Key Safety the Difference in 49ers Loss to Denver

Week 3 - In what was expected to be a game highlighted by stellar defense, it was the sluggish offense that stole the show for both the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) and Denver Broncos (1-1), and not in a good way. With both teams coming off their first wins of the season in Week 2, fans of both teams had hoped for another step in the right direction for the offense in Week 3, despite going up against a pair of good defenses. Unfortunately for all who sat thru the Sunday Night tilt, that was not the case as boo's were heard in Denver and were echoed from 49er fans on Twitter from fans frustrated with the offense of both teams. Even with quarterback Russell Wilson no longer in the NFC Western division where he tormented the 49ers for 10 long years with the rival Seahawks, San Francisco was not able to dodge the QB who has owned them throughout his entire career, boasting a 16-4 record against them. And while he was hardly a factor in this one, Wilson again reigned victorious over the Niners, this time with Denver.  

Coming out swinging was the 49er defense who forced a three and out punt on Denver's first possession, before the San Francisco offense followed suit with a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown-scoring drive on their second possession of the game. After a deep pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk and a big run from running back Jeff Wilson, the 49ers smelled blood and capitalized with an early trip to the end zone as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found Aiyuk for the easy score from a few yards out. Other than a Brandon McManus field goal to start the second quarter for Denver, there wasn't much to highlight in the first half for either team as the punters were on full display for much of the evening. Both teams would combine for 10 punts in the first half alone, the most in the first half of any game this season thru the first three weeks. Even worse, the game would feature nine three and outs by the Denver offense, the most of Russell Wilson's career. 

Looking to come out swinging in the second half the same way they opened the first, the 49ers were able to accomplish that feat on defense, but the offense failed to deliver their end of the bargain as Garoppolo fumbled the snap at mid-field, turning the ball over and giving Denver their best field possession yet. Luckily for them, the Broncos offense would fail to do anything with it as the San Francisco defense again came thru when it was needed. In what quickly turned into a game of field position as both teams took turns pinning each other back deep in their own territory, the 49ers ultimately lost that battle as a crucial mistake took place that would prove to be the difference on the scoreboard. Pinned all the way back at their own 2 yard-line, Garoppolo took the snap and backpedaled into the end zone, feeling the pressure and eventually stepping out of bounds for what would end up being a safety to make it a 7-5 game. Eying their first lead of the game, Denver would march across midfield for a 53-yard field goal that was missed wide-right by McManus. 

Exchanging punts on the next two possessions, the 49ers would increase their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal from 51 yards out to bring the score to 10-5, San Francisco. After another pair of punts, Wilson and the Broncos would embark on their best drive yet and their only touchdown-scoring drive of the evening, marching 80-yards on 13-plays. Capping the drive and giving Denver their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, running back Melvin Gordon III rushed forward from a yard out. The key play of the drive came on a crucial 3rd and 10, as Wilson connected with Kendall Hinton for 27-yards and a first down, only after the Broncos QB escaped the pocket and dodged a sack like he's done so often against San Francisco throughout his career. Failing to convert on the two-point conversion, the 49ers found themselves trailing, 11-10 with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. 

In need of a score any way they could get it, San Francisco's next two possessions would go up in flames in the worst way, starting off with an interception as Garoppolo threw into traffic attempting to force the ball to Deebo Samuel as the ball was deflected and landed in the lap of a defender. With just over two minutes remaining, the Niner offense would get another chance after the defense forced another Denver three and out, but a 12-yard sack would again pin the offense back near their own end zone before a dump off pass from Jimmy G to Jeff Wilson ended in disaster as the 49er running back was tackled from behind, fumbling the ball in the process. With Denver recovering the football, San Francisco's late-game heroics would fall short. Despite having held the lead for more than three quarters and edging Denver in total yards 267 to 261, the 49ers were doomed by two fumbles, an interception and a safety, and while the defense played great, they were unable to force any turnovers of their own. 

