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  1. <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
  2. <feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
  3.  <title>Niners Nation -  All Posts</title>
  4.  <subtitle>"We're the San Francisco 49ers, we can do whatever we want."</subtitle>
  5.  <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47865/ninersnation_f.png</icon>
  6.  <updated>2024-05-18T06:42:00-07:00</updated>
  7.  <id>http://www.ninersnation.com/rss/current/</id>
  8.  <link type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/" rel="alternate"/>
  9.  <entry>
  10.    <published>2024-05-18T06:42:00-07:00</published>
  11.    <updated>2024-05-18T06:42:00-07:00</updated>
  12.    <title>The last two seasons the 49ers began with Monday Night Football didn’t end well</title>
  13.    <content type="html">  
  14.  
  15.    &lt;figure&gt;
  16.      &lt;img alt="Minnesota Vikings v San Francisco 49ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/t7sAporUQE_UitoVwePDI60l_s8=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355453/1245964840.0.jpg" /&gt;
  17.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  18.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  19.  
  20.  &lt;p&gt;Both were wins, but both ended with their head coaches getting fired&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="fGqYAj"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;San Francisco 49ers&lt;/a&gt; are going to kick off the 2024 season against the New York Jets on &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/14/24156454/aaron-rodgers-breece-hall-quinnen-williams-robert-saleh-49ers-jets-monday-night-football"&gt;Monday Night Football.&lt;/a&gt; Monday Night Football usually results in a double header of sorts. A marquee matchup begins things followed by a matchup that was hit or miss. &lt;/p&gt;
  21. &lt;p id="v0nmph"&gt;This year, you can guess which matchup the 49ers and Jets are. The 49ers have good odds to win it all, while the Jets are considered one of the better teams of the AFC. In this particular game, &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159045/49ers-jets-aaron-rodgers-kyle-shanhan-robert-saleh-garrett-wilson-week-1-odds"&gt;the 49ers are favored by a touchdown&lt;/a&gt;.  There will also be a lot of build up about this little-known story of how Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers wanted to be a 49er but got passed on in the draft. &lt;/p&gt;
  22. &lt;p id="ndwgND"&gt;Did you know that? It’s like really random trivia not many football fans know of. &lt;/p&gt;
  23. &lt;p id="5sxCrX"&gt;Anyways, in 2015 and 2016, the 49ers were the &lt;em&gt;other &lt;/em&gt;matchup following something one would hope would be more watchable. They were the second Monday night game in the MNF Season opening double header. Both of those 49ers teams won their MNF game to start the season, but people would call them two of the worst football games in their respective seasons. If there was promise from either of those squads, it promptly went to the toilet by Week 2 and the coaches of those two 49ers squads were fired by the end of each year. Each getting only one year to coach. &lt;/p&gt;
  24. &lt;p id="EKj2AQ"&gt;Yep, in 2015 it was Jim Tomsula and in 2016 it was Chip Kelly. &lt;/p&gt;
  25. &lt;h3 id="vLwFWq"&gt;&lt;a href="https://youtu.be/L7HxFarax30?si=isnGSxEFkpUJd6CO"&gt;2015 Monday Night Football vs. Minnesota Vikings&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  26. &lt;p id="BIL4Li"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Play-by-Play: &lt;/strong&gt;Chris Berman&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Color: &lt;/strong&gt;Trent Dilfer&lt;br&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Quarterback:&lt;/strong&gt; Colin Kaepernick&lt;/p&gt;
  27. &lt;p id="Ss2ASH"&gt;No one realized this 49ers team would plummet so badly.  Despite having the offseason from hell and &lt;s&gt;firing &lt;/s&gt;mutually parting ways with Jim Harbaugh, despite all the retirments of players like Patrick Willis, despite all the releases of players like Aldon Smith, the 49ers were seen to take severe steps back, but not like this. &lt;/p&gt;
  28. &lt;p id="SAdYSi"&gt;There was promise. First was the return of NaVorro Bowman who sat out the entire 2014 season after a grusome knee injury in 2013-2014 &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfc-championship-game"&gt;NFC Championship&lt;/a&gt;. Bowman made his pressence known right away with massive pops from the crowd after his first few tackles. &lt;/p&gt;
  29. &lt;p id="Il1icU"&gt;Then there was Colin Kaepernick who rather than saying he needed to be &lt;a href="https://www.49ers.com/video/press-pass-kaepernick-getting-faster-stronger-10346364"&gt;bigger, stronger, faster&lt;/a&gt; like previous seasons, actually went to a specialist to learn more about quartbacking, Dennis Gile. &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2015/3/28/8305073/colin-kaepernick-throwing-mechanics-dennis-gile-quarterback-coach"&gt;Gile used something called TDFB&lt;/a&gt; or Trent Dilfer Football, or a system developed by the guy who was providing color commentary that night. As you might guess this led to a lot of replays of Dilfer gushing about how much better Kaepernick looked this year as a true QB. &lt;/p&gt;
  30. &lt;p id="ftVUCf"&gt;There were some other debuts. Rugby player Jarryd Hayne who had a strong preseason made the team and started with punts. Unfortunately, Hayne muffed his first career punt return—that’s a bad sign. An underwhelming debut to a career that he’d end pretty quickly. Hayne would leave a year later to go compete in the olympics. Then there was the debut of the red and black alternate uniforms, some of the most polarizing unis you’d ever see. I liked them, a lot of you didn’t. &lt;/p&gt;
  31. &lt;p id="PzecQO"&gt;The game was sloppy as you can imagine and how the 49ers pulled away is anyone’s guess. Neither they, nor the Vikings looked particularly impressive. They would go on to lose bad to the &lt;a href="https://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/"&gt;Pittsburgh Steelers&lt;/a&gt;. You thought Steve Wilks was bad? Go watch the bonehead calls on that game. NaVorro Bowman should never ever ever ever be going deep into coverage. &lt;/p&gt;
  32. &lt;p id="Ioh6Nc"&gt;The 49ers would finish 5-11 and Tomsula would be fired which leads us to: &lt;/p&gt;
  33. &lt;h3 id="vxl2Lg"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rs0BMGG3s1E"&gt;2016 Monday Night Football vs. Los Angeles Rams&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/h3&gt;
  34. &lt;p id="zUVjys"&gt;Play-by-Play: Chris Berman&lt;br&gt;Color: Steve Young&lt;br&gt;Quarterback: &lt;a href="https://youtu.be/09oUUhkSxbQ?si=8YFOlk-7ohc5HxQk&amp;amp;t=46"&gt;Blaine Gabbert&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  35. &lt;p id="fJ1av2"&gt;“Hurry Hurry, GO!” &lt;/p&gt;
  36. &lt;p id="AKBIjF"&gt;Of all the QB shouts and cadences, that phrase proved the most annoying. This game was not as memorable as last year’s effort, but at least the team on the field looked a bit better.&lt;/p&gt;
  37. &lt;p id="FNQBxu"&gt;Of course this was the first game of the season. Sloppy play and mistakes are bound to happen, one of them being defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil forgetting he’s Jim O’Neil and the 49ers shutting out the Rams., allowing 0 points. Shortly after this win, O’Neil would take his place being regarded as one of the worst defensive coordinators in 49ers history. &lt;/p&gt;
  38. &lt;p id="xpLNmr"&gt;The offseason was known for Colin Kaepernick first sitting on the bench and later taking a knee in protests against police brutality and racial injustice in the United States. Kaepernick did not win the starting job in training camp, due to setbacks in his recovery from injuries the previous season. So Blaine Gabbert stepped in and didn’t look awful. He did complete a few passes, one to himself. &lt;/p&gt;
  39. &lt;p id="xJUuuy"&gt;What else happened? Honestly? Nothing important, &lt;a href="https://youtu.be/Wopy6Ntd834?si=iGdcWVQxj7fJMYwW"&gt;well besides this.&lt;/a&gt; Give that a click and watch. That’s a streaker running through the field at Levi’s Stadium and Kevin Harlan providing commentary. That was the highlight of the game, and it’s not even close. There was a scrum towards the end, but who cares? It’s the Rams. &lt;/p&gt;
  40. &lt;p id="2OFnKt"&gt;I figured the 49ers would be bad after the Jim Tomsula fiasco, but not this bad. They’d only get one additional win that season, against none other than the Rams. A Chip Kelly 49ers game had some fun moments when you check the highlight reels, but the games themselves were death. When the 49ers did score early for a lead you knew it was just a matter of time. &lt;/p&gt;
  41. &lt;p id="TLeUND"&gt;So it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Chip Kelly, along with then-49ers GM Trent Baalke got the ax following the season. This led to Kyle Shanahan taking over as head coach and the 49ers haven’t opened a season with Monday Night Football since. &lt;/p&gt;
  42. &lt;p id="KeYnLx"&gt;Until 2024. Hopefully there isn’t a pattern here. &lt;/p&gt;
  43. &lt;p id="Glzros"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  44.  
