49ers Deliver Holiday Cheer with Win over Washington

Week 16 - With the NFL's schedule dwindling down to the final three games of the regular season, the NFC playoff picture slowly comes into focus. While the (10-4) San Francisco 49ers are among just a handful of teams to have clinched a playoff spot entering Week 16, the (7-6-1) Washington Commanders are one of the hopeful teams vying for a Wild Card position. Looking to celebrate Christmas eve with an eighth straight victory, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would face his toughest challenge yet in the form of an impressive Washington defense. Stealing the show early on for both teams would be the defense as neither team scored in the first quarter. Instead, both defenses had big stops in their respective red zone as coaches Kyle Shanahan and "Riverboat" Ron Rivera gambled on offense to no avail. 

After San Francisco marched 50-yards on nine plays on their first possession of the game before making it to the red zone and failing to convert on a 4th and 1 from the Washington 15-yard line, their defense returned the favor to do the Commanders one better. Embarking on an 18-play drive that went 79 yards and spanned nearly 11-minutes long, Washington's ground attack could not break thru from the 1-yard line as they were stuffed at the goal-line. Taking over at their own 1, Purdy and company was able to get some space with their own rushing attack before a big play from receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Filling in for the injured Deebo Samuel, McCloud showed shades of his dynamic teammate when he went in motion to take a handoff and darted free for a 71-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-0 lead. The play would mark the 49ers' longest play of the season and the first rushing touchdown of McCloud's career. Fittingly enough, Deebo would be one of the first members on the 49ers sideline to congratulate McCloud for his big play. But the festivities on the San Francisco sidelined would be short lived as their next possession went up in flames in a hurry.

Looking to tack on and add to their lead before the half, Brock Purdy would have his first down pass intercepted when Juaun Jennings bobbled the ball and batted it into the air which allowed a Washington defender to make an easy grab. Capitalizing on the turnover, Commanders QB Tyler Heinicke found rookie receiver Jahan Dotson in the back of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. With the game all knotted up at 7 at the half and Purdy completing less than 50% of his passes thru the first two quarters, coach Shanahan made a much needed offensive adjustment. Receiving the second half kickoff, San Francisco's offense put up points for the 9th time in 15 games this season to open the second half when Purdy connected with tight-end George Kittle on a 34-yard touchdown. After forcing another Washington turnover on downs, Purdy found Kittle again for a 33-yard score, this time allowing Kittle to do what he's best at by piling on yards after the catch. The touchdown connection from Purdy to Kittle would be their second of the game and fourth in the last two weeks. However, Washington would again make things interesting after a 51-yard bomb to Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin set up a short touchdown pass from Heinicke to McLaurin just two plays later. 

After answering with a Robbie Gould field goal, the San Francisco defense would put their stamp on the game with back to back turnovers forced on a strip-sack fumble by Nick Bosa and a Jimmie Ward interception which led to another pair of field goals. After seeing enough of Heinicke who seemed to be rattled following the big hit from Bosa, Ron Rivera called on Carson Wentz to finish the game at quarterback. And while Wentz would march Washington down the field for a touchdown capped off by a 20-yard strike to receiver Curtis Samuel, San Francisco would ice the game with one final touchdown-scoring drive of their own as Christian McCaffrey scored from a yard out to land the final blow. Pulling off the 37-20 victory, the 49ers won their eighth straight game to improve to 11-4 on the year. Throwing for 234 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win, Brock Purdy became the only QB in 49ers franchise history to win his first three NFL starts. Tight-end George Kittle led all receivers with 120 yards and 2 touchdowns on six receptions. San Francisco's Ray-Ray McCloud had only one carry on the afternoon and made it count as he led all rushers with 71-yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Nick Bosa added two more sacks to his NFL-leading season total of 17.5, furthering his campaign for this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Bosa is also creeping up on the franchise-record for the most sacks in a single-season held by Aldon Smith (19.5). 

Week 17 Preview: Making a trip to Sin City to face the (6-9) Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium for the first time since their relocation from Oakland, the (11-4) 49ers will look to log their ninth consecutive win when they face off against their former Bay Area rival on New Year's Day. Turning the page on 2022, the Niners hope to see continued success in the new year, only with a twist in the continued Quest For Six. Under first-year head coach Josh McDaniel, the Raiders have been one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL this season, despite having fought back a bit from a 2-7 record thru the first 10 weeks of the season. Coming off a 13-10 loss on the road in Pittsburgh on Christmas eve in which the Raiders let a 10-6 lead slip away in the final minute and were intercepted in a last-ditch effort of their own, Vegas is hanging on for dear life with their playoff hopes slowly fading away. They'll need to turn things around fast and hope for a handful of other scenarios to take place as their playoff chances dropped from 7% to just 1% following their loss to Pittsburgh. 

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49ers Clinch the West with Sweep of Seattle

Week 15 - With the (9-4) San Francisco 49ers on the road to face the rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football with a chance to clinch a playoff spot and the division, the team would again turn to their rookie third-string quarterback. After passing the test in Week 14 by beating Tom Brady and the Bucs in his first career start, Brock Purdy would be tested yet again by playing in the hostile environment that is Seattle's Lumen Field for the first road start of his career. Known for being one of the more intimidating venues to play in in the entire NFL due to the high volume of the raucous crowd, Mr. Irrelevant again proved to be, well, relevant. Entering the match-up as rare road favorites in Seattle despite being winless in their last two trips to the Emerald City. 

On short rest following the quick turnaround from last Sunday's game at home against Tampa Bay, Purdy would get the nod at quarterback despite oblique and rib injuries that kept him limited in practice all week. Unfazed by it all, Purdy would continue to perform in a way that seems fit for a Hollywood script. After punting on their first possession of offense, the 49ers struck first on a brilliant play-call as Purdy faked a pair of screens before rifling a pass down the middle to a wide-open George Kittle who broke for the 28-yard touchdown. Keeping the game close, the Seahawks would get on the scoreboard with a field goal in the second quarter and threatened to take a lead before the half, but a big time hit on Seattle's Travis Homer from Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw would result in a fumble that San Francisco would turn into a touchdown just two plays later. Scoring with under a minute remaining in the half, Christian McCaffrey would spring forward for the easy score to give the 49ers a 14-3 lead at halftime. 

It would be an interesting turn of events as Seattle nearly picked off Purdy on the other end prior to Homer's fumble. Instead for Seattle, the only team with a turnover in every game this season, that stat would continue to haunt them following their latest miscue. With 11 straight games scoring 10+ points in the first half, the longest streak in one season in 49ers team history, San Francisco wouldn't score nearly as many points as they should've in the second half, but the defense would more than make up for that. Before you could even blink after the second half kickoff, the San Francisco offense found the end zone two plays into the half when a wide-open George Kittle leaked out towards the sideline and caught a deep ball that he would take 54-yards to the house, juking a pair of Seattle defenders on his way to the end zone. Now leading 21-3, the 49ers nearly added to their double-digit lead when Seattle quarterback Geno Smith was facing pressure and launched a deep pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Instead, 49ers defensive stalwart Nick Bosa would be flagged for a bogus roughing the passer call that wiped the San Francisco touchdown off the board. Seattle would take advantage of the second-chance by adding a second field goal.  

