Everything You Need to Know About the 2022 Schedule: A Guide for UK Faithful

The San Francisco 49ers have announced their 2022 regular season schedule.

The 49ers will face the NFC South and AFC West in cross-divisional play, while continuing to battle their NFC West opponents twice a year. San Francisco will also host the Miami Dolphins and Washington Commanders and visit the Chicago Bears.

The 49ers open the regular season on the road as they travel to Chicago to take on the Bears at Soldier Field. The team is scheduled to play in five prime time games during the regular season in 2022, with two on "Sunday Night Football" (Week 3 vs. Denver Broncos, Week 10 vs. Los Angeles Chargers), two on "Monday Night Football" (Week 3 vs. Los Angeles Rams, Week 11 vs. Arizona Cardinals) and one on "Thursday Night Football" (Week 15 vs. Seattle Seahawks).

How is the NFL Schedule Put Together?

The NFL schedule makers must consider the fans, the league's broadcast partners, pre-scheduled events in team stadiums and many other factors when building the 272-game schedule that spans the 18 weeks of the NFL season and showcases the league's best matchups and talent.

The schedulers are also constrained by internal factors. A formula determines each team's opponents every year, and a rotating schedule ensures that every team plays each of the other 31 at least once in a four-year period.

Did You Know: The schedule makers create thousands of possible schedules before picking the final version.

What are the 49ers Up Against this Season?

Week 1 – Sunday, September 11 at Chicago Bears – 6:00 pm BST

• San Francisco's overall record vs. Chicago is 35-32-1 and 18-13-1 on the road.
• The 49ers look to win their third-consecutive game in Chicago, as the 49ers return to Soldier Field after defeating the Bears 33-22, on October 31, 2021.

Week 2 – Sunday, September 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks – 9:05 pm BST

• The 49ers look to defeat the Seahawks at home for the first time since 2018.
• The last time the Seahawks played the 49ers at Levi's® Stadium, Seattle won 28-21.
• San Francisco is 17-30 in the all-time series vs. Seattle and 9-13 at home.

Week 3 – Monday, September 26 at Denver Broncos – 1:20 am BST

• The 49ers lead the all-time series 8-7 against the Broncos.
• Although San Francisco hasn't played against the Broncos since 2018, they will match up against a familiar foe with quarterback Russell Wilson under center for Denver. During his career with the Seahawks, Wilson held a 16-4 record against the 49ers.

Week 4 – Tuesday, October 4 vs. Los Angeles Rams – 1:15 am BST

• San Francisco leads the all-time series 75-68-3 against the Rams.
• The last time the Rams visited Levi's® Stadium, the 49ers defeated them 31-10.
• The 49ers have won seven of the last ten matchups against the Rams.

Week 5 – Sunday, October 9 at Carolina Panthers – 9:05 pm BST

• The 49ers look to defeat the Panthers on the road for the first time since the NFC Divisional Round in 2014.
• The last time the 49ers played in Carolina, the Panthers won 46-27.

Week 6 – Sunday, October 16 at Atlanta Falcons – 6:00 pm BST

• San Francisco owns the overall series record vs. Atlanta, 48-32-1.
• The 49ers will look to defeat the Falcons on the road for the first time since the 2012 NFC Championship Game.

Week 7 – Sunday, October 23 vs. Kansas City Chiefs – 9:25 pm BST

• The all-time series between the 49ers and Chiefs is tied 7-7. San Francisco looks to lead the series for the first time since 2014.
• The last time the Chiefs played the 49ers at Levi's® Stadium, the 49ers won 22-17.
• As the home team, the 49ers have won all of their matchups against the Chiefs except for one in 1971.

Week 8 – Sunday, October 30 at Los Angeles Rams – 8:25 pm GMT

• The last time the 49ers visited the Rams in Los Angeles, San Francisco was only three points away from winning the 2022 NFC Championship Game.
• San Francisco leads the Rams 75-68-3 in their all-time series and 38-34-1 as a visiting team.

Week 9 – BYE

Week 10 – Monday, November 14 vs. Los Angeles Chargers – 1:20 am GMT

• The 49ers look to defeat the Chargers at home for the first time since 2014.
• The last time the Chargers played the 49ers at Levi's® Stadium, the Chargers won 38-35.
• San Francisco leads the Chargers 4-3 as the home team.

