Breaking down 49ers' substantial 2025 NFL schedule rest advantage vs. opponents originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 2025 NFL schedule is set up much more favorably for the 49ers compared to the past few seasons.

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San Francisco has an easier schedule by most metrics, including playing teams that finished last in their respective divisions. But maybe more importantly, the 49ers surprisingly do not play any teams coming off a bye week. Not one.

In 2024, the 49ers faced four teams coming off bye weeks, including when they hosted the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys in back-to-back weeks. Later, they welcomed a well-rested Seattle Seahawks team in Week 11 and then traveled to Buffalo two weeks after the Bills had a week off.

If that wasn’t enough to tip the scales, the 49ers last season also matched up with opponents who had a mini-bye due to a Thursday night game the week prior — New England in Week 4 and the Chicago Bears in Week 14.

Of those six games, the 49ers won three, only securing victories over the teams that finished the season with losing records (Patriots, Cowboys, Bears).

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Now in 2025, without a significant rest disadvantage, the 49ers should be favored to win in many of their matchups.

Here’s a look at the 49ers’ 2025 schedule and what their opponents will be facing the week prior:

The 2025 season kicks off in Seattle with an important divisional clash that could have long-term implications.

The 49ers need to avoid a slow start facing former teammate Sam Darnold, now running the offense in the Pacific Northwest.

The 49ers host two of their three preseason games, so there should be no rest disadvantage with their quick two-hour flight to Seattle.

The Saints start the year with two home games, with the Arizona Cardinals visiting for the season opener. After quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement early in the offseason, there are a lot of questions as to who will be under center in the Big Easy.

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This is the first of five early Eastern time zone kickoffs for the 49ers, so the Saints will have a rest advantage in Week 2, but that might be the only aspect in their favor.

The 49ers host the Cardinals in their home opener in their third contest of the season. Their second divisional game is another important contest that could have eventual playoff implications.

The Cardinals will make the short one-hour flight to the Bay Area after hosting the Carolina Panthers in Week 2. Both teams will have nearly the same amount of rest before the game.

The Jaguars might arrive at Levi’s Stadium battered and bruised following a long flight after facing the Houston Texans defense the week prior. Advantage: 49ers.

The Rams, like the 49ers, have a home game prior to their first prime time contest of the season. With a quick one-hour flight to Levi’s South, there really doesn’t appear to be a rest advantage for either team.

While this is another early start for the 49ers, they will have a rest advantage with a few extra days of preparation following their Week 5 Thursday night game. The Buccaneers will be returning home after a trip to Seattle the prior Sunday afternoon.

The Falcons come to the Bay Area in Week 7 to play their second consecutive prime-time game. Atlanta will have one fewer day to prepare for the 49ers after hosting a Monday Night Football showdown with the Buffalo Bills in Week 6.

Similar to the Falcons in Week 7, the Texans will be coming off a Monday Night Football game in Seattle before they host the 49ers on Sunday morning. It will give DeMeco Ryan’s squad one less day to recover, but Kyle Shanahan’s crew will need to adjust to the early Central Time Zone start time.

The 49ers have the opportunity to stay on the East Coast for the second of back-to-back road games, but with Houston in the Central Time Zone, San Francisco would return to the Bay Area at a reasonable time.

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The week prior to hosting the 49ers, the Giants will have made the short trip to Philadelphia to play the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles.

The 49ers return home after two weeks to host the Rams, who had a home game before making the short trek north to Santa Clara. Shanahan’s crew usually has a bye week around this time, but they will need to do everything they can to recover quickly from their journey to the East Coast.

Before hosting the 49ers in Arizona, the Cardinals will have traveled to Seattle for a divisional clash with the Seahawks.

Panthers will be making the trip out west for the second of back-to-back road games after a divisional clash in Atlanta.

This could be the last and only opportunity for the 49ers to play in a cold-weather game, as the Browns host San Francisco after a trip to Las Vegas to play the Raiders the week prior.

The Titans’ trip to the West Coast comes one week after a visit to Cleveland to see the Browns. The rest advantage clearly is in the 49ers’ favor following a full bye week.

It remains to be seen if all of the 49ers’ five prime-time games will remain in their current time slot, but this is the fourth of five games scheduled in the evening for the 49ers. The Colts will have played in Seattle the week prior, so both teams have roughly the same amount of time to prepare.

This is another prime-time game that could be flexed into a day game for the 49ers. This is the one game on their schedule where their opponent has a distinct rest advantage, with the Bears playing a Saturday night game hosting the Green Bay Packers the week before, with the 49ers played late on Monday in Indianapolis.

— Date and Time TBD

This final game of the regular season could be played on either Saturday or Sunday, depending on the playoff implications it holds. If the contest can determine a playoff berth, kickoff will be on Sunday.

Kickoff of Seattle’s Week 17 game will be determined later in the season.