49ers’ fate in NFC West could be determined early

By Brad Wilbricht  |   Thursday, April 16, 2009  |  Comments( 0 )

San Francisco 49ers
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With three of their first four games coming within the division in 2009, the San Francisco 49ers will know early where they stand in the NFC West. With the division improving as a whole, the 49ers can benefit from a fast start and find themselves in the driver’s seat after the first quarter of the season.

San Francisco will travel to Arizona in the season opener, which will mark the fourth straight year the 49ers kick off against the Cardinals. The two have been evenly matched in recent years, although the Cardinals managed to sweep the season series a year ago en route to a division and conference title.

In addition to their divisional games, San Francisco faces tough December road contests against the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. The 49ers will need to overcome the cold weather in order to prevail in each of those contests.

After a late October matchup with the Houston Texans, San Francisco will attempt to navigate through a seemingly difficult November schedule. The 49ers begin the month with a road game in Indianapolis and return home for two home matchups versus formidable opponents.

The Tennessee Titans head to the Bay Area on Nov. 8, while the Jay Cutler-led Chicago Bears will be in town the week after. A road game in Green Bay is then followed up by a tussle at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

After a Dec. 20 trip to Philadelphia, the 49ers benefit with home games against two potential inferior opponents. The lowly Detroit Lions come to San Francisco in Week 16 and the 49ers then travel to face division rival St. Louis in the regular-season finale.

If things pan out as hoped in San Francisco, the matchup against the Rams won’t be the 49ers' last outing of the year. If that scenario becomes reality, the 49ers would have ended their current postseason drought and snapped a streak of six consecutive losing seasons.
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About Brad Wilbricht

Brad Wilbricht covers numerous sporting events including the NFL, NFL Draft and college football. His analysis is simulcast through several media outlets across the country. Additionally, Brad is a regular guest on a variety of talk radio shows and can be frequently heard on the airwaves. To ...
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