Breaking down 49ers’ schedule: A look at the Niners’ season from Week 1 through 18

Here is a week-by-week look at the 49ers’ 2024 schedule as reigning NFC and NFC West champions:

Week 1 – vs. New York Jets

Monday, Sept. 9 (5:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC)

The 49ers are 3-0 in season openers on “Monday Night Football,” and their only previous season opener against the Jets was highlighted by Garrison Hearst’s franchise-record 96-yard touchdown run in overtime at Candlestick Park in 1998. NorCal native Aaron Rodgers returns as the Jets’ quarterback after tearing his Achilles in last season’s opener, when he was sacked by Leonard Floyd, who’ll be making his 49ers debut in this game.

Week 2 – at Minnesota Vikings

Sunday, Sept. 15 (10 a.m., CBS)

The 49ers are seeking their first win in Minnesota since 1992, a drought that spans seven straight defeats, the most recent of which came last October on “Monday Night Football.” Will former 49ers backup Sam Darnold or rookie J.J. McCarthy be the Vikings’ quarterback for their home opener?

Week 3 – at Los Angeles Rams

Sunday, Sept. 22 (1:25 p.m., FOX)

A fifth win in five regular-season visits to SoFi Stadium would be a good way for the 49ers to start their NFC West defense. In the Rams’ bullpen will be Jimmy Garoppolo, who quarterbacked the 49ers in their lone loss in five games in that building (2021 season’s NFC championship game).

Week 4 – vs. New England Patriots

Sunday, Sept. 29 (1:05 p.m., FOX)

This is the Patriots’ first visit to Santa Clara since 2016, when the quarterbacks were Tom Brady and Colin Kaepernick. The 49ers lead the all-time series 9-5 (4-2 at home).

Week 5 – vs. Arizona Cardinals

Sunday, Oct. 6 (1:05 p.m., FOX)

The 49ers hold only a 36-29 edge in this series (20-14 at home). Charvarius Ward’s two interceptions in the clubs’ last meeting led to an NFC West-clinching win for the 49ers in the desert.

Week 6 – at Seattle Seahawks

Thursday, Oct. 10 (5:15 p.m., Prime Video)

New Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald, Pete Carroll’s replacement, welcomes a 49ers team that won last year’s visit to Seattle on a Thursday night (a 31-13 Thanksgiving feast). The 49ers lost eight straight visits to Seattle’s downtown amphitheater before their epic 2019 regular-season finale there, when they clinched the NFC’s No. 1 playoff seed with a 26-21 victory.

Week 7 – vs. Kansas City Chiefs

Sunday, Oct. 20 (1:25 p.m., FOX)

It’s a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl … and Super Bowl LIV. In fact, Patrick Mahomes is 4-0, including regular-season action against the 49ers since 2018, producing 38, 31, 44 and 25 points in those games. New 49ers defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen ought to have his bearings by this matchup.

Week 8 – vs. Dallas Cowboys

Sunday, Oct. 27 (5:20 p.m., NBC)

The 49ers look to improve to 5-1 in prime-time meetings with Dallas; they were flexed out of that slot in 2020. The Cowboys lost 42-10 in last October’s Week 5 visit, after also losing at Levi’s Stadium in the 2022 season’s wild-card playoffs.

Week 9

Bye

(landing in Week 9 for the third straight season)

Week 10 – at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Sunday, Nov. 10 (10 a.m., FOX)

A year ago, the 49ers came off their bye to win in Florida (Jacksonville), and this time, they’ll visit Tampa, where they last appeared in a 2019 season-opening win. Kyle Shanahan, who will celebrate his 20th year as an NFL coach this season, returns to where he got his first gig – as the Bucs’ quality-control coach.

Week 11 – vs. Seattle Seahawks

Sunday, Nov. 17 (1:05 p.m., FOX)

The 49ers have swept the home-and-away series the past two years, so they could have a shot at the three-peat in this showdown at Levi’s Stadium. The familiarity of a rivalry game should be welcomed in the Bay Area a day after Stanford hosts Louisville and Cal hosts Syracuse in Atlantic Coast Conference battles.

Week 12 – at Green Bay Packers

Sunday, Nov. 24 (1:25 p.m., FOX)

The 49ers start Thanksgiving week with a pilgrimage to Lambeau Field, where their last visit was a snow-topped upset of the No. 1-seed Packers in the 2021 season’s divisional playoffs. The 49ers won last season’s divisional matchup 24-21 at Levi’s Stadium, rallying for the final 10 points of the game, including the winning TD with 1:07 remaining in the game.

Week 13 – at Buffalo Bills

Sunday, Dec. 1 (5:20 p.m., NBC)

The 49ers have not played in Buffalo since 2016, when coach Chip Kelly and quarterback Colin Kaepernick couldn’t prevent a 45-16 defeat. Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen, a Firebaugh native, is 1-0 against the 49ers, having passed for 320 yards and four touchdowns in 2020 in Arizona, where the 49ers played their final three home games during that COVID-impacted season.

Week 14 – vs. Chicago Bears

Sunday, Dec. 8 (1:25 p.m., FOX)

No. 1 draft pick Caleb Williams comes to town with the Bears, who 10 years ago spoiled the 49ers’ christening of Levi’s Stadium with a 28–20 victory before a crowd of 70,799. The Bears won their only other visit in 2018, and they posted a rain-soaked win at Soldier Field to open the 2022 season in their last overall meeting.

Week 15 – vs. Los Angeles Rams

Thursday, Dec. 12 (5:15 p.m., Prime Video)

The 49ers are one of six teams that will play twice this season on a Thursday night. The Rams snapped a nine-game regular-season losing streak to the 49ers by winning at Levi’s Stadium 21-20 in Week 18 last season, when the 49ers already owned the NFC’s No. 1 seed and thus rested most of their starters for the playoffs.

Week 16 – at Miami Dolphins

Sunday, Dec. 22 (1:25 p.m., CBS)

The 49ers will face former offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s Dolphins in a rare visit to Miami. The last time the 49ers played a regular-season game there was in 2016. The last time the 49ers played at Hard Rock Stadium was the 2019 season’s Super Bowl loss. The only remaining starters from that team are Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Kyle Juzczyk, Nick Bosa, Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, and McDaniel was the 49ers’ run game coordinator.

Week 17 – vs. Detroit Lions

Monday, Dec. 30 (5:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC)

It’s a rematch of last season’s NFC championship game, when the 49ers overcame a 24-7 halftime deficit and advanced with a 34-31 triumph. Motivated by that outcome and last year’s breakout campaign, Lions coach Dan Campbell told reporters this spring: “We’re the team with the target on our back, but we’ve circled some people too now. We have targets, too.”

Week 18 – at Arizona Cardinals

Saturday or Sunday Jan. 4 or 5 (Time/TV TBD)

Can the 49ers repeat last season’s Week 18 scenario and rest their starters with the No. 1 seed already in hand? The 49ers historically cap regular seasons against NFC West foes, but the last time they ended a season as the Cardinals’ guests was the 2013 finale. The 49ers’ final game in 2020 was in Arizona, but that was a “home” game against the Seahawks, because COVID restrictions prevented them from playing in Santa Clara County.