After exchanging a pair of punts, the 49ers had looked to add to their lead just before the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but a 43-yard field goal attempt by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould would sail wide right, keeping the score at 21-6. Making matters worse, Seattle would march 67 yards on eight plays, while chewing up only 1 minute and 25 seconds of game time. Inching closer by making it a 21-13 ballgame, Seattle would score their first offensive touchdown in nearly two whole games versus San Francisco this season, scoring at the 3:35 mark of the fourth quarter to pull within a single score. Looking to close out the game, the 49ers offense would take to the ground and do just that, taking advantage of a poor Seattle run defense which ranks 31st overall against the run. Having allowed 160 rush yards per game, Seattle had surrendered 838 rushing yards over their last four games prior to Thursday. The duo of Christian McCaffrey (26 carries, 108 rush yards) and Jordan Mason (4 carries, 64 yards) would add 170 more rushing yards for San Francisco, including 55 yards on a dash up the middle by the undrafted rookie, as Mason sealed the game-clinching first down before leaking oil and being stopped at the 3-yardline where they would let the clock run out. 

Becoming only the second team in the league to wrap up a playoff berth after Philadelphia, the 49ers on the other hand are the first to secure a division title, with their first NFC West crown since 2019. Sweeping the season series from Seattle for the first time since 2011, the 49ers currently have the longest active winning-streak in the NFL with seven consecutive victories, trailing them are the Cincinnati Bengals who are next with five. Niners QB Brock Purdy registered a turnover-free game, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts, including his first 11, and threw for 217 yards and 2 scores. Purdy's 11 consecutive completed passes to begin a game is the longest such streak by a rookie QB this season. Purdy is also the first rookie QB to win his first two starts vs a Super Bowl-winning QB in Tampa Bay's Tom Brady and a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Seattle's Pete Carroll, while also leading all rookie QB's this season with 6 passing touchdowns. Purdy did equally as well at the podium at his postgame press conference, deflecting all credibility to fellow Niner QB's Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy's favorite target on the night -- tight-end George Kittle, had his best game of the season, hauling in four catches for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 49er defense held Geno Smith to 238 yards and a touchdown. 

Week 16 Preview: Returning to Levi's Stadium on Christmas eve, the (10-4) 49ers will look to gift themselves an eighth straight win when they take on a (7-5-1) Washington Commanders team vying for an NFC Wild Card spot. With San Francisco having already clinched a playoff berth, the Commanders are not to be taken lightly as they will have plenty on the line to fight for, not to mention they are the only team thus far to hand the (12-1) Philadelphia Eagles a loss this season, albeit they are division rivals. If the Niners can continue to win and the Minnesota Vikings continue to fall, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have a chance to soar into the NFC's No. 2 seed, and while the chances of them catching Philly are possible, they remain slim. But most importantly, San Francisco will hope to avoid the injury bug during the regular season's homestretch. 

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49ers Dismantle Brady's Bucs in Purdy's First Career Start

Week 14 - Heading into Week 14's match-up between the (8-5) San Francisco 49ers and (6-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all the chatter revolved around Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy versus the GOAT Tom Brady. Two guys nobody gave much of a chance after being drafted in the seventh and sixth round, respectively, the two QB's would square off with both of their teams looking to stay atop their respective divisions. Featured as FOX's "Game of the Week," the highlighted match-up would turn into a rout by halftime and would force the network to switch to the more competitive game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter. 

Playing 25 miles outside of his hometown for only the second time in his career against the team he grew up rooting for, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady who was seen taking it all in before and after the game, had purchased tickets for over 100 friends and family members who were in attendance on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, his supporters would have little to cheer for in the lopsided affair. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would also have his family in attendance as his parents were able to witness their son make his first career NFL start. And as if the juices weren't flowing already after player introductions, he would be awoken with a helmet to helmet hit that resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on the first play of the game. From that point on, it would be a remarkable day at the office for Purdy who helped lead the 49ers on a touchdown-scoring drive on their first possession. Receiver Deebo Samuel would put San Francisco ahead early with a 13-yard touchdown run. 

Looking to answer, the Bucs would cross midfield and attempt a 55-yard field goal which kicker Ryan Succop would miss terribly. San Francisco would find the end zone again two possessions later when Purdy struck pay dirt with a touchdown run from two yards out for his first career rushing touchdown. One drive later, Purdy would launch a 27-yard touchdown to running back Christian McCaffrey to take a three-score lead which led the Levi's Stadium faithful to begin chants of "Purdy". With the touchdown pass, Purdy would become just the third QB in 49ers franchise history to record a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in his first career start (Shaun Hill & Jeff Garcia). With the 49er offense rolling to a 21-0 advantage, Purdy and company would lose one of their most dynamic weapons in the second quarter when Deebo Samuel was tackled awkwardly and fumbled the ball. Grabbing at his lower leg as he went down, he would need to be carted off the field. Noticeably upset and in tears, not one player on the 49ers team went without padding Deebo on the back or going to a knee as he was being attended to by the team's medical staff. 

After a turnover on downs by the Bucs on the other end, the 49ers were able to add another touchdown just before the half. Nearly suffering their second consecutive turnover, San Francisco caught a break when a Brock Purdy interception was negated thanks to a holding call by the Tampa Bay defense. One play later, Purdy found receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a deep pass for a 32-yard touchdown. Taking a 28-0 lead into the half, San Francisco's number one defense would hold Tom Brady and the Bucs offense to their third shutout of the first half this season. Opening the second half with more sloppiness from the Tampa Bay offense, the 49er defense would intercept Brady on back to back possessions in the third quarter as Tashaun Gipson and Dre Greenlaw picked off the Bucs QB. Adding one final touchdown, McCaffrey broke for a 38-yard touchdown run, stiff-arming his way to the end zone to put the Niners ahead, 35-0. Becoming only the fourth player in NFL history with 30+ rushing touchdowns and 20+ receiving touchdowns in his first six seasons, McCaffrey would log his 11th career game with 1+ rushing TD and 1+ receiving TD, tying him with the great Jim Brown for 4th most all-time. 

The Buccaneers would finally break thru with a score of their own with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter when receiver Russell Gage caught a fluky touchdown pass after being in the right place at the right time. With Brady's pass nearly intercepted, the ball was deflected before finding Gage who made a shoestring grab for the lucky score. Brock Purdy would depart the game in the fourth quarter with an oblique and rib injury and did not play the final 13 minutes, allowing the recently acquired Josh Johnson to enter and closeout the game. Adding one more turnover with a fumble on defense, the 49ers milked the clock to a 35-7 victory. Despite not recording a single sack for the first time this season, the San Francisco defense still managed three takeaways with two interceptions and a fumble. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 21 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, outdueling Tom Brady who threw for 253 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 34 of 55 pass attempts. With the win, Purdy also became the first QB to defeat Tom Brady in his first career start. McCaffrey led all players with 2 touchdowns and 162 all purpose yards with 119 on the ground and another 34 yards thru the air, logging his 41st game with 100+ scrimmage yards since 2017 which is the most in the NFL in that span and 9th this season. He's also the only player in the league this season with 700+ rushing yards & 500+ receiving yards thru Week 13. 

Week 15 Preview: Taking the stage for their one and only Thursday Night Football game of the season, the (9-4) 49ers will take a trip to the Pacific Northwest to face the division rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks with a chance to clinch the NFC Western Division on the line. Coming off a loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, Pete Carroll's Seahawks who have been leading the 49ers or on their heels in the standings, have now lost three of their last five games which has given San Francisco some breathing room as the 49ers have also won six straight. Unfortunately, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have a decision to make before kickoff as Brock Purdy may not be ready in time for Thursday's game on short rest as he's dealing with oblique and rib soreness. Purdy who had the highest passer rating among QB's in Week 14 with a 134.0 QBR, will be ruled a game-time decision. If Purdy is unable to start, QB Josh Johnson will be next in line for the start in what is his fourth stint with the Niners. Johnson completed 1 of 2 passes for 10 yards to closeout Sunday's win over the Bucs. Hopefully San Francisco's dominant defense will do enough of the heavy lifting on Thursday to the point that it won't matter who is under center for San Francisco come kickoff. 

