49ers Drop Game to Chiefs, Lose Aiyuk to Injury

Week 7 - In one of the more highly anticipated matchups on the 2024-25 NFL regular season schedule, the (3-3) San Francisco 49ers played host to the (5-0) Kansas City Chiefs in a rematch of last season's Super Bowl. With both teams decimated by injuries, the game that actually took place on the field would be a far cry from the entertaining back and forth duel that we saw in the big game back in February. And after a sluggish start on offense by both teams, it was the defense that took centerstage for most of this one. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan admitted in the days leading up to the rematch that he had avoided watching film on Super Bowl 58 for about a month following his team's heartbreaking loss. While not as crushing a defeat as the one his team suffered in overtime in the big game, Shanahan will be just as furious when he watches the tape from Sunday's bout. 

As if they needed any additional ammunition heading into the game, the Chiefs were well rested and coming off a Bye week. And in case you were wondering, Kansas City head coach Andy Reid came into Sunday's game owning a career record of 21-4 coming off the Bye in his 25 years at the helm. Those numbers would not bode well for Shanahan and company who have gotten off to a slow start to the season and are in need of any break they can get. Unfortunately, they wouldn't get any in this one and were instead dealt another blow to their playmakers. Calling on an already thin receiving corps that would be without Jauan Jennings who leads the team in receiving and was missed all week in practice while nursing a hip injury suffered in the Week 6 win in Seattle, things would go from bad to worse as another pair of receivers would be lost in the first half. Deebo Samuel who was expected to play a big role for Kyle Shanahan's offense in Sunday's game was seen heading back and forth from the field to the locker room during pregame warmups with what appeared to be flulike symptoms. And while Samuel would still suit up in time for kickoff, it was very apparent that he was feeling under the weather as he would last only six snaps before having to be pulled and sidelined for the rest of the game. It would later be revealed that Samuel was taken to a nearby hospital where he would spend the next two nights after nurses found he had fluid in his lungs and had to be treated for pneumonia. 

But even after all of that, the worst was still yet to come. With San Francisco opening the game on offense, a holing penalty on the second play from scrimmage would eventually result in a three and out punt by the 49ers. It would be only the sixth three and out all season for San Francisco who has the fewest in the league. Meanwhile, Andy Reid's Chiefs would showcase an aggressive approach out the gates with a fake punt attempt that was sniffed out by the 49ers' special-teams. The stop would be a rare win for San Francisco's special-teams unit that has cost them already on more than one occasion this season. However, the jubilation would be cut short on the very next play as 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy had his pass intended for his tight-end George Kittle intercepted. A few plays later with the Chiefs threatening on offense, the 49er defense would come up with an interception of their own. Playing in only his second game of the season and just the fifth of his career after two injury-plagued seasons, defensive-tackle Kalia Davis would make a big play to stop the Kansas City offense in its tracks when he got a paw on a pass from Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes at the line and came down with the interception. After a pair of 49er rookies came up with their first career interceptions in last week's win over the Seahawks, Davis joined the club by recording his first career interception as well. 

Following a pair of punts, the 49ers would strike first with a 55-yard field goal by the recently signed Anders Carlson who made a good first impression as the Niners' third kicker in as many weeks. As soon as the first quarter came to a close, it was almost as if the Chiefs offense flipped a switch and got going. Capitalizing on a number of penalties by the San Francisco defense, Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt made the opposition pay with touchdown runs on back-to-back drives with only punts to show for by the Niners. Finally beginning to show signs of life, the 49ers offense began to move the ball as Purdy connected on a 41-yard pass to George Kittle. Purdy would hit receiver Brandon Aiyuk with a 15-yard reception two plays later, but it was there where the Niners were dealt another crushing blow in the injury department. Tackled from behind on an inside route, a second Chiefs defender came flying in while Aiyuk was falling down and crashed into his right knee which forced Aiyuk to leave the game. While he was able to walk off the field on his own, he would require a cart that would take him to the locker room with what team doctors feared would be a torn ACL. Those results would come back worse as Aiyuk was later revealed to have town both his ACL and MCL which will require season-ending surgery. 

Now down three of their starting receivers, the 49er offense would march all the way to the 5-yard line, but were unable to punch into the end zone and were forced to settle for another field goal to make it a 14-6 game just before the half. The game wouldn't be all bad news, however, as their first round pick in April's Draft -- receiver Ricky Pearsall was able to make his NFL debut just 50 days removed from being shot in the chest in an armed robbery attempt. Entering the game to a standing ovation, the rookie Pearsall would haul in a 6-yard catch for his first career NFL reception. San Francisco would open the second half strong on both sides of the ball, first intercepting a pass from Patrick Mahomes as Deommodore Lenoir took advantage of the Chiefs' Xavier Worthy who tripped on the play which allowed for the easy pick. Purdy and company would capitalize as the 49ers QB took it in himself from 1-yard out. Cutting the deficit to just two, Carlson would fail to make the extra-point attempt, keeping it a 14-12 Kansas City lead. Just when the San Francisco was gearing towards taking a lead after forcing the Chiefs to punt on their ensuing drive, Purdy threw his second pick of the afternoon after he and receiver Ronnie Bell failed to get on the same page. 

Midway through the game, both QB's had struggled with quarterback ratings below 50. By this point Mahomes was 12 for 22 with 108 yards, 0 touchdowns and 2 interceptions for a QBR of 30.1. Purdy was not much better having connected on 9 of 18 passes for 122 yards and 2 interceptions for a 48.8 QBR. Not great for a former 2-time MVP winner (Mahomes) and last year's MVP runner-up (Purdy). It would turn out Mahomes would get the last laugh as he normally does, cashing in on the Purdy interception with a touchdown run of his own on fourth down from the 1-yard line. Several plays earlier, Mahomes recorded the longest rush of his career with the help of the NFL's over-policing of today's quarterbacks on a play that probably shouldn't have happened. What should've been an 8-yard gain, turned into a 33-yard scamper as Mahomes had appeared to be headed to the sideline as he slowed down while being chased, but with several 49er defenders slowing down with him assuming the QB was going to step out of bounds and to avoid a costly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, Mahomes instead turned on the jets and began running down the sideline for a big gain. No way should the defense have assumed Mahomes was giving himself up on the play, but it was clearly a loophole the Chiefs QB exposed and got a way with and if the officials aren't going to do anything about it, why not? 

San Francisco would threaten on their ensuing drive after a big reception from 49ers rookie receiver Jacob Cowing who hauled in a 41-yard reception, the longest of his career, setting his team up inside the red zone. Closing in on the end zone, Purdy was pressured and knocked off-balance which led to an errant pass intended for George Kittle that was picked off in the end zone. The Chiefs would add another touchdown to make it a 28-12 game on an 18-yard run by Mecole Hardman, his first TD since hauling in the game-winner in the Super Bowl, before a garbage time touchdown ran in from a yard out by Purdy, his second of the game. With San Francisco unable to recover a last ditch onside-kick attempt, the Chiefs hung on to the 28-18 win, their fifth straight win over the Niners, including a pair of Super Bowls. Both QB's struggled to put up the numbers they did, as Brock Purdy led the way with 212 yards passing, 2 rushing touchdowns and 3 interceptions, while Patrick Mahomes finished with 154 yards passing, 1 rushing touchdown and 2 interceptions. K.C. running back Kareem Hunt led all rushers with 78 yards rushing and 2 touchdowns, followed by Jordan Mason who still rushed for 58 yards on 14 carries for the Niners despite playing with a bum shoulder. San Francisco tight-end George Kittle finished with a game-high 92-yards receiving on six receptions. 