Under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Denver had a good game plan on defense in not letting two guys in particular beat them in Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. That strategy would pan out as Deebo was a non-factor on the ground after being held to only 6 rushing yards on 5 carries, and Kittle who torched the Broncos for a career-best 210 receiving yards the only other time he faced them back in 2018, setting a franchise record for the most receiving yards in a game by a 49ers tight-end, was held to 28 yards receiving on four receptions. Although Deebo did have a team-high 73 yards receiving on 5 receptions as the main target of Jimmy Garoppolo who threw for 211 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception on 18 of 29 passes. Russell Wilson was held to just 184 yards passing and finished the game touchdown-less in the win for Denver. 

Week 4 Preview: The 49ers (1-2) will return home for another primetime battle against a division foe as they welcome in the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-1) for a Monday Night showdown. Having owned the Rams for the better part of 3 seasons now with six straight regular season wins over their division rival, the 49ers will look to avenge their loss in last year's NFC Championship when they blew a 10-point lead on the road in L.A. After dropping the season-opener on Thursday Night Football to the Buffalo Bills, the Rams have stringed together back to back wins against Atlanta and Arizona, and are the only team in the division at 2-1. In need of all the help they can get along the offensive-line as they go up against Aaron Donald and company, the 49ers will be without their All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams who left Sunday Night's game in Denver during the second half. 

Expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with what head coach Kyle Shanahan described as a high-ankle sprain, the absence of Williams was immediately felt in the third quarter of Sunday's game as the flood gates opened and Garoppolo was constantly under pressure from the moment he left the game. Hopefully an extra day before their Week 4 bout will allow for some additional preparation heading into the big game. Also on the injury front, the team will be without linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for up to 8 weeks with an MCL sprain, similar to the one suffered by RB Elijah Mitchell back in Week 1. If not for bad luck, the 49ers would have no luck at all it seems as Shanahan and company can not catch a break when it comes to the injury bug as they've already lost several key players in a matter of weeks to open the 2022 season. 

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49ers Dominate Seattle in first Win of the Season

Week 2 - With the start of a new era in Seattle for the Seahawks as former quarterback Russell Wilson has moved on after being traded to the Denver Broncos, no team in the NFL is more relieved of Wilson departing the Emerald City than the San Francisco 49ers. In his 10 seasons in the NFC West, the Wilson-led Seahawks tormented the rival 49ers to the tune of 16-4 record since drafting Wilson in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Also relieved of Wilson's departure is Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan who has witnessed his team lose 8 of 10 meetings against the Seahawks with Wilson under center. With Wilson now gone and a new-look Seattle team to focus on, the 49ers welcomed in their division rival with payback on their minds for all the years Seattle had their number and their sights set on getting in the win column for the first time this season. 

After taking it to their former franchise quarterback a week ago on Monday Night Football, the Seahawks appeared to be in good hands with Geno Smith taking the reigns, but the suffocating San Francisco defense proved to be too much for Seattle's signal-caller on Sunday. Greeted by more inclement weather in their home-opener as rain fell for most of the afternoon, the conditions weren't nearly as bad as they were a week ago in Chicago when the 49ers were upset by an inferior Bears team, but they were again less than ideal for a team looking to put a stamp on the 2022 season. Getting back on track in every way imaginable were the 49ers who looked like their normal selves at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, pitching a shutout on defense and playing a much cleaner game after being ravaged by penalties in the season-opening loss. But before the final whistle would blow on Sunday, plenty of drama would transpire, most notably at the quarterback position. 

From the onset of the offseason to the final snap of the preseason, the 49ers' quarterback controversy between Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo would hit a fever pitch in the days leading up to the regular season when the team failed to deal Jimmy G and instead announced the his return as both sides agreed to restructure his contract and bring him back for the final year of his five-year deal signed back in 2018. Keeping Garoppolo around in the event of a monumental collapse under Lance or even worse a major injury, coach Shanahan would be forced to make the switch much sooner than anyone expected, including the pundits who've been calling for Lance's downfall from the moment he was named the team's starter during training camp. After getting off to a hot start on both sides of the ball as the Niners opened the game with a field goal and got a stop on defense, the San Francisco offense was knocking on the door again when the Niners' young QB would require medical attention. 