  45. </content>
  46.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24156848/49ers-schedule-2024-history-monday-night-football-chip-kelly-jim-tomsula"/>
  47.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24156848/49ers-schedule-2024-history-monday-night-football-chip-kelly-jim-tomsula</id>
  48.    <author>
  49.      <name>Patrick Holloway</name>
  50.    </author>
  51.  </entry>
  52.  <entry>
  53.    <published>2024-05-18T02:00:00-07:00</published>
  54.    <updated>2024-05-18T02:00:00-07:00</updated>
  55.    <title>Golden Nuggets: Can’t wait to see Dre play again</title>
  56.    <content type="html">  
  57.  
  58.    &lt;figure&gt;
  59.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/bN1WPINCAuSbgt_Lq0rjH4o8sgA=/0x14:2104x1417/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355224/Screenshot_2024_05_17_at_9.40.23_PM.0.png" /&gt;
  60.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  61.  
  62.  &lt;p&gt;Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Saturday, May 18th, 2024&lt;/p&gt; &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="CsgTsv"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/49ers-dre-greenlaw-walking-aid-start-2024-pup-19463799.php"&gt;Dre Greenlaw walking without aid, but here’s why 49ers are bracing for delayed return (paywall)&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  63. &lt;p id="uBIkGm"&gt;“If Greenlaw returns in Week 5, when the 49ers host the Cardinals on Oct. 6, he would be nearly eight months removed from his injury. That wouldn’t place him on a particularly fast timeline when it comes to his recovery.&lt;/p&gt;
  64. &lt;p id="ozYzkW"&gt;Dr. Kenneth Jung, a foot and ankle surgeon who is a consultant to the Los Angeles Rams, told the Chronicle in February that a torn Achilles used to routinely sideline players for 9-12 months. However, advancements in surgical techniques and rehab have accelerated the process. Jung was peripherally involved during the 2021 season in the rehab of Rams running back Cam Akers, who played in the regular-season finale less than six months after suffering a torn Achilles.&lt;/p&gt;
  65. &lt;p id="nEvJFK"&gt;“We can confidently tell (patients) that at six months, that’s a reasonable amount of time to be back,” Jung said. “Of course, there are no absolutes. It depends a lot on how well (Greenlaw is) rehabbing and how well he gains his strength back.”&lt;/p&gt;
  66. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="xspkZO"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/180828-49ers-reflects-surgery-recovery-familys/"&gt;49ers’ Brock Purdy reflects on NFCCG, first start, surgery recovery, family’s Tom Brady plans   &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  67. &lt;p id="Migane"&gt;“I think, first off, it sounds cheesy, but I was where I was at,” Purdy shared. “Just wherever my feet are at, that’s where I’m at. My arm torn, boom, surgery. So I showed up to rehab every day, and it was that. How can I rehab the best every day for however many hours, day in and day out?&lt;/p&gt;
  68. &lt;p id="kkG1fj"&gt;“And then not comparing myself to anybody else. There’s a lot of buzz going on. Dude, are you gonna get back [for the start of] the season? We’re bringing in some quarterbacks that have played before. It’s easy to get caught up in the world of, oh, my gosh, like, doubt. Am I going to make it? And so, I didn’t want to compare myself to anybody else. I was where I was at, and I really did trust that it was going to work out how it needed to.&lt;/p&gt;
  69. &lt;p id="mJucOS"&gt;“I’m a faithful man, so I believe that it was going to work out, but I didn’t try to jump to conclusions, see the future, anything like that. If I did that, I probably would have been a big mental head case of, ‘Am I going to make it back or not? I’m freaking out about things that are out of my control.’&lt;/p&gt;
  70. &lt;p id="MStAuv"&gt;“And so, for me, I still hammered away at the playbook, watched the games that I played. How can I get better, get back to the facility, get around the guys, continue to build on those relationships? All those little things, I feel like, added up.”&lt;/p&gt;
  71. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="4qaMfx"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/dwight-clark-legacy-series-community/1736049/"&gt;49ers brotherhood, community shines at Dwight Clark Legacy Series   &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  72. &lt;p id="d9cRO8"&gt;“Players past and present showed out to support a great cause and raise money for The Golden Heart Fund, including Pro Football Hall of Fame alumni and current 49ers superstars. &lt;/p&gt;
  73. &lt;p id="phLIn7"&gt;Here are three observations from the fourth annual event.”&lt;/p&gt;
  74. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="3vrFLQ"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/ricky-pearsall-rookie-college-practice/1736097/"&gt;Why Pearsall’s college coach ordered him not to practice so much&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  75. &lt;p id="s9GnFH"&gt;“I told John this: ‘You’ve got to protect him from himself,’ ” Edwards told Branch. “Because he’s a full-speed guy. He can wear himself down just because of the way he practices and goes about his business. He’s so competitive. Every once in a while, you’ve got to say, ‘OK, this is like a half-speed drill. Just slow down.’ &lt;/p&gt;
  76. &lt;p id="5fyfiA"&gt;“And there were other times, ‘No, man, you’re not practicing today. You get a day. You’re not doing it.’ And it would be, ‘Aw, Coach.’”&lt;/p&gt;
  77.  
  78. </content>
  79.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24159565/49ers-news-dre-greenlaw-achilles-recovery-fred-warner-dwight-clark-legacy-series-brock-purdy-2024"/>
  80.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24159565/49ers-news-dre-greenlaw-achilles-recovery-fred-warner-dwight-clark-legacy-series-brock-purdy-2024</id>
  81.    <author>
  82.      <name>Yinon Raviv</name>
  83.    </author>
  84.  </entry>
  85.  <entry>
  86.    <published>2024-05-18T02:00:00-07:00</published>
  87.    <updated>2024-05-18T02:00:00-07:00</updated>
  88.    <title>Golden Nuggets: No rest advantage, no problem</title>
  89.    <content type="html">  
  90.  