If there was a positive to point out in the disappointing loss for the Niners, it would be the return of rookie receiver Ricky Pearsall who caught three passes for 21 yards and fellow rookie receiver Jacob Cowing who got his first real action after the injury to Brandon Aiyuk, hauling in a pair of receptions for 50 yards. 

Week 8 Preview: For the second straight week, the (3-4) 49ers will be facing a team coming off the Bye week when they host the (3-3) Dallas Cowboys. With both teams playing catchup within their respective division standings, this matchup will almost serve as close to a must win game as it can get this early in the year, despite more than a full half of the NFL regular season schedule remaining. While the 49ers have had the Cowboys' number as of late with wins in three straight including playoff victories in back-to-back postseasons in 2022 and 2023, San Francisco also handed Dallas the most lopsided loss in the long-standing rivalry between these two historic franchises just a season ago with a 42-10 drubbing. This up and down 49ers team will try to mimic that dominant win from last season when tight-end George Kittle hauled in a career-high 3 touchdown receptions. Sunday night would be a perfect night to repeat that feat as Week 8 will unofficially serve as National Tight-End Day, a mock holiday created by Kittle back in 2019 to be celebrated during the last weekend of October. 

Kittle should be in store for another productive game with receiver Jauan Jennings expected to miss his second straight game due to a lingering hip injury and Brandon Aiyuk placed on the season-ending Injured Reserve list. Meanwhile, receiver Deebo Samuel who was back at practice on Friday after missing the previous two practices during the week with pneumonia, is listed as questionable and may come down to a game-time decision. The Cowboys will also be without one of their own key players in edge rusher Micah Parsons who will be out for a third straight game with an ankle injury. Like San Francisco, Dallas has plenty to prove and are coming off a 47-9 loss at home to the Detroit Lions, their worst home loss since 1988. To their credit, the Cowboys are oddly enough undefeated on the road as they enter Sunday with a 3-0 record away from home. 

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The 49ers' Dramatic Off-Season, A 3-Part Series

Chapter 1 - Football season is still a week away and yet fans of one NFL franchise have already endured enough drama to hold them over until next season. When the San Francisco 49ers kickoff their 2024-25 regular season on Monday Night Football a week from today against Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets, they'll be taking the field without their first-round draft pick in receiver Ricky Pearsall. Selected out of the University of Florida with the 31st overall pick in April's Draft, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch had drafted Pearsall with the hopes that he would give their team yet another weapon on offense. Having already suffered a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for a majority of the team's training camp, that weapon will sit on the shelf for at least the first four weeks of the season following an attempted armed robbery that left Pearsall with a gunshot wound to the chest after being confronted for his Rolex watch following an autograph-signing event. While Pearsall was very fortunate to have walked away from the incident, he was miraculously in and out of the hospital in less than 24 hours thanks to the swift response of San Francisco's first responders and a bit of luck as the bullet entered through his chest and exited his back, missing all vital organs.  

Chapter 2 - In what's been a tumultuous offseason for the 49ers, the Pearsall incident is just the latest chapter to what could be described as an excruciating headache for Niner fans everywhere. Just when the smoke had started to clear from the circus that was the Brandon Aiyuk saga, the Pearsall news shortly followed. Entering the fifth and final year of his rookie deal after being selected in the first round, 25th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, Aiyuk like many other star receivers league-wide, let it be known that he was seeking a new long-term deal prior to the start of the new season. After initially failing to come to an agreement, Aiyuk took the team and the fanbase on a roller-coaster ride where both he and members of his family expressed over their social media accounts that the disgruntled receiver wanted out of San Francisco after being "disrespected" by the team. Despite their cries, a new deal for Aiyuk was far from the top of the team's list of priorities this offseason, especially given he was still slated to make over $14 Million in salary this upcoming season. The star wide-out basically told the team to pay him or trade him, which the team obliged to, while even giving Aiyuk permission to talk contract terms with teams. 

After calling Aiyuk's bluff, the 49ers answered his wishes and began kicking the tires on multiple trades with the Commanders, Steelers, Browns and Patriots, including a pair of deals that 49ers brass had agreed to in principle with the Browns and Patriots. Of course, both deals were shot down by Aiyuk himself who expressed he did not want to play for either team. A classic example of, "wanting your cake and eating it, too." Aiyuk insisted that he played for Washington where he would join forces with his good friend and quarterback Jayden Daniels who had been selected 2nd overall in this year's draft. All the meanwhile, Aiyuk still showed up to team practices wearing street clothes, but refusing to participate in any of the team's offseason program which left the team no choice but to threaten to charge him up to $45,000 in fines for each day he missed. In the end, Aiyuk finally ended the month-long hold-in and agreed to a new 4-year, $120 Million contract extension ($76 Million guaranteed), the same deal that had been on the table for weeks according to 49ers brass. With both sides finally happy, the signing comes at a key time given Pearsall is set to begin the season on the team's non-football injury list while he recovers, resulting in him to miss at least the first four weeks to start the season. 

Chapter 3 - Having Aiyuk happily paid and back on the field is a welcome sight for 49ers fans and players alike, as Aiyuk enjoyed the best season of his career in 2023, tallying over 1,300 yards receiving for 7 touchdowns and logging consecutive seasons surpassing the 1,000-yard mark. Unfortunately, the headache doesn't stop there as another key member of the 49ers remains absent from the team in left-tackle Trent Williams. Seeking a raise and guarantees on the contract Williams signed with the team back in 2021, the 11-time Pro Bowler and 3-time first-team All-Pro has not been seen with the team all offseason. While both sides have had talks on a new deal according to 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, no real progress has been made. And though the team eventually won the staring contest between them and Brandon Aiyuk, this is one they could very well lose considering Williams is no stranger to holding out after he spent the entire 2019 season away from the team while a member of the then Washington Redskins, which ultimately led to him being traded to San Francisco the following off-season. 

Hopefully this time next off-season, the 49ers can avoid another standoff entirely when quarterback Brock Purdy is the next man up that will likely demand a new contract. One thing that can help ease the stress level for all parties next off-season is a Super Bowl ring that the team has come oh so close to over the last five seasons but has eluded them. They will be among the league's favorites to make it back to the Super Bowl this season but will certainly have a target on their back along the way. 

