually someone tells me if something bad has happened and no one has told me. So, I’m counting on that to work out right now.”
The Greenbrier is a hotel and resort in West Virginia. Staying there will allow the team to isolate in the Eastern time zone and cut down on travel.
Staying out East helped the 49ers immensely last season. They went 2-0 on the back end of their long road back-to-backs and averaged 44.5 points in the two games. With a Giants team that’s still trying to find its way on the schedule for San Francisco following their stay at Greenbrier, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the long road trip work out in their favor again.
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