Week 8: 49ers tame Jaguars in London

Winners of four straight heading into Sunday's game, all by double-digits, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers flew across the pond to London, England to face a 17-point underdog in the (0-7) Jacksonville Jaguars. One of two NFL teams still seeking their first win of 2013 (Tampa Bay the other), the Jaguars knew their first taste of triumph wasn't likely to come against a San Francisco squad that's been playing its best ball of the season as of late and has scored at least 30-points in each of their last four games. Dominating both at home and on the road, the 49ers made themselves feel right at home on Sunday despite being more than 5,000 miles away from Candlestick Park. 

It's no secret that the San Francisco 49ers are at their best when their run game is clicking on all cylinders and the defense does what's asked of them. That's been the team's recipe for success over the last month. With QB Colin Kaepernick involved in the run game more so last week than he was in any week prior as he ran for his first touchdown of the season, coach Harbaugh saw his quarterback log another stellar performance on the ground in this one. Kaep ran for 54-yards and added two more rushing touchdowns to his season total while throwing for another 164-yards and finding a wide-open Vernon Davis in the end zone in the second quarter for his only passing touchdown of the ballgame. Running back Frank Gore who's been the catalyst during San Francisco's current winning streak, ran for another pair of touchdowns on Sunday while compiling 71-yards rushing, but not even he led the 49ers rushing attack against the Jaguars as that title belonged to backup Kendall Hunter who ran for a game-high 84-yards.

If any of the 83,559 fans in attendance at London's Wembley Stadium were fans of the long ball and were hoping to see the 49ers utilized Colin Kaepernick's arm to the best of its ability, they more than likely left Sunday's game disappointed. With only 16 pass plays being drawn up by offensive coordinator Greg Roman who called for twice as many run plays, the few number of times the 49ers decided to go through the air might come as a surprise considering the second play of the game saw Kaepernick connect with his fullback Bruce Miller for a 43-yard gain. Trailing 28-0, Jacksonville would finally get on the board just before the end of the first half as kicker Josh Scobee split the uprights from 38-yards out. The Jaguars' lone highlight would come in the third quarter when QB Chad Henne who threw for 228 yards on the day while playing a turnover-free ballgame, found a wide-open receiver in the end zone as Mike Brown hauled in a 29-yard touchdown pass to cut the deficit to 18.

But any hopes of a miracle win would come crashing down early in the fourth quarter when 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis forced a fumble on Jaguars tight-end Mercedes Lewis, picked up and returned 43-yards by Dan Skuta for the game-sealing touchdown as San Francisco pummeled the Jags, 42-10. The victory was the fifth straight for the 49ers and was also the fifth consecutive performance in which Jim Harbaugh's team lit up the scoreboard for more than 30-points as they improved to 6-2 on the year.

Week 10 Preview - With a BYE week in week 9, the 49ers will have plenty of time to return home and adjust to the States in preparation not only for their next opponent but also for the second half of the NFL season. Still trailing the (7-1) Seattle Seahawks in the NFC West division, every game from here on is key for the 49ers who hope to not just make the playoffs but do so ahead of their division foe. Week 10 will see the 49ers return home to Candlestick Park where they'll play host to Cam Newton and the (5-3) Carolina Panthers. Like San Francisco, the Panthers are riding a win-streak of their own having won four straight in hopes of closing the gap on the NFC South-leading New Orleans Saints. Few quarterbacks in the league have been as hot as Newton over the last month so the Niner defense figures to have their hands full in that department. The biggest concern, however, is Carolina's defense. As good as San Francisco's defense has been as of late, the Panthers defense has been among the league's best this season. Carolina boasts a turnover ratio of +8 and has allowed only 9 touchdowns compared to San Francisco's +4 turnover ratio and 17 touchdowns allowed. So as much as we'd all like to see Cam Newton and Colin Kaepernick run rampant on the opposition, don't be surprised if it ends up being a game highlighted by defense.


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Week 7: 49ers trample Titans to win fourth straight.