  91.    &lt;figure&gt;
  92.      &lt;img alt="" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/JWjTJ-ghK5yfyhQ4nrr4-IZRSz4=/0x69:1114x812/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73355210/Screenshot_2024_05_17_at_12.05.34_AM.0.png" /&gt;
  93.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  94.  
  95.  &lt;p&gt;Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, May 17th, 2024&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="cLDLae"&gt;  &lt;/p&gt;
  96. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="NBMRB8"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.nbcsportsbayarea.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/nfl-schedule-release-chiefs-bills-cowboys/1735843/"&gt;49ers’ schedule ranks among NFL’s worst rest differentials since 2002 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  97. &lt;p id="YMvBev"&gt;“That marks two consecutive seasons where San Francisco got stuck with the worst rest differential in the league, with the 49ers 2023 total also ranking in the top-10 worst differentials over the last two decades.&lt;/p&gt;
  98. &lt;p id="9qDuii"&gt;The most glaring hurdles for San Francisco’s scheduling woes will be the four games it plays against opponents who are coming off a bye week, which is a difficult task in itself but magnified even further by the quality of the teams the 49ers will face in those contests. &lt;/p&gt;
  99. &lt;p id="eXkI6G"&gt;San Francisco will face the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys in Week’s seven and eight, with each coming off a bye week prior to their meeting with the 49ers. Then in Week 11, San Francisco faces its NFC-West rival Seattle Seahawks off a bye week, with a Week 13 showdown against the Buffalo Bills wrapping up the 49ers slate of games against teams who will have multiple weeks of rest before their meeting. &lt;/p&gt;
  100. &lt;p id="PV6NUw"&gt;The 49ers are the only team in the league who will play at least four games against opponents who care coming off a bye during the 2024 season, with the Indianapolis Colts being the only other franchise who has at least three such games on their schedule.”&lt;/p&gt;
  101. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="ujs7zg"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/180827-greenlaw-offers-encouraging-update-recovery/"&gt;49ers LB Dre Greenlaw offers encouraging update on recovery &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  102. &lt;p id="AQsqA8"&gt;“It’s a long, long, slow process,” Greenlaw said in front of the audience at the California Theatre in San Jose. “I’m feeling really, really good, though. I’m happy to be able to walk on the stage, actually. It’s been about three months now since the injury. I just recently got out of the boot, and just, slowly, every day, just rehabbing, getting the strength, getting the mobility in it.”&lt;/p&gt;
  103. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="dDOEhM"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/49ers/article/49ers-evaluator-breaks-draft-class-enigmatic-19462603.php"&gt;49ers’ evaluator breaks down draft class and how enigmatic RB became target (paywall) &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  104. &lt;p id="nQgxby"&gt;“[Tariq] Ahmad credited Ryan Kessenich, an area scout from Wisconsin, where Guerendo played his first four seasons, for doing exhaustive work that turned Guerendo from an enigma into a target: The 49ers traded two fifth-round picks for the fourth-rounder they used to grab Guerendo.&lt;/p&gt;
  105. &lt;p id="4bdg7Q"&gt;Kessenich detailed, in what Ahmad termed a “dissertation,” Guerendo’s various roadblocks to playing time. He transitioned from wide receiver to running back as a freshman. And he had hamstring and foot injuries throughout his first three seasons. And he played behind three running backs who were NFL draft picks. And he dealt with the death of his position coach at Wisconsin, Gary Brown.&lt;/p&gt;
  106. &lt;p id="WEi7N4"&gt;After speaking with at least four sources, Kessenich entered his reams of information into the 49ers’ draft database. As a result, there was a surprising amount of conviction about a prospect who, on the surface, appeared controversial.&lt;/p&gt;
  107. &lt;p id="ow3brM"&gt;“This was above and beyond,” Ahmad said. “When we had those questions that got brought up in the draft meetings, everything was laid out because of the work that Ryan did. Doing what scouts do. Gathering as much accurate information as possible.”&lt;/p&gt;
  108. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="vjElKg"&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/180821-steve-young-keeping-competitive-paying/"&gt;Steve Young on keeping the 49ers competitive after paying Brock Purdy &lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  109. &lt;p id="41udDw"&gt;“When you have to pay the quarterback, things change,” Young told Tom Tolbert and Matt Kolsky. “This is a fact. And you’re going to have to find first, second, third-year guys on rookie contracts that can be—you’re wearing their jersey. By the end of the season, you’re wearing that rookie’s jersey because of how impactful they have been.&lt;/p&gt;
  110. &lt;p id="G5DtOi"&gt;“And that’s what’s happened to us to allow this. Who had a Brock Purdy jersey two years ago? A lot of Brock Purdy jerseys today.”&lt;/p&gt;
  111. &lt;p id="G6ZPXM"&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;
  112. &lt;p id="zKTP4u"&gt;“That’s when you really get in a jam and that’s when the jersey you’re going to be wearing in a couple of years is probably not somebody that’s on the team right now,” Young continued. “And that’s how you stay competitive. That’s how you do it. You have to transition all the expensive superstars. At some point, two or three have to go to make room for rookie contracts, to make room for your quarterback, and that’s just a fact.”&lt;/p&gt;
  113. &lt;p id="uKwzTX"&gt;...&lt;/p&gt;
  114. &lt;p id="zgAcF8"&gt;Young concludes, “The people that wear Deebo jerseys today, I need them wearing someone else’s jersey if he’s gonna go. Who is that going to be?”&lt;/p&gt;
  115.  
  116. </content>
  117.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24158794/49ers-news-schedule-primetime-offseason-predictions-favored-road-rest-disadvantage"/>
  118.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/18/24158794/49ers-news-schedule-primetime-offseason-predictions-favored-road-rest-disadvantage</id>
  119.    <author>
  120.      <name>Yinon Raviv</name>
  121.    </author>
  122.  </entry>
  123.  <entry>
  124.    <published>2024-05-17T13:07:49-07:00</published>
  125.    <updated>2024-05-17T13:07:49-07:00</updated>
  126.    <title>Deommodore Lenoir identified as the 49ers’ most underrated player</title>
  127.    <content type="html">  
  128.  
  129.    &lt;figure&gt;
  130.      &lt;img alt="Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BO5HPguCAic5-wLZCkyKuC5DchU=/0x0:3359x2239/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354516/2003834867.0.jpg" /&gt;
  131.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  132.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  133.  
