There's a contingent of San Francisco 49ers fans who certainly believe the NFL "has it out" for their beloved team, evidenced by phantom penalties in Super Bowls, notoriously long road trips and seemingly propping up every opponent the Niners face in the playoffs.
Granted, every team's fanbase has this type of contingent.
Still, those who feel the league loves to make things a bit harder on San Francisco than the other 31 clubs won't like what NFL.com's Eric Edholm had to say in the wake of the 2026 regular-season schedule release when he opted to label the 49ers as the No. 1 loser.
And the reason goes far beyond just the Niners' season-opening trip to Melbourne, Australia, to take on their NFC West rivals, the Los Angeles Rams, in what'll be an extremely meaningful divisional showdown under unusual circumstances.
49ers fans should cringe as NFL.com labels Niners as schedule 'losers'
That trip down under plays a big part in San Francisco being the most traveled team in the league this season—an unfortunate aspect often facing West Coast teams like the 49ers on a yearly basis.
But that's not all.
The Niners have two international games this season, their Australia game followed up by a tilt in Mexico City, Mexico, against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 11. And that's followed by a brutal stretch from Weeks 14 through 17, which Edholm had to point out when he declared San Francisco as the schedule's biggest loser:
Kyle Shanahan let everyone know he wasn't wild about the Week 1 game in Australia against the Rams, and the Niners have a second international game in Mexico City against the Vikings in Week 11. Ni modo, as my Mexican friends might say.
The post-Mexico schedule looks pretty rough: vs. Seahawks (Week 12), at Giants (Week 13), vs. Rams (Week 14), at Chargers (Thursday of Week 15), at Chiefs (Week 16) and home against the Eagles (Week 17), followed by a regular-season finale at Arizona. And yes, the 49ers can beat up on the Dolphins (Week 2) and Cardinals (Week 3) early on, but those are followed by a tough three games vs. Denver (Week 4), at Seattle (Week 5) and a home Monday-nighter against the Commanders (Week 6).
Fans may have hoped the NFL would go easy on the 49ers after scheduling them with two international games and tacking on more frequent-flier mileage than any other club.
Unfortunately, Edholm (and many others) conclude otherwise.
And that won't ease the anger the particularly vocal contingent of fans have who feel the NFL is always out to screw over the Niners every year.
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