The San Francisco 49ers will open their 2009 NFL regular season
on the road as they square off against the Arizona Cardinals on
Sunday, September 13
SANTA CLARA — The San Francisco 49ers will open their 2009 NFL regular season on the road as they square off against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, Sept. 13. It marks the fourth consecutive year in which the 49ers will have opened the season against the Cardinals, but the first time on the road since the team traveled to Arizona in 2006. The 49ers will play their first game at home in Week Two as they host the Seattle Seahawks.
“This is a good schedule with tough opponents,” 49ers head coach Mike Singletary said. “When I look at our schedule, I am excited that our fans get a chance to see how we stack up against our division rivals within the first five weeks of the season. I’m also thankful that our players will have an understanding of the kind of team we have heading into the Week Six bye. We are all excited about being able to play in front of national audiences on primetime television twice in 2009. Between now and the start of the regular season, we have a lot of hard work to put in and that’s what we are concentrating on now.”
The 49ers round out the month of September by taking on the Vikings in Minnesota for the first time since 2003. October begins with two home contests against conference foes, as the St. Louis Rams and the Atlanta Falcons visit Candlestick Park prior to the week six bye.
“Every year when the schedule is released it’s an exciting time for our players, coaches, the organization as a whole, and our fans,” 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan said. “From a competitive standpoint, we get to see early on how we measure up in our division. With our bye coming when it does our players will be able to rest their bodies at a critical time. Having two primetime games on national television provides us the opportunity to showcase the ‘Mike Singletary’ brand of 49ers football that we plan to play.”
Coming off the bye week, San Francisco will play three consecutive games against AFC South opponents. The 49ers will square off with the Texans on October 25, for just the second time ever. The team defeated the Houston Oilers, 10-9, on Oct. 27, 1996, during their last trip to Houston. The next week, San Francisco takes to the road again to face the Indianapolis Colts for the first time ever at Lucas Oil Stadium, before returning home to host the Tennessee Titans the following week.
Head coach Mike Singletary will welcome the team where he cultivated a Hall of Fame playing career, as the 49ers host the Chicago Bears in a NFL Network Thursday night matchup in front of a national audience on November 12. It is the team’s first ever home Thursday night contest, and the first since a 24-14 win at Seattle on Dec. 14, 2006. The team is 6-1-1 on Thursday nights all-time. The month comes to an end with a trip to historic Lambeau Field to take on the Packers, and first-ever visit to Candlestick Park by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The final third of the season begins with a trip to Seattle, followed by a home Monday Night Football contest on ESPN against the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. It is the first home Monday Night game since the 49ers defeated the Cardinals, 20-17 on Sept. 10, 2007, in a come-from-behind victory. The 49ers round out the season with a trip to Philadelphia, a home contest against the Detroit Lions and a road game at St. Louis.
All 49ers games can be heard on The Bone (107.7 FM) or KNBR (1050/680AM) during the upcoming season. Regular season games will also be aired in Spanish on KIQI (1010 AM) and KATD (990 AM).
2009 49ERS SCHEDULE
PRESEASON
Friday, August 14 vs. Denver 7:00 p.m.
Saturday, August 22 vs. Oakland TBD
Saturday, August 29 @ Dallas 7:00 p.m.
Friday, September 4 @ San Diego 7:00 p.m.
REGULAR SEASON
Sunday, September 13 @ Arizona 1:15 p.m.
Sunday, September 20 vs. Seattle 1:05 p.m.
Sunday, September 27 @ Minnesota 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, October 4 vs. St. Louis 1:15 p.m.
Sunday, October 11 vs. Atlanta 1:05 p.m.
Sunday, October 18 BYE
Sunday, October 25 @ Houston 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, November 1 @ Indianapolis 10:00 a.m.
Sunday, November 8 vs. Tennessee 1:15 p.m.
Thursday, November 12 vs. Chicago 5:20 p.m.
*Sunday, November 22 @ Green Bay 10:00 a.m.
*Sunday, November 29 vs. Jacksonville 1:05 p.m.
*Sunday, December 6 @ Seattle 1:15 p.m.
Monday, December 14 vs. Arizona 5:30 p.m.
*Sunday, December 20 @ Philadelphia 10:00 a.m.
*Sunday, December 27 vs. Detroit 1:05 p.m.
*Sunday, January 3 @ St. Louis 10:00 a.m.
