The 49ers 2020 schedule is here: San Francisco has five primetime games

The 2020 NFL schedule has officially been released, and we’ve got a full rundown of when the San Francisco 49ers are playing their 16 games. The big complaint last season were the several 10:00 A.M. PT start times. Coming off a four-win season, the 49ers only had three primetime games. Coming off a Super Bowl, could we see that number double?

As you’ll see below, there is a five-game stretch before the bye week that will be considered the “gauntlet” of this season. San Francisco will want another hot start to stay ahead of the competition.

Here’s the full schedule with times, dates, and TV channels. All times listed are Pacific.

Week 1: vs. Arizona Cardinals Sunday, Sept. 13, 1:25 P.M. PT

• The 49ers are 18-12 at home against the Cardinals and have won seven out of their last 11 home games vs. Arizona.
• San Francisco opens the season at home against the Cardinals for the first time since 2008.

Week 2: @ New York Jets Sunday, Sept. 20, 10:00 A.M. PT

• The 49ers are 10-3 overall against the Jets, including a 6-1 record on the road.
• San Francisco travels to MetLife Stadium to take on the Jets for the first time since defeating the Jets, 34-0, in 2012.
• The Niners have won two of the last three meetings between the two teams.

Week 3: @ New York Giants Sunday, Sept. 27, 10:00 A.M. PT

• The 49ers are 20-21 overall against the Giants, including an 8-11 record on the road.
• San Francisco travels to MetLife Stadium to take on the Giants for the first time since 2015. The two teams have split each of the past two contests played at MetLife, with the last 49ers win coming in a 16-10 victory in 2014.
• The 49ers and Giants have alternated wins in each of the previous five matchups.

Week 4: vs. Philadelphia Eagles Sunday Night Football, Oct. 4, 5:20 P.M. PT

• San Francisco owns the overall series record vs. Philadelphia, 19-13-1, and is 9-8 at home.
• The Niners are hosting the Eagles on Sunday Night Football for the second time and the first since 2010.
• The 49ers have won two of the last three overall meetings against the Eagles.
• San Francisco hosts Philadelphia at Levi’s Stadium for the second time, having defeated the Eagles, 26-21, on September 28, 2014.

Week 5: vs. Miami Dolphins Sunday, October 11, 1:05 P.M. PT

• The 49ers are 6-7 in the overall series against the Dolphins.
• The Dolphins are making their first trip to Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco is hosting Miami for the first time since December 9, 2012, when they defeated the Dolphins, 27-13.

Week 6: vs. Los Angeles Rams on Sunday Night Football, October 18, 5:20 P.M. PT

• San Francisco leads the all-time series against the Rams, 71-67-3.
• The Niners are scheduled to host the Rams in prime time for the second-consecutive season, having defeated the Rams at Levi’s Stadium, 34-31, on Saturday Night Football in Week 16 of 2019.
• The two teams are set to meet on Sunday Night Football for the first time since 2004.
• San Francisco is 6-3-1 in their last 10 meetings at home against the Rams, with the Niners holding a 35-34-2 series record at home against the Rams.

Week 7: @ New England Patriots Sunday, October 18, 1:25 P.M. PT

• San Francisco owns the overall series record vs. New England, 8-5, including a 4-3 record versus the Patriots on the road.
• The 49ers will travel to New England for the first time since 2012, when they defeated the Patriots, 41-34, on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Week 8: @ Seattle Seahawks November 1, 1:25 P.M. PT

• The 49ers are 8-15 overall on the road at Seattle.
• In 2019, San Francisco earned their first victory at Seattle since 2011 as they clinched the NFC West after defeating the Seahawks, 26-21, on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

Week 9: vs. Green Bay Packers on November 5, Thursday Night Football 5:20 P.M. PT

• The 49ers face the Packers for the first time on Thursday Night Football. San Francisco has won each of their past two TNF games.
• San Francisco is 32-36-1 in the all-time series vs. Green Bay and 20-12-1 at home.
• The Niners have won six out of the last eight overall games against the Packers.
• The 49ers and Packers squared off twice at Levi’s Stadium in 2019, in the regular season on NBC’s Sunday Night Football, when the 49ers posted a 37-8 victory, and in the NFC Championship Game, with the Niners earning a trip to Super Bowl LIV after a 37-20 victory over the Packers.
• San Francisco takes on Green Bay in three-consecutive regular seasons for the first time since 1998-2000.

Week 10: @ New Orleans Saints November 15, 1:25 P.M. PT

• San Francisco is 49-26-2 all-time vs. New Orleans and 26-14 on the road.
• The Niners have won three of the past four meetings against the Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, including a thrilling 48-46 victory in 2019.
• This marks the first time the 49ers and Saints face off in consecutive regular seasons since 2013-14.

Week 11: Bye Week

• This marks the third time in four seasons that the 49ers have had their BYE in Week 11.

Week 12: @ Rams, Sunday, November 29. 1:05 p.m. PT.

• The 49ers have won three of their four matchups at the Rams since their return to Los Angeles in 2016.
• San Francisco makes their debut in Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, which opens in 2020.

Week 13: vs. Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, December 7, 5:15 p.m. PT.

• San Francisco is 6-6 vs. Buffalo, including a 4-3 record at home. The Niners have won three of the past five meetings.
• The 49ers are facing the Bills on Monday Night Football for the first time, as San Francisco holds a 49-28 overall record on MNF. The Niners 49 victories on MNF are the most by any NFL franchise.
• The Bills are making their first trip to Levi’s Stadium, with San Francisco hosting Buffalo for the first time since October 7, 2012, when they defeated the Bills, 45-3.

Week 14: vs. Washington, December 13, 1:25 p.m. PT.

• The Niners lead the overall series vs. Washington, 21-11-1.
• The 49ers have won five of the previous six matchups against Washington, including a 9-0 victory in 2019 at FedExField.
• San Francisco hosts Washington at Levi’s Stadium for the second time, having defeated the Redskins, 17-13, on November 23, 2014.

Week 15: @ Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football, December 20, 5:20 p.m. PT.

• San Francisco has an all-time record of 17-18-1 against Dallas and are 8-8-1 overall on the road against the Cowboys.
• The 49ers face the Cowboys in prime time for the first time since the two teams squared off on Sunday Night Football in 1990 (W, 24-6 at Dal.).
• This marks the 49ers first trip to AT&T Stadium since opening the 2014 season with a 28-17 victory at Dallas on September 7, 2014.

Week 16: @ Arizona Cardinals — This game has “Saturday or Sunday” next to it. The time is TBD.

• San Francisco owns the overall series record vs. Arizona, 31-26.
• Last season, the two teams squared off on Thursday Night Football for the second time in four years, with San Francisco defeating Arizona on the road, 28-25.
• In 2019, the 49ers defeated the Los Angeles Rams at home on Saturday Night Football, 34-31

Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, January 3, 1:25 p.m. PT

• San Francisco is 17-26 in the all-time series vs. Seattle and 9-11 at home.
• Each of the 49ers last two home games against the Seahawks have gone to overtime, with the team’s splitting the contests.
• The 49ers and Seahawks finish the season against each other for the second-consecutive season.

Primetime games: Five primetime games, and there is a chance Week 16 is a primetime game as well.

Strength of schedule: .527 (Link)

Flexible scheduling: NFL flex scheduling can occur as soon as Week 5. The most notable games are those moved into and out of Sunday Night Football, but we also see games rotated between early and late on the regular 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. time slots. It’s worth noting that the NFL is only allowed to flex no more than two games between Week 5 and Week 10.