On a designed-run, Lance rushed up the middle for a 2-yard gain on 2nd and 8, when his right lower-leg was rolled up on underneath him. With Lance laying in pain, his teammates immediately called for help as the team's medical staff quickly rushed onto the field where they would provide assistance. With his leg in an air cast, Lance would be carted off the field as a somber mix of whistles and cheers serenaded the 22-year old quarterback who was carried thru the tunnel. Once play resumed, Garoppolo would take over under-center as the offense again settled for a Robbie Gould field goal. After forcing another Seattle punt, the 49ers would finally find the end zone when Garoppolo hit a wide-open Ross Dwelley along the left side-line for a 38-yard touchdown. Filling in at tight-end for the injured George Kittle who missed his second consecutive game to start the season due to a groin injury, Dwelley caught only one pass on Sunday, but made the most of his lone opportunity as the sounds of fog horns rang throughout the raucous Levi's Stadium crowd. 

The 49er defense would get in on the fun when they forced back to back interceptions, with the first on a deflected ball off the hands of Niners safety Talanoa Hufanga and into the bread basket of Tashaun Gipson. Hufanga was everywhere on Sunday and played like a man possessed, making play after play along the defense. They would follow up that takeaway with another when a bit of trickery backfired on the Seattle offense. Threatening to score their first touchdown of the afternoon, the first career pass attempt from running back DeeJay Dallas was one he would regret throwing as Chavarius Ward who was San Francisco's big free-agent grab during the offseason, came up with the big turnover. The 49ers would again fail to turn the turnover into points, but they would get the ball back right away when a pair of Seahawks ran into one another on the ensuing punt. Recovering the ball and capitalizing on superb field position, the 49ers would cash in at the goal-line with a run up the gut from fullback Kyle Juszczyk to give his team a 20-0 lead at the half. 

Coming out of the locker room at halftime with more of the same dominance on both sides of the ball, the 49ers forced a Seattle punt on their first possession of the half before setting up for a 20-yard field goal. What appeared to be a chip-shot for Gould, ended in a blocked field goal, generating the lone highlight of the day for Seattle as the ball was recovered and returned to the house for a special-teams touchdown. It would mark Seattle's first blocked field goal for a touchdown since December 23, 2012 vs SF, ending a span of 147 games without. While the touchdown appeared to give Seattle new life, especially after forcing a punt on San Francisco's following possession, the 49er defense continued to show no mercy against the Seahawks offense as they forced a pair of punts of their own before Jimmy Garoppolo and company embarked on a 16-play drive that chewed up over seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Making it all the way to the 1-yard line and facing fourth and goal, Jimmy G put an exclamation mark on the game as he plowed up the middle for the game-sealing touchdown before being helped to his feet and embraced in the end zone by his teammates. 

Treating the Niner Faithful to some home-cookin, San Francisco claimed their first win over Seattle since December 29, 2019 to snap a 4-game losing-streak, doing so in front of the home fans by a final score of 27-7. Filling in nicely for the injured Elijah Mitchell, backup running back Jeff Wilson carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards, with wide-back Deebo Samuel adding another 53 yards on the ground on four carries, plus another 44 yards on five receptions. Garoppolo connected on 13 of 21 pass attempts for 154 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Geno Smith threw for 197 yards and an interception for Seattle, with Tyler Lockett hauling in 107 of those yards receiving, and Rashaad Penny finished as the team's leading rusher with only 15 yards on six carries. With only two sacks recorded in the game, both would come from San Francisco's Nick Bosa to give him 3 QB sacks on the year. With wins on Sunday from the 49ers, Rams and Cardinals, all four teams in the NFC West sit at 1-1 thru the first two weeks. 

Week 3 Preview: Paying a visit to the Mile High City, the 49ers and Broncos will face off on Sunday Night Football against an old foe in Russell Wilson. One of the more impressive showings by the San Francisco defense in their dominant win over Seattle on Sunday was their ability to stop the run, which is something they will hope to carry into their meeting with the Broncos in Week 3, specifically against Wilson who has made a living out of hurting the 49er defense with his feet. In easily the biggest trade of the offseason, the acquisition of Russell Wilson which was followed by a hefty payday (5-years, $245 Million) has not yet panned out for Denver who after losing their season-opener to Seattle, needed some late-game heroics to sneak by the rebuilding Houston Texans, 16-9 at home. Not to mention first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett has looked every bit as a rookie head coach thru his first two games at the helm. With Denver off to a sluggish 0-for-6 start in red zone opportunities to start the season, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers are making the trip to Colorado just in time before the Broncos figure things out this year, if they figure things out at all. 

