Week 8 - With the San Francisco 49ers hitting the road to visit the division rival Arizona Cardinals in the desert, the contest between the two 1-6 teams would be as winnable a game the Niners would see away from home this season. But having lost eleven straight games in the month of October and riding a seven-game losing-streak to the Redbirds, nothing would be easy, nor guaranteed for Kyle Shanahan's group. Looking to avenge a Week 5 loss at home in which the 49ers obliterated the Cardinals in almost every major statistical category and yet still suffered defeat, San Francisco would need to play a much cleaner game as the turnover department was the lone outlier in that contest, 5-0 in favor of Arizona.
Not only would the 49ers manage their first turnover-free game of the season, but they would also force a pair of turnovers to go along with a safety. By halftime, the 49ers took a 5-3 lead into the locker room in what resembled more of a baseball score, highlighted by a pair of field goals and a safety cashed in by the San Francisco defense. Collecting only their second interception of the season, Niners defensive back Jaquiski Tartt jumped in front of a pass intended for Arizona's Christian Kirk to come up with the rare pick that put his team in field goal range. After throwing for a career-high 349 yards in the earlier meeting between these two teams, quarterback C.J. Beathard had a more modest performance thru the air in the rematch, throwing for only 190 yards on Sunday. Receiver Marquise Goodwin would provide the only fireworks for the San Francisco offense as he caught a pass and turned on the afterburners to blow by Patrick Peterson for a 55-yard touchdown. Following another Robbie Gould field goal, the 49ers took a 15-3 lead into the fourth quarter and appeared to be on their way to a second win of the season. But rookie quarterback Josh Rosen and long-time Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald would have other plans.
Having been a thorn in the side of the 49ers since being drafted in 2004, Fitzgerald has had plenty of memorable games throughout his illustrious career which will ultimately send him to Canton, Ohio one day. Sunday was another one of those games as the Cardinals lifer who tallied 102 yards on 8 receptions, caught a pass for the 219th straight game to inch his team closer in the early part of the fourth quarter as he hauled in a 13-yard score that landed him seventh on the NFL's all-time touchdowns list. Now trailing 15-10, the work of Rosen & Fitzgerald would be far from over, but would hit a bit of a speed-bump on their next possession as Cardinals tight-end Jermaine Gresham fumbled the ball after crossing midfield. The turnover would give the 49ers a golden opportunity to potentially score and put the game out of reach for good, but instead had virtually no effect as San Francisco suffered a costly sack that would put the ball back in Rosen's hands with just over two minutes remaining. After watching Aaron Rodgers work his magic just two weeks earlier to help Green Bay pull off the comeback victory that would hand the Niners a crushing loss, Rosen would pull a similar stunt.
Streaking past a defender in the back of the end zone, Rosen found a wide-open Christian Kirk for the go-ahead touchdown. Electing to go for the two-point conversion to make it a 3-point lead, Rosen and Fitzgerald would hookup once more to make it an 18-15 Arizona advantage with only 39 seconds remaining in regulation. With the tables suddenly turned and what was once a 12-point lead now squandered, Beathard and company would need to pull off some late-game heroics of their own to avoid another heartbreaking loss. After making it across midfield with one timeout and seven seconds remaining, the Niners were in need of a quick pass and a gain of 8-yards or so to give their kicker a shot at tying it. Unfortunately, things would end before Gould would be given that opportunity as an errant snap sailed over the head of Beathard, icing the game and handing San Francisco their 12th straight loss in the month of October, their eighth consecutive loss against Arizona and their sixth straight loss overall. Rosen who's only two career victories have come against San Francisco, became the first rookie QB to overcome a 12+ point deficit in the fourth quarter by throwing multiple TD passes since Andrew Luck in 2012. He would finish the game with 252 yards to go along with his pair of touchdowns and one interception.
