With half of 2022 over, Niner Noise looks at the 49ers schedule from Weeks 10 through 18 to see what the four toughest games will be.
We’ve come quite a long way since our opening predictions about the San Francisco 49ers schedule for 2022 and how the wins and losses pan out, at least over the first half of the year.
With the Niners having an opportunistic midseason bye in Week 9, we can look back at the first eight weeks and question the 4-4 start, especially when looking at some of those hard-to-admit losses to inferior teams such as the Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears or even the Atlanta Falcons.
Ironically, though, the second half of the 49ers schedule might actually be, well… easy?
OK, we won’t go there just yet. However, there are some matchups that looked to be of the marquee variety but now appear to be extremely winnable from the Niners’ vantage point. Seriously, who predicted quarterback Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers would be 3-5 at this point in the season? Most analysts and “experts” pegged the Bucs to be one of two or three favorites to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl this season.
Perhaps not.
At any rate, looking at the back end of San Francisco’s 2022 schedule, let’s rethink what the four toughest games remaining will be.
49ers schedule tough game No. 4: Week 11 @ Cardinals (Mexico City)
Alright, the 49ers’ NFC West rivals, the Arizona Cardinals, are 3-5 on the season and haven’t exactly threatened the division as they did the last two years.
Sure, quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense have been a proverbial “thorn” in the Niners’ side over the last few years. But it’s been a middle-of-the-pack offense this season out in Arizona, while head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s defense is third worst in scoring with 210 points allowed entering Week 9.
So, why should this game in Week 11 be classified as a difficult one?
Well, it’s a neutral-site game, played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Mexico. And while the Cardinals are technically the home team, it won’t be shocking whatsoever to see more San Francisco fans in attendance.
The challenge, though, is the fact it’s well above a mile in elevation, and that alone will create all kinds of challenges, especially for a 49ers defense looking to chase down Murray during this Monday Night Football bout.
49ers schedule tough game No. 3: Week 14 vs. Buccaneers
What was that about Tom Brady again?
OK, so Tampa Bay isn’t exactly out to the kind of start that’d make the predictors who banked on the Buccaneers getting back to the Super Bowl proud of their early 2022 guesses.
But this little caveat on the 49ers schedule is of interest anyway, as it marks the first time Tom Brady has returned home to the Bay Area to face his boyhood team since back in 2016 when the New England Patriots visited Levi’s Stadium.
This Week 14 bout should be interesting enough, and there’s the chance either or both the Bucs and Niners have completely turned their seasons around, which would make for an enticing matchup in itself.
However, Brady shouldn’t need much more motivation than what he’ll be presented with during this particular contest. You know, facing off against the team for which he grew up rooting when he was a kid.
Regardless of where Tampa Bay is in the standings by this point in the season, San Francisco will have its hands full trying to stave off what’ll likely be Brady’s last shot against his boyhood squad.
49ers schedule tough game No. 2: Week 13 vs. Dolphins
Unlike the Cardinals and Buccaneers, the 49ers schedule in Week 13 not only presents some reunion opportunities, but it also currently showcases a team that’s above the .500 mark at the halfway point of the season.
The Miami Dolphins, under former Niners offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel, find themselves at 5-3 and in the thick of what’s turning into a heated race for the AFC East.
McDaniel has turned Miami into a playoff contender, yes, but that’s not the only reason why this Week 13 bout at Levi’s Stadium is intriguing. Sure, the link between McDaniel and head coach Kyle Shanahan will be fun to watch, as the two try to outdo each other in the football equivalent of offensive chess.
However, there are plenty of familiar names in the mix, too, as former San Francisco running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson, the latter most recently in the wake of his trade to Miami, will be looking to impress their former teammates.
With the reunions a perfect backdrop, both sides will be looking to outperform the other.
Yet this Week 13 home contest isn’t the toughest remaining on the 49ers schedule.
49ers schedule tough game No. 1: Week 15 @ Seahawks
It’s strange to think the toughest game the Niners face over the second half is still going to be against the Seattle Seahawks, but that’s the case.
Forget about the Hawks moving on from quarterback Russell Wilson the last offseason. Even forget about San Francisco defeating Seattle in Week 2 with quarterback Geno Smith at the helm and in light of the 49ers losing their own signal-caller, Trey Lance, to a season-ending ankle injury that game.
The Seahawks entering Week 9 as the NFC West leaders is quite the development, and this road contest will ultimately be challenging enough for the Niners without that context.
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If for no other reason than it’s a Thursday Night Football game, and San Francisco is the road team on the short week. Plus, in the wake of having to face off against Tom Brady and the Buccaneers, the 49ers might either be playing something of a let-down game or will be trying to recover from the ramifications of a tough matchup against a Super Bowl-caliber opponent, even if the Bucs are struggling right now.
At any rate, the last time the Niners have had repeated success in Seattle has been well over a decade ago, so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise that this Week 15 road showdown on a short week ranks the toughest remaining on San Francisco’s second-half schedule.