After losing Elijah Mitchell for up to eight weeks with an MCL sprain, the 49ers will be without another running back in rookie Tyrion Davis-Price who suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday that will cause him to miss at least a few weeks. The injury to two running backs in as many weeks is alarming given how many games are left, but also opens the door for fellow rookie running back Jordan Mason who was signed as an undrafted free-agent and Marlon Mack who was signed just last week to the practice squad after the injury to Mitchell. Also, it was reported on Monday that Trey Lance underwent successful surgery to repair two injuries to his right ankle and is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2023 season. The injury is unfortunate as it stunts the growth of a young player very much in need of all the reps he can get and further delays the development of the inexperienced Lance who will now have to wait quite some time before he's able to hit the gridiron again. 

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A Perfect Storm -- 49ers Drop Opener in slippery Chicago

Week 1 - Heading into the 2022 NFL season, plenty has been said about what teams are expected to be good this year in the NFC and what teams aren't. The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears would be on completely different spectrums in the expectations department with the Niners coming off a dropped interception away from making it to the Super Bowl last year and chosen by many to again compete for an NFC title, and the rebuilding Bears transitioning under a rookie head coach. But regardless of how much better one team's roster is over the other, the difference in talent can easily be made up if you add in some torrential downpours to even the playing field like the ones that shook the windy city and flooded Soldier Field. 

Even before the 49ers took the field in what resembled a marshland more than it did a football field, they were met with the unfortunate news that first-year starter Trey Lance would be playing QB without one of his key weapons in All-Pro tight-end George Kittle. Nursing a groin injury suffered in Monday's practice, Kittle was a game-time decision before being ruled out just before kickoff. Once the game started, things began to look up for San Francisco as the 49er defense forced a three and out on Chicago's opening-drive. The offense would start things off at midfield before marching into enemy territory and making it as far as the Bears' 12-yard line when disaster struck. Getting his first carry of the season after a big payday in the offseason, Deebo Samuel was stripped of the ball, fumbling away a chance at taking an early lead as the drive went up in flames. Helping the Niners get the ball back moments later would be second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga who had himself a day tallying a career-high 11 tackles and recorded his first career interception on Chicago's second possession. 

After both teams exchanged a pair of punts, the 49ers finally got on the board in the second quarter when Deebo made up for his early mistake by taking a handoff from 6 yards out into the end zone for a touchdown. It would be one of the game's few bright spots for San Francisco and the lone score of the first half as the score remained 7-0 at halftime. Chicago nearly got on the board just before the half when they setup for a field goal attempt before being penalized as kicker Cairo Santos used a towel to dry the field prior to the kick. In what will likely be one of the more bizarre penalties you'll see called this year, the 49ers caught a break for a brief moment as the penalty knocked the Bears out of field goal range. While the 49ers managed to dominate the box score in the first half, they could've easily been up by three scores if not for a QB-sack that knocked them out of field goal range and an overthrown pass on a deep ball to a wide-open Tyler Kroft for a would-be touchdown. Instead, the game would be a tale of two halves. 

After San Francisco took a 10-0 lead following the first possession of the second half, the Bears would steal all momentum and never look back as the 49ers began to shoot themselves in the foot with self-inflicted miscues and penalties that quickly began to mount. While the Niners didn't exactly have everything working for them in the first half, the handful of things that were, began to slow following their first possession of the third quarter. After tallying two quarterback sacks in the opening quarter, the 49er defense would not record another the rest of the way. Also, second-year running back Elijah Mitchell who led the team in rushing a season ago and was expected to be the team's bell cow this year, was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury and did not return for the second half. Also not returning in the second half was San Francisco's run game as they rushed for 115 yards in the first half, compared to just 61 in the second. Before departing Sunday's game, Mitchell who finished with 41 yards rushing on 6 carries, eclipsed the 1,000 career yards total to become the fastest player in franchise history to reach the century mark, needing only 12 games to do so. 