Neither team's rushing attack would prove to be much of a factor on Sunday as Cardinals running back David Johnson rushed for a game-high 59 yards on 16 carries and remains without a single 100-yard rushing performance this season, failing to rush for more than 71 yards in a game all year. San Francisco's Matt Breida also logged 16 carries but only managed 42 yards on the ground in what was a game-time decision for the 49er running back. Kendrick Bourne would lead all 49ers receivers with 7 receptions for 71 yards. While Richard Sherman would collect his first quarterback sack since 2012 in what was a three sack performance by San Francisco's defense, the 49ers offensive-line allowed four sacks on Sunday which now ties them with the Cleveland Browns for allowing the most sacks this season with 31.
Week 9 Preview - The 49ers (1-7) will have to put their latest loss behind them quickly as they get set to host their Bay Area rival on Thursday Night Football when the 1-6 Raiders make the short trip from Oakland to Levi's Stadium. Coming off a 42-28 loss at home to the Colts in which the Raiders also blew a late lead by allowing 21 unanswered-points in the fourth quarter, the two struggling franchises will square off in what will likely be the last Battle of the Bay before the Raiders relocate to Las Vegas after next season. Playing without their first-string running back in Marshawn Lynch who is dealing with a groin injury that could keep him sidelined for the remainder of the season, what better way to bid their cross-bay rival a final farewell than to hand them their fourth straight loss of the season and seventh overall. With San Francisco having the third easiest strength of schedule the rest of the season, their best chance at stringing a winning streak together will be these next two weeks before heading into the Week 11 BYE. Whether those games will be played with C.J. Beathard under center for the 49ers or Nick Mullens is anyone's guess at this point as Shanahan might be considering a change at the QB position.
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Week 7 - Entering Week 7 against the unbeaten Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers would have to steer clear of the turnovers that have cost them time and time again this season if they wanted to put a dent in L.A.'s unblemished record. Instead, those costly mistakes would not shy away from rearing their ugly head as the division rival Rams made quick work of their struggling foe. Not only did the Niners commit a total of six turnovers in all, but L.A. made sure to capitalize on them when given the chance, scoring 24-points off of San Francisco turnovers. As if the NFC's highest-scoring offense needed help scoring points. That alone would be enough to seal the fate of the 49ers who have now lost 13 straight games in the month of October, the longest active streak in the NFL during that month.
One of the major issues for San Francisco coming into the game has been ball security, having already suffered 15 fumbles this season and wasting no time to add to that number on their first drive on Sunday. After forcing a three and out on the Rams' opening-possession, the 49er offense would make it to midfield before the flurry of turnovers began as quarterback C.J. Beathard was hit from behind by a Rams defender who jarred the ball loose and caused the fumble. And though L.A. would only get a field goal out of it, they would be given a second chance to strike paydirt just two possessions later as running back Matt Breida was stripped of the ball by Aaron Donald on the first play of the drive. For Donald, the forced fumble would be the start of a busy day for the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year as he finished the game with a career-high four sacks on the afternoon and single-handedly out-sacked the 49er defense who only logged two sacks as a unit. The second forced fumble of the opening quarter by the Rams would also jump start a trio of touchdowns scored by running back Todd Gurley who coming off his first career 200 rushing yard performance a week ago against the Broncos, would fail to hit the century mark against the Niners but found other ways to be effective.
Things would go from bad to worse for San Francisco as the struggles on offense made their way to the special-teams as punter Bradley Pinion had a punt blocked into the end zone that the Niners were fortunate enough to only suffer a safety from as the ball rolled out of bounds. Greg Zuerlein's second field goal of the day coupled with a touchdown pass from Jared Goff to Brandin Cooks after a Beathard interception, ran the score to 22-0 before the Niners finally got on the board. Prior to scoring their one and only touchdown in the last few seconds of the first half, San Francisco's first five possessions on Sunday would look like this -- fumble, punt, fumble, safety and interception. A head coach's nightmare, especially when facing a division rival and the last undefeated team in the league. Tight-end George Kittle would be one of the lone bright spots on the day for the Niners as he finished the game with five catches for a game-high 98 yards and a 9-yard touchdown that helped stop the bleeding and make it a 22-7 game at the half. Though it would only be a two-score game at halftime which meant Kyle Shanahan's team was still very much in it, Sean McVay's Rams knew they were in a good position to keep their winning-streak alive as they're a perfect 13-0 dating back to last season when scoring 15+ points in the first half.
