Coming off four consecutive losing seasons, the San Francisco 49ers have plenty of reasons to be optimistic about their upside heading into 2019. 

Things quickly veered off course for San Francisco last season when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tore his ACL in a Week 3 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The defense was unable to pick up the slack left by Garoppolo's absence, finishing 28th in points allowed (435) and setting an NFL record for fewest takeaways in a season (seven).

Getting Garoppolo back in head coach Kyle Shanahan's system, along with some notable free-agent acquisitions on defense, have the 49ers hoping they will play closer to the team that finished 2017 on a five-game winning streak than the one that went 4-12 last season. 

Here's the schedule the 49ers will have to conquer if they want to make their first postseason appearance since 2013, via the team's official website:

Week 4: BYE

Week 11 (Nov. 17): vs. Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET (Fox) 

Week 16 (Dec. 21 or 22): vs. Los Angeles Rams, TBD (TBD)

Week 17 (Dec. 29): at Seattle Seahawks, 4:25 p.m. ET (Fox)

Rather than address their leaky secondary in free agency, the 49ers made upgrades to their front seven in an attempt to attack opposing quarterbacks. 

San Francisco's signing of linebacker Kwon Alexander to a four-year, $54 million contract seemed like a significant financial investment at first. Per Over the Cap, the team is only on the hook for $10.25 million in guaranteed money this season, with minimal dead cap numbers starting in 2020. 

The 24-year-old is coming off a torn ACL suffered in Week 6 with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, though he was a productive run-stopper two years ago:

David Lombardi @LombardiHimself

PFF run-stop rate leaders in 2017, Kwon Alexander’s last fully healthy season: 1. Reuben Foster - 11.4% 2. Luke Kuechly - 11.3% 3. Jake Ryan - 11.2% 4. Lavonte David - 11.2% 5. Mark Barron - 10.5% 6. Wesley Woodyard - 10.2% T7. Kwon Alexander - 10% T7. Bobby Wagner - 10%

In an attempt to boost a pass-rush that disappointed last season, the 49ers acquired Dee Ford from the Kansas City Chiefs and signed him to a five-year contract. 

Ford joins a unit that also includes former first-round picks Deforest Buckner and Arik Armstead. If the 49ers add another pass-rusher with the No. 2 overall pick in April's draft, suddenly this unit has the potential to be formidable. 

As much promise as the defensive line appears to have, the 49ers' hopes rest on Garoppolo's return to full strength. 

Shanahan has proved he can have some degree of success with virtually any quarterback. Nick Mullens went from an undrafted free agent to San Francisco's starter for the final eight games in 2018. He had six games with at least 250 passing yards and four games with at least two touchdown passes. 

It helps to have plenty of playmakers around the quarterback. George Kittle has a strong case as the NFL's best tight end now that Rob Gronkowski is retired.  

The 49ers added depth to their backfield by signing Tevin Coleman, who averaged a career-high 6.1 yards per touch with the Atlanta Falcons in 2016 when Shanahan was the team's offensive coordinator. 

Playing in the same division that churned out two playoff teams last season won't do them any favors. They also have to play the NFC South and AFC North. The Niners' schedule ranks as the 11th-hardest, per CBS Sports' John Breech.

Pivotal Matchups

Leaving aside the actual opponents for a moment, the 49ers need to focus on winning away from Levi's Stadium. They were the only team that went 0-8 on the road last season. 

There appear to be several winnable road games for the 49ers in 2019, including matchups with the Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals and Washington Redskins.

The NFC West had their way with the Niners last season with five wins in six games. 

San Francisco's schedule is filled with opponents who have the potential to be among the best teams in the NFL. The Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Baltimore Ravens could easily be Super Bowl contenders. 

It's not going to be an easy road for the 49ers to get in playoff contention, so they have to take advantage of those easier matchups on the schedule to avoid having another rough season.