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San Francisco 49ers' favorable 2026 schedule just got a lot more difficult
TL;DR
The San Francisco 49ers' 2026 schedule, initially seen as favorable, is complicated by extensive travel requirements. Despite having the eighth-easiest slate in the NFL, travel could impact their performance.
Key points
- San Francisco 49ers have a favorable 2026 schedule
- They rank eighth-easiest in the NFL based on Vegas win totals
- Extensive travel complicates their schedule
Mentioned in this story
Sharp Football Analysis
San Francisco 49ers
San Francisco 49ers' favorable 2026 schedule just got a lot more difficult originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
By all accounts, the San Francisco 49ers have a favorable schedule during the 2026 season, but one aspect of it will make things more difficult.
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Niners have the eighth-easiest slate in the NFL based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers, which is a superior method to using opponents' 2025 win percentages.
However, the difficult part of the schedule comes in all the traveling the Niners have to do.
Bill Speros of Bookies.com crunched the number of travel miles for each team in 2026 and San Francisco leads the league with 38,105, which is a little over 3,000 miles more than the next closest team, the Los Angeles Rams (34,857).
Of course, the travel miles for the Niners and Rams are inflated by the 15,738-mile trip to Australia both teams will be making in Week 1.
Q&A
What makes the San Francisco 49ers' 2026 schedule difficult?
The 49ers face extensive travel requirements, which complicates their otherwise favorable schedule.
How does the 49ers' 2026 schedule rank in terms of difficulty?
The 49ers have the eighth-easiest schedule in the NFL based on Vegas oddsmakers' win totals.
Who analyzed the San Francisco 49ers' 2026 schedule?
Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis provided insights into the 49ers' schedule and its challenges.