Things would be just as ugly to start the second half for the 49ers as a three and out and interception stung the offense that managed only a field goal in the third quarter before being blanked in the fourth. For Robbie Gould, the 51-yard field goal would be his seventh straight made field goal of 50 yards or more. Todd Gurley's third and final touchdown, this time on a pass from Goff, ran the score to a final of 39-10. With the win, the Rams improve to 7-0 for the first time since 1985. As for Gurley who rushed for 63-yards on 15 carries, last year's Offensive Player of the Year and rushing touchdowns leader became just the third player in NFL history with at least 14 touchdowns in his team's first seven games of a season, joining Priest Holmes and Jim Brown. For Goff, a Bay Area product out of Cal, the Rams QB logged a clean performance by completing 18 of 24 passes for 202 yards and a pair of touchdowns against the team he grew up rooting for. Beathard on the other hand threw for 170 yards and a touchdown to go along with a pair of picks on 15 of 27 passing.
While San Francisco has had no problem with committing the turnover, their inability to force the turnover has been well documented as the 49ers who were without their shutdown corner in Richard Sherman (calf), had a pair of would-be interceptions negated on drops. The first of which by safety Jaquiski Tartt who failed to come up with a gimme interception that went thru his hands and another by safety Adrian Colbert who had an interception ripped out of his hands by teammate Ahkello Witherspoon. Making matters worse, Colbert would be injured on the play and placed on IR with a high ankle sprain, adding to the laundry list of injuries the 49ers have already suffered this season. And then there's the lack of pressure put on the opposing quarterback as the 49ers logged only two sacks on Sunday compared to L.A.'s seven. All of which adding to the frustration that has been the 49ers' 2018 season and one of the many reasons this team is now 1-6 on the year.
Week 8 Preview - Hitting the road to take on the division rival (1-6) Cardinals in the desert, the 49ers will look to avenge their Week 5 loss at home and end their seven game losing-streak against Arizona who's only win of the season came at the hands of the 49ers. Coming off a 45-10 shellacking at home against the Denver Broncos on Thursday Night Football, Josh Rosen and the Cardinals will be well rested when they play host to a 49ers team that has now lost five straight. Arizona's rookie QB who threw three picks in the loss to Denver, will look to make it a perfect 2-0 against a San Francisco team that is very much in need of a bounce-back win. Though they're unlikely to turn things around and compete for a playoff spot this season given the way their has season started, the 49ers are in an ideal position to get a winning-streak going as they'll be facing teams with a combined record of 3-wins and 17-losses these next three weeks (Cardinals, Raiders and Giants). If Kyle Shanahan's team can duplicate the performance they had against Arizona in Week 5, minus the costly turnovers -- three fumbles and two interceptions, they should be able to revisit the win column for the first time since Week 2 and end their woes against the redbirds.
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Week 6 - C.J. Beathard and the 1-4 San Francisco 49ers on the road taking on Aaron Rodgers and the 2-2-1 Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field for a Monday Night showdown, sounds like a blowout, right? Instead, the Niners surprised virtually everyone by putting up a fight from start to finish and nearly pulling off the upset as Rodgers and the Pack were pushed to the brink. So much so that it would take a last-minute drive and some late-game heroics by a banged-up Rodgers who in a last-ditch effort would setup his friend and long-time teammate Mason Crosby for a game-winning field goal as time expired. An entertaining game from the opening drive, the ending albeit fitting, was almost something you'd expect to see in a script from Hollywood given the circumstances that took place just a week earlier for Crosby who redeemed himself in the biggest way possible.
