Out-of-market San Francisco 49ers fans will get to see their favorite team live twice during the preseason, so long as they have access to NFL Network. That means the only 49ers game that will not be nationally accessible by fans is the first one, when the Kansas City Chiefs travel to Levi's Stadium on Saturday, August 14. That one will air on KPIX-5 in the Bay Area.
Below are the two 49ers preseason games scheduled to air live on NFL Network.
- 49ers at Los Angeles Chargers, Sunday, August 22 at 4:30 pm PT
- Las Vegas Raiders at 49ers, Sunday, August 29 at 1 pm PT
The two games will be the first opportunity for many fans to see the No. 3 overall pick — quarterback Trey Lance. While Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be the starter come Week 1 of the regular season, Lance is viewed as the quarterback of the future. That means we could see the rookie for extended amounts of time during the preseason as the coaching staff looks to help the 21-year-old get up to speed and adapt to the pace of the NFL.
While most will tell you that Lance has a high ceiling, the quarterback had limited experience at the collegiate level. He started just one full season for North Dakota State, completing 66.9 percent of his passes for 2,786 yards with 28 passing touchdowns and no interceptions through 16 games as a sophomore in 2019 while adding 1,100 rushing yards with 14 rushing touchdowns. His Bison capped off the season with an FCS championship.
Lance appeared in just one game in 2020 — a non-conference 39-28 victory over Central Arkansas — but has not played since that October 3, 2020 matchup.
The preseason games will also give fans a first look at several other potentially exciting rookies, like running backs Trey Sermon and Elijah Mitchell. On defense, fans will see the debuts of defensive backs Ambry Thomas, Deommodore Lenoir, and Talanoa Hufanga. Although, the team will be without former defensive coordinator Robert Saleh, who left to become the head coach of the New York Jets. DeMeco Ryans replaced him.
San Francisco kicks off the regular season on the road on Sunday, September 12, against the Detroit Lions.