The San Francisco 49ers are facing a strong list of opponents in 2023 after winning the NFC West a season ago, with the Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Baltimore Ravens, and Dallas Cowboys headlining the group, along with the team's divisional opponents.
With a group of tough opponents, there are several eye-opening stretches on the schedule, but which set of games is the toughest on the 49ers' 2023 schedule?
?feature=share
A commonality in the 49ers' schedule and their toughest opponents is home-field advantage. San Francisco faces the Bengals, Ravens, and Cowboys at home during respective parts of the year, but they will travel to Philadelphia for a rematch of the NFC Championship in the middle of their toughest stretch of games during the upcoming season.
The 49ers began a tough three-game stretch with a divisional bout against the Seattle Seahawks in a Thursday Night game at Lumen Field on Thanksgiving.
While the 49ers swept the season series against the Seahawks in 2022 and beat their divisional foe in the wildcard round of last year's playoffs, this matchup should still be one to watch, especially with the potential playoff implications it provides to the NFC West that far into the season.
The Seahawks have gotten better this offseason, adding defensive end Dre'Mont Jones amongst others, while having significant draft capital to find impact-ready players such as cornerback Devon Witherspoon and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba.
Following the divisional matchup, the 49ers get some extra rest, but travel to "The Linc", where they'll face the Philadelphia Eagles on the road in Week 13.
The Eagles are coming off an extremely difficult stretch, facing the Kansas City Chiefs on the road before hosting the Buffalo Bills and the 49ers in three consecutive weeks.
Still, they're most certainly a force to be reckoned with, and looked to fill holes created by free agency in the draft with the selections of Jalen Carter and Nolan Smith in the first round.
Following a road trip against the Eagles, the 49ers return back home... for another matchup against the Seahawks. Once again, with the playoffs just a few weeks away at that point, the 49ers are in a crucial divisional matchup with the biggest threat to them reclaiming home-field advantage or a first-round bye in the wildcard round.
The 49ers are experiencing significant travel this season, reportedly ranking second in the NFL in miles traveled, which is expected for a West Coast team, and a portion of that comes within this three-game stretch that involves a cross-country trip and several tough opponents.