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Third Time a Charm - 49ers Back in Super Bowl following Epic Comeback over Lions

Playoffs - For the two teams meeting in the NFC Championship game on Sunday, no two clubs sit on completely opposite spectrums in terms of franchise success more than the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions. While the 49ers own the most title game appearances in NFL history making their 19th appearance on Sunday, the Lions are the only NFC team yet to host or win a conference title game despite being one of the five oldest NFL franchises in all of football. And while it didn't look good for the 49er Faithful through the game's first two quarters, history once again repeated itself on Sunday and proved to be a thorn in the side of the Detroit Lions once more. During the NFL's regular season, quarterback Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers rarely found themselves trailing late in games and because of that, they did not have a single game-winning drive or fourth-quarter comeback under their belt all year. In the playoffs, however, they've had two in just as many games, pulling a rabbit out of their hat against both the Green Bay Packers and now the Detroit Lions. 

After erasing their first deficit of five or more points in the fourth quarter under head coach Kyle Shanahan a week ago against Green Bay, the 49ers did the unthinkable again by rallying from being down 17-points in the second half versus Detroit. The comeback would tie a 49ers franchise record for their largest playoff comeback, while also overcoming the largest halftime deficit in conference championship game history as teams were 0-21 all-time entering Sunday when trailing by 17+ at the half. With the Niners winning the coin-toss and electing to defer, it was the Lions offense that came out guns blazing to the tune of a 4-play, 75-yard drive that ended in the end zone following a 42-yard touchdown run by wide-receiver Jameson Williams. Looking to match Detroit's opening-drive score, the 49ers marched across midfield and into field goal range where rookie kicker Jake Moody missed wide-right on a 48-yard field goal attempt. Before you knew it, Detroit suddenly had a 14-0 lead in the opening quarter as many at Santa Clara's Levi's Stadium looked stunned while their team's defense had absolutely no answer for the Lions' rushing attack. 

As soon as the first quarter came to an end, the San Francisco offense finally got rolling. 49ers running back sensation Christian McCaffrey took a short pass 28 yards and into the red zone where he would capitalize just two plays later with a 2-yard rushing touchdown. With the 49ers on the board and now trailing 14-7, their offensive woes in the first half were all but solved as their following possession ended in a third down interception when Purdy was pressured into throwing an errant pass into a sea of defenders. Several plays later, Detroit again found the end zone, this time by way of a 15-yard rushing touchdown by rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs. They would not be done there, however, adding a Mike Badgley field goal to take a commanding 24-7 lead at the half. Racking up 148 yards rushing on 21 carries thru the first two quarters, the Lions torched the 49er defense for the most rushing yards allowed in the first half in the seven seasons under coach Kyle Shanahan. 

With world renowned San Francisco-based band Journey performing at halftime, the song "Don't stop believin'" was played and was clearly the motto the 49ers coaching staff went with inside the locker room before the team came out in the second half to the tune of 27 unanswered-points. Despite the early hole the team dug themselves in, coach Shanahan's guys never wavered and took things one drive at a time, chipping away on offense and getting the much-needed stops on defense that eluded them in the first half. After settling for a field goal on their first possession to open the second half, the 49ers scored back-to-back touchdowns to tie the game at 24-all. Taking advantage of a pair of costly mistakes by Detroit on a 4th down gamble by head coach Dan Campbell to go for it instead of settling for a very manageable field goal attempt and a Gibbs fumble on the Lions' first play following San Francisco's first touchdown of the second half, the Niners suddenly found themselves right back in the thick of things. 

Before they stole all the momentum, the 49ers got a little luck on a 51-yard pass that Purdy launched towards the end zone that bounced off the helmet of a Lions defender and into the air where a leaping Brandon Aiyuk came down with the unbelievable catch that he would later credit to a ladybug that paid him a visit during pregame warmups. Purdy would award the efforts of his receiver just three plays later with a 6-yard touchdown pass to pull the Niners within seven. Cashing in on the Lions fumble, Purdy helped get his team inside the red zone with a 21-yard run that sparked a big second half for the 49ers QB on the ground. Two plays later, it was McCaffrey again who plowed into the end zone for the game-tying touchdown following Moody's point-after. After forcing a Detroit punt, the Niners took their first lead of the night on a 33-yard field goal. 

With another turnover on downs by the Lions offense despite again being in field goal range and trailing by only 3-points, coach Dan Campbell's gambling ways came back to haunt them once more. Seeking the final blow on offense, Purdy and McCaffrey -- two of the league's top MVP candidates, led the way and orchestrated an 8-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 3-yard rushing touchdown from backup running back Elijah Mitchell who was summoned to fill-in for McCaffrey who needed a breather following a big 25-yard run on the prior play. Purdy also came up big on the play before McCaffrey's big gain, using his legs to pick up another 21-yards and move the chains on a key 3rd down conversion that kept the drive alive.

Trailing by 10 with just over 3-minutes remaining, Detroit was in need of a quick score if they wanted to pull off a stunning comeback of their own. Aided by a big play on a 25-yard reception from Lions quarterback Jared Goff to receiver Josh Reynolds, Detroit marched their way to the 1-yard line before a big stop by the duo of San Francisco's Javon Kinlaw and Fred Warner which led to a 2-yard loss. But on 4th down from inside the 5, Goff connected on a pass in the back of the end zone to Jameson Williams, cutting the deficit to a field goal with 1-minute remaining. Lining up for an on-side kick, 49ers tight-end George Kittle scooped up the ball which allowed Purdy and the offense to milk the rest of the clock and seal the 34-31 victory for San Francisco. 

In what will go down as a classic game and live forever in 49ers lore, it was certainly a whirlwind of emotions for both sides and from players and fans alike. Before pulling off their epic comeback when trailing by 17-points, one Detroit Lions player went as far as waving goodbye to 49er fans sitting in attendance. That player would be none other than cornerback C.J. Gardner-Johnson who has had an ongoing beef with Deebo Samuel of the 49ers dating back to last season's NFC title game loss to Philadelphia, who even tried getting in a cheap-shot during Purdy's second quarter interception. Hopefully those same fans stuck around and returned the favor with the waving as it was Deebo and company who got the last laugh on Sunday. In the end, Detroit was left seeking their first road win in San Francisco since 1971 and their first ever Super Bowl appearance, as their road playoff losing streak has now reached an NFL record 11 straight. As for the 49ers, coach Shanahan is now 6-0 at home in his playoff career. 

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 267 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the win, while also adding another 48 yards rushing on 5 carries, giving him 315 combined yards which are the most ever by a 49ers QB in a conference title game victory. Running back Christian McCaffrey finished with 132 all purpose yards after 90 on the ground and another 42 receiving, as well as another pair of touchdowns to give him 25 on the season, breaking a tie with the great Jerry Rice for the most in team history in a single-season including playoffs. Deebo Samuel who was questionable to even play in Sunday's game with a shoulder injury, finished with a team-high 89-yards receiving on 8 receptions. 