A Monday night win at Lambeau would've been a huge step forward for Kyle Shanahan's Niners team who's still seeking their first win of the season since losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo in Week 3. Not to mention it would've continued San Francisco's streak of nine consecutive victories on Monday Night Football, the third longest streak in NFL history. But claiming Monday night win number ten was expected to be no easy task heading into the game as the Packers have not lost a home game with Rodgers under center in nine straight. Not to mention Rodgers has also been one known to bring his A-game on Monday Night as he entered the meeting against the team he grew up rooting for, owning a record of 5-1 in six career appearances on Monday Night. However, one thing we've grown to expect from a Kyle Shanahan coached team, is that he'll have his players ready to compete regardless of who they're playing or who's at quarterback. That much was very evident in this one against arguably the greatest quarterback in the league.
Like they've done in each of the past two weeks, the Niners once again came out swinging on offense to open the game. An impressive seven-play opening-drive touchdown would kick things off for the Niners as running back Matt Breida who entering the Monday Night affair as a game-time decision, began the scoring barrage that would take place in the first quarter. But the same issues that plagued San Francisco the week before in the home loss to Arizona, would once again appear on Green Bay's ensuing drive. It would almost seem like deja vu as the opposition answered with a big gain of their own just one play later. Similar to Josh Rosen's 75-yard bomb on the Cardinals' first play from scrimmage a week ago that answered an opening-drive touchdown by the Niners, the San Francisco defense once again fell victim to the big play as Rodgers connected with rookie receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling for a 60-yard gain that would setup a Packers touchdown just three plays later. Then the nightmare that has been San Francisco's ball-handling or lack thereof this season, made its usual appearance. Rookie return man D.J. Reed who has already lost a fumble this season on kick returns, coughed up yet another one on the ensuing kick to give Green Bay the ball in scoring position. And though the Packers would be held to a field goal, it would only add to the laundry-list of fumbles San Francisco has already suffered this season. Unfortunately, the ball control woes wouldn't end there.
Before you knew it, the Niners and Packers went blow for blow and combined to score a total of 31-points in the first quarter alone, the second highest point total through an opening quarter in Monday Night Football history. After both teams exchanged touchdowns, a 9-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to Davante Adams and a 67-yard bomb from Beathard to Marquise Goodwin who returned to the field after missing the last game and being forced to watch most of this season from the sidelines while battling injuries, the Niners would gift the opposition with yet another generous fumble. One play into their next possession, a 21-yard reception from Beathard to Kyle Juszczyk would go up in flames as the Niners fullback fumbled the ball. The Packers would once again be held to a field goal following the turnover, but it would improve Green Bay's lead to six. But Beathard's second touchdown pass of the half to Goodwin, a 30-yard score coupled with a Robbie Gould field goal, gave San Francisco a 24-20 lead at the half. Holding a four-point lead heading into the third quarter, the Niners still had a long ways to go if they planned on logging their second win of the season, but had shown up to that point that they could pull this thing off if they played clean football the rest of the way.
Following a trio of field goals, San Francisco carried a 30-23 lead with just over 13 minutes remaining in regulation. Rodgers would have his team knocking on the door on their first possession of the fourth quarter before Packers head coach Mike McCarthy elected to go for it in the red zone on a 4th & 3 attempt as the Niner defense staved off Green Bay's chance to tie it, forcing a turnover on downs. Looking for another score to put the game out of reach or at the very least milk as much time as possible, Shanahan's offense suffered back to back three and outs and managed to only wipe off 3 minutes and 19 seconds from the clock on two possessions. As for Rodgers, the third time would be a charm as he began carving the Niners secondary like an expert surgeon. A 38-yard pass from Rodgers to Davante Adams would ignite the comeback as the two connected again just three plays later for the game-tying touchdown. Taking over at the two-minute warning, the 49ers were in perfect position to march down the field and at the very least setup Gould for a game-winning field goal once Richie James Jr. returned the ensuing kick to the 32 yard-line and was awarded an extra 15-yards at the Packers were hit with a late-hit. Several plays later, San Francisco found themselves facing a pivotal 3rd & 3, and instead of going for the short gain, Beathard went for the long-ball, taking a shot at the end zone to Goodwin. Only this time Beathard would be picked off as Packers cornerback Kevin King came up with the game-changing interception.
