The 49ers will enter the regular season of 2021 sitting in the top 10 of the USA TODAY Sports power ranking. San Francisco reached No. 7 during the low season, but will go to Week 1 in Detroit as the No. 9 team in the league. However, there is a good chance of getting up early.
A couple of East Coast games to start the year seem daunting, but there’s a chance the Lions and Eagles will feature two of the easiest games on the 49ers ’list of 17 games. Via Nate Davis of USA TODAY:
If you’re a West Coast team that opens a couple of initiates at 1 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, you want them (this year, anyway) in Detroit and Philadelphia.
There are precedents for the 49ers to participate in a couple of East Coast games to start their year and play well. In 2019, when they went to the Super Bowl, the 49ers opened in Tampa Bay before going to Cincinnati in Week 2. They won both road games to an 8-0 start and an eventual Super Bowl appearance.
A couple of wins to start the year will not be your real chance to rise to the power rankings. After all, Detroit and Philadelphia rank 31st and 30th, respectively, in the U.S. TODAY power rankings. A loss in either game could plummet the 49ers out of the top ten.
Assuming they are in charge of business in both games, the real test will come in week 3, when the 49ers face packers no. 4 at Levi Stadium. If San Francisco emerges victorious, it should be among the top five places where they could stay for a long time.