49ers’ season opener at Detroit comes with a Lombardi Trophy luster
The 49ers’ first two Super Bowl-winning seasons opened on the road against the Detroit Lions, and that is where this year’s opener will take place Sept. 12.
The full schedule is due out at 5 p.m. today.
Week 1 matchups were unveiled this morning, however, and a couple of mysteries were solved regarding the 49ers’ slate.
First, that visit to Detroit won’t be on Thanksgiving but rather for the opener, again. Their 1981 team lost its opener against the Lions, only to return at season’s end to win the 49ers’ first Super Bowl. Bill Walsh’s 1984 team debuted with a road win over the Lions, eventually winning Lombardi Trophy No. 2 back in the Bay at Stanford Stadium.
Also, Wednesday morning’s sneak preview of the schedule confirmed that the 49ers won’t be going overseas, something they last did in 2013 with a victorious “visit” to the Jacksonville Jaguars in London. This year’s London games feature the Jaguars hosting the Miami Dolphins on Oct. 17, a week after the New York Jets visit the Atlanta Falcons on Oct. 10; both games are at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In the 49ers’ opener, they will visit a Detroit team featuring a new coach, Dan Campbell, and a familiar quarterback, Jared Goff, who got traded there this offseason from the Los Angeles Rams. Goff, a Marin Catholic High and Cal product, is 3-5 against the 49ers, who’ve won the past four meetings.
The 49ers’ last played at Detroit in the penultimate game of 2015, emerging with the 11th and final loss under then-coach Jim Tomsula.
The 49ers’ other road games are at: the Jaguars, the Tennessee Titans, the Chicago Bears, the Philadelphia Eagles, the Cincinnatti Bengals, the Los Angeles Rams, the Seattle Seahawks and the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers will host the Green Bay Packers, the Minnesota Vikings, the Atlanta Falcons, the Indianapolis Colts, the Houston Texans, the Rams, the Seahawks and the Cardinals.
Last season saw the 49ers open with a home loss to the Cardinals in what would snowballed into a 6-10, last-place record.
This season officially opens Thursday, Sept. 9 when the Dallas Cowboys visit the reigning champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 49ers-Lions opener kicks off at 10 a.m. PT, as do the openers for two of their NFC West cohorts, the Cardinals (at Titans) and the Seahawks (at Colts). The Rams open by hosting the Bears on Sunday night at SoFi Stadium, site of this season’s Super Bowl.
Other Week 1 matchups Steelers at Bills, Jets at Panthers, Vikings at Bengals, Jaguars at Texans, Chargers at Washington, Browns at Chiefs, Dolphins at Patriots, Packers at Saints, Broncos at Giants, and Ravens at Raiders (Monday night).