49ers begin difficult stretch of away games, with 4 of 5 games on the road
By Chris Wilson
The San Francisco 49ers – winless in three games — now begin the most difficult portion of their 2017 schedule. Over the next five games, the Niners play four games on the road — three with 10 a.m. starts — and a home game in name only.
The San Francisco 49ers were certainly dealt a difficult early schedule for the 2017 NFL season.
After opening the season against the dangerous Carolina Panthers, the 49ers travelled to a Seattle stadium where they haven’t scored 20 points in a game since defensive end Solomon Thomas was in seventh grade. The Niners then returned home on a short week to play a vastly improved Los Angeles Rams squad in a sparsely filled Levi’s Stadium.
After a Week 1 blowout, the 49ers lost their next two games by a total of five points — certainly an improvement from the 49ers of 2016, but the team is still winless heading into a series of difficult away games:
Four of the San Francisco 49ers’ next five games are on the road, and three of those games begin at 10 a.m. PT. The 49ers’ lone home game is against the Dallas Cowboys, and although the game will be played in Santa Clara, it’s a game where the visiting team may have the home-field advantage.
As a collective, this set of games surely seems challenging, but when assessed individually — although the 49ers are unlikely to be favored in any of these matchups — the Niners should be able to compete in each of these five games.
Although the 49ers are winless in their last four games against Arizona, the 1-2 Cardinals are a different team in 2017, with All-Pro running back David Johnson sidelined with a broken wrist, and 37-year-old quarterback Carson Palmer lacking the deep ball from his 2015 Pro Bowl season. The Cardinals are also piling up injuries on their offensive line — a recipe that doesn’t mix well with an immobile quarterback.
San Francisco 49ers
The 1-2 Indianapolis Colts also are a shell of their former selves, due to the absence of Pro Bowl quarterback Andrew Luck. Newcomer quarterback Jacoby Brissett breathed some life into the team during their Week 3 win over the Cleveland Browns, but isn’t viewed as a long-term answer.
The 49ers have recent success against the Washington Redskins, but this game will likely be determined by which version of Redskins quarterback — and possible 2018 49er — Kirk Cousins shows up to play. If the Niners’ get the Week 3 Cousins, who ended the rout of the Oakland Raiders with a quarterback rating over 150, the 49ers will be in trouble. But if the Niners get Week 1 Cousins, their secondary should have multiple turnover opportunities.
The 49ers’ home game against the 2-1 Cowboys may not feel like a home game, due to the number of Dallas fans expected to attend. Although the Cowboys are still one of the league’s better teams, they have taken a step back in 2017, due to changes in personnel. The 49ers should also remember that after significantly outplaying Dallas in the first half of last year’s matchup, the Cowboys needed a phantom unnecessary roughness penalty to shift momentum and stop the Niners from adding to their 14-point lead.
The 49ers close out their first half of the season with a trip to Philadelphia. The 2-1 Eagles have thrived on improved play by quarterback Carson Wentz, who has made a number of clutch plays when needed. However, Wentz — who has struggled on deep throws and relies on mostly short and intermediate passes — lost outlet running back Darren Sproles to a season-ending injury last Sunday.
Next: Week 4 NFL Power Rankings
The San Francisco 49ers play a challenging series of games over the remainder of the first half of the season, but each game is one that the Niners are capable of winning. The Niners need to manage at least a pair of victories in their next five games, before taking advantage of an easier second-half schedule.