The NFL schedule makers dealt a bad hand to the 49ers, with San Francisco set to be less rested than its opponents for much of the season.
The 49ers have four different opponents on their schedule who are coming off bye weeks. They’re the only team the NFL is forcing to play opponents coming off byes four times.
When the 49ers face the Chiefs in Week 7, the Cowboys in Week 8, the Seahawks in Week 11 and the Bills in Week 13, those teams will all be coming off their byes.
The 49ers also play after short work weeks in Week 2 (playing on Sunday after a Monday night game), Week 6 (playing Thursday night), Week 15 (playing Thursday night) and Week 18 (playing on Sunday after a Monday night game).
That’s certainly not an impossible burden for a good team to overcome, but it’s a burden nonetheless. The 49ers can’t be happy with the schedule the NFL gave them.