San Francisco also dodged a bullet with the Deebo injury as it was revealed that the 49ers' receiver did suffer knee and ankle sprains but avoided a major injury as he's expected to return to the field this season. 

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49ers lose Garoppolo, Rally behind Mr. Irrelevant to down Dolphins

Week 13 - One of the more anticipated games to highlight another busy week in the NFL was Week 13's meeting between the (7-4) San Francisco 49ers and the visiting (8-3) Miami Dolphins in what would be a match-up of teacher and student between Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and 'Fins skipper Mike McDaniel who faced off for the first time after having spent 14 seasons coaching together. As if the two high-flying offenses wasn't enough to look forward to, the game would also feature a number of 49er players now on the Dolphins, including Miami's running back tandem of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. who had some choice words come up in a recent interview regarding their former team which led to several Niners taking to social media to respond. But no response would be louder than the one that took place on the field when the final whistle blew on Sunday.

Facing the league's number one defense, Miami's offense which had scored 30+ points in four consecutive games entering Sunday's tilt and has produced some of their best offensive statistics since the Dan Marino-led Dolphins in 1986, came out guns blazing on the first play of the game. After pitching a shutout a week ago at home against the Saints, the 49ers saw their hopes of logging back to back shutouts evaporate almost immediately after kickoff and before many fans could even find their seats. Dolphins receiver Trent Sherfield who tallied a total of 87 yards and a touchdown last season with the 49ers, nearly topped that mark on one play when he caught the first pass of the game on the first play from scrimmage and took it 75-yards to the house for the game-opening touchdown and ending the Niners' streak of six consecutive shutout quarters on defense. But as expected when you poke a sleeping giant, Miami's big play would only anger San Francisco's defense which woke up following the early score. Equally as troubling for the offense, the 49ers would see quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hauled to the locker room with a lower leg injury following San Francisco's first possession on offense, thrusting rookie QB Brock Purdy into the spotlight. 

Purdy, taken with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, this year's Mr. Irrelevant was anything but on Sunday when called upon to take over for the injured Garoppolo who went down on the final play of the Niners' first drive before having to settle for a Robbie Gould field goal. With the defense settling down and recovering from the gut-punch on the opening-play, Purdy came into the game and marched the offense to the end zone for his first career touchdown pass as he hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk for the 3-yard score. After Miami tied the game at 10 with a field goal of their own, Purdy again led the offense down the field and into the red zone where he found Christian McCaffrey for the short touchdown strike from 3-yards out in the final seconds of the half. Going into the locker room with a 17-10 lead, the 49ers' late first half touchdown meant San Francisco had now scored in the final two minutes of the first half in each of their last five games (all wins). Meanwhile, at the time of Garoppolo's injury, the extent of the injury was still very much unknown. As it turned out, Garoppolo would be ruled out for the game at the half and it was learned following the game from coach Shanahan that his quarterback had suffered a broken foot that would require season-ending surgery. 

Down to their third-string quarterback, the former standout QB who started nearly all four years at Iowa State and went on to set a number of school records with the Cyclones, over 30 to be exact, including winningest QB in program history, most passing yards, most completions, highest completion percentage and most touchdowns, Purdy looked very comfortable under center given the circumstances. Other than the fluky 75-yard touchdown scored on Miami's first play of the game, the San Francisco defense held their own in the first half, allowing just 82 yards on their next 24 plays. That defense would start the second half red hot by intercepting Tua not only on consecutive possessions, but on consecutive passes to open the half. Ending Tua's streak of 193 straight passes without an interception, the longest active streak in NFL, was 49ers safety Jimmie Ward who took advantage of a Dolphins receiver who lost his footing on the play and corner Deommodore Lenoir who secured an errant pass off the hands of Tyreke Hill. The 49ers would turn both picks into field goals, adding to their lead. 

But like the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end," the same would be said for San Francisco's second-half shutout streak as a deep pass from Tua to Hill ended in a 45-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. The 0 points allowed in the second half of four straight games for San Francisco's defense would tie the longest streak since 1939 and spanned an impressive 22 opponent possessions. But after having to punt on their ensuing possession, the 49ers suddenly found themselves in a vulnerable position, giving the ball back to their opponent and clinging to just a six-point lead. A key overturned catch on 4th and 2 for the Dolphins that would've resulted in a first down, was instead reversed to an incomplete pass thanks to a nice play by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who upon further review got a hand on the ball just enough to disrupt the catch. Cashing in on another field goal, the San Francisco defense would put a dagger in the heart of the Dolphins offense when Nick Bosa forced a strip-sack that resulted in a scoop and score fumble return for the aforementioned Greenlaw. It would be the final stamp of the day for the 49er defense and Bosa who had a monstrous afternoon, tallying 3 total sacks on the day. 

Adding insult to injury, Tua would be replaced one possession later by QB Skylar Thompson who's one and only pass resulted in a Fred Warner interception to ice the game and send the Niners off with the 33-17 victory. Whether or not it was the 49ers defense making Tua uncomfortable, there would be an awful lot of misfires and overthrows for the league's most accurate passer on downfield passes virtually all afternoon long as he entered Sunday's game with a QB rating of 115.7 to lead the NFL. With another dominant second half, San Francisco has now outscored opponents 70-7 in the second half of their last five games. They have also allowed 17 points or fewer in five straight games, their longest streak since 1997. As for the man of the match, quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 210 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception while becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game. Tagovailoa threw for 295 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the loss. Christian McCaffrey (8 receptions, 80 yards and 1 touchdown) and Tyreek Hill (9 receptions, 146 yards and 1 touchdown) each led their teams in receiving. McCaffrey and rookie running back Jordan Mason also combined for 66 and 51 yards rushing, respectively, while former Niners Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. were held to a combined 33 yards rushing for Miami. 

Week 14 Preview: One of only six QB's taken with the final pick in NFL Draft, Purdy who has already made NFL history by being the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game, will now become the first with that title to start a game at quarterback when he gets the call under center next week against Tom Brady and the (6-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Concluding their three-game homestand at Levi's Stadium, the vaunted 49er defense will look to continue their recent onslaught against a Buccaneers team that has not looked nearly as good as they had in the previous two seasons with Brady at the helm. But after erasing a 13-point deficit with less than 5 mins remaining on Monday Night Football to steal a game against the rival Saints, the lowly Bucs are not to be taken lightly despite their record. The 49ers will also need to continue their winning ways to keep their distance from second-place Seattle. 

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49ers Defense pitches Shutout vs Saints

Week 12 - Known to have one of the more talented offenses and one of the best offensive play-callers in all of football, the offense of the (6-4) San Francisco 49ers would take a backseat on Sunday as their game versus the (4-7) New Orleans Saints was all about the defense. Entering Sunday's game boasting the NFL's best defense and ranking No. 1 in both yards and points allowed, San Francisco's stout defensive attack did not disappoint in their return to Levi's Stadium. With shutouts on defense in the second half of their last three games, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans' bunch turned things up a notch by pitching a shutout for the entire game as the defense stood on their head in a 13-0 win for the 49ers. 

