49ers announce 2020 schedule
The NFL on Thursday released its schedule for all 32 teams amid concerns the season may be delayed, or games will be played with no fans in attendance, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Here’s an early look at the San Francisco 49ers’ schedule, which features the maximum of five prime time games, back-to-back contests in New Jersey, and another potentially massive season finale against the Seahawks.
(*Times listed in Pacific Standard Time)
Week 1 (Sunday, Sept. 13)
vs. Arizona Cardinals (1:25 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, FOX)
Both games between these teams last season came down to the fourth quarter, and Arizona made significant improvements heading into Year 2 of the Kliff Kingsbury-Kyler Murray pairing. Dynamo rookie linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons’ first NFL game will be against the player he was drafted to slow down, George Kittle.
Week 2 (Sunday, Sept. 20)
@ New York Jets (10 a.m., MetLife Stadium, FOX)
The first of two straight games in the Meadowlands will come against San Francisco’s all-time leading rusher, Frank Gore, and his fifth team since leaving the 49ers in 2015. The 49ers in all likelihood will stay somewhere in the Eastern Time Zone after this one, as they did between weeks 1 and 2 last season when they went to Youngstown, Ohio, and weeks 13 and 14 when they stayed in Bradenton, Florida.
Week 3 (Sunday, Sept. 27)
@ New York Giants (10 a.m., MetLife Stadium, FOX)
The Giants are hoping their top draft pick, Georgia tackle Andrew Thomas, can help slow down Nick Bosa and San Francisco’s pass rush, or else second-year quarterback Daniel Jones could be in for a long afternoon. Some idiot’s draft crush also plays for the Giants.
Week 4 (Sunday, Oct. 4)
vs. Philadelphia Eagles (5:20 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, NBC)
San Francisco’s first prime time game comes against Philly, which last played in Santa Clara when Levi’s Stadium first opened in 2014. Will new Eagles receiver Marquise Goodwin be on the roster for a revenge game against his former team? Will Carson Wentz be healthy? The Eagles were bounced in the playoffs by the Seahawks last year after winning the division with a 9-7 record.
Week 5 (Sunday, Oct. 11)
vs. Miami Dolphins (1:05 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, FOX)
A second-straight home date will feature one of the most famous rookies in the league, lefty quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who should be the starter, assuming his hip is healthy. The 49ers last played the Dolphins on the road during their miserable 2016 campaign and lost in South Florida, 31-24.
Week 6 (Sunday, Oct. 18)
vs. Los Angeles Rams (5:20 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, NBC)
The Rams are the team many are picking to take a fall back behind the Cardinals in the NFC West. They’ll be back for another prime time game in Levi’s after an entertaining affair in December that saw the 49ers win on a late field goal following a pair of third-and-16 conversions from Jimmy Garoppolo.
Week 7 (Sunday, Oct. 25)
@ New England Patriots (1:25 p.m., Gillette Stadium, CBS)
This game loses some of its luster now that Tom Brady is on the Buccaneers. Still, this will be Garoppolo’s first trip to Foxborough to see Bill Belichick since being traded to the 49ers on Halloween 2017. This is the start of a four-game stretch against teams that reached the playoffs last season.
Week 8 (Sunday, Nov. 1)
@ Seattle Seahawks (1:25 p.m., CenturyLink Field, FOX)
Last year’s Week 17, the epic game that gave San Francisco the top seed in the NFC, was shifted to prime time. This could be another candidate. Have the Seahawks improved the roster around star quarterback Russell Wilson? That’s the question every year, yet Seattle is always a tough team to beat.
Week 9 (Thursday, Nov. 5)
vs. Green Bay Packers (5:20 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, FOX/NFL Network/Amazon)
A rematch of the NFC title game in which the 49ers thumped the Cheese Heads 37-20 behind 42 rushing attempts and just eight throws from Garoppolo. The Packers didn’t do much to help Aaron Rodgers this offseason, which could be problematic against the 49ers defense. The short week won’t help the club traveling from Wisconsin.
Week 10 (Sunday, Nov. 15)
@ New Orleans Saints (1:25 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Super Dome, FOX)
A rematch of the best regular season game in recent memory from last December when George Kittle carried the entire city of New Orleans in Saints territory before the game-winning field goal. The 49ers won, 48-46, but their best receiver from that game, Emmanuel Sanders, will be on the other sideline.
Week 11 ~ Bye
Week 12 (Sunday, Nov. 29)
@ Los Angeles Rams (1:05 p.m., SoFi Stadium, FOX)
The 49ers’ first trip to Jerry World West will come after a Week 11 bye that’s the latest the league allows. It’s fitting given San Francisco’s Week 4 bye in 2019 was the earliest bye possible.
Week 13 (Monday, Dec. 7)
vs. Buffalo Bills (5:15 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, ESPN)
The upstart Bills are a trendy pick to upend the Patriots in the AFC East this season now that Brady’s gone. Coach Sean McDermott’s defense might be one of the best in the league, but quarterback Josh Allen, who’s athletic but inaccurate, is the wild card.
Week 14 (Sunday, Dec. 13)
vs. Washington (1:25 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, FOX)
Fingers crossed this one won’t happen during a monsoon like last October’s matchup in the nation’s capital. It will provide Nick Bosa an opportunity to share the field with his close friend, and fellow No. 2 draft pick, Chase Young, his former college teammate.
Week 15 (Sunday, Dec. 20)
@ Dallas Cowboys (5:20 p.m., AT&T Stadium, NBC)
Yes, this one should have good ratings. The Cowboys have high hopes after missing the playoffs last year and have talent all over the place on offense. The last time the 49ers played in Arlington, the place was packed with red jerseys. The Cowboys’ white uniforms against San Francisco’s home reds might be the premier aesthetic matchup in sports.
Week 16 (Saturday or Sunday, Dec. 26 or 27)
@ Arizona Cardinals (University of Phoenix Stadium, TBD)
Another prime time game in Arizona? Last year’s was fun. Only this time, the 49ers hope Kittle won’t chip a bone off his ankle on the first series.
Week 17 (Sunday, Jan. 3)
vs. Seattle Seahawks (1:25 p.m., Levi’s Stadium, FOX)
Another potential classic to close out the season following last year’s thriller. Only this time the 49ers get it at home. There’s a reasonable chance this one decides the division.
Preseason:
Aug. 13-17: @ Denver Broncos
Aug. 20-24: vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Aug. 27-30: @ Chicago Bears
Sept. 3-4: vs. Los Angeles Chargers
We have no idea if the preseason is going to happen. But there are worse things than a potential trip to Chicago in the summer, particularly if baseball returns by then. Not to mention a rare 49ers-Raiders matchup, which hasn’t happened since chaos broke out at Candlestick Park during a preseason game in 2011. There might not be fans in attendance this time. If the situation surrounding COVID-19 allows, look for the 49ers to have joint practices with the Broncos for the second straight season.
This story was originally published May 7, 2020 at 4:38 PM.
