The 49ers schedule was released on Wednesday, and on paper, it's the easiest schedule in the NFL.
They won't face any teams coming off a Bye week. They don't play any international games. And seven of their final nine opponents had losing records last season.
But every team has a tough stretch in their schedule -- even the 49ers. And according to NFL.com, the 49ers' toughest stretch next season will be from Week 5 to Week 8.
"San Francisco’s front-loaded schedule also features the team’s toughest stretch of the year -- a four-game sequence beginning in Week 5 that spans all of October and includes matchups with three 2024 playoff teams (and one near miss)," writes NFL.com's Ali Bhanpuri.
"The Niners begin the month with a division tilt at SoFi (on Thursday night), follow that up with a cross-country trip to Tampa, then fly back to the West Coast to host the rising Falcons (on Sunday night), before a pre-Halloween haunt in Houston. That’s a lot of offensive firepower on tap for Robert Saleh and his new-look defense."
Saleh's defense could be really good by the end of next season, but it might struggle during the first half simply because so many rookies will be starting. The 49ers want them to develop as quickly as possible, so they might have some growing pains during these four games. The 49ers will live with those growing pains.
I wouldn't be surprised if the 49ers lost all four of these games. The most winnable one is the Sunday night game against the Falcons, but their running back, Bijan Robinson, is tough to stop.
