Tag: 49ers schedule

49ers’ strength of schedule in middle of NFL based on 2020 win totals

Projections from sports books put the 49ers’ 2020 strength of schedule in the middle of the NFL pack.

There’s no league with more year-to-year turnover among playoff teams than the NFL. Worst-to-first is a common refrain for a league with a hard salary cap and the ability to rapidly construct a contender with a free agent signing or two and one good draft. It’s part of what makes the league entertaining. It’s also part of why we can’t use 2019 records as an indicator for strength of schedule in 2020.

Football analytics guru Warren Sharp put together a chart of schedule strength based on preseason win totals from a variety of sports books. San Francisco lands almost exactly in the middle of the league with the 17th-most difficult schedule:

 

While it’s still an imperfect measure, those win totals set by sports books account for offseason changes much more than the 2019 win-loss record does.

For example, the Patriots lost Tom Brady in the offseason. New England won 12 games a season ago. Their over/under total is 9.5 for the 2020 season. The Patriots entering the season look like a much less daunting foe without Brady at the helm, and the over/under reflects that dramatic change.

Using 2019 win totals, the 49ers would have the fourth-hardest schedule.

Another Super Bowl run won’t be easy for San Francisco regardless of what barometer is used for preseason schedule strength. Bouncing back from a championship loss is exceptionally difficult regardless of the teams on the following year’s slate. If the 49ers do make it back, it’ll be impressive no matter what their strength of schedule looks like at the end of the year.

[vertical-gallery id=656137]

5 toughest games on 49ers’ schedule

The San Francisco 49ers play a slew of very difficult games on their 2020 schedule.

A first-place NFC West finish in 2019 made the 49ers’ 2020 schedule a little more daunting. While they got a small break facing an AFC East that no longer features Tom Brady, they have to travel to New Orleans, face Green Bay on a short week, and deal with what looks to be an improved NFC East.

We went through the 49ers’ 16 games and picked out the five most difficult non-divisional contests. Leaving out the NFC West doesn’t mean the division won’t be tough. In fact, it’s just the opposite. All six division games jump out when checking for difficult matchups. San Francisco went 5-1 in their division last season and only outscored opponents by 31 in their six games.

With the six NFC West showdowns accounted for, here are the other five most difficult games on the 49ers’ schedule:

Week 4 vs. Eagles

Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Philadelphia somehow made the playoffs last season despite most of their secondary and receiving corps sitting on the sideline with injuries. There was a legitimate chance they would’ve won their playoff game over the Seahawks too had Carson Wentz not gotten hurt early. Philadelphia is among the most talented teams in the league when they’re healthy, and they’re well-coached. The 49ers will be back home after two weeks in New York, which could lead to an added obstacle in an already hard game.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Candlestick Chronicles: 49ers schedule takeaways and predictions

Chris and Kyle give a prediction and some takeaways from the 49ers’ 2020 schedule.

The 49ers’ 2020 schedule was released Thursday. Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and Kyle Madson ran through their big-picture takeaways from the schedule and gave some predictions.

The guys discuss the travel, prime time games, and some of the advantageous dates of the contests. They also go over what they believe are the toughest stretches of games.

Finally, Chris and Kyle go game-by-game and give their way-too-early stone-cold lock predictions for each matchup and a final overall record.

https://candlestick-chronicles-a-49ers-pod.simplecast.com/episodes/we-got-the-schedule

[vertical-gallery id=656137]

Takeaways from 49ers’ 2020 schedule

A few key things jump out from the San Francisco 49ers’ 2020 schedule, including prime time games and favorable travel.

The 49ers’ NFC championship defense isn’t going to be easy. Their first-place schedule looks a lot more daunting than last year’s, but a few things about the 16-game slate.

Here are some of our key takeaways from the 49ers’ 2020 schedule:

No playoff teams early

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The 49ers have a tougher schedule than they did a year ago thanks to their first-place finish in 2019. Their first three weeks aren’t necessarily tough though. San Francisco opens the year against three teams that missed the playoffs last season, including Arizona and both New York teams. The Cardinals should be better, but hosting them Week 1 makes that game a little less daunting.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7, Page 8

San Francisco 49ers 2020 schedule officially released

The San Francisco 49ers complete 2020 schedule was released.

The 49ers’ 2020 schedule was finally released Thursday. While there’s still no certainty the league will start on time, the fact we have a complete 16-game schedule is encouraging.

San Francisco faces the AFC East and NFC East, and the winners of the NFC North and NFC South to go along with their six divisional contests.

Here’s the schedule.

Week 1: 49ers vs. Arizona 
Week 2: 49ers at New York Jets
Week 3: 49ers at New York Giants
Week 4: 49ers vs. Philadelphia (Sunday Night Football)
Week 5: 49ers vs. Miami
Week 6: 49ers vs. Los Angeles Rams (Sunday Night Football)
Week 7: 49ers at New England
Week 8: 49ers at Seattle
Week 9: 49ers vs. Green Bay (Thursday Night Football)
Week 10: 49ers at New Orleans
Week 11: BYE
Week 12: 49ers at Los Angeles Rams
Week 13: 49ers vs. Buffalo (Monday Night Football)
Week 14: 49ers vs. Washington
Week 15: 49ers at Dallas (Sunday Night Football)
Week 16: 49ers at Arizona
Week 17: 49ers vs. Seattle

7 games on 49ers 2020 schedule that could be in prime time

The San Francisco 49ers had six prime time games in 2019, but their 2020 schedule could have even more.