Taking over at their own 10-yard line with 1:07 remaining and no timeouts left, Rodgers went to work and reminded us all of his greatness. But not before catching a break on a key penalty that saved the day. Facing 3rd & 15 and pinned inside their own 20-yard line, Rodgers was sacked by DeForest Buckner for a 4-yard loss, but an illegal-contact call against Richard Sherman would give Green Bay new life with an automatic first down. Using his feet, Rodgers scampered for a 21-yard gain before utilizing the sidelines and connecting on passes of 8, 19 and 19 yards to setup Mason Crosby for the chance to send his team home with a win and redeem himself from missing four field goals and an extra-point that cost his team a win in Detroit the week prior. But thanks to his old buddy Rodgers, the 34-year old kicker who in his 11th season with the Packers, would be asked to make a 27-yard chip-shot to send his team home. And with time expiring, he would do just that as Green Bay pulled off the 33-30 win. Rodgers finished with 425 yards passing compared to Beathard's 245 as both QB's each logged a pair of touchdown passes through the air. Both Devante Adams who caught 10 passes for 132 yards and Marquise Goodwin who tallied 4 receptions for 126 yards, scored the only two touchdown passes thrown by their respective QB's. Meanwhile, Raheem Mostert led all rushers with 81-yards on 12 carries, followed by another solid performance by a less than healthy Matt Breida who ran for 61-yards on 14 carries.
Week 7 Preview - For San Francisco and coach Kyle Shanahan, the loss is a tough one to swallow as they've come so close to victory yet again, only to fall in such heart-breaking fashion. But things won't be getting any easier in Week 7 as the Niners return home to face the last remaining unbeaten team in the league in the 6-0 Los Angeles Rams. San Francisco will once again be tabbed as underdogs as they get set to renew rivalries with their division foe while on short rest. If facing the best team in the NFC isn't frightening enough, the Niners will be given the daunting task of having to stop last year's reigning Offensive Player of the Year in Rams running back Todd Gurley who's coming off his first career 200 yard performance on the ground. The match-up against Gurley will be a true test for a Niner defense that has been surprisingly tough against the rush up to this point this season. Rams quarterback Jared Goff will also be a tough assignment as the Bay Area native and Cal alum has been playing great this season under second-year head coach Sean McVay, but is looking to rebound from a so-so performance in Week 6 against Denver. The folks at NBC aren't expecting the Niners to put up much of a fight as the game was flexed from the station's Sunday Night Football slot now that Jimmy Garoppolo won't be under center for San Francisco. Hopefully that'll be added bulletin board material for Shanahan to help rally his team in hopes of pulling off the upset.
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Week 5 - Returning home to host the 0-4 Arizona Cardinals, the 1-3 San Francisco 49ers had a much different outcome in mind than the one that played out at Levi's Stadium on Sunday. If you looked up the offensive stats by both teams in the final box score, you'd be hard pressed to believe that it was the visiting Cardinals who walked away with the 28-18 victory. For a pair of NFC West rivals struggling for two different reasons -- the Cardinals who are rebuilding under first-year head coach Steve Wilks and the 49ers who were expected to take a huge step forward in their rebuild this season and perhaps even compete for a playoff spot before they were hit hard with injuries, Sunday's meeting would see more of the same from the two lowly franchises. Whether it was the 447 yards of total offense by the 49ers compared to Arizona's 220 or San Francisco's 33 first downs which more than tripled the Cardinals' 10, the 49ers dominated their opponent in almost every aspect of the game. Not to mention the 40:12 time of possession San Francisco owned in comparison to Arizona's 19:48. And then there's the 92 offensive plays that San Francisco ran which set a franchise record and dwarfed Arizona's 49 plays on offense. But the one area that Arizona managed to stay clean in where the 49ers continued to shoot themselves in the foot, was the turnover department as San Francisco turned the ball over five times and failed to force a single turnover on defense.
