The NFL on Thursday at 5:00pm PT is set to release its 2020 schedule. Whether those games will be played on time remains to be seen, but regardless of when the season starts we know thanks to last year’s action who the 49ers will face in their 16-game schedule.
Their first-place finish in the NFC West turned their schedule into a gauntlet assuming there isn’t any massive fall off by any of the top teams in the league a season ago.
Here’s how the 49ers have fared in the regular season all-time against each of their 2020 opponents:
Arizona Cardinals: 31-26
The 49ers and Cardinals first met way back in 1951, but their rivalry didn’t blossom until they became NFC West foes in 2002 despite the Cardinals residing just south of California since 1988.
Buffalo Bills: 6-6
Somehow these two teams never met in the Super Bowl. The Bills dominated their last showdown with a 45-16 romp at home in 2016. Both teams are significantly better now.
Dallas Cowboys: 15-13-1
This iconic rivalry couldn’t be much closer from a record standpoint. Add in all their playoff meetings and this record moves to 17-18-1 for the 49ers.
Green Bay Packers: 32-36-1
San Francisco has gotten the better end of this rivalry over the last 10 years thanks to a 3-0 record in the postseason. Even adding in those three wins though wouldn’t bring them to .500 against the Pack.
Los Angeles Rams: 71-67-3
This is a rivalry that goes all the way back to 1950. The teams have pretty rarely been good at the same time, although last season provided two close games, and this year should do the same.
Miami Dolphins: 6-7
The 49ers should have a really good chance to even up their all-time record against the Dolphins. San Francisco can say they own the biggest win between the clubs though thanks to a 38-16 victory in Super Bowl XIX.
New England Patriots: 8-5
San Francisco used to be 7-2 all-time against the Patriots, but the dominant New England machine has rattled off three wins in their last four matchups.
New Orleans Saints: 49-26-2
Getting to beat up on some bad Saints teams while they were part of the NFC West helped the 49ers inflate this record some. New Orleans has picked up some ground over the last 20 years though with 10 wins across their last 16 meetings.
New York Giants: 20-21
This is a lot like the Dolphins’ situation where the 49ers should be favored heavily to even up the all-time series.
New York Jets: 10-3
A monumental collapse by the 49ers in their 2016 matchup against the Jets kept this from being 11-2 in San Francisco’s favor. Two of the Jets’ three wins came in seasons the 49ers finished 2-14.
Philadelphia Eagles: 19-13-1
Week 4 of the 2011 season at Philadelphia when the 49ers came back to beat the Eagles 24-23, and Justin Smith forced a Jeremy Maclin fumble at the end of the game to seal it is a seminal moment in 49ers history.
Seattle Seahawks: 17-26
Seattle’s domination of this series for the better part of the 2010s made this record a lot more lopsided than it once was. This all-time record was sitting at 14-15 until Seattle ripped off 11 wins in 14 games.
Washington: 21-11-1
The 49ers have won five of the last six of these matchups. Hopefully their next showdown is better than the rainy, wet 9-0 debacle they played at FedExField last season.
