49ers: Ranking the 5 most important games on the 2020 schedule

If the San Francisco 49ers want to make it back to the Super Bowl, they’ll have to get past these five games.

Back in June, we ranked the three easiest games on the San Francisco 49ers schedule. Now, as the calendar flips to September it’s time to take one more look at who the 49ers are playing and determine the five most important games.

Before we look ahead to 2020, let’s just take a moment to reflect on last season. The 49ers took the league by storm which nobody saw coming. If you remember, one analyst “predicted” the 49ers would only win three games while losing 13.

Maybe it was the prediction or maybe it was the fact the 49ers were a decent team with lots of injuries to key players in 2018 (i.e. quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo) but the team came out with a massive chip on their shoulder.

The 49ers started the year on an eight-game winning streak, taking out the likes of the Los Angeles Rams (who just represented the NFC in the Super Bowl prior), Carolina Panthers, and Washington in the sloppiest game of the year.

But they didn’t stop there. When it mattered the most, San Francisco took down NFC powerhouses the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, and the thrilling final game of the decade against the Seattle Seahawks.

Arguably, those same teams could make an appearance on the list for 2020. Each team got better in its way and will prove to be a challenge for the 49ers.

Let’s begin with the first game of the season against the Arizona Cardinals as one of the most important games on the 2020 schedule.