Week 2 is upon us. The San Francisco 49ers are on the road for their first road game, facing the Carolina Panthers. The game kicks off at 10 a.m. PT on FOX, with Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, and Jennifer Hale on the call. It is primarily a regional broadcast, but you can check out the broadcast maps here.
The 49ers last faced the Panthers in the 2014 divisional round. Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers defense took care of business in a 23-10 victory. Their last regular season matchup was a 10-9 Panthers victory in 2013 at Candlestick Park. These two had a bit of a rivalry back in in the mid-90s when the Panthers first came into existence. They were in the same division before realignment moved the Panthers to the NFC South. The Panthers took three of the first four matchups in 1995 and 1996, and were a tough team to beat. The 49ers then won four straight in 1997 and 1998, followed by the Panthers winning four straight in 1999 and 2000. The 49ers won the final two divisional meetings in 2001, and the Panthers followed by winning four inter-divisional contests.
The 49ers are 13.5-point underdogs in this matchup. They are coming east after a short week, facing a team on ten days of rest. Ron Rivera was unhappy about opening on the road, but I imagine he’ll take that over the 49ers second straight season with this home/road short week start. If the 49ers can somehow win, or even just cover in this game, it would be a huge step forward. That’s not to say a big loss would be a step back, but a win or a close loss would be a nice step forward for a team that came into the season with low expectations.
Nuts and bolts
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Game time: Sunday, September 18, 10:00 a.m. PT
TV channel: FOX
Online streaming: Watch ESPN, NFL Game Pass (Sorry, it is not on WatchESPN)
NFL Network Replay: None
Radio: 810-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero/Gabriel Sotelo)
Matchup history: 8-11
Announcers: Chris Myers, Ronde Barber, Jennifer Hale (sideline)
Enemy blog: Cat Scratch Reader
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
49ers regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Rams - 28-0 WIN
Week 2: @ Carolina Panthers, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, September 18
Week 3: @ Seattle Seahawks, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, September 25
Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, October 2
Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals, 5:25 p.m., CBS Thursday, October 6
Week 6: @ Buffalo Bills, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, October 16
Week 7: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, October 23
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 6
Week 10: @ Arizona Cardinals, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 13
Week 11: vs. New England Patriots, 1:25 p.m., CBS Sunday, November 20
Week 12: @ Miami Dolphins, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, November 27
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears, 10:00 a.m., FOX Sunday, December 4
Week 14: vs. New York Jets, 1:05 p.m., CBS Sunday, December 11
Week 15: @ Atlanta Falcons, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, December 18
Week 16: @ Los Angeles Rams, 1:25 p.m., FOX Saturday, December 24
Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, January 1