The 49ers have endured significant scheduling disadvantages during the 2023 NFL season, but on Sunday, they will finally benefit from a little more rest.
San Francisco’s Week 13 showdown with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday will be the 49ers’ second and final game with the advantage of rest over all 17 games. Their Week 4 win over the Arizona Cardinals came after a few extra days of rest following their 30-12 win over the New York Giants in “Thursday Night Football” the week before.
The 49ers’ second game Thursday night, a win over the Seattle Seahawks on Thanksgiving, allows them to head to Philadelphia with a few more days off than the Eagles. That advantage may be even more evident after Philadelphia’s defense was on the field for an astonishing 92 snaps Sunday in their overtime win over the Buffalo Bills.
The extra rest the 49ers enjoyed after returning home from the Pacific Northwest is an anomaly for them but not for their opponents. San Francisco’s 2023 schedule includes or will include four games against opponents coming off a bye week: Week 6 (vs. Cleveland Browns), Week 8 (vs. Cincinnati Bengals), Week 10 (vs. Jacksonville Jaguars) and Week 15 (vs. (Arizona Cardinals). All games except Week 8 are away games, where the 49ers must travel, plus the rest are disadvantages.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the 49ers after they return from Philadelphia, where on Sunday they will host a much-rested Seahawks team who will play Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13.
In Week 16, the 49ers will have a short week after a Monday Night Football contest with the Baltimore Ravens at Levi’s Stadium on Christmas. The following week, the 49ers will once again head across the country to play the Washington Commanders on New Year’s Eve in a game scheduled to start at 10 a.m. PT.
that Article written by Sharpe for football analysis, written after the NFL schedule was released at the end of May, outlined the disparity between all 32 NFL teams and how much rest they would receive. Their formula shows the 49ers have the league’s highest 20 days of rest, making their schedule the most challenging. In contrast, the Commanders, New York Jets and Chicago Bears have the biggest advantage when considering player rest, with 12 days more than their competitors.
There are factors other than schedule that affect a team’s success, but they do make a difference. Short weeks can prevent a player dealing with an injury from being able to prepare for a game, as the 49ers saw with offensive lineman Spencer Burford in Week 12 and wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk in Week 3 — both contests Thursday night.
So, the 49ers have a little more rest on their side heading into Philadelphia, but they’ll need more than that to beat the top seed in the NFC. The locker room and coaching staff are well aware of the task at hand, and while San Francisco took advantage of the three extra days off, they are counting on other things to leave the East Coast with a win in Week 13.
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