How hard is the 49ers regular-season schedule in 2024?
By Peter Panacy
The 49ers won't have the easiest of schedules in 2024, but how hard is the strength of schedule compared to the rest of the league?
San Francisco 49ers fans will know their favorite team's regular-season schedule once the NFL drops the official schedule on Wednesday, May 15 at 8 p.m. ET.
The actual list of opponents has been known for some time now. In addition to the regularly scheduled home-and-away games against each team within the NFC West, the Niners (and the rest of the division) will square off against both the NFC North and AFC East this year. San Francisco will also have three at-large games on a first-place schedule, two at home and one away.
Mixed in the schedule will be rematch games against all of the 49ers' postseason opponents from last season: the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers and the Super Bowl-champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Considering all three of those teams are legitimate Super Bowl contenders again this season, it's understandable why the Niners will have a tougher strength of schedule in 2024.
But how tough?
49ers' strength of schedule for 2024 regular season
Every year, CBS Sports' John Breech puts together the strength of schedule for all 32 teams in the league.
It's based on the previous season's win-loss percentages, which is an imperfect system, given the fluctuation many teams experience during the offseason. Last year's Wild Card surprise can just as easily be a last-place team the following season, while bottom-feeding teams can have a meteoric rise a year later, too.
Based on what we know now, though, San Francisco is going to have a tougher-than-most strength of schedule in 2024.
According to the data, the 49ers are tied with the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Rams and New York Jets for the 12th toughest schedule in 2024, with opponents boasting a .505 win percentage from last season.
The toughest schedule belongs to the Cleveland Browns (.547), while the easiest goes to the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons (.453).
KC is tied for the 16th toughest schedule with opponents' 2023 win percentage at .502.
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