The San Francisco 49ers don’t have as easy a schedule as they did last season. The relative lack of strength allowed the Niners to have a solid record even though there were so many injuries to battle through.
No such luck in 2026, as there'll be some especially tough stretches, particularly toward the end of the season. The travel schedule also makes things very hard, so let’s look at three games that will not be as easy as they appear to be on paper.
Week 2 vs. Miami Dolphins
Obviously, Week 1 against the Los Angeles Rams in Australia will be a tough matchup, but Week 2 will not be a walk in the park, even though it will be against a Dolphins team that doesn’t appear to be all that good.
Traveling all the way back to the United States from Australia will be grueling, and even though the Niners will have a mini bye week, no one really knows how the team is going to recover both physically and mentally from its trek across the globe.
Week 2 could be a definite trap game, especially since it could be very hot at Levi’s Stadium for San Francisco's home opener.
Week 6 vs. Washington Commanders
It seems like there’s a decent chance this could be Brandon Aiyuk’s revenge game if he gets his wish and is acquired by the Commanders at some point.
Of course, he may simply be washed up at this point, but Aiyuk or not the Commanders should not be taken lightly this season. They had a big let down last year after surprisingly making it to the NFC Championship game the year prior.
If Jayden Daniels stays healthy, they should improve on their 5-12 record from last season, so they shouldn’t be slept on.
Plus, this game is on Monday Night Football and quarterback Brock Purdy has struggled on Monday night in his career. The Niners will also be coming off what should be a bruising matchup against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 5.
Week 13 at New York Giants
Just like last season, the 49ers will have to travel all the way to the east coast to take on the Giants in the Meadowlands.
San Francisco handled the Giants pretty easily last season, winning 34-24, but Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo proved they can be a pretty formidable duo for the G-Men last season. New head coach John Harbaugh should run a tight ship, so New York will likely be well-coached.
Whenever the Niners have to travel across the country, it makes for a tough matchup and sort of neutralizes the talent disparity. Plus, it’s another game preceded by a matchup against Seattle, so the Niners will likely be tired.
The 49ers still should probably win these games, but they’ve fallen victim to “trap games” in the past, so they cannot enter these contests expecting to walk out with an easy win.
Add us as a preferred source on Google