Week 3 - Coming off back to back road wins to open a season for the first time since 1989, the (2-0) San Francisco 49ers would look to do one better by improving to 3-0 for the first time since 1998. And though they would eventually get the job done and add another tally in the win column, it wouldn't come easy nor would it be pretty as the 49er offense would have its fair share of miscues and would have to be bailed out by the defense. On a day the Niners held a halftime presentation to honor Terrell Owens aka T.O. into their Hall of Fame, the 49ers offense committed a number of t.o.'s of their own as they were beaten badly in the turnover department on Sunday. Kicking off their home-opener and hosting the visiting (0-2) Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco would need to pull out all the stops in order to reign victorious in a game that would see them commit a total of five turnovers, including four in the first half alone after only two in the first two weeks combined.
Things would get off to a rocky start early on for the home team as San Francisco watched their first drive of the game go up in flames just three plays in as running back Matt Breida bobbled a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that wound up in the hands of Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt. They would nearly suffer another turnover during their second possession on a fumbled pitch to Raheem Mostert as the backup running back prematurely turned his head before having full possession of the ball, as the 8-play drive ended with a punt. But the Niners wouldn't be so lucky on their following drive which ended with another interception as the newly acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick made his presence felt in his Steelers debut, intercepting a tipped pass that was hurried when Garoppolo felt the pressure of a near sack. Just when things began to look up for the Niner offense, the team was doomed by consecutive fumbles inside the red zone as Mostert coughed up the ball at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line after being tackled, and Garoppolo fumbled at the Pittsburgh 7-yard line following a bad snap. Despite the four turnovers suffered in the first half, the 49ers were very fortunate to find themselves trailing by only three-points as the Steelers took a 6-3 lead into the half.
After being held scoreless in a quarter for the first time this season, the Niner offense would begin to finally show life in the third quarter. Making his first career start in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger who was lost for the year with a shoulder injury in Week 2, quarterback Mason Rudolph failed to show the same poise he exhibited in the near comeback against Seattle just a week prior. And on Pittsburgh's opening possession to start the second half, the Niner defense finally got the best of him as he was intercepted on an errant pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster. Coming up with the interception was K'Waun Williams who helped the 49ers generate their first trip to the end zone thanks to the first of two rushing touchdowns by the third-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr., giving San Francisco a 10-6 lead, their first of the day. Following San Francisco's first three-and-out of the season midway thru the third quarter, Rudolph and JuJu would redeem themselves when the two connected on a 76-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh back on top. 49ers rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who caught his first career touchdown a week ago, would also get to redeem himself after dropping a pass that would've put his team in prime field position one drive earlier. After hauling in a 20-yard reception that put San Francisco in enemy territory, Jimmy G. and company marched their way into the red zone before handing the ball off to Wilson Jr. who did the rest.
While it was the stout defense that kept them in the game for most of the afternoon, the Niner secondary was dealt a blow at the start of the fourth quarter. Checking into the game and seeing his first live NFL action since September 2017 was former Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett. Making his 49er debut after Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a leg injury that required him to be carted off the field, the rust was very apparent for Verrett who was called for an obvious pass interference penalty on the second play he saw, before getting beat for a 39-yard touchdown pass to Steelers rookie Diontae Johson one play later. Looking to answer with a touchdown of their own and trailing 20-17 with under seven minutes remaining in regulation, the 49ers committed their fifth and final turnover. Facing third and goal with Garoppolo in shotgun formation, the ball was snapped at the worst time possible as the ball ricocheted off receiver Richie James Jr. who was in motion, resulting in an easy recovery by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt. However, the Niners would catch a break and would force a fumble of their own just three plays later when running back James Conner coughed up the ball that gave San Francisco new life as the duo of former Oregon Ducks Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner teamed up to force and recover the loose ball.
