Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

When a team like the San Francisco 49ers goes from a 6-10 record one season to a 13-3 record in the next season, the strength of schedule is assured to get tougher.  For the 49ers in 2012 that is certainly the case as the team will face the Packers, Lions, Giants, Saints and Patriots in five of their 16 games.  What those five teams have in common are elite quarterbacks who finished in the top-five of passing yards in 2011.  Drew Brees, Tom Brady and Matthew Stafford all threw for over 5,000 yards while Eli Manning finished with 4,933 yards and Aaron Rodgers with 4,643.

With how well the 49ers’ secondary did last season, they will be tested and will need to duplicate there numbers from last season, when they finished with 23 interceptions and 124 passes defended to come away with a winning record against the five teams.

The 49ers’ secondary was anchored last season by cornerback Carlos Rogers and safety Dashon Goldson who had six interceptions each which led the team.  Rogers is back after signing a contract extension, however, Goldson is M.I.A. as he holds out for a better long-term contact.  Goldson is currently the 49ers franchise tagged player and he has not participated in offseason workouts.  The 49ers are ready to go with either veteran C.J. Spillman or rookie Trenton Robinson should Goldson continue to holdout.  If that is the case Spillman will most likely be the man starting in place of Goldson.  Even though Spillman has been in the NFL for four seasons, he has started only one game.  With the 49ers going up against five elite quarterbacks, we can expect them to try to exploit the inexperience should Goldson remain a holdout.  The other starting safety is Donte Whitner who can pick up the slack in Goldson’s absence as well.

At cornerback Rogers showed he was the shutdown type player the 49ers lacked for years on defense.  Rogers will be able to cover the No. 1 receivers on the Packers, Lions, Giants, Saints and Patriots, but the problem is all five of the teams have deep depth at wide receiver.  This is a problem for the 49ers because they lack depth and experience behind Rogers.  Tarell Brown did a great job in 2011 with four interceptions and 40 tackles but he is only entering his second season as a starter.  The other backups at cornerback are Chris Culliver and Tramaine Brock, and both have limited experience with zero starts between them.  Culliver was rookie last season and Brock has only played in 14 games in two seasons.

Luckily, the five games against these quarterbacks are mostly spread out over the season.  The exceptions are the Packers (@Green Bay) and Lions (home) who the 49ers face in the first two weeks of the season.  The 49ers go up against the Giants in week six (home), Saints in week 12 (@New Orleans) and Patriots in week 15 (@New England).

Check Niner Noise’s Week-By-Week Breakdown of the San Francisco 49ers’ 2012 Schedule

Credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

The San Francisco 49ers learned on Tuesday what their schedule for the 2012 season will look like and who they will go up against each week.   After finishing 2011 with a 13-3 record and as champions of the NFC West, the 49ers face a much tougher schedule making the road back to the playoffs a bit harder than last season.  There are plenty of story lines this season that will be the focus in the week leading up to the game (Example, see weeks 1, 2, 6 and 12).  The 49ers may have a tougher schedule but that means the Niner naysayers cannot complain the team is not facing formidable opponents which was a big criticism last season.  Also, unlike last season the 49ers will be featured in five primetime regular season games in 2012, three of which will be at Candlestick Park, including the home opener in week 2.  The 49ers will play two games on Sunday Night Football, two games on Monday Night Football and one game on Thursday Night Football.  Here is a breakdown of the week-by-week matchups for the 49ers with predictions on who will win.

WEEK ONE

Sunday, September 9, 1:15 PM

@  Green Bay Packers

Prediction:  49ers win

Usually the 49ers open up against the Seahawks, however, after their great season last year they will open up the 2012 season against one of their toughest opponents in recent years.  The 49ers last had a season opener in Green Bay in 1976.  The last regular season game won at Lambeau Field was in 1990, with Joe Montana at quarterback.  This will be the second time Alex Smith will go up against Aaron Rodgers in the regular season, but it will be the first time the two will compete with both being established quarterbacks with credibility.

Jim Harbaugh will have the 49ers coming out of the gates swinging.  Alex Smith would love to beat Rodgers in Green Bay and to start the season not only with a win, but also with a huge game that overshadows Rodgers’ stats.

