49ers: Analyzing the 4 hardest games on the 2020 schedule
By Seth Carlson
1. Week 4 — Home vs. Philadelphia Eagles
This is the first game that should really give us a barometer of where the 49ers stand in 2020.
San Francisco plays two of their first four games at home, with the first of those games coming against the division rival Arizona Cardinals.
Weeks 2 and 3 will be spent in New Jersey, playing both the New York Giants and New York Jets at MetLife Stadium. A relatively soft start for a loaded team.
Enter the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 4. Philly went 9-7 last season, en route to a third consecutive playoff appearance and second NFC East title in three seasons under head coach Doug Pederson and quarterback Carson Wentz.
The Eagles are well-coached and very gritty, always hanging tough in games when people might expect them to fade (see Super Bowl LII).
They have a menacing defensive line, a top shut-down cornerback in Darius Slay, and should expect their top offensive playmakers to return healthy for 2020, including the addition of rookie wide receiver Jalen Reagor out of TCU.
Though San Francisco went 7-1 at home in 2019, and this game is in prime time (Sunday Night), a familiar setting for the 49ers, I wouldn’t overlook Philadelphia and their ability to pull off an upset, provided their team health stays intact.