  134.  &lt;p&gt;Lenoir will have competition this season, but his impact during the past couple of seasons should not be ignored&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="9GxEsH"&gt;In 2023, Deommodore Lenoir proved he belonged in the NFL. Lenoir started 17 games for the Niners and, per Sports Info Solutions, only allowed one touchdown on 74 targets. In one season, Lenoir outplayed his fifth-round draft status. Now, heading into a contract year, Deommodore wants to prove he’s worthy of a lucrative second contract.&lt;/p&gt;
  135. &lt;p id="craEnM"&gt;&lt;a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1641760&amp;amp;xs=1&amp;amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pff.com%2Fnews%2Fnfl-most-underrated-player-all-32-nfl-teams-paulson-adebo-trey-smith&amp;amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ninersnation.com%2F2024%2F5%2F17%2F24159215%2Fdeommodore-lenoir-isaac-yiadom-49ers-defense-secondary-underrated" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank"&gt;Pro Football Focus&lt;/a&gt; went through each team to identify every underrated player. For the Niners, it was Lenoir:&lt;/p&gt;
  136. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p id="PJpxNh"&gt;While Lenoir, a former fifth-round pick, became a starter in 2022, his true breakout came in 2023 in his third season. After recording a 60.9 PFF overall grade in 2022, Lenoir improved to 75.8 in 2023, which ranked 23rd at the position. He also lowered his passer rating allowed number from 89.0 in 2022 to 75.7 this past season.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;/blockquote&gt;
  137. &lt;p id="eDOZlF"&gt;While I’d advise against hanging your hat on a PFF grade, there was a noticeable improvement from 2022 to 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  138. &lt;p id="gFLpV4"&gt;Lenoir averaged a full yard per target lower, doubled his pass breakups, had two more interceptions — Sports Info Solutions had Lenoir with three dropped interceptions — and was used in different roles. Lenoir rushed the passer more and was more involved in the running game.&lt;/p&gt;
  139. &lt;p id="V4fvu8"&gt;Lenoir’s usage should fluctuate in 2023. Defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen said second-round pick Renardo Green will &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/10/24153910/49ers-nick-sorensen-renardo-green-charvarius-ward-isaac-yiadom-cornerback-depth-chart"&gt;begin playing nickel&lt;/a&gt;. The &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt; can get away with that because of how Lenoir held up on the outside last season.&lt;/p&gt;
  140. &lt;p id="ErivzF"&gt;As a perimeter cornerback last season, Lenoir allowed 19.9 yards per game in 274 coverage snaps on 39 targets. Among cornerbacks with at least 25 targets, Lenoir’s passer rating was the 16th highest at 52.0.&lt;/p&gt;
  141. &lt;p id="XYMzfa"&gt;He’ll have some competition. Isaac Yiadom was tenth in passer rating in the same scenario and allowed a league-low 33 percent completion percentage. Yiadom unseating Lenoir as a starter doesn’t diminish D-Mo’s impact on the defense and quality of snaps he’s provided over the past couple of seasons.&lt;/p&gt;
  142.  
  143. </content>
  144.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159215/deommodore-lenoir-isaac-yiadom-49ers-defense-secondary-underrated"/>
  145.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159215/deommodore-lenoir-isaac-yiadom-49ers-defense-secondary-underrated</id>
  146.    <author>
  147.      <name>Kyle Posey</name>
  148.    </author>
  149.  </entry>
  150.  <entry>
  151.    <published>2024-05-17T10:59:27-07:00</published>
  152.    <updated>2024-05-17T10:59:27-07:00</updated>
  153.    <title>Examining the toughest stretch of the 49ers schedule: There are no gimmes after Week 11</title>
  154.    <content type="html">  
  155.  
  156.    &lt;figure&gt;
  157.      &lt;img alt="Seattle Seahawks v San Francisco 49ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/WRz1BvQxRqCUnek-4mIGyKLAQ7o=/0x0:5472x3648/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354245/1854070734.0.jpg" /&gt;
  158.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  159.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  160.  
  161.  &lt;p&gt;The 49ers will be battle tested heading into the playoffs&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="KuExmB"&gt;The NFL impresses me with its ability to make moments of off-season landmarks, from the combine to the draft to the schedule release. Sure, leaks take away from the overall reveal, but once the schedule is officially revealed, fans begin to mark games to travel to and begin their initial predictions for their favorite teams. Of course, the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt; are going 20-0, by the way. &lt;/p&gt;
  162. &lt;p id="kKeZW9"&gt;Teams’ opponents are set in the previous year, so the schedule shows when teams will match up. Will your team play on a holiday? How many prime-time games will your team play in? And let’s not forget the newest discussion about the schedule. How much rest differential will your team have? &lt;/p&gt;
  163. &lt;p id="wT3vKS"&gt;For now, let’s examine the 49ers' schedule and pinpoint the “toughest” stretch. &lt;/p&gt;
  164. &lt;p id="biiqy8"&gt;According to Mike Clay of ESPN, the 49ers have the 23rd toughest strength of schedule. Primarily, this is based on their opponents’ 2023 season. For instance, the &lt;a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/"&gt;New York Jets&lt;/a&gt; open the season in Santa Clara on Monday Night Football after finishing with a 7-10 record. Aaron Rodgers played four snaps before tearing his Achilles, ending the Jets season. Be that as it may, the 49ers face one playoff team from 2023 in their first six games in 2024. &lt;/p&gt;
  165. &lt;p id="4Ko465"&gt;The Rams are the only team on the schedule who made the playoffs last season, but there are always teams who will surprise from last season. The 49ers should dispatch the Jets, Vikings, Patriots, Cardinals, and &lt;a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/"&gt;Seahawks&lt;/a&gt;, leaving them at worst, with a 5-1 record through six games before Kansas City and Dallas end up on the schedule.&lt;/p&gt;
  166. &lt;p id="sxHDXi"&gt;Following the first six games for the 49ers, three playoff teams are up next with the Chiefs, Cowboys, and Bucs. Following the Cowboys matchup is the 49ers bye week before traveling to the East Coast for the Tampa Bay matchup. I don’t believe this is the 49ers toughest stretch in 2024. &lt;/p&gt;
  167. &lt;p id="oaL4wf"&gt;November 24th kicks off the 49ers’ difficult stretch. The 49ers travel to Green Bay to face off with Jordan Love and Matt LaFleur following their divisional matchup from last postseason. December 1st, the primetime lights will be on as the team travels to Buffalo on Sunday Night Football. The &lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/a&gt; will be a trendy pick for many to be the most improved team following the additions of Keenan Allen, and DeAndre Swift and drafting Caleb Williams and Rome Odunze. &lt;/p&gt;
  168. &lt;p id="fw7yZb"&gt;Weeks 15-17 will see the 49ers face the Rams, &lt;a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/"&gt;Dolphins&lt;/a&gt;, and Lions consecutively. That makes five playoff teams in the final seven weeks for the 49ers. On paper, this will be the 49ers’ biggest tests of the season.&lt;/p&gt;
  169. &lt;p id="z9161J"&gt;Hopefully, the 49ers fly out of the gate in 2024 to give them padding before the schedule gets tougher. Las Vegas has the 49ers favored in every single game in 2024, and it is hard to argue against that. During the season, things change due to injury and performance, but for now, the 49ers should be favored over every opponent. &lt;/p&gt;
  170.  
  171. </content>
  172.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159094/49ers-seahawks-rams-lions-buccaneers-toughest-part-of-schedule"/>
  173.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159094/49ers-seahawks-rams-lions-buccaneers-toughest-part-of-schedule</id>
  174.    <author>
  175.      <name>Jason Aponte</name>
  176.    </author>
  177.  </entry>
  178.  <entry>
  179.    <published>2024-05-17T09:30:00-07:00</published>
  180.    <updated>2024-05-17T09:30:00-07:00</updated>
  181.    <title>49ers open up as nearly a touchdown favorite over the Jets in Week 1</title>
  182.    <content type="html">  
  183.  
  184.    &lt;figure&gt;
  185.      &lt;img alt="New York Jets v New England Patriots" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/i3jYMLhVRsX51XYd0FB_sGgzqFg=/0x0:6000x4000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354032/1908158491.0.jpg" /&gt;
  186.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  187.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  188.  