With an NFL-leading 19 turnovers on offense prior to Sunday's game, the Saints kicked things off with more of the same right out of the gates when their first offensive possession went up in flames after San Francisco's Fred Warner forced a fumble on New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara. The 49ers would take advantage of the stellar field position by getting on the scoreboard, but were only able to walk away with a field goal. As good as San Francisco's defense was on Sunday, the Saints defense also held their own by making things hard for a star-studded 49er offense virtually all afternoon long. Knocking on the door of their first touchdown of the game, Jimmy Garoppolo and company were denied on each of their first two trips to the red zone, including a goal-line stand on a quarterback scramble that kept a lunging Jimmy G just short of the end zone. However, the 49ers would redeem themselves on their next possession as Garoppolo's pass found the arms of receiver Jauan Jennings who showed great concentration on a tip-drill in the back of the end zone. The right place at the right time situation would give San Francisco a 10-0 lead just before the half with 0:19 remaining. 

Receiving the ball to open the second half, the 49ers would catch a break when a Jimmy Garoppolo interception was called back on an illegal-contact penalty against the New Orleans defense. While the offense didn't register another visit to the end zone like they had hoped, they did get another field goal on a 46-yarder from Robbie Gould to increase the lead to 13-0. San Francisco's second half shutout-streak nearly came to an end on the Saints' next possession, but that was until a 48-yard field goal attempt by Wil Lutz sailed wide left. The Saints would also threaten on each of their next two possessions by making it to the red zone, but that's where the vaunted San Francisco defense turned up the heat and stepped up their game. With the ball at the San Francisco 6 yard-line, Saints quarterback Andy Dalton checked down a pass to Kamara who made it to the 1 before being met by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who fought off the Saints' Pro-Bowl running back just enough to allow Talanoa Hufanga to break up the play and force a fumble as he shot thru like a missile, knocking the ball loose with his helmet. Squirting the ball up into the air, the 49er defense was able to recover and prevent the Saints' hope for a score. 

One possession later and the Saints were right back at it, knocking on the door of a potential touchdown. Making it to the 4 yard-line with a first down, the San Francisco defense held their ground on four consecutive downs by forcing three straight incomplete passes before a Nick Bosa sack, the Niners' lone sack on the afternoon, sealed the win and forced the turnover on downs inside the red zone. The 49ers were able to ice the game with a series of first downs which allowed them to cruise to a 13-0 victory and complete the shutout. With four straight second half shutouts (all wins), the 49ers have now shutout their opponents in six straight quarters and have not allowed a team to score in the second half since Kansas City's 30-point outburst in the second half of San Francisco's last defeat over a month ago back on October 23. Perhaps even more impressive is the scoreless streak that San Francisco put an end to as the Saints were held scoreless for the first time in 333 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Sunday's defeat for the Saints would be their first without scoring since Week 17 of the 2001 season which also happened to come against the 49ers. In fact, the last four times the Saints have been shutout has come at the hands of the 49ers: Week 9 1997, Week 6 1998, Week 17 2001 and Sunday. 

Nobody on either team finished with impressive numbers on offense as both quarterbacks had pedestrian games with Garoppolo throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown and Dalton passing for 204 yards. Neither team had a running back rush for more than 35 yards and San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk finished with a game-high 65 yards receiving on 5 receptions. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would receive some unfortunate news following the win regarding running back Elijah Mitchell who left Sunday's game with a knee injury in the second half and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. Mitchell who led all 49er running backs with 35 yards on 7 carries, missed seven of the team's first eight games this year after suffering a sprained MCL in the season-opener at Chicago. After Christian McCaffrey, the void at running back will likely be filled by a combination of rookies Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price or a promotion from the practice squad for veteran Tevin Coleman. With the win on Sunday, the 49ers improved to 7-4 on the year and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West as the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals all suffered losses in Week 12.

Week 13 Preview: Continuing their three-game homestand, the 49ers will turn to a more formidable opponent in the (8-3) Miami Dolphins. Tied atop the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills for first place, the Dolphins will pay a visit to Levi's Stadium with a familiar play-caller leading the way in rookie head coach Mike McDaniel who spent the last five seasons in San Francisco under coach Shanahan, including last year as the team's offensive coordinator. McDaniel has struck lightning in a bottle in his first season at the helm in Miami, coaching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' high-octane offense to five straight wins after coming off a 30-15 victory at home over the Houston Texans. Having scored 30-points in four consecutive games and having held opponents to 17-points or fewer in three of their last five, Miami will certainly put San Francisco's defense to the test. 

In what is becoming a highly anticipated match-up, both teams have added some fuel to the fire after current Dolphin and former 49ers running back Raheem Mostert had some choice words in a recent interview, criticizing his former team for not having his best interest in mind and attempted to rush him back from injury after sustaining a knee injury in the season-opener. The injury would put an end to Mostert's season and ultimately his career with the Niners. Fellow running back Jeff Wilson who is now Mostert's teammate in South Beach, will also get a crack at his former team after being traded from San Francisco on November 1 following the 49ers' acquisition of Christian McCaffrey. Deebo Samuel has since replied to Mostert's comments via Twitter, tweeting, "Raheem be real with yourself." Safe to say, it should be a fun one on Sunday. 

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49ers Pummel Cardinals in Mexico for 1st Place

Week 11 - Hitting the road and traveling south of the border to face the division rival (4-6) Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, the (5-4) San Francisco 49ers made themselves at home in an away game that felt a lot like their own stadium in front of the nearly 80,000 fans in attendance who cheered and roared for a 49ers team that dominated for a majority of the contest. In what was the first NFL game played in Mexico since 2019 and the first for the 49ers since 2005 when they played these Cardinals in the first ever regular season game hosted by the country, San Francisco got solid performances from nearly all of their star players on both sides of the ball. While coach Kyle Shanahan's team would eventually run away with the blowout victory, things got off to a quiet start for the 49er offense before they flipped the switch and could not be stopped. 

With an altitude of 7,280 feet at Mexico's famed Estadio Azteca venue which dwarves that of the Broncos' 5,280ft. Mile High Stadium in Denver, coach Shanahan had his Niners team practice in the week leading up to the game in the high altitude in Colorado Springs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals took a different approach by holding practices while wearing altitude training masks, designed to replicate the extreme conditions caused by the thin air in Mexico City. Whether effected or not by those conditions right out the gates, both teams were also met with rainfall which led to punts by both teams to start the game on four of the first five possessions. Before having their doors blown off, the Cardinals struck first to open the scoring with a field goal on their second possession. In at quarterback for a second consecutive week in place of the injured Kyler Murray who is nursing a hamstring, was Colt McCoy who entered Monday's game with a record of 3-1 with Arizona, including a win against San Francisco a season ago. 

With the first quarter coming to a close, the 49ers opened quarter No. 2 with back to back touchdown-scoring drives. Three consecutive plays of 20, 19 and 20 yards by running back Christian McCaffrey (twice) and receiver Deebo Samuel got the 49ers into the red zone where quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would finish things off by finding wide-out Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. After an interception that tipped off the hands of Cardinals running back James Conner and into the arms of a sliding Jimmie Ward on Arizona's ensuing possession, the 49ers again found themselves in business, taking over near midfield. Three plays later, Garoppolo lobbed a pass to his tight-end George Kittle who broke free from a pair of Cardinal defenders and was able to trot into the end zone for the easy score. Redeeming himself for the dropped pass that led to the interception, Conner helped the Cardinals answer right back one possession later with their lone touchdown of the evening with a 2-yard carry that ended in pay dirt. Adding a Robbie Gould field goal just before the half, San Francisco carried a 17-10 lead into halftime. 

