In head coach Kyle Shanahan’s first six seasons with the 49ers, the club had back-to-back road games that saw them practice three times in Ohio, Florida and West Virginia.
When the NFL released its schedule in May, the 49ers discovered that their toughest matchups would come in Weeks 6 and 7.
The 49ers play on the road against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. They will return to action next Monday night against the Minnesota Vikings at US Bank Stadium.
The organization decided to return home after the game in Cleveland a few months ago and prepare to face the Vikings in their usual routine at the team’s training facility in Santa Clara.
“Since we had an extra day, it didn’t bother us too much,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. “We’re coming back here and we have eight days a week, which is really unusual in this league. So we didn’t feel the need to do that.”
The 49ers land in San Jose Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. after losing to the Browns 19-17.
The early arrival time allowed the players and coaches to get a good night’s sleep despite the four and a half hour flight.
Due to their upcoming game on Monday, the 49ers will travel a day later. The team and traveling party are scheduled to arrive in Minneapolis on Saturday night.
Shanahan said he’s also thinking about the future.
After the Cleveland-Minnesota games, the 49ers will have a short week before their game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Oct. 29 at Levi’s Stadium.
“We also know how miserable next week is going to be when we have a six-day week and we come back (from Minnesota) and get off at 5 a.m. that six-day week,” Shanahan said.
“I wanted the boys to come home this week because we know what the next 14 days are going to be like.”
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