SANTA CLARA - The 49ers' bid for a second straight Super Bowl run will begin at home Sept. 8 against the Green Bay Packers, a matchup the 49ers conquered to start last season as well as the playoffs.
The 49ees have never hosted the Packers in a regular-season opener, as last year's 30-22 opening triumph took place at Lambeau Field. In the divisional-round rematch at Candlestick Park, the 49ers prevailed 45-31 while amassing 579 yards, a total that's serving as the Packers' offseason rallying cry.
The 49ers are 11-2 in regular-season openers at Candlestick Park, which has hosted the 49ers since 1971. The team plans on moving next season to a stadium being built next to the Santa Clara training facility.
Candlestick Park's potential finale - at least for regular-season action - will feature a rematch of last season's NFC Championship game. It will come Dec. 23, when the 49ers host the Atlanta Falcons on ESPN's "Monday Night Football."
The 49ers' NFC-title defense will go overseas in midseason, when they play Oct. 27 in London's Wembley Stadium against the host Jacksonville Jaguars. The 49ers will launch that extended road trip with an Oct. 20 game at the Tennessee Titans, and the bye weekend will follow the London game.
In the most anticipated divisional matchup, the 49ers will visit the Seattle Seahawks in a Sept. 15 prime-time game on NBC, and they'll face off again Dec. 8 at Candlestick Park.
The 49ers, who went 5-1 in prime-time games last season, are scheduled for five prime-time games this season. Their first one comes at Seattle, then Sept. 26 at St. Louis on "Thursday Night Football," followed by Oct. 6 against the Houston Texans ("Sunday Night Football"), Nov. 25 at the Washington Redskins ("Monday Night Football") and the Dec. 23 visit by the Falcons.
But it all starts against the Packers, who vowed to study up this offseason on the read-option offense after Colin Kaepernick ran for 181 yards - an NFL record for a quarterback - in the Jan. 13 playoff game.
That game marked only the third defeat Aaron Rodgers has suffered in eight playoff games with the Packers. Of the 49ers' other 2013 opponents, the majority feature neophyte quarterbacks: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Cam Newton (Panthers), Andrew Luck (Colts), Robert Griffin III (Redskins), Blaine Gabbert (Jaguars) and Jake Locker (Titans), all of whom are entering either the second or third seasons.
Here is the 49ers' regular-season schedule:
Sept. 8 - vs. Green Bay, 1:25 p.m., FOX
Sept. 15 - at Seattle, 5:30 p.m., NBC
Sept. 22 - vs. Indianapolis, 1:25 p.m., CBS
*Sept. 26 - at St. Louis, 5:25 p.m., NFL Network
Oct. 6 - vs. Houston, 5:30 p.m., NBC
Oct. 13 - vs. Arizona, 1:25 p.m., FOX
Oct. 20 - at Tennessee, 1:05 p.m., FOX
Oct. 27 - at Jacksonville (in London), 10 a.m., FOX
Nov. 3 - Bye
Nov. 10 - vs. Carolina, 1:05 p.m., FOX
Nov. 17 - at New Orleans, 1:25 p.m., FOX
#Nov. 25 - at Washington, 5:40 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 1 - vs. St. Louis, 1:05 p.m., FOX
Dec. 8 - vs. Seattle, 1:25 p.m., FOX
Dec. 15 - at Tampa Bay, 10 a.m., FOX
#Dec. 23 - vs. Atlanta, 5:40 p.m., ESPN
Dec. 29 - at Arizona, 1:25 p.m., FOX
*Thursday night game
#Monday night game
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