49ers schedule release: Ranking 5 most challenging games in 2021

No. 5: Week 11 — 49ers at Jaguars

Jaguars record in 2020: 1-15, fourth place in AFC South

Yes, you’re going to be thinking, “how can this game possibly be on the ‘difficult’ list after the Jacksonville Jaguars had one win last year and picked first in this year’s draft?”

Excellent point. And, yes. Jacksonville should be bad this year.

But the No. 5 tough game on this list isn’t necessarily about the opponent. Rather it’s about the context. Traveling back east for what would be a 10 a.m. start time on the players’ body clocks is never easy, and having to do that on a short week following the Niners’ Monday Night Football tilt the previous week makes it even tougher.

One less day to prepare already, and the added coast-to-coast travel would make this a bigger challenge than it needs to be.

And by that point in the season, rookie quarterback Trevor Lawrence might have some footing underneath him rather than being the untested first-year player with a franchise’s full expectations upon him in Weeks 1 or 2.

This is going to a tougher bout than most San Francisco fans think, although it’s almost entirely due to the travel on a short week.

Good thing it’s against the Jags.