The NFL hasn’t released any of its 2020 schedule yet. That’s not going to stop us from speculating.

We know what teams the 49ers are set to play, which allows us to take a guess at which of their games might be in prime time. San Francisco, the defending NFC champs, might actually see an uptick in national TV games this season after playing six last season.

Here are seven games on the 49ers’ schedule slate that could get prime time treatment:

49ers vs. Packers at Levi’s Stadium

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Perhaps the NFL will look at last year’s two 49ers-Packers matchups and decide not to put it in prime time. San Francisco beat Green Bay by a combined 46 points, and neither game was even as close as the final score. However, a rematch of the NFC Championship game should have some buzz, especially since both teams should be in the thick of the playoff race again.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6

49ers all-time record vs. 2020 opponents

The San Francisco 49ers have a tough slate of opponents on their 2020 schedule, but they’ve had some good success historically against them.

The NFL on Thursday at 5:00pm PT is set to release its 2020 schedule. Whether those games will be played on time remains to be seen, but regardless of when the season starts we know thanks to last year’s action who the 49ers will face in their 16-game schedule.

Their first-place finish in the NFC West turned their schedule into a gauntlet assuming there isn’t any massive fall off by any of the top teams in the league a season ago.

Here’s how the 49ers have fared in the regular season all-time against each of their 2020 opponents:

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona Cardinals: 31-26

The 49ers and Cardinals first met way back in 1951, but their rivalry didn’t blossom until they became NFC West foes in 2002 despite the Cardinals residing just south of California since 1988.

Buffalo Bills: 6-6

Somehow these two teams never met in the Super Bowl. The Bills dominated their last showdown with a 45-16 romp at home in 2016. Both teams are significantly better now.

Dallas Cowboys: 15-13-1

This iconic rivalry couldn’t be much closer from a record standpoint. Add in all their playoff meetings and this record moves to 17-18-1 for the 49ers.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Why 49ers could be Cardinals’ opponent in reported 2020 game in Mexico

The 49ers might be heading out of the country for the first time since 2013.

The 49ers may wind up going out of the country next season. ESPN’s John Sutcliffe reported the Arizona Cardinals have been a team tabbed to play in Mexico for the 2020 season. Their opponent isn’t known yet, but the 49ers would make a lot of sense.

It stands to reason the league would want to put a divisional game there. It was the move they made in 2019 when the Chargers and Chiefs squared off at Estadio Azteca.

San Francisco finished the 2019 season 13-3, and earned a trip to the Super Bowl, making them a pretty significant draw heading into the 2020 campaign. The 49ers, one of the NFL’s premier brands, wouldn’t be missing a home game since the Cardinals would be slated as the home team, and they’d be a big-name team to send to a place where the league is trying to grow the game.

While the NFL has continued its international series in both England and Mexico, the 49ers haven’t travelled abroad for a game since they faced the Jaguars in London in 2013.

Finally, it’s worth noting how tough the Cardinals played the 49ers in 2019. Arizona lost the two games by a combined 13 points, but a fluke touchdown at the end of the second meeting inflated that total by six points.

Kyler Murray is one of the most electric, young quarterbacks in the league, and the Cardinals are liable to score a ton of points next season. Combine that with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan’s exciting offensive scheme and there’s a real potential for fireworks – an ideal scenario for the NFL.

We likely won’t know whether the 49ers are traveling abroad until closer to April when the schedule comes out, but they may be willing to take an international game if it means avoiding HBO’s Hard Knocks or an international game that results in the loss of a home game in the future.

If the 49ers do beat the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIV, they’ll become a hot commodity for the league as it aims to expand its brand beyond US borders.

49ers will host Packers in NFC championship game

The Packers knocked off the Seahawks, which means the 49ers will host Green Bay on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

The Green Bay Packers on Sunday night knocked off the Seattle Seahawks 28-23 to punch their ticket to the NFC championship game. The 49ers will host them at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday for a chance to play in Super Bowl LIV in Miami.

The 49ers and Packers will meet for the second time this season. San Francisco won their first meeting 37-8 in Week 12 on Sunday Night Football.

That game was an overwhelming performance by the 49ers’ defense where they allowed 198 total yards, and just 81 net passing yards thanks to five sacks of Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

San Francisco is 3-4 all-time against Green Bay in the playoffs, although they’ve won the last two, and two of the last three. Their consecutive wins came in the divisional round in the 2013 playoffs, and the wild card round the following year. The 49ers have a 2-2 home record against the Packers in the postseason.

Their only meeting in the NFC championship came in the 1998 playoffs when Green Bay downed the 49ers 23-10 at Candlestick Park.

The 49ers and Packers kick off at 3:40 pm PST.

49ers 2020 opponents set

The 49ers’ 2020 opponents are officially set after they won the NFC West.

The 49ers’ opponents for the 2020 season are officially set after the dust settled on a wild Week 17.

San Francisco knocked off the Seahawks in the final game of the year to snag the NFC West crown and give themselves a first-place schedule next season.

Here are the 49ers’ home and road opponents for next year:

Home

Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
Green Bay Packers
Washington
Philadelphia Eagles
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins

Road

Arizona Cardinals
Los Angeles Rams
Seattle Seahawks
New York Giants
Dallas Cowboys
New York Jets
New England Patriots
New Orleans Saints

The 49ers will have a tough road slate next year no matter how the games shake out. They’ll make four trips to the East Coast. We’ll know the schedule sometime in April.