Super Bowl Preview: After defeating the Lions to punch their ticket to the big game, the San Francisco 49ers logged their 38th playoff win in franchise history, breaking a tie with the Green Bay Packers and New England Patriots for the most in NFL history. They will attempt to add one more win to that total in two weeks from now when they face off against Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Las Vegas in what will be a rematch of Super Bowl 54 which took place in Miami just 4 years ago. With a laundry list of storylines, the QB matchup is always one of the biggest headlines and this year is no different. While Mahomes versus Purdy might not be the big sexy QB match-up pundits wanted, the meeting does pin a QB vying to become arguably the greatest of all-time against another QB who has already laid claim to being the greatest Mr. Irrelevant of all-time in only his second season in the league and first full season as a starter. Already the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a pass in the NFL, Brock Purdy will now become the first player with that title to appear in a Super Bowl. Despite being one of the leading MVP candidates and even being the frontrunner to win the award for a good portion of the season, Purdy doesn't seem to have much of a chance prevailing over Mahomes according to NFL analysts, even with Vegas oddsmakers saying otherwise. 

Other storylines feature the McCaffrey family as Niners running back Christian McCaffrey will be playing in his first career Super Bowl, hoping to become just the second father-son duo to win a Super Bowl title with the same franchise. Before he was a back-to-back Super Bowl champion and a go-to target for the John Elway-led Broncos that won a pair of titles under Kyle's father Mike Shanahan, Christian's father Ed McCaffrey won a Super Bowl as a wide-receiver with the 49ers in 1994, their most recent championship. Kyle Shanahan will also try to join his father Mike by winning his first Super Bowl as head coach. Another is 49ers left-tackle and future Hall of Famer Trent Williams who is heading to his first Super Bowl after 14 seasons in the NFL. 

The betting lines opened up with San Francisco touted as 2.5 point favorites, but that spread has since dropped to just 1-point in favor of the 49ers. With Mahomes on the other side and the Chiefs being the reigning Super Bowl champs, it's hard to bet against a team that has proven time and time again that they know how to flip the switch and get things done come playoff time. For San Francisco, the team can ill-afford another slow start like the ones they've had in each of the last two games against the Packers and Lions, especially against a Patrick Mahomes-led offense, which in spite of being less potent than they were in their previous Super Bowl meeting against the Niners, are still very dangerous as proven in their playoff journey this season. The key to success in slowing and stopping Mahomes lies in pressuring the QB and containing his favorite target Travis Kelce. With a lackluster receiving corps in comparison to years past, the future Hall of Fame tight-end is the one guy the San Francisco defense has to keep tabs on and cannot let beat them. The 49ers will also have a tough task against the Kansas City defense which is also much improved since the last time they met in the big game. 

After dispatching the No. 1-seeded Ravens on the road in Baltimore to win the AFC and eliminating the Buffalo Bills in the Wild Card round, both on the road, Kansas City will be making their fourth Super Bowl appearance in the last five seasons under head coach Andy Reid. For head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers, the team hopes to get their revenge after spoiling a 10-point fourth quarter lead against K.C. back in 2020, when the team was oh so close to winning their elusive sixth Super Bowl title.  

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49ers Right Ship vs Washington, Lock up Top Seed

Week 17 - Looking to bounce back from a blowout loss at home on Christmas night to the Baltimore Ravens, Brock Purdy and the (11-4) San Francisco 49ers set their sights on the (4-11) Washington Commanders in hopes of finishing 2023 by getting back on track with a win. Heading to the nation's capital to face a struggling Commanders team on New Years Eve, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would aim to make Sunday's game their last of the season as members of the road team as a win coupled with a loss from the Philadelphia Eagles would lock up the NFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But before San Francisco could look ahead to the postseason, the meeting against Washington would be especially important for two current members of the 49ers in left-tackle Trent Williams and defensive-end Chase Young, both of whom are former Washington players. Facing off against their former team, Sunday's bout with Washington marked the first time for Williams at FedEx Field as a visitor and Young for the first time of his career at home or away. 

For others, most notably Niners quarterback Brock Purdy, the game would serve as a chance to bounce back as many around the league have written off San Francisco's signal-caller after his putrid 4-interception performance less than a week earlier on Christmas night. By game's end, Purdy would indeed bounce back in a big way with a 124.7 passer rating, on his way to recording the most passing yards in a single season by a 49ers quarterback with 4,280 in just his first year as the starting QB, eclipsing the previous mark of 4,278 passing yards set in 2000 by Jeff Garcia. With Purdy in a three-way race for the league's MVP Award alongside Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and teammate Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers QB would also witness history being made by McCaffrey and a few other of his teammates on Sunday. 

Opening the game on offense, the 49ers were able to march into Washington territory with a busy first drive from McCaffrey who entered the game leading the league in rushing. Making their way to the red zone rather easily, it was there where the Niner offense fizzled out and was forced to settle for a Jake Moody field goal, giving San Francisco an early 3-0 lead. Forcing a three and out at the other end on defense as Washington held the ball for less than a minute in time of possession, the 49ers had a much more successful drive on their second possession. With more touches to McCaffrey, Purdy was able to distribute the ball to both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, as the tandem of receivers helped the offense setup shop at the 2-yard line where Purdy flipped a pass to Deebo who was able to score with a walk-in touchdown. Taking a 10-0 first quarter lead, Washington would flip the script as soon as they started quarter no. 2, answering back with a Joey Slye field goal and a 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Terry McLaurin. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell who was benched earlier in the week by head coach Ron Rivera for backup QB Jacoby Brissett, suddenly found himself at the forefront of a tie game against the NFC's No. 1 team after being reinserted as the starter with Brissett ruled out a day earlier due to a hamstring injury suffered in Thursday's practice. 

Looking to stave off a late season upset against one of the NFC's worst teams, the 49ers were able to march to Washington's goal-line where they struggled to find the end zone on three straight plays from the 1-yard line. Settling for a field goal, San Francisco took a 13-10 lead into the half with work to do. Making the needed adjustments at halftime, the 49ers defense forced a Washington three and out to open the third quarter. Adding to their lead, Brock Purdy and company put together the longest drive of the afternoon for either team with a 14-play, 68-yard drive that chewed up over 7-minutes of clock. Backup running back Elijah Mitchell who has had a roller coaster season with nagging knee injuries, recorded his best game of the season after filling in for McCaffrey who would leave early in the third quarter with a lower leg injury that was later described as a mild calf strain. Toting the rock for seven carries on the drive, Mitchell punched in his first touchdown of the season with a 2-yard score. 

Putting their clamps down on defense, San Francisco forced back-to-back turnovers with interceptions from Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on consecutive drives. Turning one of those turnovers into points, Purdy was able to find Aiyuk with a pair of big plays, including a 38-yard connection that put the Niners inside the red zone. Several plays later, Purdy would work a bit of his magic by scrambling out of the pocket to avoid a sack and slinging the ball across the field to find Aiyuk all alone on the left side of the end zone. San Francisco would again make their way to the goal-line, but were unable to punch thru on fourth and goal as Elijah Mitchell was denied a second touchdown on the day. After exchanging punts, the 49ers forced a turnover on downs of their own to seal the 27-10 victory. Making their way to the locker room, several members of the 49ers joined members of the media to catch the ending of the Philadelphia Eagles-Arizona Cardinals game where they witnessed a remarkable comeback win by their division rivals which helped lock up the NFC's top seed for San Francisco. 