  189.  &lt;p&gt;That’s right. Odds for a game in September.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="7Cnlt2"&gt;For the second season in a row, the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;San Francisco 49ers&lt;/a&gt; are &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/16/24158256/49ers-odds-draft-kings-schedule-release-favorites"&gt;favored to win&lt;/a&gt; every game during the regular season. It worked out well in 2023, as the Niners ended up as the No. 1 seed in the NFC and eventually made the &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  190. &lt;p id="tGJYhf"&gt;One of the biggest surprises of all the available odds was the Week 1 line. According to &lt;a href="https://sportsbook.draftkings.com/leagues/football/nfl?_gl=1*1rhdl5r*_gcl_au*ODE5OTc5NzIxLjE3MTA3ODU0OTg.*_ga*MTc3NTI5NjU4NC4xNzEwNzg1NDk4*_ga_QG8WHJSQMJ*MTcxNTk2MTY2Ny4yMy4wLjE3MTU5NjE2NjcuNjAuMC4w"&gt;DraftKings Sportsbook&lt;/a&gt;, the Niners are 5.5-point favorites over the &lt;a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/"&gt;New York Jets&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  191. &lt;p id="TEgvQ4"&gt;A team with Aaron Rodgers, Garett Wilson, Breece Hall, a first-round offensive lineman who was the best pass protector in the &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-draft"&gt;NFL Draft&lt;/a&gt;, a vaunted defense led by Robert Saleh that features Sauce Gardner in the secondary, and Quinnen Williams. There is an impressive amount of talent on the Jets, and oddsmakers are telling us they think the Niners will win by a touchdown.&lt;/p&gt;
  192. &lt;p id="LZkvjL"&gt;New York has to fly across the country, but it’s the first game of the season, and one would think they’d be acclimated to Pacific time. Plus, the Jets have familiarity with Saleh and four months to game plan for the 49ers.&lt;/p&gt;
  193. &lt;p id="m6Rddg"&gt;But, there’s always a but; their offensive line leaves plenty to be desired. On the other side of the ball, C.J. Mosley is among the best linebackers in the NFL, but that goes out of the window when the matchup is against Christian McCaffrey.&lt;/p&gt;
  194. &lt;p id="6Xfl4W"&gt;Kyle Shanahan should have a good grasp on the Jets’ tendencies and a plan on how to use the 49ers’ new weapons. We’re a long way away from Week 1, but the Niners are a different beast when they play at Levi’s Stadium. Vegas is expecting that to continue in 2024 based on these odds.&lt;/p&gt;
  195.  
  196. </content>
  197.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159045/49ers-jets-aaron-rodgers-kyle-shanhan-robert-saleh-garrett-wilson-week-1-odds"/>
  198.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24159045/49ers-jets-aaron-rodgers-kyle-shanhan-robert-saleh-garrett-wilson-week-1-odds</id>
  199.    <author>
  200.      <name>Patrick Holloway</name>
  201.    </author>
  202.  </entry>
  203.  <entry>
  204.    <published>2024-05-17T08:01:51-07:00</published>
  205.    <updated>2024-05-17T08:01:51-07:00</updated>
  206.    <title>Lumping each 49ers game into its own category: From the must-win to the weather games</title>
  207.    <content type="html">  
  208.  
  209.    &lt;figure&gt;
  210.      &lt;img alt="Dallas Cowboys v San Francisco 49ers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/-a05cuF_i9-1bmr9dnA9KqtPKtE=/0x0:4600x3067/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353775/1964129762.0.jpg" /&gt;
  211.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  212.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  213.  
  214.  &lt;p&gt;Andrew takes a deep on the schedule, and lumps each game into their own category&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="qLuqmn"&gt;We have known the who and the were of the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt;’ 2024 opponents for a while now, and on Wednesday, &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/15/24157778/49ers-packers-rams-seahawks-lions-chiefs-2024-nfl-schedule-release"&gt;we finally learned the when&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
  215. &lt;p id="pJMmvj"&gt;Schedule release day is always fun because it feels like the last off-season procedural hump to get over because everything after this happens on some sort of field, whether it be camp or preseason games. The news of &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/14/24156454/aaron-rodgers-breece-hall-quinnen-williams-robert-saleh-49ers-jets-monday-night-footballhttps://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/14/24156454/aaron-rodgers-breece-hall-quinnen-williams-robert-saleh-49ers-jets-monday-night-football"&gt;Week 1 against&lt;/a&gt; the &lt;a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/"&gt;New York Jets&lt;/a&gt; came out a little early, so we knew about that, but we found out on Wednesday that the 49ers are scheduled for five other primetime games, including against Dallas and Buffalo. &lt;/p&gt;
  216. &lt;p id="MEiDD4"&gt;With the order now known, let’s break the 49ers 17 games into different categories and also predict where the wins and losses are:&lt;/p&gt;
  217. &lt;p id="i1x5Vb"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Should be wins&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  218. &lt;p id="7g690D"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 2 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.dailynorseman.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Minnesota Vikings&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  219. &lt;p id="cp6nyW"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 4 - vs. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.patspulpit.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;New England Patriots&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  220. &lt;p id="X2SbT8"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 10 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bucsnation.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tampa Bay Buccaneers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  221. &lt;p id="4FQlkK"&gt;As a tradition, my first run-through of the 49ers’ schedule included writing 17 Ws in Sharpie. But after that initial high with the mere thought of perfection, I became slightly more realistic. These were the three games the patented Pasquini NFL Simulator* gave the 49ers a more than 85 percent chance to win.&lt;/p&gt;
  222. &lt;p id="P2qLdC"&gt;*As accurate as the average blogger/podcaster&lt;/p&gt;
  223. &lt;p id="ULvT4v"&gt;The 49ers will face one or two rookie quarterbacks in the first month of the season, with the trip to Minnesota and the game against New England to close September. Drake Maye will likely be the Patriots Week 4 starter, but the Vikings quarterback situation isn’t too clear right now.&lt;/p&gt;
  224. &lt;p id="lIWuA3"&gt;The Vikings used the 10th overall selection on JJ McCarthy after signing former 49er Sam Darnold. A competition is likely, with the winner rewarded a Week 2 matchup against one of the best defenses in the league. If McCarthy wins that battle, the 49ers defense would be gifted two rookie quarterbacks in the season’s first month.&lt;/p&gt;
  225. &lt;p id="9NoCLe"&gt;Tampa Bay sticks out a bit here as the lone playoff team in this group, but somebody had to win the NFC South, and the nine-win Buccaneers were up for the task. On top of that, Tampa Bay is one of five teams the 49ers have played at least twice (including the NFC West) in the last two regular seasons. Here are those games sorted by the 49ers &lt;a href="https://stathead.com/tiny/i8gwR"&gt;combined margin of victory&lt;/a&gt;: &lt;/p&gt;
  226. &lt;p id="f0RdKU"&gt;1 - Arizona: +88 (4 games)&lt;/p&gt;
  227. &lt;p id="2LtlYZ"&gt;2 - Seattle: +58 (4)&lt;/p&gt;
  228. &lt;p id="szdgz0"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;3 - Tampa Bay: +41 (2)&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  229. &lt;p id="KskJAM"&gt;4 - Los Angeles: +38 (4)&lt;/p&gt;
  230. &lt;p id="aFbnwP"&gt;5 - Washington: +34 (2)&lt;/p&gt;
  231. &lt;p id="RxjlbR"&gt;If you go off of averages, only Arizona has been worse off against San Francisco than the Buccaneers. Ownage is ownage, and the 49ers own Tampa Bay.&lt;/p&gt;
  232. &lt;p id="drwKAh"&gt;Chalk the 49ers up to 3-0 in this category.&lt;/p&gt;