Receiving the ball to open the second half, the San Francisco offense continued to score for a fourth consecutive drive thanks to a rushing touchdown from Deebo Samuel who found the end zone after a 39-yard run, the longest rushing touchdown of his career. Following a turnover on downs by the Arizona offense and punts by both teams, Garoppolo again took to the air and found Brandon Aiyuk for a second touchdown reception. Capitalizing on yet another turnover on downs by the Cardinals, Garoppolo and company made quick work of their great field position from the 50, as George Kittle caught a pass and added to his impressive YAC ability by marching 32-yards for the dagger touchdown. For good measure facing Cardinals third-string QB Trace McSorley, the 49er defense ended a late threat by the Arizona offense when rookie cornerback Sammy Womack logged his first career interception with a pick inside the end zone, sealing the dominant 38-10 win. Outscoring their opponent 21-0 in the second half, the San Francisco defense recorded their third consecutive second half shutout and have now combined to outscore opponents 54-0 in the second half of their last three games. 

With the win, the 49ers improved to 6-4 on the season and sit atop the NFC West in first place. Continuing their NFC West dominance, San Francisco improved to a perfect 4-0 record versus division foes this season and have won all four games by double-digits, owning a point differential of +80 after combining to outscore the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks: 120-40 this season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo tied a career-high with 4 touchdown passes with his first 4 TD performance since Week 14 of the 2019 season. Along with his 4 TD's, Garoppolo completed 20 of 29 pass attempts for 228 yards and was kept on his feet all night long as his offensive-line did not allow a single sack. Running backs Elijah Mitchell (9 carries, 59 yards) and Christian McCaffrey (7 carries, 39 yards) shared ball carrying duties, but it was thru the air where the San Francisco offense did most of their damage. George Kittle finished with four receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns, and McCaffrey added another 67 yards on 7 receptions to go over the century mark for total yards in the game. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk caught only two passes on the night but made them count as they both ended in touchdowns. 

Week 12 Preview: Returning home for the start of a three-game homestand, the 49ers will look to get some home cooking as they welcome in the (4-7) New Orleans Saints on a short week. Coming off a 27-20 win at home over the L.A. Rams, the Saints have proven to be a scrappy bunch in a lot of their games this season, but will head into Levi's Stadium to face a 49ers squad that appears to have found their rhythm, as they are finally turning the corner in the injury department and have now stringed together three wins in a row. Led by quarterback Andy Dalton, the Saints will not only look to spoil San Francisco's win-streak, but also their second half shutout streak on defense which has now hit three consecutive games. 

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49ers come Alive in Second half to pull off Comeback

Week 10 - In the days leading up to their Sunday Night match-up with the (5-3) Los Angeles Chargers, coach Kyle Shanahan's (4-4) San Francisco 49ers were hit with some unfortunate news when they learned about the season-ending injury suffered to one of their players. Few players in the NFL have had luck as bad as Jason Verrett who's career has been plagued by injury since being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the then San Diego Chargers who selected him 25th overall. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season-opener last year and nearing a comeback after being activated by the 49ers just two weeks ago, the former Pro Bowl corner was dealt yet another blow after tearing his Achilles during practice on Wednesday. Before the heartbreaking injury which has become commonplace for the Niners franchise since the start of coach Shanahan's tenure, teammates and coaches alike were awaiting Verrett's return as he was expected to be somewhat of a reinforcement after the season-ending injury fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffered in Week 5. 

A tough pill to swallow, the Niners will now have to find that production elsewhere in hopes of someone else stepping up and filling that void. However, San Francisco would get reinforcements at several other positions on defense in time for Sunday's game as defensive-coordinator DeMeco Ryans saw the return of defensive-lineman Jordan Willis as well as linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, although Greenlaw's night would be cut short due to an illegal hit which led to an early disqualification. While the San Francisco defense would ultimately come up big when they were most needed, things got off to a sluggish start out the gates. With the Chargers getting the ball first, quarterback Justin Herbert led the team to a touchdown-scoring drive on their opening possession. Playing with a short-handed receiving corps with both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen sidelined with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively, Herbert hit a wide-open DeAndre Carter for the 32-yard score. Coming off the BYE, the 49ers also opened the game with an effective opening-drive, but were held to a field goal in what wound up being an offensive struggle inside the red zone for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and company. 

San Francisco's second offensive possession lasted only one play after Garoppolo hit his intended target Brandon Aiyuk in stride for a 19 yard gain, before an inadvertent helmet knocked the ball loose as the Niners receiver was tackled. Turning the turnover into a field goal, the Chargers took a 10-3 lead to open the second quarter. Trailing 13-3, the 49ers were able to find the end zone before halftime thanks to a pair of big plays from George Kittle and Ray-Ray McCloud who hauled in receptions of 21 and 33 yards, respectively, on consecutive plays. A few plays later, Garoppolo would take it in himself, plowing forward from the 1-yardline and into the end zone for the touchdown. Looking to capitalize by getting the ball back to start the second half, the 49ers were unable to keep the Chargers off the board in the final two minutes of the first half as a pair of costly penalties, including the one that led to the Greenlaw disqualification, allowed the Chargers to sneak in a field goal just before halftime. 

Happy to have Elijah Mitchell back in the backfield for the 49er offense for the first time since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1, the tandem of Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey helped march the 49ers to a field goal to open the second half and make it a 16-13 ballgame in favor of the Chargers. Playing catch up virtually all night long, San Francisco would take their first lead of the night with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Orchestrating a 16-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with McCaffrey lunging forward for a 2-yard touchdown, the 49ers were able to capture the lead and allow the defense to do the rest. After exchanging punts, San Francisco was able to pin the Chargers deep near their own goal-line, which ultimately resulted in a turnover on downs inside the 10. Unable to punch the ball in for the final dagger, Mitchell would be stood up near the goal line on three straight rushing attempts. Adding another Robbie Gould field goal to improve the 49ers' lead to 22-16, the Chargers would have one last chance to pull off the comeback with less than a minute remaining. Putting an end to that comeback attempt would be Talanoa Hufanga who made a shoestring catch on an errant pass from Herbert to seal the win. 

Stepping up huge in the second half was the San Francisco defense which applied the pressure to Justin Herbert on each of the Chargers' final two possessions which led to a pair of turnovers as the Niners completed the shutout in the second half. Throwing for 240 yards and rushing for a touchdown in the win was Jimmy Garoppolo who's favorite target on the evening was Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in six catches for a game-high 84 yards receiving. The trio of Elijah Mitchell, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel combined for over 150 yards rushing for the 49ers, comparehd to just 51 yards rushing for the Chargers. The San Francisco defense held L.A.'s quarterback Justin Herbert to 196 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. 

Week 11 Preview: Hitting the road and traveling south of the border to face the division rival Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, the 49ers will look to improve on their perfect record of 3-0 within the division this year as they take on the big stage of Monday Night Football. At 4-6 on the year, the Cardinals have had an up and down season thus far and are coming off a road win against the defending Champion Rams, with both teams having to call on backup quarterbacks. While there's no word just yet on who will be under center for the Cards come game day, the 49ers defense which has logged back to back solid performances, will look to make it three straight regardless of who Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury has at quarterback out of Kyler Murray or Colt McCoy. In their first of two head to head match-ups this year, the 49ers will look to bounce back after losing both meetings to Arizona a season ago. 

