The NFL is looking to cash in on a huge Chinese market, and it might result in a schedule adjustment for the San Francisco 49ers.
Back in March, Alex Marvez reported the NFL was looking to play a 2018 regular season game in China. Last month, Sports Business Journal followed up, reporting that the 49ers and Rams would likely play the game. Now, SBJ’s Dan Kaplan is reporting that the NFL might play the game on a Tuesday or Wednesday to give both teams some time to recover.
The NFL normally starts the season with the Thursday kickoff game, featuring the Super Bowl champions. This would shake that up a bit, well I suppose, unless the 49ers or Rams win the Super Bowl at the end of the 2017 season. But that aside, it makes sense to get as much extra time between the game and the teams’ Week 2 matchups. I could see eventually having in-season games with the bye week following, like we see with the London games, but for now, extra time on both ends for travel is important.