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| The 49ers will again open the season at home against the Cardinals, as they did last year when CB Walt Harris quickly picked up momentum for the 49ers by picking off a Matt Leinart pass on the Cardinals first series of the game. |
The San Francisco 49ers will open its 2008 NFL regular season against an NFC West foe when they host the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park on September 7. It will mark the third straight year that the 49ers will open the season against the Cardinals. Last season, the 49ers pulled out a 20-17 victory over the Cardinals with a touchdown in the final seconds of the game on Monday Night Football.
"The schedule release is always highly anticipated by our fans as well as our entire organization," said head coach Mike Nolan. "Our approach this season is to take it one at a time. One meeting, one practice and one game at a time."
In addition to the 49ers usual NFC West opponents Arizona, St. Louis and Seattle, San Francisco will face off against the AFC East with games at Buffalo and Miami and home games against New England and the New York Jets at Candlestick Park. In addition, the 49ers will battle the NFC East with home games against Philadelphia and Washington and road contests at the New York Giants and Dallas.
While the games against the AFC East and NFC East were based on the NFL's rotating schedule, the schedule also consists of two at-large games that are determined based on records from the previous season. By virtue of the 49ers finish in the NFC West last season, they will play at home against Detroit and on the road against New Orleans.
The slate includes games against both Super Bowl participants in a three week stretch. New England's QB Tom Brady, a native of San Mateo, will make his Candlestick Park debut on October 5. The 49ers will travel for the second straight season to face the Giants at Giants Stadium on October 19th.
The slate also includes a nationally-televised Monday Night Football contest against Arizona on November 10 at University of Phoenix Stadium. Last season, the 49ers completed a series sweep of the Cardinals with a 37-31 overtime win at Arizona.
The 49ers play five of their first eight games at home in the friendly confines of Candlestick Park before a bye week that falls right in the middle of the season. The 49ers will finish the regular season with five of their final eight games on the road.
"I look forward to having five home games in the first half of the season," said Nolan. "Our fans play a big role in our success. Playing at home with the crowd behind us will help push us to a great start."
In the second half of the season the 49ers have two back-to-back road games with contests at Dallas and at Buffalo sandwiched with a home game against the New York Jets before road games at Miami and at St. Louis.
SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 2008 SCHEDULE
| PRESEASON | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Local Time | Pacific Time | Network |
| Week 1 | @ Oakland | TBD | TBD | CBS- 5 |
| Week 2 | Green Bay | TBD | TBD | CBS - 5 |
| Thursday, August 21 | @ Chicago | 8PM | 6PM | FOX |
| Friday, August 29 | San Diego | TBD | TBD | CBS - 5 |
| REGULAR SEASON | ||||
| Date | Opponent | Local Time | Pacific Time | Network |
| Sept. 7 | Arizona Cardinals | 1:15PM | FOX | |
| Sept. 14 | @ Seattle Seahawks | 1:05PM | FOX | |
| Sept. 21 | Detroit Lions | 1:05PM | FOX | |
| Sept. 28 | @ New Orleans Saints | 12:00PM | 10AM | FOX |
| Oct. 5 | New England Patriots | 1:15PM | CBS | |
| Oct. 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 1:15PM | FOX | |
| Oct. 19 | @ New York Giants | 1:00PM | 10AM | FOX |
| Oct. 26 | Seattle Seahawks | 1:15PM | FOX | |
| Nov. 2 | BYE | |||
| Nov. 10 | @ Arizona Cardinals | 6:30PM | 5:30PM | ESPN |
| Nov. 16 | St. Louis Rams | 1:05PM # | FOX | |
| Nov. 23 | @ Dallas Cowboys | 12:00PM # | 10AM | FOX |
| Nov. 30 | @ Buffalo Bills | 1:00PM # | 10AM | FOX |
| Dec. 7 | New York Jets | 1:05PM # | CBS | |
| Dec. 14 | @ Miami Dolphins | 1:00PM # | 10AM | FOX |
| Dec. 21 | @ St. Louis Rams | 12:00PM # | 10AM | FOX |
| Dec. 28 | Washington Redskins | 1:15PM # | FOX |
Red - Monday Night Game
- Flex
*Please be aware that as part of the National Football League's agreement with NBC to televise Sunday Night Football, the NFL has implemented a flexible schedule for Sunday start times for the final eight weeks of the season.
This will allow the NFL to bring more attractive match-ups to a national audience late in the season. If any of the 49ers games are moved from the original start time, fans will be notified 12 days prior to the date of the game with the exception of a Week 17 game, where the notification will be six days to ensure a Sunday Night game with playoff implications. Starting time changes will be publicized on 49ers.com and through the local print, electronic and internet media.
