NFL missed an easy chance to have 49ers open up the 2024 season

The NFL proved its love of the Chiefs by scheduling them, not the 49ers for the regular-season opener in Week 1 of the 2024 season.

Conspiracy theorists who claim the NFL has preferable treatment and adoration of the Kansas City Chiefs just got another nugget of information.

Or, more likely, the NFL knows it has a must-watch commodity on its hands with KC, particularly among the Taylor Swift fandom that has now aligned itself to the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Kansas City defeated the San Francisco 49ers in the Super Bowl last February. But both teams are set to square off in a 2024 grudge match, one the Niners will host at Levi's Stadium at some point during the season. And that prompted an idea that the Week 1 opener should be between these two teams.

After all, what better way to kick off the 2024 regular season than with a revenge game featuring the two teams from the Super Bowl last year, right?

Well, not so fast.

Chiefs will play Ravens, not 49ers in 2024 regular-season opener

The first Sunday of regular-season games will be on Sept. 8, but the NFL will kick off the season with a primetime Thursday Night Football showdown a few days before.

The Chiefs will be there. The Niners will not.

KC is going to face off with the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, a rematch of last season's AFC Championship game.

Related story: 5 most exciting matchups 49ers could have to open up Week 1

While that sounds enticing, watching quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson battle it out in prime time, a rematch of the Super Bowl has just a little more zest to it than an AFC title game rematch.

Alas, the NFL opted to go with the Kansas City-Baltimore route instead of involving San Francisco.

We still won't know the 49ers' full schedule until the league officially announces it on Wednesday, May 15.

But we do know a Week 1 showdown against KC is off the table.

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