  233. &lt;p id="IEdEog"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;You just never know with divisional games&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  234. &lt;p id="sxDbia"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 3 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.turfshowtimes.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Los Angeles Rams&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  235. &lt;p id="b666Ug"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 5 - vs. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.revengeofthebirds.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Arizona Cardinals&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  236. &lt;p id="5Qsurc"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 6 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Seattle Seahawks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; (Thursday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  237. &lt;p id="an2eKl"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 11 - vs. Seattle Seahawks&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  238. &lt;p id="MnL5hs"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 15 - vs. Los Angeles Rams (Thursday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  239. &lt;p id="Si1FuU"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 18 - at Arizona Cardinals&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  240. &lt;p id="nlEcQM"&gt;I may have just said some mean things about the Cardinals, but &lt;em&gt;these &lt;/em&gt;Cardinals aren’t &lt;em&gt;those&lt;/em&gt; Cardinals. That’s not to say Arizona is going to be a threat to the 49ers’ NFC West crown, but they are shaping up to be a team that can compete with any team on any given Sunday. They’ll have a fully healthy Kyler Murray with a new weapon in Marvin Harrison Jr., who’s included in the group of seven players drafted by Arizona with the first 100 picks in last month’s draft.&lt;/p&gt;
  241. &lt;p id="O13PG0"&gt;Do the 49ers sweep the Cardinals once again? That could be likely, but they’ll unlikely do it at the three-score clip they’ve averaged the last two seasons.&lt;/p&gt;
  242. &lt;p id="Cmt441"&gt;That leaves the Rams and the Seahawks. While San Francisco has won the NFC West each of the last two seasons, the division crown has rotated between these teams every season since 2015, with all three winning the West at least once since 2020. &lt;/p&gt;
  243. &lt;p id="RREMge"&gt;San Francisco is 3-1 against Seattle and Los Angeles over the last two seasons - with the lone loss the reason I am confident in the 49ers beating Minnesota with either McCarthy or Darnold - so the ownage is there, just like with Arizona and Tampa Bay. However, the Rams and Seahawks feel much closer to San Francisco regarding talent than the former two teams. &lt;/p&gt;
  244. &lt;p id="Csm1zS"&gt;The 49ers could sweep the division as they did in 2022, but let’s hedge some bets and say the 49ers will be 4-2 against the division in 2024 with those two Thursday Night games in mind. To be fair, the 49ers are 2-0 in the last two seasons on Thursday night in Seattle. &lt;/p&gt;
  245. &lt;p id="o98LvS"&gt;A 4-2 record in the division moves our mid-May prediction to 7-2.&lt;/p&gt;
  246. &lt;p id="US93Ya"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The opening seven hours of commercial-free football &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  247. &lt;p id="owbSyd"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 1 - vs. New York Jets (Monday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  248. &lt;p id="xFNee9"&gt;Week 1 Sunday usually means for me turning NFL Red Zone on at 9 am sharp to watch the timer count down from 60 minutes with the dramatic football-like instrumentals playing in the background before locking in for Scott Hansen to say the thing as the morning slate kicks off. &lt;/p&gt;
  249. &lt;p id="2mi2Wo"&gt;I say usually because, in the last three seasons, the 49ers have opened their season in the 10 am time slot, the meat and potatoes of every NFL Red Zone Sunday. &lt;/p&gt;
  250. &lt;p id="nskKZw"&gt;This problem won’t exist this year because not only do the 49ers not play a Sunday morning game in Week 1 for the first time since 2020, but San Francisco will also play a non-Sunday opener for the first time since 2016.&lt;/p&gt;
  251. &lt;p id="NNZesw"&gt;Not only has the 49ers’ home opener been rare recently - 2024 marks the third time under Shanahan that San Francisco opens at Levi’s Stadium - but it will be the first time it hosts a season-opener against an AFC team since 1998. That game was also against the Jets, with the famous &lt;a href="https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199809060sfo.htm?__hstc=205977932.ac27f444e6c0ffadf046a781078333ef.1678497549688.1715705575608.1715829436764.96&amp;amp;__hssc=205977932.4.1715829436764&amp;amp;__hsfp=3450272365"&gt;Garrison Hearst 96-yard game-winning scamper&lt;/a&gt; and Terrell Owens blocking out in front. &lt;/p&gt;
  252. &lt;p id="HidNVf"&gt;Plenty of Jets will return to Levi’s in the opener, like Robert Saleh, Javon Kinlaw, and Isaiah Oliver, but the return of Aaron Rodgers in his Jets debut part deux will be the headline. Leonard Floyd makes the game-ending, non-injury-inducing sack of Rodgers to start the 49ers season with a win and move our hypothetical San Francisco squad to 8-2.&lt;/p&gt;
  253. &lt;p id="QwcTWE"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Group of death&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  254. &lt;p id="kt34fJ"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 12 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.acmepackingcompany.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Green Bay Packers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  255. &lt;p id="E7cYZP"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 13 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.buffalorumblings.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Buffalo Bills&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; (Sunday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  256. &lt;p id="CxNFd1"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 14 - vs &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.windycitygridiron.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Chicago Bears&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  257. &lt;p id="lvp95x"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 15 - vs Los Angeles Rams (Thursday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  258. &lt;p id="xuQ6HH"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 16 - at &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.thephinsider.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Miami Dolphins&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  259. &lt;p id="PShrLp"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 17 - vs. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.prideofdetroit.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Detroit Lions&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; (Monday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  260. &lt;p id="ybjcaQ"&gt;The only negative about being a good football team is you get scheduled against other good football teams. Before we look at the stretch as a whole, let’s take a look at those first two games using a high school superlative:&lt;/p&gt;
  261. &lt;p id="mDIUQ5"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Most likely to blame losses on the weather&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  262. &lt;p id="ChXq2Q"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 12 - at Green Bay Packers&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  263. &lt;p id="fgekPL"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 13 - at Buffalo Bills (Sunday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  264. &lt;p id="lxMWAO"&gt;The 49ers have a recent history of bad weather games. 2019 was the start with a 9-0 win in Washington during a downpour. About a month and a half later, San Francisco suffered its second loss of 2019 against Baltimore in another wet game. The weather found its way to Santa Clara a couple of years later when the Carson Wentz-led &lt;a href="https://www.stampedeblue.com/"&gt;Indianapolis Colts&lt;/a&gt; dominated San Francisco in a 30-18 win - the following season had the infamous monsoon game in Chicago to open 2022 with a loss. Even 2023 saw a lousy weather loss, with the &lt;a href="https://www.dawgsbynature.com/"&gt;Browns&lt;/a&gt; handing San Francisco its first loss of the season in a wet and windy Cleveland. &lt;/p&gt;
  265. &lt;p id="Mmm2ZA"&gt;The 49ers went 1-4 in those five games against teams that finished a combined 40-43 in their respective season. The Packers and Bills went a combined 20-14 in 2023 and will likely be better than any of the above teams outside the 2019 Ravens.&lt;/p&gt;
