The San Francisco 49ers face a tough challenge in Week 2, as they have traveled east for an early game in Pittsburgh. The 49ers-Steelers game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, which means we have the first 10 a.m. PT game of the season. This is the first of five such games this season. There were enough questions about the team that they were not going to get nearly as many 1:25 p.m. PT games, which is closer to a "prime time" level of Sunday game.
West coast teams traveling east have traditionally struggled in the 10 a.m. PT time slot. There are issues related to circadian rhythms and sleep patterns that provide some science behind that. And yet, that is one more area where the Jim Harbaugh 49ers found a lot of success. In 12 such games from 2011 to 2014, the 49ers were 10-2 against the spread. Their only two losses ATS came in 2012. I've posted the full list of those games down below.
Week 1 revealed a little bit about the 49ers, but this week against the Steelers could reveal even more. The team has made no excuses ahead of time, but it will not be easy. It will be interesting early on to see how they come out of the gates when it is still early on the west coast. If they can keep things close early, this becomes a potentially winnable game. If they struggle out of the gates, the Steelers could build up a tough lead fairly quickly.
2014
@Saints - 27-24 W
@Giants - 16-10 W
2013
@Jaguars - 42-10 W
@Bucs - 33-14 W
2012
@Vikings - 24-13 L
@Jets - 34-0 W
@Rams - 16-13 L
2011
@Bengals - 13-8 W
@Eagles - 24-23 W
@Lions - 25-19 W
@Washington - 19-11 W
@Rams - 34-27 W