The NFL announced the International Series schedule for 2019, and the San Francisco 49ers will not be traveling abroad. The international slate includes the following five games, with four in London and one in Mexico City.
Mexico City: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers
London: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
London: Chicago Bears vs. Oakland Raiders
London: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Los Angeles Rams
London: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
The 49ers beat writers thought the road game against the Bucs might get slotted to London, but alas, there will be no such game. It’s a plus the 49ers don’t have to travel, but the London trip is a fun one if you ever decide to make it for a game. I went in 2010 when the 49ers played the Broncos at Wembley Stadium. The timing worked out well as it was in between taking the bar exam and awaiting results, and I had a lot of free time. I went for a week and did up London well!
One thought that has popped up since this announcement is whether or not this means the 49ers are more likely than not to end up on Hard Knocks during training camp. For the time being, the eligible candidates are the 49ers, Raiders, Giants, Lions, and Washington are all eligible. I’m not sure if the Raiders London trip will remove Hard Knocks as an option, but I have to think the NFL and HBO would love to have Jon Gruden on the show. For the time being, I still don’t see the 49ers getting the nod for Hard Knocks.