The 49ers according to the Las Vegas preseason win totals hold one of the NFL’s easiest schedules. That doesn’t mean there aren’t a ton of fun games to look forward to though.
While we can’t judge exactly how good, bad or healthy each team will be, we can certainly speculate and make some educated guesses as to which games will be more fun than others.
Here is the 49ers’ 2021 schedule ranked in order of worst to best, with ‘fun’ factoring heavily into the order:
Week 17 vs. Houston Texans
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Everything about the Texans just sort of stinks this season. A late-season matchup against perhaps the NFL’s worst team doesn’t sound like much fun.
Week 14 at Cincinnati Bengals
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Outside of Joe Burrow and perhaps rookie WR Ja’Marr Chase, there aren’t a lot of endearing qualities with the Bengals.
Week 2 at Philadelphia Eagles
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Maybe the Eagles are going to be alright, but it’s hard to believe they’ll be a very good club barring a dramatic improvement from QB Jalen Hurts.
Week 1 at Detroit Lions
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The only reason this isn’t a worse game on this list is because it’s the season opener. Detroit wasn’t good last year, and they might’ve gotten worse this offseason.
Week 12 vs. Minnesota Vikings
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Fingers crossed the Trey Lance selection cools off the Kirk Cousins-Kyle Shanahan story line.
Week 8 at Chicago Bears
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This is a tough one to place. It’s way down the list of Andy Dalton is quarterbacking. It climbs much higher if Justin Fields is calling the signals.
Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons
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Maybe new head coach Arthur Smith and No. 4 overall pick TE Kyle Pitts will make the Falcons more interesting. For now they’re just another non-division game.
Week 5 at Arizona Cardinals
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Early-season division games lose a lot of their pop, and the game prior to this one on the schedule could make it a sloppier contest for the 49ers heading into their Bye week.
Week 11 at Jacksonville Jaguars
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Trevor Lawrence is enough of a redeeming factor to put an otherwise ho-hum game in the middle of our list.
Week 9 vs. Arizona Cardinals
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This is the start of a tough stretch of games for San Francisco. Both teams should look quite different than they did in the first meeting, and a mid-season division matchup could determine who leads the NFC West going into the home stretch.
Week 16 at Tennessee Titans
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Nashville is a super fun city and this is a primetime matchup. One issue is the Titans may not be very good with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith now coaching the Falcons.
Week 4 vs. Seattle Seahawks
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Every game against the Seahawks comes with a little extra edge, which is why this one climbs ahead of the Cardinals game in Week 4. There’s also a chance the 49ers walk through their first three games, making this their first real test of the season.
Week 7 vs. Indianapolis Colts
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Another prime time game to start a string of four-out-of-five to close the list. The 49ers will come out of their Bye on Sunday Night Football vs. the Colts. Indianapolis will be a contender in the AFC this year if QB Carson Wentz regains his MVP form.
Week 3 vs. Green Bay Packers
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A Sunday Night Football showdown with the Packers is a ton of fun if Aaron Rodgers is playing for Green Bay. If he’s not suiting up, this one can be pushed way down the list.
Week 18 vs. Los Angeles Rams
(AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
This could wind up getting flexed into Sunday Night Football because this may decide the NFC West crown and the top seed in the NFC if things go right for both teams. Think Week 17 of the 2019 season. If that happens – this is No. 1.
Week 13 at Seattle Seahawks
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Speaking of Sunday Night Football games in Seattle, the 49ers’ Week 13 showdown against their biggest rival in prime time has Game of the Year potential.
Week 10 vs. Los Angeles Rams
(AP Photo/Alex Gallardo)
Rams-49ers on Monday Night Football in a sold out Levi’s Stadium? Yes, please. This one should be electric and it’s early enough that playoff positioning should be a factor.
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