SEPT. 12 | 10 a.m. (PT) on FOX
AT DETROIT LIONS
The 49ers were installed early as 7 1/2-point favorites (biggest among Week 1 games). The Lions unveil a new coach (Dan Campbell) and quarterback (former Ram Jared Goff), the latter having lost his last four starts vs. the 49ers while committing six turnovers.
SEPT. 19 | 10 a.m. on FOX
AT PHILADEPHIA EAGLES
Another first-year coach (Nick Sirianni) will welcome in the 49ers, who will have stayed at The Greenbrier in West Virginia for a second straight year between back-to-back road games.
SEPT. 26 | 5:20 p.m. on NBC
VS GREEN BAY PACKERS
For all the quarterback drama sure to engulf this prime-time game, don’t forget that Raheem Mostert ran for 220 yards and four touchdowns against the Packers in the 2019 season’s NFC Championship rout.
OCT. 3 | 1:05 p.m. on FOX
VS SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The Seahawks have never visited Levi’s Stadium this early in a season since it opened in 2014. Santa Clara County’s health code forced the 49ers to host Seattle last year in Arizona — a 26-24 season-ending loss.
OCT. 10 | 1:25 p.m. on FOX
AT ARIZONA CARDINALS
Speaking of State Farm Stadium, the 49ers’ only win in four games there last season was against the host Cardinals, who brought in J.J. Watt and A.J. Green as veteran reinforcements.
OCT. 17
BYE
This is the NFL’s earliest bye week. A premature pause worked out OK in 2019, when the 49ers sat idle in Week 3.
OCT. 24 | 5:20 p.m. on NBC
VS INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
Who will be the 49ers QB when DeForest Buckner makes his Levi’s Stadium return, 1½ years after the defensive lineman’s surprising trade to Indy?
OCT. 31 | 10 a.m. on FOX
AT CHICAGO BEARS
Justin Fields could be starting at QB for the Bears and looking to prove he should have been the 49ers’ pick at No. 3 overall. The 49ers lost on Halloween 2004 at Soldier Field (23-13).
NOV. 7 | 1:25 p.m. on FOX
VS ARIZONA CARDINALS
Memo to 49ers cornerbacks: Blanket that DeAndre Hopkins guy, who had 14 catches on 16 targets for 150 yards in his last trip to Santa Clara.
NOV. 15 | 5:15 p.m. on ESPN
VS LOS ANGELES RAMS
As the prime-time cameras constantly pan on coaches Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, the 49ers’ fortified offensive line must focus on Aaron Donald, the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year in three of the past four seasons.
NOV. 21 | 10 a.m. on FOX
AT JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
Rookie QB Trevor Lawrence and coach Urban Meyer won’t be so new to the NFL by Week 11. A cross-country trip and early kickoff could trap the 49ers coming off a rivalry game.
NOV. 28 | 1:25 p.m. on FOX
VS MINNESOTA VIKINGS
Forget about Shanahan and Kirk Cousins’ bromance. The 49ers defense has bigger issues in stopping Dalvin Cook, Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen.
DEC. 5 | 5:20 p.m. on NBC
AT SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
The 49ers are 5-15 at what’s been renamed Lumen Field, and they’ve lost 9 of 10 visits to the Pacific Northwest since 2012.
DEC. 12 | 10 a.m. on CBS
AT CINCINNATI BENGALS
Joe Burrow, Joe Mixon and Ja’Marr Chase could be a dynamic trio — if not for the mundane supporting cast and the franchise’s annual malaise.
DEC. 19 | 1:05 p.m. on CBS
VS ATLANTA FALCONS
New coach Arthur Smith should have a pretty good feel for how rookie tight end Kyle Pitts factors in with Matt Ryan and a Julio Jones-less offense.
DEC. 23 | 5:20 p.m. on NFL Network
AT TENNESSEE TITANS
Speaking of Julio Jones, the Titans have him to unleash on the 49ers (see: 2019 Falcons road win) along with two-time NFL rushing champion Derrick Henry on a Thursday night in Nashville.
JAN. 2 | 1:05 p.m. on CBS
VS HOUSTON TEXANS
So the Texans will fall to 0-15 after this one to clinch the NFL Draft’s top pick for next year, right?
JAN. 9 | 1:25 p.m. on FOX
AT LOS ANGELES RAMS
SoFi Stadium welcomes the 49ers before a potential return Feb. 13 for Super Bowl LVI. The 49ers also closed their 2017 and ’18 regular seasons at the Rams (win, loss)
Who will stand atop the NFC West?
1. 49ERS
(last season: 6-10, last place)
All eyes are on quarterbacks Jimmy Garoppolo and top draft pick Trey Lance. Nick Bosa’s comeback and the 49ers’ overall health are arguably more essential for a return to Super Bowl contention. DeMeco Ryans replaces the energetic Robert Saleh as Kyle Shanahan’s defensive coordinator.
2. LOS ANGELES RAMS
(10-6, first place)
Matthew Stafford escaped Detroit for a potential Hollywood ending to an underappreciated career. Can Sean McVay outwit Kyle Shanahan after getting swept by the 49ers the past two years, and how will Aaron Donald respond to his third defensive coordinator (Raheem Morris) in as many years?
3. SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
(12-4, first place)
Russell Wilson didn’t get traded to the four teams on his wish list, so it’s on with the “Go Hawks” routine for perhaps a final year. He’ll do it with one of the NFL’s best tandems to target, D.K. Metcalf and Tyler Lockett.
4. ARIZONA CARDINALS
(8-8, third place)
This is a make-or-break year for coach Kliff Kingsbury, so he needs Kyle Murray to speed up his ascent into a reliable playmaker. Adding J.J. Watt and A.J. Green won’t get Arizona out of its five year playoff drought.