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Crazy Eight -- 49ers rout Rams for Eighth straight behind Record day from McCaffrey

Week 8 - Coming off a 21-point pummeling at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, the (3-4) San Francisco 49ers returned to their home away from home at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, known by many as Levi's Stadium South, looking to regroup against a team they've had major ownage against for the better part of 4 seasons. With seven consecutive wins over the rival Rams during the regular season, coach Kyle Shanahan and company were vying for an 8th straight victory against L.A. and their fourth win of the season. Playing without one of their star players in Deebo Samuel who was ruled out on Friday with a hamstring injury, the 49ers were forced to make do without one of their biggest weapons and biggest Ram-killers, but were also able to show off their newest toy in running back Christian McCaffrey. 

Unlike their Week 4 matchup which started with both teams marching on offense and scoring on their opening-possession, each team would punt the ball away to start this one. After netting -2 yards on their initial possession, the Rams who were coming off a BYE, put together a 20-play, 85-yard drive that lasted 9 minutes and 21 seconds before L.A. quarterback Matt Stafford put an end to a near goal-line stand by the Niners defense by pinballing his way into the end zone on 3rd and 1. Stafford's first rushing touchdown since 2016 would give the Rams a 7-0 lead just before the end of the first quarter. Needing only nine plays to put up similar results, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49er offense would march right back with a touchdown of their own. With a full weeks practice under his belt for the first time with his new team since being traded from the Carolina Panthers, Christian McCaffrey made his presence felt in more ways than one on Sunday. In what would be a busy day for the newest member of the Niners, McCaffrey logged his first touchdown in the red and gold with a passing touchdown, the second of his career, launching the ball downfield 34-yards and finding a streaking Brandon Aiyuk for the score. In a stadium overran by 49ers red, the crowd would erupt with the game tied at 7. 

The back and forth melee would continue with Stafford finding Cooper Kupp in the end zone for the Rams' second consecutive touchdown. San Francisco would answer back just before halftime, but only with a field goal as L.A. took a 14-10 lead into the half. With both teams again opening the half with punts, it was San Francisco who struck first. Facing a 3rd and 3 from the L.A. 9 yard-line, Garoppolo scanned all options before lofting a pass into the corner of the end zone to a leaping McCaffrey who came down with the spectacular touchdown grab to give the Niners their first lead of the game. Needing just the rushing touchdown to complete the trifecta, McCaffrey would do just that one possession later. After nearly finding the end zone on a 24-yard rush to the 1, coach Shanahan dialed up a run up the middle to allow his new weapon to accomplish the rare feat, as McCaffrey joined some elite company by becoming just the third running back since 1970 to record a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown in a single game, and the first since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005. And some guy named Walter Payton as the only other to do it. 

San Francisco would score touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the second half when a pair of 49er tight-ends came up with big plays to add to the Rams' misery. Filling in for the injured Kyle Juszczyk who missed Sunday's game with a finger injury, Ross Dwelley picked up blocking and receiving assignments usually given to the Niners' Pro Bowl fullback and delivered on a deep ball from Garoppolo by hauling in a 56-yard reception, the longest of his career. Facing another third down inside the Rams' 10 yard-line, Garoppolo hit his number one tight-end George Kittle inside the end zone for the touchdown. Taking a 31-14 lead that they would hang onto the rest of the way, the 49ers would outscore the Rams 21-0 in the second half and would outgain them 230 to 61 in second half yards on their way to an eighth straight victory over Los Angeles. Passing for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, Jimmy G completed 21 of 25 passes on the afternoon to give him a 84.0 completion percentage, the highest by a 49ers QB since Hall of Famer Steve Young September 14, 1997. Sunday's game would also mark the first time in Garoppolo's career that he's thrown for 2 TD passes in four straight games. 

Stealing the show on offense, Christian McCaffrey tallied 183 of total offense (94 yards rushing, 55 yards receiving and 34 yards passing) and scored three total touchdowns on his way to becoming the first running back in 49ers team history with a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game. 

Week 10 Preview: Quite possibly the best part about the 49ers' 31-14 victory over the Rams was that coach Shanahan announced after the win that there were no injuries to report, also adding, "That's awkward, but I don't have any to report." While it's a rarity, it's music to the ears of 49er fans as the team enters the Week 9 BYE with a return to .500 and a hope to see several key players return when they take the field next, notably Arik Armstead & Deebo Samuel. With a record of 3-0 now in the division, San Francisco will return home in Week 10 to face another southern California team in the (4-3) Los Angeles Chargers. In what's been an up and down season for the Bolts led by quarterback Justin Herbert, the young gunslinger has not quite been his usual self this season since sustaining an rib injury against the Chiefs back in Week 2. Since then, the Chargers have been off to a rollercoaster of a start and entered their Week 8 BYE last week after dropping a game at home to the Seattle Seahawks, 37-23. One Chargers player who is playing well that the Niners will hope to contain is their do-it-all running back Austin Ekeler. 

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49ers Spearheaded by Chiefs in Blowout Loss at Home

Week 7 - Returning home to Levi's Stadium to face the (4-2) Kansas City Chiefs in what would be a rematch of Super Bowl 54, the (3-3) San Francisco 49ers would welcome arguably their toughest match-up on the schedule. But even before kickoff between two of the league's heavyweights, the 49ers stole the spotlight heading into another action-packed NFL Sunday when they made a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers less than three days earlier. However, their new offensive weapon wouldn't be the only player Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan would be excited to see on the field come Sunday, as the team also welcomed back a pair of key cogs in left-tackle Trent Williams and defensive-end Nick Bosa, both of whom missed time nursing ankle and groin injuries, respectively. 

With plenty of excitement in the air, the 49ers offense came out guns blazing, receiving the ball to start the game. After a first down pass to George Kittle who had his best game of the season (6 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown), coincidentally on National Tight-End's Day, the 49ers and their fans got their first look at their newest offensive weapon on the field. Roars from the 49er faithful serenaded McCaffrey who got back to back touches on the opening possession and had carries of 10 and 9 yards right off the bat. It didn't matter if McCaffrey touched the ball or simply checked into the game, the welcoming cheers could be heard consistently each and every time his cleats met the turf on the playing field. Though San Francisco's hot start would eventually fizzle out as they made it inside the red zone and ultimately had to settle for a Robbie Gould field goal, the 49er offense would be right back at it just a few plays later as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was picked off on his first pass of the afternoon. Young San Francisco standout safety Talanoa Hufanga who seems to come out with a game-changing play on almost a weekly basis, made his presence felt early as he forced the Mahomes interception. While it would be the second straight game with an opening-drive pick for Mahomes, it would be his lone mistake of the ballgame as he was virtually flawless for the rest of the contest. 

Turning the early miscue into points, San Francisco made quick work of the prime field position, scoring just four plays later as 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo rolled to his right and hit Ray-Ray McCloud who made a diving catch to haul in his first-career touchdown reception. While the early trip to the end zone would give the Niners a quick 10-0 advantage, it would also wake up a sleeping giant in the Kansas City offense. Answering back with a touchdown of their own, Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman got his team on the board with an 8-yard touchdown. Following another Robbie Gould field goal, the Chiefs marched once more on offense with a Hardman again finding the end zone, this time from the ground after a 25-yard touchdown run. With the Chiefs taking a 14-13 lead, a strange and rather sloppy sequence of events would take place, starting with the 49ers who marched their way into field goal range. 

