49ers schedule: Team will remain on East Coast between Weeks 1 and 2

The 49ers are copying a similar strategy to cope with their two-game start to the 2021 NFL schedule, staying back east to avoid extra travel.

It’s looking like the San Francisco 49ers won’t be earning quite as many travel points as they might have gained early in the season.

One of the Niners’ wrinkles in the 2021 NFL schedule was seeing back-to-back road games to open up the year, Week 1 against the Detroit Lions and Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles.

Frequently, ever since San Francisco moved to Levi’s Stadium in 2014, the team has asked either for night games in early September or road games to account for the notable heat, especially on the eastern concourse.

But when back-to-back trips east have hit the calendar, the 49ers have frequently found themselves staying back east in between games.

It looks like that’ll be the case again in 2021.

NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported, citing a source, “players, coaches and some other staff members will remain on the East Coast between their first two games of the season.”

According to Maiocco, The Greenbrier in West Virginia will play hosts to the Niners again after serving the same role a year ago when they visited the New York Jets and New York Giants in Weeks 2 and 3 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Previously, San Francisco had stayed back east at Youngstown State University in Ohio, as well as IMG Academy in Florida.

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Without the slight diversion now on the calendar, the 49ers were scheduled to travel over 28,000 miles, the most out of any team in the league this season.

The Niners won both road games they had last year with the stay at The Greenbrier in between, although Week 2 saw a tremendous amount of injuries that would ultimately play into their 6-10 finish.

Hopefully, this year’s road trip will end up being a bit more pleasant.