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          San Francisco 49ers' 2022 schedule: Trey Lance can ease into season

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterMay 13, 2022, 12:00 AM
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- The San Francisco 49ers' 2022 schedule was released along with the rest of the NFL slate Thursday.

          The 2022 NFL season will kick off on Thursday, Sept. 8 with the Buffalo Bills against the defending champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. ESPN opens its schedule with Monday Night Football on Sept. 12 featuring the Denver Broncos at the Seattle Seahawks.

          The NFL expanded to 17 regular-season games last season. The final regular-season games in 2022 will be played Jan. 8, 2023. The playoffs begin Jan. 14 and continue through Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 12 in Glendale, Arizona.

          Here's what's in store for the 49ers:

          Schedule

          Sept. 11: at Chicago

          Sept. 18: vs. Seattle

          Sept. 25: at Denver (SNF)

          Oct. 3: vs. L.A. Rams (MNF)

          Oct. 9: at Carolina

          Oct. 16: at Atlanta

          Oct. 23: vs. Kansas City

          Oct. 30: at L.A. Rams

          Nov. 6: BYE

          Nov. 13: vs. L.A. Chargers (SNF)

          Nov. 21: at Arizona (MNF in Mexico City)

          Nov. 27: vs. New Orleans

          Dec. 4: vs. Miami

          Dec. 11: vs. Tampa Bay

          Dec. 15: at Seattle (TNF)

          Dec. 24: vs. Washington

          Jan. 1: at Las Vegas

          Jan. 8: vs. Arizona

          Strength of schedule: T-5th, .533

          49ers | Tickets

          Biggest takeaway

          If, as expected, Trey Lance takes over at quarterback, this is a difficult slate for a first-time starter. There are plenty of tough matchups and the maximum amount of prime-time contests (five). The good news for Lance and the Niners is the early season offers a couple games to get his feet wet before diving into the deep end. What's more, the Niners only travel to the Eastern Time Zone or Central Time Zone once after Week 6 (the game in Mexico City). If Lance shows steady improvement as the season goes on, he should be rounding into form when the Niners get the benefit of playing five of their final seven games at home in what they hope will be a postseason push.

          Revenge game

          Kansas City, Oct. 23. There are plenty of games with familiar ties here, but in the spirit of the name of this section, this is the only choice to make. The Niners and Chiefs' most recent meeting came in Super Bowl LIV in Miami, a game in which San Francisco blew a two-score lead in the fourth quarter and ended up losing by 11. Winning a Week 7 regular-season game won't wipe away the pain of losing the Super Bowl, but it will carry a little extra meaning for the 49ers still on the roster from that fateful night in south Florida.

          What oddsmakers think

          The oddsmakers have the 49ers win total at 10. That's the number of games the Niners won last season before making a deep postseason run and feels about right for a roster that remains mostly intact. But there's a lot more possible variance with this group because of the expected ascendance of Lance to the starting quarterback job.

          Bold prediction

          The 49ers will post the best record in NFC West division games, going 5-1 and sweeping Arizona and Seattle. Think that's not bold? Considering the Niners are 5-15 combined against the Seahawks and Cardinals since Kyle Shanahan took over as coach in 2017, it would be a big step forward against their divisional counterparts. That type of performance in the division would go a long way toward a return to the playoffs, but you'll have to pay extra for that type of prediction here.