After a bit of a Super Bowl hangover which saw the 49ers fall to 1-2 after the first three weeks of the season, Jim Harbaugh's club seems to be clicking on all cylinders having won three straight entering Sunday's meeting in Tennessee. But despite San Francisco's resurgence, many have already begun to write off QB Colin Kaepernick. With far less read-option plays called by offensive-coordinator Greg Roman this year, running the ball seems like a forgotten element of the quarterback's game. But on Sunday, we were reminded of Kaepernick's running ability as he found the end zone with his feet for the first time this year. 

Leading 3-0 in the second quarter, Kaepernick kept the ball to himself and ran for a 20-yard touchdown to make it a 10-0 ballgame. It would be the beginning of a trio of rushing touchdowns on the day by the 49ers. Kaepernick ran for a total of 68 yards while throwing for another 199, but was kept out of the end zone through the air. Running back Frank Gore who eclipsed the century mark in last week's win against the Arizona Cardinals but finished the game touchdown-less, made up for it on Sunday by reaching the end zone on a pair of occasions, both from 1-yard out. With their grasp on the scoreboard, Jim Harbaugh's team also won the time of possession battle by handling the rock for 11 minutes longer than Tennessee.

Titans quarterback Jake Locker who had missed his last two starts with a knee and hip injury and wasn't expected back for a few more weeks, toughed it out and still managed to have a decent game under center. Throwing for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns including one to former 49ers tight-end Delanie Walker, Locker tried to make a game out of it late in the fourth quarter but costly miscues dug too big of a hole for him and his team to climb out of. Winning the turnover battle has been vital during San Francisco's current winning-streak and this one would be no different as the 49ers continued the trend by forcing two turnovers and committing none of their own. Cornerback Termaine Brock who's filled in quite nicely for the ailing Nnamdi Asomugha came up with his third interception in as many games while the special-teams also delivered when Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt by Darius Reynaud inside the end zone.

With one of their best all around performances of the season, the 49ers beat the (3-4) Titans by a final score of 31-17. It would be their fourth straight 30-point performance as they improve their record to 5-2 and their winning-streak to four games, all of which have been won by double-digits. 

Week 8 Preview: With one game over with and another remaining on San Francisco's current road trip, the 49ers get ready to cross the pond for their matchup in London against the win-less Jacksonville Jaguars (0-7). As the 49ers' BYE week looms in Week 9, coach Jim Harbaugh plans to ride into the week off with another win added to their total. But that's not to say he's overlooking his next opponent. Though Jacksonville is arguably the worst team in the league, Harbaugh won't expect anything but the very best from his squad come Sunday. And with pounding the rock being San Francisco's recipe to success over the last four weeks, expect another heavy dose of runs from Frank Gore and company. After all; if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Right? This week should also be a good week for Colin Kaepernick to blow off some steam and get into a groove of his own both through the air and on the ground. 


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San Francisco to host the Freak Show for 2 more years

In a season full of disappointment for the 2013 San Francisco Giants who displayed a bit of a World Series hangover by finishing 76-86 and tied for third in the division, one of the few bright spots came on July 13 when starting pitcher Tim Lincecum threw his first career no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It would also be the highlight of Lincecum's season as his 2013 campaign ended with the right-hander finishing under .500 for the third consecutive season (10-14) and an ERA north of 4. But none of that stopped us Giants fans or the front-office from expressing how much we'd love to see him return to the orange and black in 2014 and beyond. 

Expected to test the waters of the free-agent market following the conclusion of the World Series, we made signs for Lincecum's final home start of the season that read: 'Don't leave, Tim' and 'San Francisco loves you' as it was unsure whether or not we'd see Timmy in a Giants uniform again. That question was answered much sooner than expected on Monday when news broke regarding both sides reaching a deal pending a physical worth $35 Million over 2-years. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and is $5.5 Million fewer than the 2-year, $40.5 Million contract he signed in 2012. Entering his age 30 season, the former first round pick of the Giants in 2006 owns an overall record of 89-70 and an ERA of 3.46 through seven Major League seasons. Though his fastball velocity isn't quite where it used to be in the 95 mph range, his popularity hasn't lost a beat. Better known around AT&T Park as "The Freak", Lincecum's teammates as well as manager Bruce Bochy will be every bit as happy as the fans are now that the 4-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner is staying put.