Entering Sunday's game last in offense, rookie quarterback Josh Rosen who in his second career start, would try to put an end to that dubious mark on Arizona's first play on offense. After the Niners opened the game with an impressive eight-play drive that was capped off by a Brett Favre shovel-pass from C.J. Beathard to Matt Breida, Rosen would need only one play to answer and put his team on the board. A 75-yard touchdown pass to rookie receiver Christian Kirk would even things up at six before former Niner kicker Phil Dawson gave his team a 7-6 lead as Robbie Gould failed to get a kick off on San Francisco's point-after attempt due to a poor snap and hold. Then began the miscues as San Francisco's next drive would last only two plays before a pass bounced thru the hands of receiver Pierre Garcon and into the paws of Cardinals defender Tre Boston. Things would only get worse as the Niners' fourth possession ended in a fumble after the Niners were beyond midfield and in enemy territory. Running back Matt Breida who had rushed for 56 yards on 8 carries in the first quarter, would leave the game with an ankle injury, making way for special-teams specialist and fourth-string running back Raheem Mostert who fumbled on his first carry of the day. Taking over in the red zone, Rosen would hand it off to David Johnson who scored on a 2-yard rush.
With already eight starters missing at least one half in the last two weeks, Breida would be the latest name added to the list as he would be ruled out for the rest of the game, taking away yet another weapon from Kyle Shanahan's offense that was already without receiver Dante Pettis and Marquise Goodwin on Sunday. Pierre Garcon would also go down with an injury, albeit briefly as he left in the first quarter with a shoulder injury before later returning after being checked by the medical staff. San Francisco's first drive of the second half would also end negatively as the 49ers were once again in enemy territory before Beathard was stripped from behind by Arizona's Chandler Jones who had a monstrous game on defense. Looking to redeem themselves one possession later, Robbie Gould's franchise record of consecutive made field goals would come to an end at 33 as he missed a 45-yard try at the start of the fourth quarter. Seeking the end zone for the first time since their touchdown-scoring opening-possession, the 49ers would get all the way to the 1-yard line before needing four plays to finally score on 4th down as Beathard connected with Trent Taylor alongside the front pylon for a touchdown. But a failed 2-point conversion attempt to tie the game, would give Arizona a 14-12 lead with under seven minutes remaining.
After forcing a three and out, another strip-sack of Beathard would doom San Francisco's hopes of taking a lead, only this time the fumble would be recovered and taken to the house by Arizona's Josh Bynes. A second interception by Beathard on their following possession would setup David Johnson's second rushing touchdown of the day. Beathard would inch his team closer with a garbage-time touchdown by running it in himself, but by then the self-inflicted miscues were already too much to overcome as San Francisco fell by a final of 28-18 to give the Cardinals their first win of the season and the first victory in the careers of head coach Steve Wilks and quarterback Josh Rosen. Coming off a career-high 298 yards passing in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers, QB C.J. Beathard surpassed that mark on Sunday by throwing for 349 yards in the loss as the 49ers have now dropped seven straight at the hands of the Cardinals, Arizona's longest active winning streak against an opponent. San Francisco's 92 plays on offense is tied for the third most plays run in a loss since 1990. If there's any silver lining from this game, it would be that the defense bounced back with a solid performance, holding the opposition to only 56 yards rushing and benefiting from the return of cornerback Richard Sherman logged another stellar outing despite playing at less than 100%.
