San Francisco 49ers should be able to handle the bad hand they've been dealt by the 2024 NFL schedule

The San Francisco 49ers can afford to have a couple of gripes with their schedule.

For the second successive year, the 49ers face four teams who will have the benefit of coming off a bye and, for the second successive year, they will have two four-day turnarounds.

The difference is that they are the only team in the NFL to face four teams coming off a bye. By contrast, 12 other teams also have two four-day turnarounds.

While facing the likes of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills coming off byes figures to be an extremely difficult challenge, the 49ers should find the two short weeks more negotiable.

The reason for that is they are both Thursday Night Football matchups against division opponents, and that familiarity should be helpful during short weeks, the challenge of which head coach Kyle Shanahan articulated the Tuesday before a Week 3 Thursday game with the New York Giants last season.

"You feel extremely rushed," Shanahan said. I saw the players a few hours ago and it was the first time I saw them. I told them it was Wednesday morning and by the end of our first meeting, it was Thursday. . . . Tomorrow morning is Friday but by 10 o’clock it’s the day before the game. So, it’s weird."

He added:

"We’re throwing four days into two days, as a coaching staff we throw two days into one day. So it’s kind of a ‘something’ show as we do it, but then it’s about retaining it when it slows down. We’ve got to put them all through it, the players. So we just throw it all at them, we go on and walk through it twice, we go watch it. Then it’ll slow down at night when they leave. But that’s usually about sleeping and catching up. Then tomorrow kind of when you get to the hotel it’s like now it’s normal even though it’s not. But now it’s Saturday night and slow it down a little bit. I always love that Thursdays are night games because I think it’s important on the day of the game to kind of review your whole week, which is the day before on all the stuff that came in so you don’t hesitate in the game.”

San Francisco faces the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6 off a short week, with their second Thursday game coming against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 15.

Though the Seahawks will present something of a different challenge than in previous years, with Mike MacDonald replacing Pete Carroll as head coach, the 49ers are familiar with MacDonald's defensive scheme, having come up against it in last year's Christmas Day defeat to the Baltimore Ravens.

It is the defense that may have more of a challenge in preparation, with the Seahawks' new offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb coaching in the NFL for the first time having overseen the Washington Huskies' attack for the last two seasons.

The Rams and the 49ers, meanwhile, know each other inside out. With Chris Shula promoted to defensive coordinator for Los Angeles to replace Raheem Morris, there aren't likely to be any huge changes on either side of the ball, and the two teams face each other in Week 3. Therefore, the 49ers should be able to expedite their preparation for that potentially crucial division clash.

San Francisco won't appreciate being among the unlucky 13 to be handed the rough deal of having two four-day turnarounds but, due to the opponents the Niners have been given for those Thursday Night contests, they probably won't feel too rushed.