In the win, Brock Purdy threw for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also avoiding the turnover bug that plagued him a week earlier. His counterpart Sam Howell was held to just 169 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Elijah Mitchell led all rushers with 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, followed by 64 yards on 14 carries by McCaffrey before the injury. McCaffrey also added 27 yards on 4 receptions, becoming the first 49ers player with 2,000+ scrimmage yards since 2006 (Frank Gore), while also posting a new career-high in rushing yards with 1,459. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk had another big day at the office, recording his 6th game of the season with over 100 receiving yards, tallying 114 and a receiving touchdown on 7 receptions. Tight-end George Kittle had only 3 receptions for 29 yards receiving in the win, but did surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the third time in his career as the 49ers became the first team in NFL history with a running back, two wide receivers and a tight-end to each have 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in the same season (McCaffrey, Aiyuk, Deebo and Kittle). They're also just the 4th team in NFL history with a 4,000+ yard passer and 4 players with 1,000+ yards from scrimmage in a season. With the 17-point win, the Niners added to their dominance over the NFC Eastern Division, increasing their point differential to +90, the highest of any team versus an opposing division this season. 

Week 18 Preview: Having already clinched the NFC's top seed, (12-4) San Francisco's regular season dominance over the rival (9-4) L.A. Rams could very well finally come to an end in the team's regular-season finale as head coach Kyle Shanahan will likely sit a majority of his starters in a game with little significance. With nine straight regular season wins over Sean McVay and the Rams, the 49ers are on the cusp of hitting double-digits in consecutive wins against their southern California rivals. Other than a slight tune-up leading up to the 49ers' Playoffs Bye Week in the first round of next week's Wild Card round, I'd be very surprised to see San Francisco's starters out on the field longer than the opening quarter, if at all. The Rams who have also clinched a playoff spot as a Wild Card team after a close call on the road against the Giants, coming off a 26-25 win, are also expected to sit a number of starters. Among those sitting out for L.A. will be QB Matthew Stafford who will be benched in favor of Carson Wentz who will face off against Niners backup Sam Darnold. Sunday's game won't be completely meaningless for the Rams who can seal the NFC's No. 6 seed with a win over the Niners, or they could fall to the 7 seed with a loss and a Green Bay Packers win over the Chicago Bears. 

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49ers Complete Sweep of rival Seahawks

Week 14 - A week after showing that they can beat just about anybody after handing the Philadelphia Eagles a 23-point beatdown in Philly, the (9-3) San Francisco 49ers turned their attention to the rival (6-6) Seahawks whom they've beaten in four straight meetings dating back to last season and as recent as Thanksgiving night. Returning home to Levi's Stadium, Brock Purdy and the 49ers would look to make it five straight wins over the Seahawks on Sunday, who've been on a bit of a tailspin having lost three straight games and could ill-afford another loss within the division as their chances of making the playoffs continue to plummet. Hoping for a saving grace, backup quarterback Drew Lock would make his first start in a Seahawks uniform in place of Geno Smith who was ruled out with a groin injury just hours before kickoff. 

Seeing his first NFL action since 2021 while a member of the Denver Broncos, Lock would keep Seattle in the game virtually all afternoon long before succumbing late to the stout Niner defense that tagged him for two interceptions and brought him down for four sacks on the day. While the defense of San Francisco came thru late in the game to shutout the Seattle offense in the fourth quarter, it was the offense that stole the show in the first quarter. On the first play from scrimmage, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey charged for a 72-yard run that immediately put the San Francisco offense on the door step before Jordan Mason walked in a touchdown from 3-yards out one play later. Taking a much different approach, Seattle would answer back on their ensuing drive with a 10-play, 70-yard drive capped off by a 31-yard touchdown pass to receiver D.K. Metcalf as Lock threaded the needle with a pass that zipped by the outstretched arms of San Francisco's Ambry Thomas. With two receptions for 52-yards on Seattle's opening-drive, Metcalf would be held catch-less the rest of the way despite the Niners' top cornerback Charvarius Ward being sidelined with a groin injury just a few plays into the game. 

After their blazing start on their first drive, the 49er offense began to lull as they were held to back to back three and out punts before finally showing life again. But just when the offense was starting to march, a bit of miscommunication by Purdy and receiver Brandon Aiyuk began to transpire as the two were not on the same page which led to an interception on a tipped-pass. Trailing 10-7, San Francisco got a big play from their most versatile weapon on offense in receiver Deebo Samuel who hauled in a 54-yard reception over the top for the go-ahead touchdown. With a 14-10 lead at the half, the 49ers added another Deebo Samuel touchdown to the scoreboard, this time on a 1-yard carry. Refusing to go down quietly, Seattle answered with a touchdown of their own after a pair of big plays through the air by running back Kenneth Walker III and tight-end Noah Fant who marched 53-yards on two plays before Lock hit his other tight-end Colby Parkinson for a 25-yard touchdown pass on the same exact play Brock Purdy and the 49ers successfully ran against the Seahawks in Seattle a season ago. 

With the game much closer than 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would've liked, San Francisco opened the fourth quarter with another quick score that put the game out of reach for good. Needing only three plays, Purdy got his own tight-end involved with a 44-yard touchdown grab that gave the 49ers a 28-16 lead. Rookie cornerback Ji'Ayir Brown would record his second career interception on Seattle's ensuing drive, but just when it appeared that the 49ers would turn the turnover into points, Brandon Aiyuk was stripped from behind after collecting 30-yards on a play that would've put his team in the red zone. It would be no harm, no foul for the Niners as Seattle was held to a punt. Putting the finishing touches on the afternoon would be All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner who came down with the Niners' second interception of the contest on a Drew Lock heave on 4th and 13 that led to a little fisticuffs between Warner and Seattle's D.K. Metcalf who was shutout in the second half. Metcalf and 49ers corner Deommodore Lenoir were both ejected for for unsportsmanlike conduct.  

49ers QB Brock Purdy would record a career-high in passing yards in the win with 368 to go along with his 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 145 yards on 16 carries, while Deebo Samuel (7 receptions, 149 receiving yards and 2 total touchdowns) and Brandon Aiyuk who surpassed the 1,000 receiving yards mark for the season (6 receptions, 126 receiving yards) led all players through the air. As for San Francisco's defense which has generated 29 sacks in their last 5 games played (1st in the NFL), which is seven more than the next-closest team, defensive-end Nick Bosa was the cause of 1.5 of those four sacks on Sunday which moved him to 3rd all-time in 49ers franchise history with 52.5 career sacks. While Drew Lock threw for a respectable 269 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a losing effort, and showed that he can be a capable backup when needed, even against the formidable 49er defense, it wasn't enough to prevent San Francisco from pulling off a season sweep of the Seahawks for a second straight season. 