Appearing to have the Bears on the ropes with a would-be punt following a no-gain on a rushing attempt on third and 4, Chicago was gifted a first down on a 15-yard face-mask penalty on linebacker Dre Greenlaw who wasn't even needed on the play as Chicago's David Montgomery was gang-tackled. Three plays later, the 49er defense appeared to have Bears quarterback Justin Fields dead to rights in the backfield for a sack, but instead allowed him to escape and launch a deep ball down the sideline to a wide-open receiver in former 49er Dante Pettis who scored on a 51-yard touchdown. The Bears suddenly found themselves back in the game and trailing 10-7. This after San Francisco's defense held Fields to just 19 net passing yards in the first half, the fewest they've allowed since 2019, as well as a passer rating of 2.8 in the first half, the lowest registered by an opposing quarterback in a first half against the 49ers since 1973 when passer rating became an official statistic. 

Following a San Francisco punt, the Bears got the ball back and benefited from another pair of bad penalties on third down, including one on 3rd and 9 that prolonged the drive that eventually gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the 49ers allowed Chicago to score 19 unanswered-points on touchdowns scored on each of their first three possessions of the second half, the last of which setup by a Trey Lance interception. Any chance of a comeback would disappear for San Francisco as the penalties loomed costly and often, not to mention the field conditions which only grew worse the later the game went as visibility or lack thereof quickly became a factor. Playing catchup and needing to air out the ball, mother nature couldn't have cared less as back to back drives ending in a turnover on downs spelled doom for the Niners who fell, 19-10. 

While nobody on either sideline played great, San Francisco's miscues far outweighed those of Chicago's, most notably in the penalty department. Proving to be the more sloppy of the two teams, the 49ers were tagged with 12 penalties for a total of 99 yards, including three on third downs on consecutive drives that led to Chicago's first two touchdowns, compared to just 3 penalties for 24 yards on Chicago. Despite the final score, San Francisco had Chicago's number in numerous statistical categories that usually translate to wins, but not in this one. The 49ers ran 11 more plays on offense than the Bears, while gaining 127 more yards of offense and possessing the ball nearly 7 minutes longer. Hopefully Kyle Shanahan and company can steer clear of monsoon weather the rest of the way this season. 

Week 2 Preview - As much as everyone wants to blame the loss on the young quarterback who didn't receive any favors from his offensive-line on Sunday as Lance was constantly under pressure despite little to no blitzing from Chicago's defense, the Week 1 loss was not a fair assessment of Lance's quarterbacking abilities given the elements. Kicking off the home-opener and facing the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium, 49ers QB Trey Lance should have a much dryer field to play on and a second chance at making a first impression as the team's starting quarterback. Coming off a Week 1 victory at home over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the Seahawks were the only team in the NFC West to come out victorious thru the first week as the Niners, Rams and Cardinals all suffered losses. In an emotional rollercoaster that provided plenty of ups and downs and lots of drama late, Seattle outlasted their former quarterback Russell Wilson with a 17-16 win. Handing the Seahawks' all-time leader in wins and the greatest player in franchise history a Week 1 loss was Seattle QB Geno Smith who outplayed Wilson in many ways despite finishing with over 100 fewer yards, especially in the first half. 

Hoping to get George Kittle back in time for the first divisional game of the season, the 49ers will have to look elsewhere in the backfield as running back Elijah Mitchell will miss 8 weeks with an MCL sprain. While the first-year starter who was drafted in the sixth-round in last year's Draft out of Louisiana will not need surgery, Mitchell's absence will deal a huge blow to coach Shanahan's offense as big things were expected from team's leading rusher from a season ago. And just like last season with Raheem Mostert who was lost for the season in Detroit, also with a knee injury, the 49ers are forced to go in a different direction with their starting running back less than one full game in. Backup running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to get the bulk of the team's carries, with rookies Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason fighting for seconds behind him. 

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