The San Francisco 49ers now know who they are going to be playing every week of the 2025 NFL season after the team's schedule was released. San Francisco now has a prime opportunity to go from worst to first in the NFC West.
The Niners struggled mightily last season to the tune of a 6-11 record, thanks in large part to injuries as well as poor play throughout the season. The team reloaded this offseason and attempted to get younger, which it accomplished by shedding a lot of veterans while doing most of its adding through the NFL Draft.
Now that the dust has settled after the draft, it seems very clear that San Francisco has a good chance to get back on track this upcoming season. We already knew before the schedule was released that the team was going to have one of the easiest schedules in the NFL based on strength of schedule.
Their order of games gives them a great opportunity to hit the ground running and not look back in their division after finishing dead last in the NFC West in 2024.
- Week 1 – Sunday, September 7 at Seattle – 1:05 p.m. PT
- Week 2 – Sunday, September 14 at New Orleans – 10:00 a.m. PT
- Week 3 – Sunday, September 21 vs. Arizona – 1:25 p.m. PT
- Week 4 – Sunday, September 28 vs. Jacksonville – 1:05 p.m. PT
- Week 5 – Thursday, October 2 at Los Angeles Rams – 5:15 p.m. PT
- Week 6 – Sunday, October 12 at Tampa Bay – 10:00 a.m. PT
- Week 7 – Sunday, October 19 vs. Atlanta – 5:20 p.m. PT
- Week 8 – Sunday, October 26 at Houston – 10:00 a.m. PT
- Week 9 – Sunday, November 2 at New York Giants – 10:00 a.m. PT
- Week 10 – Sunday, November 9 vs. Los Angeles Rams – 1:25 p.m. PT
- Week 11 – Sunday, November 16 at Arizona – 1:05 p.m. PT
- Week 12 – Monday, November 24 vs. Carolina – 5:15 p.m. PT
- Week 13 – Sunday, November 30 at Cleveland – 10:00 a.m. PT
- Week 14 – Sunday, December 7 – BYE
- Week 15 – Sunday, December 14 vs. Tennessee – 1:25 p.m. PT
- Week 16 – Monday, December 22 at Indianapolis – 5:15 p.m. PT
- Week 17 – Sunday, December 28 vs. Chicago – 5:20 p.m. PT
- Week 18 – Saturday or Sunday, January 3 or 4 vs. Seattle
Three of San Francisco's first five games will be played against NFC West opponents, including a Week 1 matchup against the Seattle Seahawks. Last season, the Niners had a dismal record of 1-5 against their NFC West opponents. That is going to have to change if the team wants to win the division in 2025.
That is why it will be important for San Francisco to get off to a good start next season. 2024 showed how early losses to teams in the division can make things hard later on, so quarterback Brock Purdy's squad is going to have to treat in-division games like they are playoff games if it wants to be in the best position possible.
San Francisco is also going to be playing against all the teams in two of the weaker divisions in the NFL: the AFC South and NFC South. Of course, the rest of the NFC West will also play those teams, but the Niners have an advantage since they finished last in the division, so they will play the New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, and Chicago Bears since those teams also finished last in their respective divisions.
Ultimately, how the 49ers fare against teams in their own division will decide how next season will go. It could all end up coming down to what should be a heated Week 18 divisional matchup.
With a hungry, well-rested group looking to right the wrongs of last season, it would not come as a huge shock to see San Francisco go out next season and reclaim their place atop the NFC West.