  266. &lt;p id="Ro1HQ7"&gt;The average temperature in Green Bay on November 24th is anywhere from 29 to 37 degrees. Buffalo isn’t too much warmer in the first week of December. These two games have a completely different feel if they are played in September, but potential consecutive bad-weather games that late in the season could spell trouble for the 49ers. &lt;/p&gt;
  267. &lt;p id="AOJqxW"&gt;The Bears are the figurative (maybe literal) “what the hell is a polar bear doing in Texas” meme in this group. Chicago is the only team in this six-game stretch that wasn’t a playoff team but is a popular pick to be the most improved team for 2024.&lt;/p&gt;
  268. &lt;p id="TvMpVc"&gt;Unlike facing Maye and potentially McCarthy in the first month of the season, the 49ers will see Caleb Williams for the first time with 14-plus weeks of experience throwing to DJ Moore, Keenan Allen, and Rome Odunze. Chicago might not fit in the group now, but come December, they could be in playoff contention.&lt;/p&gt;
  269. &lt;p id="3xg2xH"&gt;We already touched on the Rams’ Week 15, so let’s move on to the final two weeks of the stretch. The Dolphins are 3-6 in December in two seasons under Mike McDaniels, including a winless month to close 2022 that started with a loss to the 49ers in Brock Purdy’s first meaningful playing time. But a cross-country trip - although a usual 1:25 p.m. kickoff - could make this game more complicated than needed. &lt;/p&gt;
  270. &lt;p id="HTFJI8"&gt;The stretch closes with the final Monday Night Football game of the 2024 season, a home game against the Lions. Maybe not for ESPN, but ideally, this game means nothing for the 49ers, and the division and seeding are clinched because the alternative is this game having enormous implications for the &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/nfl-playoffs"&gt;NFC playoffs&lt;/a&gt;. &lt;/p&gt;
  271. &lt;p id="QIjLM0"&gt;We already called the Thursday night game against Los Angeles a loss, so let’s say the 49ers split the Green Bay/Buffalo double-dip and take care of business against Chicago, Miami, and Detroit. 12-3 through 15 games isn’t too shabby. &lt;/p&gt;
  272. &lt;p id="or4snk"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Call your friends and let them know you love them before kickoff&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  273. &lt;p id="DB6kP9"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 7 - vs. &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.arrowheadpride.com"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Kansas City Chiefs&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  274. &lt;p id="Mn6t0q"&gt;This just seems like a miserable Sunday. Sure, it’s a &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt; rematch and has the potential to be a very fun football game. &lt;/p&gt;
  275. &lt;p id="67hf2S"&gt;That is until the FOX broadcast mentions the last time these two teams play. But at least the good news is there isn’t a second notable game in recent history to talk about, right?&lt;/p&gt;
  276. &lt;p id="yrB9MH"&gt;Right?&lt;/p&gt;
  277. &lt;p id="5CkG3u"&gt;… &lt;em&gt;gulp, &lt;/em&gt;right?&lt;/p&gt;
  278. &lt;p id="5rhtPh"&gt;The 49ers have only defeated the Chiefs once since high-definition television became the standard in six tries and only three times in eleven games since Yours Truly was born in 1992. Sure, Kansas City could look like they did in the regular season last year, and the 49ers could win this game, but that would mean Patrick Mahomes didn’t ruin a Sunday in the Bay Area, and he’s made a living doing just that. &lt;/p&gt;
  279. &lt;p id="YnaCzc"&gt;12-4.&lt;/p&gt;
  280. &lt;p id="MQULAD"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A nice little bounce-back&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  281. &lt;p id="9ccJwM"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Week 8 - vs &lt;/em&gt;&lt;a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/"&gt;&lt;em&gt;Dallas Cowboys&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;em&gt; (Sunday Night Football)&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  282. &lt;p id="HM6Ngw"&gt;At least in recent years, the Chiefs are to the 49ers what the 49ers are to the Dallas Cowboys.&lt;/p&gt;
  283. &lt;p id="CjkYz1"&gt;While the Cowboys have had their shot under Mike McCarthy against Kyle Shanahan, Dallas is 1-3 in four games since McCarthy took over, with the lone win being in 2020, a season 49ers fans like to forget. Since the 2020 loss, San Francisco has gone undefeated, including bumping Dallas from the postseason in both 2021 and 2022. After losing the two postseason games by a combined 13 points, Dallas returned to Levi’s Stadium last season to the tune of a 32-point defeat in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  284. &lt;p id="jsIRZU"&gt;Just like with the Kansas City game, Week 8 has the potential to be a good one, but until McCarthy can get over the hump and defeat Shanahan and a healthy 49ers team, this is San Francisco’s game to lose.&lt;/p&gt;
  285. &lt;p id="KflR4n"&gt;That puts the 49ers, after reading a list of team names and putting a W or L next to them, at 13-4, one game better than the 2023 version of the team. &lt;/p&gt;
  286. &lt;p id="TU9QJ0"&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
  287.  
  288. </content>
  289.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24158733/49ers-chiefs-lions-packers-rams-seahawks-cardinals-kyler-murray-nfl-schedule"/>
  290.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/17/24158733/49ers-chiefs-lions-packers-rams-seahawks-cardinals-kyler-murray-nfl-schedule</id>
  291.    <author>
  292.      <name>Andrew Pasquini</name>
  293.    </author>
  294.  </entry>
  295.  <entry>
  296.    <published>2024-05-16T12:09:28-07:00</published>
  297.    <updated>2024-05-16T12:09:28-07:00</updated>
  298.    <title>Using 6 different metrics to determine the 49ers strength of schedule in 2024</title>
  299.    <content type="html">  
  300.  
  301.    &lt;figure&gt;
  302.      &lt;img alt="Super Bowl LVIII - San Francisco 49ers v Kansas City Chiefs" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/1SGJOmtovrAiPM_Dph8edfj7l5Y=/139x0:4492x2902/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73352149/2014691810.0.jpg" /&gt;
  303.        &lt;figcaption&gt;Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/Getty Images&lt;/figcaption&gt;
  304.    &lt;/figure&gt;
  305.  
  306.  &lt;p&gt;Looking at records from a season ago doesn’t come close to painting the full picture, so we’ll look at several other metrics to determine the 49ers’ strength of schedule for this upcoming season.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p id="JBrM3r"&gt;There are several ways to measure schedule difficulty. The most outdated one is the use of win/loss records from the prior season. We can look at how the &lt;a href="https://www.ganggreennation.com/"&gt;New York Jets&lt;/a&gt; performed, but their offensive numbers would be inaccurate since Aaron Rodgers didn’t play.&lt;/p&gt;
  307. &lt;p id="wRLyQh"&gt;The &lt;a href="https://www.fieldgulls.com/"&gt;Seattle Seahawks&lt;/a&gt;' defense should be night and day compared to last year's defense after hiring Mike MacDonald as their defensive coordinator. You can get into the scheduling quirks, spots, injuries, etc. &lt;/p&gt;
  308. &lt;h3 id="7foANH"&gt;2023 record&lt;/h3&gt;
  309. &lt;p id="7EWtJM"&gt;When you use last year’s record, the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/"&gt;49ers&lt;/a&gt; have the 13th-most difficult strength of schedule:&lt;/p&gt;
  310. &lt;div id="TrTD39"&gt;
  311. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  312. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;Every team's strength of schedule for the season.  &lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;Where does your team land?&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt; : NFL Schedule Release — Wednesday 8pm ET on NFLN/ESPN2&lt;br&gt; : Stream on &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFLPlus?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#NFLPlus&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/saMdDwJXIf"&gt;pic.twitter.com/saMdDwJXIf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— NFL (@NFL) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/NFL/status/1790389820679663903?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 14, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  313. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  314. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  315.  
