49ers schedule gives them a leg up over NFC West rivals in one pivotal area

After the NFL released its 2022 regular-season schedules last week, various analysts have dived into each team’s slate to decipher who got the best draw for the upcoming season. NFL analyst Warren Sharp broke down every team’s schedule by rest advantages. By his analysis, the San Francisco 49ers have the biggest rest advantage in the NFC West.

Sharp’s system denotes a +7 advantage to a team coming off a BYE week, a +3 advantage to a team coming off a Thursday Night Football game, and a -1 disadvantage for a team coming off Monday Night Football. The 49ers have four games where they will be more rested than their opponents, adding up to a +12 advantage in those contests. However, they also have three matchups where they will be at a disadvantage worth a total of -9. The Niners' +3 overall score is just the 11th-best in the NFL but tops all of their NFC West rivals.

The Rams are right behind San Francisco at +2, and the Seahawks +1 is relatively close by as well, but the Cardinals have a rest advantage in just one of their games and a total score of -3, which ranks tied for 20th-most favorable in the league. That's a considerable disadvantage for Arizona in a division where the Rams, Niners, and Cardinals are all expected to compete for a postseason berth. The Cardinals are also losing one of their home games to host the 49ers in Mexico City for added measure.

49ers faithful are hoping to see Trey Lance lead San Francisco to their first Super Bowl victory in more than 30 years this season. With the reigning Super Bowl champs in their division, the Niners will take every edge they can. It appears when it comes to rest, they will indeed have an advantage this season.