WEEK TWO

Sunday, September 16, 5:20 PM (Home opener on Sunday Night Football)

 Detroit Lions

 Prediction:  49ers win (Record: 2-0)

I wonder what the storyline will be in this game…Handshake Gate!  No matter what happens to the 49ers and Lions in week one, both teams will come into the game fired up to pull out the win.  We will probably see more TV shots of Harbaugh and Lions head coach Jim Schwartz.  In week one the chip rested on Alex Smith’s shoulder, in week two the chip will be on Harbaugh’s shoulder.  It will be a close game until the very end but the 49ers will pull out the win in their home opener.  The 49ers have won 15 of the last 17 games against the Lions.

WEEK THREE

Sunday, September 23, 10:00 AM

@  Minnesota Vikings

Prediction:  49ers win (Record: 3-0)

The 49ers will travel to Minnesota for the first time since 2009 when Brett Favre’s touchdown heave in the final seconds beat the 49ers 27-24.  Thinking about that play again still makes me shake my head in disbelief.  It will be tough to play on the road in the loud dome where the Vikings call home, but with Christian Ponder starting at quarterback the 49ers defense will cause havoc for the second-year QB.

WEEK FOUR

Sunday, September 30, 10:00 AM

@   New York Jets

 Prediction: 49ers lose (Record: 3-1)

The 49ers showed last season a team from the West Coast can travel to the East Coast and win games.  It’s good for the 49ers to have that experience from last year because they will go up against the AFC East this season.  The first of those matchups is against the Jets and the 49ers will suffer their first defeat of the season.  This will be a defensive game throughout with a turnover winning the game in the end.  I am going to be so mad if Tim Tebow has anything to do with the win.

WEEK FIVE

Sunday, October 7, 1:15 PM

 Buffalo Bills

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 4-1)

The Bills are an up incoming team and have similar expectations like the 49ers had before the 2011 season.  After spending two weeks on the road the 49ers will bounce back with a win at home against the Bills.  The 49ers and Bills are tied 5-5 in all-time matchups.

WEEK SIX

Sunday, October 14, 1:15 PM

 New York Giants

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 5-1)

We all know what the storyline will be in week six…the 49ers will be facing a team from the state of New York for the third week in a row.  I think that’s everything, correct?  Oh, riiiigggggggght.  Something else about the NFC Championship game and Kyle Williams…

This is when the 49ers enact revenge over the Giants for their loss in the NFC Championship game.  Candlestick Park will be rocking with a playoff game like atmosphere.  Something tells both teams will meet again in the playoffs.  The 49ers and Giants are tied 18-18 all-time.

WEEK SEVEN

Thursday, October 18, 5:20 PM (Thursday Night Football)

 Seattle Seahawks

Prediction: 49ers lose (Record: 5-2)

The 49ers will have their second primetime game at home and first NFC West matchup against the Seahawks.  The Seahawks always put up a good fight against the 49ers but this season they won’t get swept with a win at Candlestick Park.  The game will be close but the four days in between weeks six and seven will hurt the 49ers.

WEEK EIGHT

Monday, October 29, 5:30 PM (Monday Night Football)

@  Arizona Cardinals

Prediction: 49ers lose (Record: 5-3)

The NFL Nation will see the 49ers play back-to-back weeks on primetime, but unfortunately for the 49ers they will suffer their first losing streak of the season.  The Cardinals always play well against the 49ers in Arizona, especially on Monday Night Football.  The 49ers lost to the Cardinals 21-19 in Arizona last season and you can expect the same result this season.  Arizona guard Adam Snyder will face the 49ers for the first time.
 

WEEK NINE

BYE

The bye week could not come at a better time for the 49ers after suffering two defeats in primetime two weeks in a row.  The bye week will help the 49ers regroup and heal up for the second half of the season.  No matter their record come week nine, it is really important for the 49ers to have their bye week in the middle of the season.

WEEK 10

Sunday, November 11, 1:15 PM

 St. Louis Rams

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 6-3)

The start of the second half of 49ers’ 2012 schedule will be their first game against the Rams.  New head coach Jeff Fisher will have the Rams competing this season, but it will not be enough to overcome the 49ers and win the NFC West.  The 49ers are 62-61-2 all-time against the Rams.

WEEK 11

Monday, November 19, 5:30 PM (Monday Night Football)

 Chicago Bears

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 7-3)

The last time the 49ers and Bears met was in 2009 when Jay Cutler threw five interceptions in a 10-6 loss.  You can expect more of the same with the 49ers defense pressuring Cutler all game making him have multiple turnovers.  The 49ers will win big.