Looking to recapture the lead, a costly false-start penalty on the offense knocked Gould back 5-yards and out of field goal range as they were forced to settle for a punt. Back to receive the punt was Chiefs rookie Skyy Moore who muffed the catch, giving the ball right back to the San Francisco offense. Looking to capitalize on the second-chance opportunity and at least head into halftime with a lead, Garoppolo instead returned the favor and gave the ball right back three plays later as he felt the pressure of a sack and lobbed a ball up to a crowd of players as Kansas City's Joshua Williams came away with the jump-ball interception. Looking to add to their own lead before opening the second half with the ball, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense marched into the red zone until a low-block penalty set them back 15 yards. Those yards would prove to be crucial as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's lone field goal attempt on the day sailed wide right from 39 yards out, keeping the score at 14-13 entering the half. 

With San Francisco boasting the league's number two scoring defense entering Sunday, the once formidable unit which has been banged up and riddled with injuries the last few weeks, looked like a shell of themselves in the second half. Opening the half with four consecutive touchdown-scoring drives, the Niners were unable to find an answer for Mahomes and company on defense. Kansas City would be in business to start the second half after a 48-yard kick return by Chiefs rookie Isiah Pacheco and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty tacked on, added to San Francisco's frustration on special-teams. The Chiefs would find the end zone just three plays later. While the Niners would answer with another field goal, K.C. again fired back with another trip to the end zone. Keeping the game close to start the fourth quarter, Garoppolo and the 49er offense embarked on their best drive yet.

Orchestrating a 13-play, 81-yard drive, Jimmy G hit George Kittle in the end zone for a jump-ball touchdown reception to make it a 28-23 ballgame. Sadly, that would be as close as the Niners would get as the rest of the scoring would come from the Chiefs. After allowing two more touchdowns and a safety, San Francisco's offense went stagnant as their final two possessions ended in a fumble and an interception. With the ballgame getting out of hand for the 49ers on the scoreboard, coach Shanahan would call on rookie quarterback Brock Purdy who was this year's Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick in April's Draft. Two big back-breaking plays for the 49er defense would come on a pair of third and longs as they gave up 34-yards on a screen pass to running back Jerick McKinnon on 3rd and 20, and another 57-yards on a deep pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on 3rd and 11. 

When it was all said and done, the 49ers fell to the Chiefs, 44-23, as San Francisco gave up their most points in a home game since a 45-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on October 11, 2009. With a season-high 423 yards passing for Patrick Mahomes, the K.C. signal-caller also threw for 3 touchdowns and an interception on his way to logging his 56th career win, tying him for the most among quarterbacks in their first 70 starts since 1950. While receiver Mecole Hardman finished behind four other Chiefs in receiving yards on Sunday, he became the first receiver in the Super Bowl era with 2+ rushing touchdowns and 1+ receiving TD in a game. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo had his most passing yards of the season with 303 to go along with a pair of touchdowns, but he also had a lost fumble and an interception as the 49ers were out-sacked by Kansas City's defense on Sunday: 5 to 1. 

Week 8 Preview: Falling to 3-4 on the year following the lopsided loss, the 49ers find themselves trailing the Seattle Seahawks of all teams in the NFC West standings who are currently in first place at 4-3. A few things San Francisco has had working for them this season is their 2-0 mark against teams within the division, and another is their recent domination of the rival Los Angeles Rams. With seven straight regular season victories over L.A., the 49ers will try to make it eight straight against their rivals when they take a trip down south to SoFi Stadium in Week 8. Looking to avenge their 24-9 loss to the Niners at Levi's Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 4, the Rams are coming off a BYE and have had plenty of time to prepare for the team that has had their number over the past 3+ seasons. Meanwhile, 49ers new running back Christian McCaffrey who saw limited action on Sunday due to his unfamiliarity with coach Shanahan's playbook, will have some time to get up to speed on the offense in preparation of facing the team that came close to acquiring him before he landed in SF. Other suitors who had reportedly shown interest in trading for CMC were the Broncos, Eagles and Bills. McCaffrey who tallied 38 rushing yards on 8 carries and 24 receiving yards on 2 receptions, should also get more plays on passing downs against the Rams as Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk will miss a week after suffering a broken finger on Sunday. 

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Overcome with Injuries, Banged up 49ers lose to Falcons

Week 6 - If there's been any theme for the (3-2) San Francisco 49ers so far this season, it's been the string of bad luck in the injury department and losing to teams a Super Bowl contending team has no business losing to. Both of which would continue on Sunday as the Niners visited Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the (2-3) Atlanta Falcons. Banged up and bruised up and down the roster on both sides of the ball, the 49ers entered Sunday's game missing six of their 11 starters on defense, and have already added 10 players to the Injured Reserve list this season, with defensive-tackle Javon Kinlaw (right knee) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (torn left ACL) being the latest to fall victim. With that many absences on the roster, the glaring holes would be too much for even the league's top defense to overcome as Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota had his way with the opposition from the onset. 

With Atlanta receiving the ball to start the game, Mariota and company moved the chains with ease on their game opening-drive, converting on three third downs before reaching the end zone to cap off a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown-scoring drive. Finding themselves trailing early, it would be the first touchdown allowed in the first half this season by the San Francisco defense who looked every bit as a team missing more than half of their starters on defense. Unfortunately, the offense would not look any better on their first possession which ended with a three and out punt. While the 49er defense would force punts on each of Atlanta's next two possessions, the offense shot themselves in the foot when a rush attempt on third and 1 from running back Jeff Wilson Jr. backfired as the ball carrier was striped of the ball, making for an easy scoop and score for the Falcons defense. 

In what would be a reunion game for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan who spent two seasons as Atlanta's offensive-coordinator and helped coach the Falcons high-octane offense to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, things for his current offense couldn't have gotten off to a more lousy start on Sunday. The 14-0 hole in the opening quarter would be the largest deficit faced by San Francisco this season. But with a long ways to go before the end of regulation, the 49ers would have plenty of time to turn things around. And at the start of the second quarter, San Francisco's offense would do just that. With the busiest game of the season thus far for 49ers tight-end George Kittle, QB Jimmy Garoppolo connected with receiver Brandon Aiyuk for touchdown passes on back to back drives to tie the game at 14-all midway through the second quarter. But just when San Francisco appeared to swing all the momentum in their favor, Atlanta stormed back with a touchdown of their own as Mariota took it in himself for an easy score from 3-yards out. Looking to answer just before the half, Garoppolo launched a deep ball down the field to Deebo Samuel, but was picked off for an interception. 

Receiving the ball to start the second half, San Francisco again came out flat on offense to start the half and were held to a three and out punt. Meanwhile, Atlanta came out guns blazing on offense just like they did to start the game. Capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive was second-year tight-end Kyle Pitts who after missing the previous game with a hamstring injury, hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season to put his team ahead 28-14. Rearing its ugly head again would be the injury bug which bit San Francisco two more times as cornerback Charvarius Ward (groin) and right-tackle Mike McGlinchey (calf) each left the game in the first half and did not return. Asked to fill in for the injured McGlinchey was Jake Brendel who had a rough day at the office and was called for three of San Francisco's five penalties on the afternoon, including one on a 39-yard pass from Garoppolo to Aiyuk that was brought back due to a holding call. A pair of drops on deep balls to Ray-Ray McCloud and Charlie Woerner would sum up the day for San Francisco who had their chances but let them slip thru their hands in what would ultimately be a 28-14 loss. 

With only 50-yards of rushing to show for on the day for the 49ers, Atlanta on the other hand had their most productive rushing day yet this season, despite being without their starting running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tallying 168 yards on the ground with 59 of those yards coming from Caleb Huntley, 51 from Tyler Allgeier and another 50 from Mariota. While Mariota would only throw for 129 yards on the afternoon, he took what the defense gave him and showed his accuracy by connecting on 13 of 14 passes for a pair of touchdowns thru the air and another on the ground. Jimmy Garoppolo nearly threw for 300 yards passing before finishing with 296, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, with both George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk each hauling in eight receptions for 83 yards. 

