Ranking the 5 most important games on 49ers' 2024 schedule

With the 2024 NFL schedule finally released, we can plan our autumn and winter weekends.

Meanwhile, the San Francisco 49ers can look ahead to figure out which dates they’ll want to bring family and friends to and discuss travel plans during the bye week.

Before we look ahead, last season’s schedule had the Niners going up against the “bird gauntlet.” They took on the Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Seattle Seahawks for five straight weeks. They finished the stretch of games with a 4-1 record, only losing to the Ravens on Christmas day.

During the gauntlet, they dismantled the Eagles 42-19, which sent Philly into a tailspin. They just couldn’t recover after Philadelphia head coach Nick Siriani’s security guard got suspended when he had an altercation with the 49ers during the game.

The Eagles, who were basically Super Bowl favourites for much of the season, finished the remaining six games with a 2-4 record including a loss in the NFC Wild Card to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

San Francisco also went through a rough patch early. After winning their first five games, they went on to suffer defeats from the Cleveland Browns, Cincinatti Bengals and Minnesota Vikings.

The 49ers ran the NFC West by winning every game against their division but one. The lone loss was to the LA Rams in the season finale. It was LA’s first win against the 49ers in the regular season since 2018, albeit against a San Francisco squad resting most of its starters.

The 2024 schedule has the Niners taking on the AFC East, NFC North and a sprinkle of other division winners. The first important game on deck is against the Detroit Lions.

No. 5: Detroit Lions vs 49ers in Week 17

The NFC Championship was a battle. The Detroit Lions have come out of nowhere and are a potential threat to win every season.

Lions head coach Dan Campbell has taken this once laughable franchise and turned it around. They are respected, they bite at your knee caps, and were just a few plays away from defeating the 49ers in the NFCCG.

This Week 17 match has everything ready for prime time and playoff seeding. The head-to-head between these teams could determine who has the bye week and who'll need to play an extra game.

Detroit signed lots of talent in the offseason including defensive tackle DJ Reader, cornerback Amrik Robertson and brought back guard Dan Skipper.

Quarterback Jared Goff has found himself a home with the Lions. He’s been the most productive he’s ever been and this is scary for the NFC.