49ers Release Foster before Falling in Tampa

Week 12 - Even before their meeting against the (3-7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers found themselves in a bit of a quandary as news broke just hours before kickoff that linebacker Reuben Foster had been arrested by Tampa police on domestic violence charges at the team's hotel. Following his third run in with the law in less than a year, the team decided to cut ties with their first round pick from a season ago after giving the troubled 24-year old one last chance to keep his nose clean as he failed to follow those guidelines. But despite the gaping hole the Niners now face at the linebacker position which has been without Brock Coyle since the early part of the season due to head and back injuries, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team still had a game to play on Sunday.

Coming off the Week 11 BYE, the 49ers would take on a Buccaneers offense that ranks tops in the league despite a QB carousel that would land former first overall pick Jameis Winston back at the helm for Tampa Bay. But as good as the Bucs' offense has been this season, their defense came into the game having allowed a league-worst 33-points per game on average, something Nick Mullens and the 49ers offense would hope to exploit. With both teams exchanging punts to open the game, Winston and the Bucs would be first to strike as a 42-yard gain on a deep pass to receiver Mike Evans would set things up for a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate. The 49ers would come close to tying things up in the second quarter as Mullens connected with rookie receiver Dante Pettis who scored his first touchdown since Week 1 and second overall, but Robbie Gould would miss the point-after, making it a 7-6 Tampa lead. It would be a busy day for Pettis who's been plagued with injuries this season and entered the game with only seven receptions on the year, as he compiled more than half that in this game alone. A pair of Cairo Santo field goals before the half would allow the Bucs to take a 13-6 lead through the first two quarters.

Looking to answer on their opening possession of the second half, the 49er offense would march all the way to the 1-yard line, but were stopped on both 2nd and 3rd downs before a false start penalty on 4th down stalled any chance to go for it at the goal-line as the offense was forced to settle for a field goal. San Francisco's inability to capitalize in the red zone would sting the team even more considering Winston would lead the Bucs offense on back-to-back touchdown-scoring drives heading into the fourth quarter. In need of a few quick scores to answer, Mullens was picked off on each of San Francisco's final two drives, ending any chance of pulling off the miracle comeback. For Tampa Bay, their performance on defense would be their best of the season as the pair of interceptions were only their second and third of the season which also ended a streak of seven consecutive games without allowing a single takeaway. The Bucs D which held Kyle Shanahan's offense to their fewest point total in a game this season, also did a good job at disrupting the quarterback as they kept Mullens in check by forcing a total of four sacks and prevented the 49ers quarterback from getting into any type of rhythm in the passing game. The constant pressure was something Mullens saw very little of through his first two starts considering his offensive-line didn't allow a single sack in those first two games.

The only positive takeaway on the day for the 49ers, would be that of running back Matt Breida who rushed 14 times for 106-yards in the loss, his second consecutive game with over 100 yards rushing and the team's 9th game with over 100+ yards on the ground, the most in the NFL. As for Breida's counterpart, Bucs running back Peyton Barber who was coming off a career-high 106 yards rushing in Week 11, was held to only 47 yards on 18 carries. As good as San Francisco's defense was against Barber, they were unable to say the same for quarterback Jamis Winston as the former No. 1 overall pick threw for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including 116 yards to Mike Evans who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving on the season and was a constant problem against a banged up Niners secondary. Nick Mullens had easily his worst start of his career as he finished with 221 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 picks while completing only 18-of-32 pass attempts. With the loss, the 49ers fell to 2-9 on the year and stand alongside the division rival Cardinals as the only 2-win teams in the NFC. Of course Arizona's only two wins on the season came at the hands of San Francisco.

Week 13 Preview - The 49ers' schedule won't get any easier in their next match-up as they take a trip up north to renew rivalries with the (6-5) Seahawks in Seattle where the Niners haven't won since 2011. Coming off a pair of 3-point wins against the Packers and Panthers, Seattle will look to continue their hopes of making the playoffs as they currently stand in the hunt for an NFC Wild Card spot. Going three straight games without throwing a single interception, the always dangerous Russell Wilson will try to maintain their recent dominance over the 49ers against an old friend as former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will look to exact revenge as he prepares to oppose his former team for the first time since being released in the offseason. With two of their five losses suffered at home this year where Pete Carroll's Seahawks have been virtually untouchable in years passed, the Niners will need a near perfect game from their offense if they plan to end their streak of six straight losses in Seattle's Century Link Field.


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