  316. &lt;/div&gt;
  317. &lt;p id="aC6WCA"&gt;From the examples above to, others that are obvious, using the previous year’s record is a poor predictor for future success. My favorite way, albeit far from perfect, is to use win totals determined by Vegas. Sharp Football Analysis has data to support that it’s more predictive. The win totals account for who a team added during the offseason and is more about what you are in 2024 as opposed to what you were in 2023.&lt;/p&gt;
  318. &lt;h3 id="0JvzS5"&gt;Strength of schedule by 2024 win totals&lt;/h3&gt;
  319. &lt;p id="TfJAES"&gt;The 49ers &lt;a href="https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/nfl-strength-of-schedule/#"&gt;are 18th&lt;/a&gt; using this metric from Sharp Football Analysis. The NFC West is clustered in the middle, while the AFC North will beat up on each other as they are all near the bottom.&lt;/p&gt;
  320. &lt;h3 id="nNAtp1"&gt;Travel&lt;/h3&gt;
  321. &lt;p id="DfbZPr"&gt;Rohan &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/16/24158014/san-francisco-49ers-to-have-3rd-worst-net-rest-differential-since-2002-nfl-schedule-kyle-shanahan"&gt;covered the mileage&lt;/a&gt; and the rest of the deficit the 49ers face this offseason.&lt;/p&gt;
  322. &lt;p id="xki1yA"&gt;I’m not convinced the 49ers will lose a game this season because they areat a rest disadvantage. Take last season, for example. The &lt;a href="https://www.cincyjungle.com/"&gt;Cincinnati Bengals&lt;/a&gt; won convincingly against the Niners. They were off a bye week, and Joe Burrow looked spry and in peak condition. Did the extra week help Burrow? Of course. But that wasn’t why Brock Purdy threw a red zone interception and two other turnovers or why the 49ers couldn’t stop the Bengals offensively.&lt;/p&gt;
  323. &lt;p id="uYut2R"&gt;Logically, it makes sense. You have to travel; you’re out of your element, and you havemore distractions away from home since you’re not doing your weekly routine. I get it. The 49ers will travel the &lt;a href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/15/24157417/49ers-chargers-raiders-travel-nfl-2024-schedule"&gt;fifth-most miles&lt;/a&gt; in 2024:&lt;/p&gt;
  324. &lt;div id="E5Xu5z"&gt;
  325. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  326. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;✈️ How many miles will your favorite &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NFL?src=hash&amp;amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;#NFL&lt;/a&gt; team travel this season?&lt;a href="https://twitter.com/billsperos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;@billsperos&lt;/a&gt; breaks down the numbers:&lt;br&gt;&lt;br&gt;  &lt;a href="https://t.co/ppSs1Vftd8"&gt;https://t.co/ppSs1Vftd8&lt;/a&gt; &lt;a href="https://t.co/jsmJCo95np"&gt;pic.twitter.com/jsmJCo95np&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Bookies.com (@bookies) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/bookies/status/1790789342991892702?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  327. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  328. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  329.  
  330. &lt;/div&gt;
  331. &lt;p id="KFT2zr"&gt;It feels like you minimize a big portion of what goes into a game and what happens during the 60-70 plays by saying, “Oh, bad travel spot!” &lt;/p&gt;
  332. &lt;p id="Am3qjn"&gt;Last season, the Ravens came into Santa Clara after playing in Los Angeles, then flew back home to Baltimore, traveled to Jacksonville, and then flew to the Bay Area. That’s a busy month against quality opponents,and you would have had no idea the Ravens traveled as much leading up to that game.&lt;/p&gt;
  333. &lt;h3 id="yiYOrs"&gt;Short weeks&lt;/h3&gt;
  334. &lt;p id="FtxSqv"&gt;The more money invested in the sport, the more games will be televised throughout the week. That means more short weeks will become a thing.&lt;/p&gt;
  335. &lt;p id="loV4Qm"&gt;&lt;a href="https://espnanalytics.com/schedule"&gt;ESPN has data&lt;/a&gt; on short weeks. The 49ers have two short road weeks, tied with 14 other teams. Only the &lt;a href="https://www.bloggingtheboys.com/"&gt;Dallas Cowboys&lt;/a&gt; and Bengals have three. San Francisco was 19th in the NFL for the most short weeks in 2024, so there’s nothing abnormal about the schedule, comparatively speaking.&lt;/p&gt;
  336. &lt;p id="CkiCsL"&gt;Still, the 49ers have eight weeks with “less rest” than their opponent, which is two more than any other team in the NFL. That usually shows at the end of a trip. We’ll see if that’s the case for this upcoming season.&lt;/p&gt;
  337. &lt;h3 id="5N4ZMI"&gt;Games versus teams off a bye week&lt;/h3&gt;
  338. &lt;p id="IT1ps7"&gt;The 49ers have four games against an opponent off a bye week, the most in the NFL and tied for the most since 2002. This was the case last year, and the Niners did pretty well for themselves, I’d say.&lt;/p&gt;
  339. &lt;h3 id="pWRTdF"&gt;Super Bowl odds&lt;/h3&gt;
  340. &lt;p id="y7OT7u"&gt;I’m throwing this in just because it’s different. Deniz Selman created a strength of schedule ranking based on the &lt;a href="https://dknation.draftkings.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl odds&lt;/a&gt; of their opponents. For example, the 49ers have the second-best &lt;a href="https://www.sbnation.com/super-bowl"&gt;Super Bowl&lt;/a&gt; odds, so they’d count as a “two” on every schedule. Here are the results:&lt;/p&gt;
  341. &lt;div id="1VV4RH"&gt;
  342. &lt;blockquote class="twitter-tweet"&gt;
  343. &lt;p lang="en" dir="ltr"&gt;NFL Strength of Schedule for all 32 teams based on average opponent ranking by current Super Bowl odds. &lt;a href="https://t.co/52cJKmIsne"&gt;pic.twitter.com/52cJKmIsne&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;— Deniz Selman (@denizselman33) &lt;a href="https://twitter.com/denizselman33/status/1790751030273044648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw"&gt;May 15, 2024&lt;/a&gt;
  344. &lt;/blockquote&gt;
  345. &lt;script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"&gt;&lt;/script&gt;
  346.  
  347. &lt;/div&gt;
  348. &lt;p id="uj6VTD"&gt;San Francisco lands in the middle of the pack at 15th.&lt;/p&gt;
  349. &lt;p id="PkpH8t"&gt;So, by most metrics, the 49ers are smack dab in the middle regarding the strength of schedule. They have a balanced schedule with a tough stretch here and there, like every other team. There are also inevitable “trap” or “letdown” spots. But my takeaway from the data wasn’t that the Niners are at a disadvantage. Not with the talent they have and who they play.&lt;/p&gt;
  350.  
  351. </content>
  352.    <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/16/24158411/49ers-jets-kyle-shanahan-aaron-rodgers-mike-macdonald-2024-strength-of-schedule"/>
  353.    <id>https://www.ninersnation.com/2024/5/16/24158411/49ers-jets-kyle-shanahan-aaron-rodgers-mike-macdonald-2024-strength-of-schedule</id>
  354.    <author>
  355.      <name>Kyle Posey</name>
  356.    </author>
  357.  </entry>
  358. </feed>
  359.  

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