NFL to cut preseason in half, but Raiders vs. 49ers could go on as scheduled
The NFL is expected to announce that its preseason will be cut from four games to two because of the coronavirus pandemic, which means a Raiders vs. 49ers game at Levi’s Stadium could be played as planned.
The news was first reported by NFL Network and confirmed by league source.
The plan is for the NFL to eliminate the first and fourth weeks of the preseason, with each team getting one home game and one away game and a longer run-up to the regular season, which begins on Thursday night, Sept. 10.
The Raiders haven’t played the 49ers in the preseason for eight years, with the last meeting coming at Candlestick Park in 2011. The series was suspended because of fan violence in the stands and parking lot. The teams had played against each other in the 10 previous preseasons leading up to 2012.
Under the new schedule, the 49ers would host the Raiders at Levi’s Stadium the weekend of Aug. 20-24 (the game was originally scheduled for Aug. 21 and could remain on that day) and visit the Chicago Bears the following weekend (originally scheduled for Aug. 29).
The games which would be canceled for the 49ers would be Aug. 15 at Denver and on Sept. 3 at home against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Raiders, originally scheduled to face Arizona in its first game at Allegiant Field on Aug. 27, would keep that slot as their final preseason game.
The games eliminated from the Raiders schedule would be at Seattle on Aug. 13 and at home against the Rams on Sept. 3.
Some schedule reshuffling league-wide is expected to assure each team getting one home game and one road game.
All scheduled dates — including the start of the regular season — could be altered based on developments regarding the spread of the coronavirus.
Protocols for the opening of team facilities to players, including testing, are still being discussed. As it stands, training camps are scheduled to open July 28.
The 49ers and Raiders have played twice in the regular season since 2011, with the Raiders winning 24-13 at the Coliseum in 2014 and the 49ers beating the Raiders 34-3 at Levi’s in 2018.