Week 15 Preview: With their fifth straight win coupled with a loss from the Green Bay Packers on Monday night, the (10-3) 49ers became the first team in the NFL this season to clinch a playoff berth with four games remaining on the regular season schedule. Next on their list will be the (3-10) Arizona Cardinals whom the 49ers defeated at home back on October 1, but are coming off the Bye Week and an impressive 24-10 road win before that over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Tempers flared at the end of the game the last time these two teams met between 49ers safety Talanoa Hufanga and Cards running back James Connor, as both players needed to be separated following San Francisco's 35-16 win. With quarterback Kyler Murray back under center, the 49ers will face Murray for the first time this season and for the first time since Week 5 of the 2021 regular season as he's dealt with multiple injuries including a torn ACL during Week 14 of the 2022 NFL season. In the running for the 1st overall pick, only the (1-12) Carolina Panthers have a worse record than Arizona, with the New England Patriots also sitting at 3-10 on the year. As for San Francisco, the 49ers will need to keep their foot on the gas if they want to maintain the NFC's No. 1 overall seed as they can control their own destiny and currently hold a tie-breaker over the Eagles & Cowboys who both also sit at 10-3 on the season, but both have a division loss under their belt. 

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Purdy Perfect in Niners' Win over Bucs

Week 11 - Looking to build on their dominant victory against one of the league's top defenses in Jacksonville a week ago, the (6-3) San Francisco 49ers returned home to play in front of the Faithful of Levi's Stadium, welcoming in the visiting (4-5) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The meeting between the two teams would be especially important for Niners quarterback Brock Purdy who would face off against the Bucs for the first time since making his first career NFL start against them just under a year ago in Week 14 of last season, taking over for an injured Jimmy Garoppolo and helping defeat a Tom-Brady led Bucs team by a final score of 35-7 and putting the rest of the league on notice that he was far more than just the latest "Mr. Irrelevant." In just his 18th career start at QB, Purdy would not only have the best outing of his professional career yet, but one of the best by a 49er quarterback in the history of the franchise in terms of passer rating. 

A week after putting up a career-best passer rating of 148.9, Purdy 1-up'd himself on Sunday with a perfect passer rating of 158.3, becoming only the second QB in 49ers franchise history to reach the feat and the first since Joe Montana in 1989. Equally as impressive, Purdy's 157.3 passer rating combined over his last two starts is the highest by any NFL QB over a 2-start span since QB stats were first tracked in 1950. But as perfect as Purdy's box score might appear, the 49er offense was far from on their opening-drive. After a 24-yard connection from Purdy to tight-end George Kittle on the game's second play from scrimmage, the San Francisco offense fizzled out and were forced to punt. Luckily, the 49er defense would also have themselves a strong afternoon, forcing a few turnovers and answering the call late when the team needed them to deliver, beginning with a three and out punt on Tampa's opening-possession. Following San Francisco's one and only punt of the first half, Purdy led the offense on a 15-play, 80-yard drive that spanned 7-minutes and 11-seconds of game clock and ended with a 3-yard passing touchdown to running back Christian McCaffrey. 

A week after being held out of the end zone for the first time in over a calendar year and tying an NFL-record for the most consecutive games with a touchdown scored with 17, McCaffrey didn't waste much time to score in this one, in hopes of starting a new streak. The next big play would come from the defense and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner who was celebrating his 27th birthday on Sunday. As captain on defense, Warner treated himself to a little birthday gift, sharing a sack with teammate Nick Bosa and forcing and recovering a fumble that stalled what appeared to be a promising drive by quarterback Baker Mayfield and the Bucs offense. Turning the turnover into points, the 49ers added a Jake Moody field goal to take a 10-0 lead. Tampa Bay would find the end zone on their next drive, however, biting into San Francisco's lead with a 1-yard touchdown grab from receiver Mike Evans. Answering with their second field goal in as many drives, Moody would help the 49ers take a 13-7 lead into the half. 

A week ago against the Jags, the 49ers put their foot down on their first possession out of the locker room, starting the second half with a big play to impose their dominance thanks to a 66-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to Kittle for what was the longest play of Purdy's career. After a stop on defense to force a punt, Purdy set a new mark for both the longest pass of his career and the longest touchdown pass in the NFL this season as the 49ers QB found receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a 77-yard strike just three plays into the second half. The fun wouldn't stop there, however, as Purdy found the end zone for a third time just one possession later, connecting with Kittle who came down with the ball to put his team up big: 27-7. Tampa Bay would score early to start the fourth quarter on a 1-yard touchdown run by running back Rachaad White and made things interesting by forcing a pair of punts and a turnover on downs on San Francisco's next three possessions. But when the 49er defense was most needed, they answered the call on three straight Tampa Bay drives which ended in a pair of turnover on downs and an interception. 

After losing safety Talanoa Hufanga to injury in the second half with what 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan feared might be an ACL tear, rookie Ji'Ayir Brown came into the game and stepped up despite being picked on right away. With the Bucs threatening inside the red zone, Brown came up with a clutch diving interception on a tipped pass in the end zone that added to the Niners' league-leading interception total (14), and should've iced the win for San Francisco. Instead, the Bucs would get another chance after the 49ers failed to bleed clock and convert on a 4th and 1 attempt that turned the ball over on downs and allowed at least another last-ditch effort by Baker Mayfield and company, which was also stopped. Throwing for 333 yards and 3 touchdowns on 21 of 25 pass attempts, Purdy shined in the 27-14 win, with receiver Brandon Aiyuk leading all receivers with 156 yards and 1 touchdown on 5 receptions. Tight-end George Kittle also logged another solid performance, recording a game-high 8 catches for 89-yards and a touchdown, while Christian McCaffrey eclipsed the century mark in scrimmage yards once again, tallying 78-yards rushing and another 25 in receiving to go along with his receiving touchdown. The 49er defense got to Baker Mayfield four times for a sack and held him to 246 yards and 1 touchdown, while forcing him to fumble once and throw an interception on 29 of 45 pass attempts. 

Week 12 Preview: It'll be a quick turnaround for the (7-3) 49ers who will be right back to work in Week 12 on Thursday Night as they pay a visit to Seattle on Thanksgiving to face the (6-4) division rival Seahawks for the first time this season. After defeating Seattle in all three meetings a season ago, including a playoff win in the NFC Wild Card round, the Seahawks will have payback on their minds come Thursday, as the 49ers now find themselves a game ahead of Seattle for first place in the NFC West. Coming off a surprise 17-16 loss on the road against the division rival Rams, Seattle has now dropped both games against the Rams this season, the latest on a last-second missed field goal attempt by kicker Jason Myers. It's always a duel when these two teams meet to battle, and even though it'll be Thanksgiving, expect no sharing at the dinner table between these two squads come kickoff. 

One player who will not be on the field to help the 49ers vie for a third straight win will be All-Pro safety Talanoa Hufanga whom San Francisco confirmed will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL suffered in the third quarter of Sunday's game. 

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49ers Continue to Roll, Upend rival Cardinals

Week 4 - Looking to continue their red-hot start and keep their undefeated streak alive, the (3-0) San Francisco 49ers welcomed in the division rival (1-2) Arizona Cardinals who were coming off their first win of the season after an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. A week after earning his first career win as a starter against a formidable Dallas defense, Arizona quarterback Joshua Dobbs would face another tough task in the daunting 49er defense. And although Dobbs would hold his own and finish with a solid outing overall, it wouldn't be enough as Niners QB Brock Purdy had a near perfect afternoon of his own, completing all but one pass in a game where San Francisco's playmakers on offense proved to be too much for a rebuilding Cardinals team. 