Week 6 Preview - The 49ers will have an extra day off before they hit the field again when they make the trip to Lambeau to face the (2-2-1) Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. Coming off a 31-23 road loss to the division rival Lions in which Aaron Rodgers tallied 442 yards passing, the Pack will look to keep pace in the NFC North with the first place Chicago Bears. Like the Niners, the Packers dominated their opponent in total yards in Week 5, logging 521 yards of total offense to Detroit's 264. Also like San Francisco, the missed kicks and turnovers were what proved to be the difference as kicker Mason Crosby missed 4 of 5 field goal attempts and an extra-point, and a trio of fumbles including two by Rodgers dug too big a hole for Green Bay to climb out of. With a game-time temperature expected to be in the 40's, the 49ers will endure their first game in chilly weather this season, but nothing close to the frigid temperatures we've seen in San Francisco's recent trips to the frozen tundra. Off to their worst start to a season through the first five games since 2012 when Green Bay began 2-3, Kyle Shanahan will try rallying his guys to their first road win of the season and second victory overall. Hopefully this time around he'll have the duo of Goodwin and Pettis healthy and on the field. One guy he won't have available in time for Monday's game is Breida who will be sidelined for at least a week with a mid-ankle sprain.
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Week 4 - Road games in the month of September have been none too kind to the San Francisco 49ers. In fact, their last road win in the month of September came back in Week 1 of the 2014 season when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on September 7, 2014. Since then, the Niners have dropped eight straight games away from home in September. And playing without their starting quarterback for the first time this season, those September woes were likely to continue against a Chargers team expected by many to compete for a Super Bowl this season. A pair of 1-2 teams chasing the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the league, leading their respective divisions -- Rams and Chiefs, the 49ers and Chargers were both eyeing their second win of the season when the two faced off at L.A.'s intimate StubHub Center. Playing in their second season since relocating to the Los Angeles area, the Chargers would elect to wear their road white uniforms on Sunday, allowing San Francisco to wear their home reds. It would be a fitting choice considering 75% of the 30,000 fans in attendance would be supporting the road team as the stands were full of red clad 49er fans, myself included.
Us Niner fans would have plenty to cheer for in the early going as the 49ers came out firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball to open the game. Winning the coin toss and electing to receive, Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense would put together a trio of drives they'd much rather forget. Facing third and long on their opening possession, Rivers would be picked off by safety Antone Exum who turned his first career interception into a pick-six touchdown to give San Francisco an early lead. After a punt on their next possession, the Chargers would once again come up empty as kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 54-yard field goal in what would end up being an up and down ballgame for the L.A. kicker who was signed during the off-season. Taking over near midfield, 49ers QB C.J. Beathard would piece together what would ultimately end up being a respectable game serving as San Francisco's backup quarterback in the absence of starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Showing poise and quickness in his release, Beathard connected in the end zone with receiver Kendrick Bourne to give the Niners an early 14-0 lead. After watching the 49ers score a touchdown on offense, the Chargers were finally able to log one of their own as a wide-open Antonio Gates hauled in a pass from Rivers to put a dent into the deficit, but Sturgis would miss his first of two extra-points on the afternoon.
Looking to add to their lead, Beathard and company would produce a drive of 21-plays, the most by a 49ers team since 1993. Eating up 10 minutes and 44 seconds, kicker Robbie Gould would cap the long drive with his 32nd consecutive made field goal to add to his franchise record. Trailing 17-6 with 5:02 remaining in the half, Rivers would answer the call and rally his team to pull even just in time before the half. After striking for a 22-yard touchdown thru the air to running back Austin Ekeler and succeeding on the 2-point attempt, the 49ers appeared to be headed to the locker room with at least a 3-point lead before the Chargers turned a 56-yard punt return into a field goal to tie things up at 17-all heading into the half. The second half would see the tables turn as it was the 49ers who opened the third quarter ice-cold, virtually identical to how the Chargers opened the first. After a punt on a three and out to begin the half by San Francisco, Rivers would continue to pour it on as he threw his third and final touchdown pass on the afternoon, a 6-yard score to running back Melvin Gordon.