Week 11 – Tuesday, November 22 at Arizona Cardinals – 1:15 am PT GMT

• Mexico City will host a matchup between NFC West rivals San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals in a rematch of the NFL's first regular-season game played outside the United States.
• In 2005, the teams played at Estadio Azteca with 103,467 fans in attendance, the eighth largest crowd in NFL history.
• The 49ers look to defeat the Cardinals for the first time in Mexico since the Cardinals won 31-14 in 2005 in Estadio Azteca.

Week 12 – Sunday, November 27 vs. New Orleans Saints – 9:25 pm GMT

• The 49ers look to defeat the Saints at home for the first time since 2012 in the NFC Divisional Round.
• The last time the Saints played the 49ers at Levi's® Stadium, New Orleans won 41-23.
• San Francisco leads the all-time series 49-27-2 and 23-12-2 as the home team against the Saints.

Week 13 – Sunday, December 4 vs. Miami Dolphins – 9:05 pm GMT

• The series between the 49ers and Dolphins is tied 4-4 with San Francisco as the home team.
• Miami currently leads the all-time series 8-6.
• The last time the Dolphins faced the 49ers on San Francisco's home turf, the Dolphins won 43-17.

Week 14 – Sunday, December 11 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 9:25 pm GMT

• The last time the Buccaneers played the 49ers at Levi's® Stadium, Tampa Bay won 34-17.
• San Francisco leads the all-time series 18-7 and 12-3 as the home team against the Buccaneers.

Week 15 – Friday, December 16 at Seattle Seahawks – 1:15 am GMT

• The 49ers are 8-17 overall on the road at Seattle.
• The last time San Francisco faced the Seahawks in Seattle, the Seahawks won 30-23.

Week 16 – Saturday, December 24 vs. Washington Commanders – 9:05 pm GMT

• As the home team, the 49ers own the series record 12-4-1 against Washington.
• The 49ers also lead the all-time series 21-12-1.
• The last time the Commanders faced the 49ers on San Francisco's home turf, Washington won 23-15.

Week 17 – Sunday, January 1 at Las Vegas Raiders – 9:05 pm GMT

• 2022 will be the first time the 49ers have ever played a regular season game at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
• The all-time series between the Raiders and 49ers is tied 7-7 and the 49ers look to defeat the Raiders on the road for the first time since 2002.

Week 18 – vs. Arizona Cardinals – Time and Date TBD

• Last season, the Cardinals defeated the 49ers at home 31-17.
• San Francisco leads the all-time series 32-29 against the Cardinals.
• The 49ers are 18-14 at home vs. the Cardinals and have won seven out of their last 13 home games against Arizona.

Why are the 49ers Playing 17 Games?

Last year, NFL owners approved the vote to officially expand regular season games from 16 to 17 beginning in the 2021 season.

The 17-game season was part of the new collective bargaining agreement between the NFL and the NFL Players Association. The incorporation of the additional game came exactly 44 years to the date of when the NFL adopted the 16-game schedule from the previously arranged 14 games in 1977.

The season now consists of 272 games (from 256), with each of the league's 32 teams playing 17 games during an 18-week period with a standard Bye week.

How are the 49ers Opponents Selected?

• Six games against the NFC West (Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks)— two games per team, one at home and one on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division within the NFC (Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers) — two games at home and two on the road.
• Four games against teams from a division in the AFC (Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders, Los Angeles Chargers)— two games at home and two on the road.
• Two games against teams from the two remaining divisions in its own conference (Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders) — one game at home and one on the road. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.
• Starting during the 2021 season, the NFL implemented a 17th game which is an additional matchup against a non-conference opponent from a division that the team is not scheduled to play. Matchups are based on division ranking from the previous season.

NFL Schedule Lexicon

Away: Games where the 49ers are on the road to play at the opposing team's stadium.

Bye: In the NFL, each team has a scheduled week in or near to the middle of the season where they do not play a game. The week is referred to as a Bye week.

Conference: There are 32 teams in the National Football League (NFL) that are split evenly between two conferences: the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The 49ers play in the NFC.

Division: Each conference is broken down into 4 divisions: East, North, South and West. Each division has 4 teams, who play each other twice a year. The 49ers are in the NFC West along with the Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

Home: 49ers games played at Levi's® Stadium.

Primetime: Prime time games are the matches that air in the evening in the United States. Every game aired in these time slots is aired nationally and the only game being played at that time. There are at least three prime time games every week: "Thursday Night Football," "Sunday Night Football" and "Monday Night Football."

Week: The NFL season consists of 272 total games, with each of the NFL's 32 teams playing 17 matches during an 18-week period with one Bye week off. The NFL generally schedules games in five time slots during the week. The first game of the week is played on "Thursday Night Football" and the final game of each week is played on "Monday Night Football."