Week 7 Preview: Returning home to Levi's Stadium to face the (4-2) Kansas City Chiefs in what will be a rematch of 2019's Super Bowl 54, the (3-3) San Francisco 49ers are hoping to get multiple key players back from injury in anticipation of the big game. With the loss on Sunday to Atlanta and wins within the division from both Seattle and Los Angeles, the 49ers are currently in a 3-way tie for first place, but do own the tie-breaker with a 2-0 record against NFC West foes. Looking to stay on track and remain atop the division, coach Shanahan is hoping for some good news on the injury front regarding left-tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and defensive-end Nick Bosa (groin), as well as Mike McGlinchey (calf), Charvarius Ward (groin) and Talanoa Hufanga (concussion) who left Sunday's game vs Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are coming off back to back hard fought games after a 1-point win over the rival Raiders on Monday Night Football and a last-minute loss at home on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight-end Travis Kelce as dangerous as any at their respective positions, Week 7 will be no easy task for the 49ers who will need every bit of help they can get come kickoff. 

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49ers Pound Panthers in Blowout Win

Week 5 - Looking to put together their first winning-streak of the season, the (2-2) San Francisco 49ers would take a trip to Charlotte to take on the (1-3) Carolina Panthers. During the week leading up to gameday, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo revealed that Carolina was among the top two teams on his list of possible landing destinations. Instead, the Panthers made a deal to acquire QB Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns and Garoppolo restructured his contract to stay in San Francisco days before the start of the preseason. Coincidentally, Jimmy G would have his best game yet in 2022 and Mayfield his worst. 

With 30+ friends and family members in attendance, Sunday's game would serve as a homecoming for 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel. And although Deebo would eventually give his many supporters something to cheer about, it was Samuel's teammate George Kittle who Garoppolo would go to early and often to start the game. Having gotten off to a slow start thus far through two games after missing the first two weeks of the season with a groin injury, the 49ers tight-end had his most productive game of the season. Hauling in the first two passes of the afternoon from Garoppolo and four of the first six, a steady diet of Kittle helped move the San Francisco offense up and down the field in the opening quarter. Two plays after a 20-yard reception from Kittle, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. broke up the middle for a 41-yard gain, setting up a 9-yard touchdown reception by Tevin Coleman who had himself a nice return to the franchise after signing with the team's practice squad less than three weeks earlier. In his second stint with the team after being released by the Jets during the preseason, Coleman scored twice on the afternoon, both on the ground and through the air. 

Jimmy G would look Kittle's way two more times during their second offensive possession, but the drive would be cut short as Kittle was tackled from behind and striped of the ball near midfield, fumbling for only the second time in his career. Luckily, the turnover would not haunt the Niners as Carolina had demons of their own as Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro's field goal attempt from 41-yards out soared wide left. The missed field goal would snap a streak of 27 consecutive made field goals for Pineiro who was perfect on the day otherwise. The Panthers kicker would redeem himself on Carolina's following possession by making a 43-yarder, but not before the 49ers got a field goal of their own as Robbie Gould split the uprights from 49-yards out. Gould would have an interesting day at the office as he had a field goal blocked two possessions later from 43-yards out, and also had to make a pair of plays on special-teams as he made a tackle on consecutive kickoffs, injuring himself in the process. Gould would have to leave the game in the third quarter with a knee contusion in what would be a rough second half for the Niners in the injury department. 

Already playing this week without Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw along the defensive-line as both players were ruled out before kickoff, Gould, Jimmie Ward, Nick Bosa and Emmanuel Moseley would all be lost to injury on Sunday. With Bosa leaving the game due to a tight groin, it would be another tough break for safety Jimmie Ward who was activated from the team's injured-reserve list after missing the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. There's bad luck and then there's whatever Ward has as his season-debut would be cut short as he suffered a broken hand on the opening-kickoff. But the worst injury of all would be that of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley who suffered a left knee injury that immediately had head coach Kyle Shanahan and his medical staff fearing the worst with a possible torn ACL. Before Moseley needed assistance to be helped off the field, he came up with the best play of the day on defense when he intercepted a Baker Mayfield pass and returned it to the end zone for a 41-yard pick-six. It would be a day of high's and low's for Moseley who grew up in nearby Greensboro, North Carolina, and like Deebo, had plenty of supporters rooting him on from the stands. Moseley's interception would give the 49er defense back to back weeks with a pick-six for the first time since 2000, and their eighth pick-six since 2019, tying them for the most in the NFL during that span. 

Carolina would open the second half with their one and only touchdown-scoring drive of the game when their star running back Christian McCaffrey took a handoff on 4th and 1 the distance for a 19-yard score before failing on the two-point conversion. The 49er offense would answer that touchdown with one of their own as a big 32-yard catch and run from receiver Jauan Jennings helped setup a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel. Sandwiched between two more Carolina field goals, Jeff Wilson Jr. would add to his busy day with a rushing touchdown from the 1-yard line. Having filled in quite nicely for the injured Elijah Mitchell, Wilson Jr. finished with 120 rushing yards on 17 carries. San Francisco would add one last touchdown late, capitalizing on a turnover on downs from the Panthers inside their own 10. Putting the icing on the cake would be Tevin Coleman who added to his receiving touchdown earlier in the game with a rushing touchdown from the 5. The injury to Gould would thwart punter Mitch Wishnowsky into kicking duties as he made 1 of 2 PAT's on the afternoon, while sharing a laugh with his teammates. Garoppolo would finish with 253 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in comparison to Mayfield's 215 yards passing and 1 interception. 

Coach Shanahan's Niners would be the only team in the division that reigned victorious on Sunday, as the rest of the NFC West fell to 2-3 on the season, meaning the 49ers stand alone in first place at 3-2. And helping San Francisco achieve that feat was the defense which stepped up big once again with a six sack performance after tallying 7 sacks the previous week versus the Rams. The 49er offense was also able to match that intensity by producing drives of all types to keep the opposition on their heels. Developments would rock both teams on Monday as Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule following the team's disappointing 1-4 start and team doctors confirmed that 49ers corner Emmanuel Moseley did in fact suffer a torn ACL that will require season-ending surgery. While Moseley's absence in the defense will be detrimental to what's been a stout secondary, the door for his replacement opens wide with eyes on rookie Samuel Womack III, second-year corner Ambry Thomas, veteran Dontae Johnson and the often injured Jason Verrett who will make his season-debut soon from IR. 

Week 6 Preview: Staying out east in preparation of their Week 6 visit to Georgia to face the (2-3) Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers will setup shop at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia as part of their home away from home practice site, instead of flying across the country to the team's practice facility in the Bay Area. With a 21-15 loss on Sunday to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Falcons are just one win better than the Panthers in the standings and if not for a bogus roughing the passer call on a third down sack of Tom Brady during the 4th quarter, the Falcons could very well be coming off a win. Instead, they're coming off a defeat and are likely to be without their top two offensive weapons in tight-end Kyle Pitts and receiver turned running back Cordarrelle Patterson as they nurse a hamstring and knee injury, respectively. For this very reason, the 49ers might be able to get by for a week without defensive star Nick Bosa if Shanahan and company choose to give him a week off to aid his groin injury. Meanwhile, the team will hold a tryout for kickers in the event that Robbie Gould has to miss any time. 

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