And just when the 49ers were on track to stop the bleeding, making it to the red zone and facing a first and goal at the Chargers 8-yard line, the self-inflicted miscues would once again begin to show their face as a pass to Garrett Celek bounced off his chest and into the hands of a Chargers defender who nearly took it the distance. An 86-yard return by Trevor Williams would set up another field goal by Sturgis, adding to the Chargers' onslaught of 20 unanswered-points and five consecutive scoring-drives. San Francisco had a chance to come up with a huge turnover of their own as a rare fumble by Melvin Gordon who hasn't lost a fumble in 28 games, was recovered by a pair of Niner defenders who collided and stepped out of bounds, ruling the ball dead and allowing the Chargers to continue the drive. Two possessions later, the 49ers would finally put an end to their second half skid when Beathard connected with his former college teammate George Kittle for an 82-yard touchdown, the longest by the 49ers this season and second longest of Beathard's career by one yard.
After forcing L.A. to punt on their ensuing possession, the 49ers had plans to retake the lead, but not before enduring a scary moment as a scrambling C.J. Beathard absorbed a shot to the chest that left the Niners QB rolling around in pain before being attended to by the medical staff. The big hit would result in third-string quarterback Nick Mullens to begin to warm up, but it turned out Beathard just had the air knocked out of him, as he returned on San Francisco's next possession. San Francisco would get a field goal out of it, jumping out to a 27-26 lead with under 13 minutes remaining in regulation. But the lead wouldn't last long as L.A. would retake the lead with a field goal of their own on their ensuing possession. But a pair of exchanged punts would put the ball in Beathard's hands late with a chance to lead his team to victory. Taking over at the 7 yard-line with 3:49 left in the 4th quarter, the Niners would see their comeback hopes come crashing down when a pair of rookies came up huge for the Chargers. 2018 first round pick Derwin James applied pressure with a hit on Beathard as he was releasing the ball, resulting in an interception that landed in the lap of Isaac Rochell with 2:31 remaining. Taking over in the red zone, the Chargers would milk the clock from there, sealing the 29-27 victory and give San Francisco their ninth consecutive road loss in the month of September.
Beathard would finish with a game-high 298 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pair of unfortunate interceptions, both of which were far from his fault. As for Philip Rivers who shook off his shaky start to finish with 250 yards passing, three touchdowns and an interception, the 36-year old veteran moved to 8th place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list by leaping Hall of Famer John Elway. 49ers running back Matt Breida who entered the game tied for the league lead in rushing yards, finished with only 39 yards on the ground on nine carries, while adding another 32 yards on three receptions. Meanwhile, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon eclipsed the century mark with 104 rushing yards, benefiting from another lackluster performance by a 49er defense that came into the game having missed more tackles than any team in the league as Gordon broke off several big plays on the day after multiple blown tackles. Tight-end George Kittle finished with a game-high 125 receiving yards and is one of only three tight-ends to lead his team in both receptions and receiving yards this season. Pierre Garcon who caught four balls on Sunday for 52 yards, tallied his 131st consecutive game with a reception, the third longest active streak in the NFL behind only Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall.
Week 5 Preview - The 49ers will look to benefit from some home cooking when they return to Levi's Stadium for the first time since their Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions. Hosting the win-less (0-4) Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco hopes to get back into the win column as they face a division opponent for the first time this season and welcome a Cardinals team with a new head coach and a new rookie quarterback under center in Josh Rosen after the benching of Sam Bradford in Week 3. Making only his second career start following a last second loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rosen will be called upon to breath life into the Cardinals offense as they've scored a league-low 37-points in four games after tallying a combined 6-points though the first two weeks. The 49ers defense, however, hoping to have Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman back in the lineup after watching Week 4 from the sideline with a calf injury, would prefer an easier outing on Sunday as they've already seen their fair share of talented quarterbacks through the first four weeks of the season. In comparison, the 49ers offense has scored 100 points so far this season and owns a point differential of -18, far from ideal, but nowhere close to Arizona's horrific -57 point differential which ranks worst in the NFL.
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