Having won 13 consecutive regular season games entering Sunday's match-up between NFC Western Division foes, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers got things rolling right out of the gates on both sides of the ball. After the San Francisco defense forced a three and out punt on the Cardinals' opening-drive, the offense sparked a 10-play, 55-yard touchdown-scoring drive thanks to their star running back. As good as Purdy was on Sunday, his performance would be overshadowed by one of his key weapons on offense and early MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey who became the first player in 49ers franchise history to score a touchdown in 13 consecutive games, breaking a record held by the great Jerry Rice. Even after surpassing the mark of an all-time great, McCaffrey's busy day would be far from over as the game would soon turn into the Christian McCaffrey Show for much of the afternoon. With Arizona having not allowed an opening-drive score thru the first three weeks of the season, they would witness that streak come to an end as McCaffrey scored on San Francisco's first three possessions to start the game. With two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air, McCaffrey would have his fourth career 3-touchdown performance (first since 2019) and first in a 49ers uniform. 

Trailing at the half for the first time this season, down 21-10, the Cardinals did manage to make things interesting with a trip to the end zone on their first possession of the second half, pulling within 5-points after a failed two-point try. Pinned back at their own goal-line, Arizona marched down the field for their first 99-yard touchdown-scoring drive since December 11, 2016 against the Dolphins in Miami. As for the Niner defense, it would be their first touchdown drive of 99-yards allowed since September 15, 2002 versus the Denver Broncos. Looking to answer, San Francisco did just that, starting off the fourth quarter with another McCaffrey touchdown, his fourth of the game, allowing the 49ers to add to their lead before pulling away at the end. Before giving way and letting someone else have some fun by finding the end zone for San Francisco, McCaffrey added another rushing touchdown to become the first 49er all-time to score the team's first four touchdowns of a game, while also tying three others for the second most touchdowns scored in a single game by a 49er. Brock Purdy would cap the afternoon by scoring on a 1-yard run up the middle, following a deep pass to one of his favorite targets of the game in receiver Brandon Aiyuk. 

After sitting out of last week's game against the New York Giants, Aiyuk returned in a big way on Sunday by hauling in six receptions for a career-high 148 yards receiving. Registering a perfect 10 for 10 on passes in the first half, Purdy finished 20 for 21 with 283 yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown and a QB Rating of 134.6. At one point, Purdy had completed his first 18 consecutive pass attempts, tying the longest streak by a 49ers QB since Steve Young in 1996. As for the man of the hour, running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries, adding another 71 yards in receiving to go with 1 receiving touchdown on 7 receptions, becoming the first player in franchise history with 100+ scrimmage yards and 1+ TD in each of the first 4 games of a season. CMC would also join some elite company by becoming one of only six players to rack up 115+ scrimmage yards & 1 TD in each of the first 4 games of a season since 1950; DeMarco Murray (2014), Emmitt Smith (1995), Billy Sims (1981), O.J. Simpson (1975), and Jim Brown (1958) the others. 

Improving to 4-0 on the season, San Francisco has now scored 30+ points in each of their first four games this season for the first time in 49ers franchise history and the first team to do so since the 2021 Arizona Cardinals. Even after the final whistle blew, the fireworks didn't stop when the game came to an end as tempers flared between Talanoa Hufanga of the 49ers and the Cardinals' James Conner. The game was well over and the television feed had already switched over to coverage of the lopsided Dallas-New England game, but the cameras were still rolling when the two were caught in a verbal exchange between the two players before an altercation. Donning his helmet and taking a swipe at the Hufanga was Conner who took exception and appeared to put his hand in the Niners safeties' mouth. The two had to be separated as tight-end George Kittle came to his teammate's aid to defuse the situation. It'll be interested to see how things play out the next time these two teams meet at Arizona in Week 15. 

Week 5 Preview: Slated for a heavyweight match-up on Sunday Night Football, the (4-0) San Francisco 49ers will play host to the (3-1) Dallas Cowboys in a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Round Playoffs. Having eliminated Dallas from the postseason in consecutive seasons, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will take the field with revenge on their minds as San Francisco eyes a bit of history, having won 14 consecutive regular season games, just 1 shy of tying a franchise record in 1989-90. Aside from their upset loss in Week 3 to the Cardinals, the Cowboys have been one of the more dominant teams in the league thus far and are coming off a blowout win over the New England Patriots, handing Bill Belichick the biggest loss of his coaching career: 38-3. Entering Week 5 as one of only two teams with a better +point margin than the Niners' +67, Dallas comes in ranked second behind the Dolphins with a +83 point margin. One of only two remaining unbeatens in the league (Philadelphia the other), the 49ers will look to continue that mark with a win on Sunday to closeout their current three-game homestand. 

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49ers Close Curtain on Steelers in Season-Opener

Week 1 - Opening the season on the road in the Steel City, the San Francisco 49ers entered Sunday as 2-point favorites. With Super Bowl aspirations and high expectations following a disappointing finish to their 2022 campaign a season ago which came to a screeching halt due to injuries, the lone question mark regarding Kyle Shanahan's 2023-24 49ers remains at the quarterback position. With second-year man Brock Purdy needing off-season surgery to repair a torn UCL in his throwing arm in last January's NFC title game against the Eagles, the newly appointed captain of the offense looked a lot like his normal self in Sunday's opener. In a matchup between the first quarterback taken in last year's Draft in Kenny Pickett and the last QB and player taken in Mr. Irrelevant -- Brock Purdy, the two players looked like polar opposites out on the field by games end. 

Like San Francisco, the Steelers also entered the regular-season opener with high hopes after a bigger than normal fuss was made following noticeable strides shown by Pickett and the Pittsburgh offense in the preseason which saw them score on every drive led by the starters. However, Tomlin's team would learn rather quickly that the preseason and regular season are two totally different things as San Francisco had their way and dominated from the onset on both sides of the ball. After forcing a three and out on defense to start the game, the 49er offense came out guns blazing on a nine-play, 54-yard scoring-drive that ended with Purdy finding Brandon Aiyuk wide-open in the end zone after putting his defender Patrick Peterson on skates with a juke move. Drive number two would end even worse for the Steelers as Pickett had a deep pass intercepted by San Francisco's Charvarius Ward. The 49ers would only get three points out of it, but the 41-yard field goal would do wonders for the confidence of rookie kicker Jake Moody who had a less than ideal preseason with multiple missed field goals and even an injury, after the 49ers made him the highest drafted kicker since Roberto Aguayo in 2016, selecting him in the third round of April's Draft. 

With Brandon Aiyuk quickly becoming a favorite target of Purdy's, the two connected again just one drive later for another touchdown, this time from 19-yards out. With San Francisco jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the first half following another Jake Moody field goal, Pittsburgh struggled to get much of anything going early on as they were held to five consecutive three and outs to open the game on offense. The Steelers would finally get their first 1st down of the game at the 1:16 mark of the second quarter, and at one point were outgained 199 yards of offense to just 1. Closing the first half strong, Pittsburgh would follow up their first forced punt of the game with a touchdown just before the half to make it a 20-7 affair heading into halftime. But with San Francisco opening the second half in possession of the ball, any momentum Pittsburgh thought they had would be short-lived. Just two plays into the second half, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey broke for a 65-yard touchdown to give his team a 27-7 lead. McCaffrey would have both his longest rush and his biggest day on the ground as a member of the Niners on Sunday, finishing with 152 yards rushing, his most since 2019. It would also mark McCaffrey's 10th straight game with a touchdown (including the postseason). 

