Jan 28, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) celebrates with guard Jon Feliciano (55) and offensive tackle Trent Williams (71) after a play against the Detroit Lions during the second half of the NFC Championship football game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
The San Francisco 49ers will be under close scrutiny in 2024, having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl for the second time in five years.
The complete 2024 NFL schedule was recently released, revealing a significant challenge for the 49ers. When examining the specific dates of their games, it became apparent that San Francisco faces a substantial scheduling disadvantage.
Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com measured the number of rest days for each team compared to their opponents in 2024. His research shows that the 49ers have the biggest rest disadvantage in the NFL next season.
According to the linked chart, the 49ers will have 21 fewer rest days than their opponents. To put this into perspective, only four teams in the NFL will have more than 10 fewer rest days compared to their opponents, and the 49ers are the only team with more than 20 fewer rest days.
The San Francisco 49ers face a significant scheduling disadvantage in the 2024 season, primarily due to the number of teams they encounter coming off a bye week. This occurs three times: in Week 7 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Week 8 against the Dallas Cowboys, and Week 11 against the Seattle Seahawks. No other NFL team faces this situation more than twice next season.
In addition to the bye week disadvantage, the 49ers encounter several other rest-related challenges. For example, after opening the season on Monday Night Football against the New York Jets, they will have one less day to prepare for their Week 2 game against the Minnesota Vikings.
The 49ers also face teams coming off Thursday Night Football games multiple times. Notably, they play the New England Patriots in Week 4 and the Chicago Bears in Week 14, both of whom will have extra rest days.
There is one significant instance where the 49ers have a rest advantage: Week 10 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers will be coming off their own bye week, while the Buccaneers will have played the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football in Week 9. This gives the 49ers an eight-day rest advantage for that game.