While there are those who are saying the Giants are overpaying for his services, the market for pitchers heading into the offseason isn't very appealing to start. Bronson Arroyo, Hiroki Kuroda, Matt Garza, Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez round up this offseason's top pitching free-agents and with the exception of Arroyo, they'll all likely sign for a larger sum than Lincecum. Not to mention they're all older than the Giants right-hander. Other than the Giants, the Seattle Mariners who play just a stones throw away from where Timmy is from in Bellevue, Washington, were likely to offer him a contract had he hit the market. 

The re-signing of Lincecum comes three weeks after the Giants locked up their biggest offseason priority in outfielder Hunter Pence who GM Brian Sabean inked to a new deal one day prior to the end of the 2013 regular season, preventing him from stepping foot in the free-agent market. Pence who made a spectacular diving catch with 2-outs in the 8th inning to preserve Lincecum's no-hitter, hit a career-high 27 home runs in 2013 and logged a personal-best 22 stolen bases to go with 99 RBI's while starting in all 162 games this season, further demonstrating his durability. Pence has missed just 24 games in six full big league seasons and was an integral part in the team's World Series success last season as he delivered a motivational pre-game speech prior to game 3 of last year's NLDS vs the Cincinnati Reds. The signings of Lincecum and Pence leave only left-handed reliever Javier Lopez as the last name to be marked off of Sabean's list of top priorities for returning players entering 2014.


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Week 6: 49ers Win third straight behind Davis' monster day

With both teams entering Sunday's game at 3-2 respectively and riding a two game winning-streak, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West showdown with both teams vying for a win to gain sole possession of second place in the division and keep pace with the division-leading Seattle Seahawks. Things couldn't have been drawn up any better for the 49ers to begin the game on defense as they returned two early Carson Palmer interceptions inside the 20-yard line. But where the defense excelled, the offense struggled.

A sluggish start to the game for QB Colin Kaepernick and company enabled Arizona to stick around until late in the fourth quarter as the San Francisco offense failed to take advantage of three early trips to the red zone. The first two trips resulted in field goals by Phil Dawson while the third ended in an interception on a tipped pass intended for fullback Bruce Miller inside the end zone. But Kaepernick would eventually get things going as he began to utilize his best weapon through the air as it soon turned into the Vernon Davis show at Candlestick. The Pro Bowl tight-end would have a career day, hauling in touchdown grabs of 61 and 35 yards, logging a career-high 180 receiving yards total while displaying a flurry of acrobatic catches including one reminiscent of another bay area great by the name of Willie Mays. Davis' personal-best 180 yards receiving would also be the second most by a tight-end in the last 10 years. Despite Davis' spectacular showing, it wasn't enough to keep Arizona from nibbling at San Francisco's heels practically all game long.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer would show flashes of why he was named to a pair of Pro Bowl's while a member of the Cincinnati Bengals by throwing for a pair of touchdowns and finishing the game with 298 yards passing to keep his team in it. But he would also have his fair share of mistakes as the 49er defense picked him off twice and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. Leading 22-20 in the final minutes of the third quarter, the Niners would get a much needed takeaway when linebacker Patrick Willis made a tackle on Larry Fitzgerald, forcing him to fumble. The fumble would be recovered by rookie safety Eric Reid who also finished with his team-leading third interception on the year in the first quarter before later being joined by Carlos Rogers who picked off Palmer two drives later for his first of the season. San Francisco won the turnover battle and forced a total of four turnovers for the second consecutive week with the help of another rookie in Corey Lemonier who was selected in the third round of April's NFL Draft earlier this year. The first-year player out of Auburn finished the game with his first career sack as well as a forced fumble and a safety while filling in for the absent Aldon Smith.

Back to the offense, Davis wouldn't be the only one who finished the game with a nice stat line as 49ers running back Frank Gore would do what he's done so often against the Cardinals by logging another stellar performance by rushing for 101 yards on Sunday. However, it would be Gore's running mate Kendall Hunter who would put the icing on the cake as Arizona trailed by two with six minutes remaining in regulation before Hunter made his way into the end zone for a late score. Kicker Phil Dawson went 3-for-3 in the field goal department including a 44 yarder to seal the 32-20 victory for the 49ers. 

