Not only do the San Francisco 49ers have back-to-back East Coast games during Weeks 2 and 3, but the team will play those games in the same stadium. Pending any changes due to concerns over the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, the Niners will play both the New York Jets and New York Giants at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
As the 49ers have done in previous years, the team will likely remain on the East Coast between those games.
"We do a lot of traveling in the NFC West, and where we are, and last year we had great success (staying on the East Coast)," general manager John Lynch told Colleen Wolfe on NFL Network. "We opened the season in Tampa, and then went to Cincinnati. In between, we stayed out in Youngstown (Ohio). So that was good to us.
"Those 10 AM (Pacific time) starts, if you allow it to be, can be rough on your team. We don't make any excuses, but we do try to prepare, and a great way to counteract some of those negative effects is to stay out there.
"So, believe me, as soon [the schedule] came out, we started looking at spots. We're looking at some different venues that will host us, and pretty sure we're going to stay out East. That really does help our team because you eliminate travel, and you also eliminate that 10 AM start, that early start that can be rough, if you allow it to be."
"If it's after Week 4, who knows what team you're going to have."
HC Kyle Shanahan on how he looks at the @49ers upcoming schedule 👇
📺: 2020 NFL Schedule Release live now on NFL Network
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) May 8, 2020
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