3 reasons San Francisco 49ers miss playoffs in 2020
A rough 49ers schedule may prove to be too much to handle
At first glance, it seems the Niners had been graced with a manageable set of opponents for the 2020 season following an unsuccessful Super Bowl run. If you look deeper into their schedule, though, it seems the sequence in which they play these opponents may prove to be challenging, and flat out unfair.
Below you will see the 49ers 2020 season schedule in its entirety:
- Week 1: VS Arizona Cardinals
- Week 2: @ NY Jets
- Week 3: @ NY Giants
- Week 4: VS Philadelphia Eagles
- Week 5: VS Miami Dolphins
- Week 6: VS LA Rams
- Week 7: @ New England Patriots
- Week 8: @ Seattle Seahawks
- Week 9: VS Green Bay Packers
- Week 10: BYE WEEK
- Week 11: @ New Orleans Saints
- Week 12: @ LA Rams
- Week 13: VS Buffalo Bills
- Week 14: VS Washington Redskins
- Week 15: @ Dallas Cowboys
- Week 16: @ Arizona Cardinals
- Week 17: VS Seattle Seahawks
Between Weeks 7 and 17, the 49ers will be playing a legitimate playoff contender almost every week (except for Washington, sorry Redskins fans), and for the most part, away from home. If the team were to be hit with as many injuries as it was last year, it may be too much to overcome.
Playing in New England, in Seattle and at home against Green Bay, consecutively, is a killer sequence. If injuries were to hit the team, this three-game slate can prove to be disastrous. Following the bye week, the Niners then have to travel to New Orleans to butt heads with the juggernaut, the Saints. This matchup is sure to produce a ton of highlight-worthy plays but will be a tough game for the team nonetheless.
They then must travel to Los Angeles to play the Rams who seem to have taken a step back this offseason and appear to be rebuilding, yet still possess a star-studded roster. The 49ers then must travel back home to play a revamped up-and-coming Bills team who have traded for Stefon Diggs, and then get a break with the lowly Redskins at home Week 14.
The final three games of the season are no cakewalk, though, as the 49ers travel to Texas to face a loaded Dallas Cowboys team who have added the top rookie wide receiver in Ceedee Lamb to their already potent receiving corps which included Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup.
They then face the Cardinals who have added superstar Deandre Hopkins to their wide receiver group. The Cardinals gave the Niners issues last year almost beating them twice in the 2019 regular season, and are looking a whole lot better this upcoming season with the expected growth of the sensational quarterback, Kyler Murray. The season ends in poetic fashion as the Niners will end another regular season by playing division rivals, the Seahawks in Week 17, who will be sure to give it their all when facing the 49ers following a Week 17 last-second nail-biter in the 2019 season.
That brutal 11-week stretch will be a huge test of the team’s endurance and will surely put some strain on their physical health. In my opinion, most of these games will be shootouts and will push this 49ers roster to their absolute limits. This will produce some very entertaining games but may result in a lot of losses that may ultimately remove San Francisco from playoff seeding.