The lone silver lining all afternoon for the Steelers came from 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt who leads the league with 79.5 sacks since making his NFL debut in 2017, and was a force to be reckoned with again on Sunday, finishing with three sacks and two forced fumbles on the afternoon. However, he would be matched by an unlikely candidate in second-year defensive-end Drake Jackson who finished his rookie campaign with the Niners a season ago with 3 total sacks, matching that total in Sunday's game alone. After turning another Kenny Pickett interception into a third Jake Moody field goal, the 49ers took a commanding 30-7 lead that would hold up and serve as the worst home loss for Pittsburgh in the Mike Tomlin era which began in 2007. With the loss, Tomlin's record dropped to 10-6-1 in regular-season openers, while Kyle Shanahan's improved to 3-4. In the win, Brock Purdy threw for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 of 29 attempts, becoming the first QB in NFL history to win each of his first six career regular-season starts and throw 2+ TD passes in each start, 129 of those yards and both touchdowns going to receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers absolutely dominated the time of possession battle: 37:23 to 22:37, and held the Steelers to just 41 yards rushing, compared to 188 total rushing yards by San Francisco, fueled by McCaffrey's best rushing output in four years. Kerry Hyder Jr. and Javon Hargrave each added a QB-sack to give the busy 49er defense five total sacks on the day.

Week 2 Preview: The (1-0) 49ers will continue their season on the road in Week 2 when they travel west and pay a visit to Levi's South to take on the division rival (1-0) Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Coming off an upset win on the road to NFC West foe Seattle where Sean McVay's Rams handled the Seahawks in all facets, most notably outgaining them in total yards: 426 to 180 and nearly doubling their time of possession output: 39:23 to 20:37. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also looked like his former self by throwing for 334 yards on offense, something he was unable to accomplish a season ago before needing to be shutdown by Week 12 with a spinal cord injury. Despite being without their All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp, the Rams had two receivers finish with a career-high 119 receiving yards on Sunday as Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua had big games thru the air. The 49ers will try to put a stop to their long-time rivals' hot-start in hopes of improving to 2-0 for sole possession of first place before their home-opener at Levi's Stadium. 

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49ers Win 10th Straight in Playoff tune-up vs Arizona

Week 18 - Hosting the division rival (4-12) Arizona Cardinals in the final week of the 2022-23 regular season, the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers entered their regular season finale with their eyes set on the NFC's No. 1 seed, having already clinched their division. But in order to secure that top seed, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would need both a win on Sunday as well as a loss from the Philadelphia Eagles who played host to the rival New York Giants. Riding a nine-game winning-streak, San Francisco would look to continue their red-hot play with a chance to sweep the NFC Western Division for the first time since 1997. Meanwhile, Arizona would have little to play for with the exception of one of their own calling it a career following Sunday's game as future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt who spent the last two seasons with the Cardinals following 10-years with the Houston Texans, announced earlier in the week that this would be his final season in the NFL. 

After a meltdown on defense a week ago in their overtime win against the Raiders, the 49ers' No. 1 ranked defense got off to a bumpy start again on Sunday when the Cardinals scored two plays into the ballgame. Down to their fourth-string quarterback, Arizona's David Blough launched a deep ball 77-yards to A.J. Green who made the catch and weaved thru two defenders to find the end zone and give the Cardinals an early 6-0 lead. Looking to answer right back would be a San Francisco offense that received a pair of reinforcements returning from injury in running back Elijah Mitchell and wide-receiver Deebo Samuel. But both guys would take a backseat to Christian McCaffrey who got the 49ers on the board with a 21-yard touchdown on a screen-pass. 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson would have himself a day, adding to his team-leading interception total in the second quarter, picking-off Blough on Arizona's first play of the second quarter. 

Taking over with good field position, the Niner offense would make quick work of the short field as Elijah Mitchell who has missed 12 games this season including the last five, logged his long-awaited first touchdown of the season with a 5-yard score. While the Cardinals would answer with a touchdown of their own on their ensuing drive, they would not have an answer for the 4-yard touchdown from Brock Purdy to George Kittle on San Francisco's next drive. Finding the end zone just before the end of the half, the 49ers would take a 21-13 lead into the locker room. Staying hot on offense, they would open the second half with that same intensity as Mitchell broke for a 37-yard gain to setup another easy score from 6-yards out to give him two touchdowns on the day. Tashaun Gipson would record his second interception of the afternoon and fifth on the season when he picked off a deep pass that the 49er offense would cash in for a Robbie Gould field goal. Adding insult to injury for the Arizona offense, the 49er defense would get a strip-sack on the Cardinals' ensuing-possession when defensive-end Jordan Willis got to the quarterback. 

Entering Sunday's game having already made history by becoming the first rookie QB in NFL history with a win and 2+ TD's in each of his first four career starts, Purdy would add to that record on Sunday, hitting George Kittle in the end zone from a yard out to give the 49ers QB 3 TD's on the day. With his second touchdown reception of afternoon, it would be the seventh touchdown grab in the last four games for Kittle. With Trace McSorley taking over at quarterback to finish the game for the Cardinals, the 49er defense would force another pair of turnovers in the fourth quarter, including an interception from George Odum, his first of the season. The 49ers would walk away with the 38-13 win to claim their first-ever 10th consecutive victory, finishing the regular season with a record of 13-4. Throwing for 178 yards on 15 of 20 pass attempts, Purdy now trails only Jeff Garcia (8 in 2001) and Steve Young (7 in 1998) for the most consecutive games with 2+ pass TD in 49ers franchise history. Brandon Aiyuk becomes just the 13th player (11th wide-receiver) in 49ers franchise history with 1,000+ receiving yards in a single season, eclipsing the 1,000 yard plateau with 4 catches for 59 yards on Sunday to give him 1,015 receiving yards on the season. In his first game back since suffering a leg injury in Week 14, Deebo Samuel hauled in two catches for for 20 yards and one carry for 4 yards. 

Noteworthy: 0 wins by teams in the week following a game vs SF this season (0-15), marking the first time in NFL history with a minimum of 10 games. 

Playoffs Preview: With the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New York Giants 22-16 on Sunday and securing the NFC's No. 1 seed and a 1st round BYE, the 49ers claim the No. 2 seed, setting them up for a Wild Card match-up versus the rival Seattle Seahawks who punched their playoff ticket with an overtime win at home over the Rams and a bit of help from the Detroit Lions who eliminated the Green Bay Packers with a win at Lambeau Field. San Francisco will look to beat Pete Carroll and the Seahawks for a third time this season when they welcome them to Levi's Stadium on Saturday in what will be nothing short of a chippie affair between two teams who have had a recent history of not liking one another. 

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