 WEEK 14

Sunday, November 25, 1:15 PM

@  New Orleans Saints

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 8-3)

The main storyline will be the rematch of the Divisional Playoff Round game from last season that saw the 49ers oust the Saints from the playoffs.  A sub-storyline will be Bounty Gate.  By this time the NFL will have moved on and forgotten about Bounty Gate.  However with Greg Williams’ audio tape telling Saints players to target and hurt specific 49ers players, the scandal will be on everyone’s minds again.  The game will have a playoff feel to it in New Orleans with the 49ers pulling out the win.

WEEK 13

Sunday, December 2, 10:00 AM

@  St. Louis Rams

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 9-3)

The 49ers will sweep the Rams for the second straight season in their second matchup of 2012.  The game will be much closer than week ten’s win with the 49ers winning in the closing seconds with a David Akers field goal.

WEEK 14

Sunday, December 9, 1:05 PM

 Miami Dolphins

Prediction: 49ers win (Record:10-3)

The Dolphins might be starting their third quarterback of the season when they come to San Francisco for their first meeting since 2008.  The Dolphins will see Alex Smith first hand and wonder why they did not pull the trigger to sign him in the off-season.   49ers will win big.

WEEK 15

Sunday, December 16, 5:20 PM (Sunday Night Football)

@ New England Patriots

Prediction: 49ers lose (Record: 10-4)

With the NFC West division title locked up the 49ers will travel to the East Coast for the final time in the regular season and for the last of their five games in primetime.  The 49ers will be playing for seeding in the playoffs with the division locked up but weather will play a factor in the game that does not favor San Francisco.  The game will be more defensive than many expect with a low scoring game decided in overtime.  The 49ers have not played in New England since 2005 and are 7-4 all-time vs. the Patriots.

WEEK 16

Sunday, December 23, 1:15 PM

@  Seattle Seahawks

Prediction: 49ers win (Record: 11-4)

The Seahawks might be playing for one of the last playoff spots and with the loud crowd of the 12th Man, the 49ers will have to fight to avoid their second two-game losing streak of the season.

WEEK 17

Sunday, December 30, 1:15 PM

Arizona Cardinals

Prediction: 49ers win (Final Record: 12-4, Second Seed in the NFC)

Closing out the season at home, the 49ers have a favorable matchup going up against the Cardinals.  The 49ers will finish the season with a two-game winning streak which will help build momentum heading into the playoffs.  In the last five games against the Cardinals at Candlestick Park, the 49ers are 4-1.

Credit: Jason O. Watson-US PRESSWIRE

The official NFL scheduled was released on Tuesday and we now know what the road back to back to the playoffs will look like for the San Francisco 49ers.  We knew which teams the 49ers would face in 2012, like going up against the AFC East and NFC North, and which games would be home and away.  However, now we have a full glimpse of which teams the 49ers will play in what weeks of the season.  Stay tuned to Niner Noise for full coverage of the 2012 schedule.  Let us know what you think of the schedule in the comments!

WEEK 1

Sep 09

4:15 PM ET

@  Packers

WEEK    2

Sep 16

8:20 PM ET

 Lions

WEEK  3

Sep 23

1:00 PM ET

@  Vikings

WEEK  4

Sep 30

1:00 PM ET

@  Jets

WEEK  5

Oct 07

4:15 PM ET

 Bills

WEEK    6

Oct 14

4:15 PM ET

 Giants

WEEK    7

Oct 18

8:20 PM ET

 Seahawks

WEEK    8

Oct 29

8:30 PM ET

@  Cardinals

WEEK    9

Bye

WEEK    10

Nov 11

4:15 PM ET

 Rams

WEEK    11

Nov 19

8:30 PM ET

 Bears

WEEK    12

Nov 25

4:15 PM ET

@  Saints

WEEK  13

Dec 02

1:00 PM ET

@  Rams

WEEK  14

Dec 09

4:05 PM ET

 Dolphins

WEEK  15

Dec 16

8:20 PM ET

@  Patriots

WEEK  16

Dec 23

4:15 PM ET

@  Seahawks

WEEK  17

Dec 30

4:15 PM ET

 Cardinals