Week 7 Preview: After two games at the 'Stick, Jim Harbaugh hopes to continue his teams winning ways away from home as the 49ers prepare for their first game of a two-game road trip against the (3-3) Tennessee Titans. Having been without quarterback Jake Locker the past two weeks due to a hip and knee injury, the Titans, losers of two straight, will have their QB back on Sunday much earlier than expected. But with a stout 49er defense in town, I'm not sure giving Locker the nod is a good idea given he won't be at 100%. The meeting will also mean a reunion with Titans tight-end Delanie Walker and his former team as Walker signed with Tennessee as a free-agent during the off-season. With the 49ers having success running the ball in each of their last three games, expect the trend to continue on Sunday.


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Week 5: 49ers Defense grabs Houston by the horns, 34-3.

After getting back on track in Week 4 with a blowout win on the road over the division-rival St. Louis Rams, the 49ers returned home hoping they could translate that performance against the visiting Houston Texans. Having struggled mightily at the quarterback position with Texans starting QB Matt Schaub throwing a pick-six in three consecutive games, Houston head coach Gary Zubiak saw the trend continue on Sunday night. Three plays into the Texans opening-drive, Schaub would have his first pass attempt of the game picked-off and returned 18-yards into the end zone as cornerback Tremaine Brock read the pass intended for wide-out Andre Johnson like a book, logging his first career touchdown and putting San Francisco up early. With the interception returned for a touchdown, Schaub became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a pick-six in four consecutive games. 

Filling in for the injured Nnamdi Asomugha who missed his second consecutive game nursing a knee-injury, Brock would receive plenty of hugs and high-fives from his 49er teammates by games end as he picked-off Schaub for a second time in the second quarter. And though Schaub would be intercepted for a third time in the third quarter this time by defensive-lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie and later be replaced, Houston's struggles would go far beyond those at the quarterback position. With a lost fumble by backup running back Ben Tate and a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter to add to Houston's woeful night, the Texans would be unable to find an answer for the 49ers Frank Gore. After compiling over 150 yards in week 4, Gore followed up that performance with another solid outing by rushing the ball for 81 yards and a touchdown. 

Aside from Gore, the 49ers would be relatively quiet on the offensive side of the ball. For the second consecutive week, QB Colin Kaepernick failed to put up eye-popping numbers through the air nor did he have to. The third-year player out of Nevada had an Alex Smith-like performance in the sense that he played smart, mistake-free football. Kaepernick completed only 6 of his 15 pass attempts for 113 yards to three different receivers, but one of those passes would go for a 64-yard connection to tight-end Vernon Davis who beat man to man coverage and ran down the sidelines for the easy score, putting to rest any doubt regarding his sore hamstring that caused him to miss week 3. Davis would lead all receivers with 88 yards on a trio of receptions. 

Houston would eventually get on the board in the third quarter via a Randy Bullock field goal after hooking and missing an earlier attempt in the first quarter wide-left but it wouldn't be nearly enough as San Francisco got another solid performance from the defense despite the absence of several key defensive players. Niners kicker Phil Dawson put an exclamation mark on the game by splitting the uprights from 24 yards out late in the fourth quarter to seal the 34-3 win. With the win and a Seahawks loss, the 49ers gain a game in the NFC West standings over Seattle (4-1) who San Francisco (3-2) now trails by a game. 

Week 6 Preview:  Heading into Week 6, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers are riding their first winning-streak of the season and are coming off of back-to-back blowout wins as they get set to host the division-rival Arizona Cardinals (3-2) who have a two game winning-streak of their own. With a stingy secondary led by Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson who Colin Kaepernick will have to steer clear of considering he's amassed 3 interceptions against the Niners in his last two games, we'll likely see another average performance through the air where as a majority of the 49ers offense will come on the ground. Expect a healthy diet of Frank Gore who's rushed for 13 touchdowns in his last 13 meetings against the Cardinals as well as another stout performance by the San Francisco defense who will create plenty of problems for Arizona QB Carson Palmer who will be returning to the bay area after spending the last two seasons under center in Oakland. 

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