Working their way up with short passes and runs before knocking on the door of the end zone, Garoppolo would find Dante Pettis who finished with a quiet 20 yards receiving on four receptions, but none greater than the one that put his team ahead, 24-20 with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. With a pair of Steelers defenders draped all over him, Pettis was able to haul in the five yard touchdown catch, celebrating with an emphatic spike of the ball as Garoppolo threaded the needle. With one last chance, Mason and the Steelers would have to make a last-ditch effort to reach the win column for the first time this season, but those dreams would come crashing down as Pittsburgh failed to move the chains and turned the ball over on downs with an incompletion on fourth down. Prior to the 49ers shaking off the five turnovers and sealing the 24-20 victory, teams that had started a game with an 0-4 turnover ratio had owned a record of 0-28-1 since the start of 2016. The win for San Francisco would also be their first in a game in which they committed 5+ turnovers since November 8, 1998 vs Carolina.
Completing 22 of 32 pass attempts, Jimmy Garoppolo finished with 277 yards and a touchdown to go along with his pair of interceptions, however, I'd argue that the first of which was more on the receiver than it was the QB. Nonetheless, Jimmy G stepped up when he needed to and made a number of big plays when it appeared that the offense had all but lied down following the countless amount of turnovers. George Kittle hauled in a game-high six catches to lead the team with 57 receiving yards and fullback Kyle Juszczyk who had his most productive game of the young season wasn't far behind with 51 yards receiving on three receptions. Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida each ran of 79 and 68 yards respectively, but it was the goal-line guru Jeff Wilson Jr. who capitalized at the goal-line as he became the first player in team history with 2+ rushing touchdowns in his first two games played since 1956 (Hugh McElhenny).
Week 4 Bye & Week 5 Preview - Heading into the Bye Week undefeated at 3-0, the 49ers will take advantage of the early season rest before preparing for a Monday Night showdown against their next opponent in Baker Mayfield and the (1-2) Cleveland Browns. Facing an elite group of receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, the 49ers will be without one of their starting corners in Ahkello Witherspoon who was diagnosed with a right foot sprain that will keep him sidelined for at least a month. And hopefully with the extra preparation, Jason Verrett can get his feet under him and shake off the cobwebs before making his first start in over two years. Having held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing for the second straight week, the 49ers will look to make it three straight weeks when they go up against Nick Chubb who fell just 4-yards shy of the century mark in Week 3 against the Rams. The 49ers will also like their chances with their own rushing attack as San Francisco ranks 2nd in the league in rushing as well as 4th in yards allowed thru the first three weeks of the NFL season. Finally, two Niners that should be rejoining the team for the Week 5 meeting vs Cleveland are running back Tevin Coleman (ankle) who's been out since Week 1 and rookie receiver Jalen Hurd (back) who is expected to make his season-debut.
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Week 14 - Playing with heavy hearts on Sunday following a death in the 49ers family as Tony York, brother of team owner Jed York, passed away just two days earlier on Friday at the age 35, the (2-10) Niners would return home to host the (6-6) Denver Broncos. In what's been a lost season for months now, coach Kyle Shanahan would see his offense put up numbers that he hadn't seen since taking the helm a season ago, all while looking to play the role of spoiler against a playoff hopeful Broncos team that he grew up rooting for. Facing the team his father Mike Shanahan coached to two Super Bowl titles in the 90's and the team he served as a ballboy with while growing up, Kyle would witness his star tight-end put up a record-setting performance in a rare 49er win. Another oddity would be at the quarterback position as the match-up between Nick Mullens and Case Keenum marked the first time that a pair of undrafted QB's would oppose one another since Tony Romo and Austin Davis in 2014.
Starting the game with a Robbie Gould field goal on their opening possession, the 49ers would kick start one of their better first halves of the season on both sides of the ball. After taking an early 3-0 lead, the game would quickly turn into the George Kittle show as the 49ers' second-year tight-end who's developed into one of the premier players at his position, began to run amok against the Denver defense. On a day he needed only 73-yards to tie Vernon Davis' franchise mark of 965 receiving yards for the most in a single-season by a 49ers tight-end, Kittle tallied 52-yards on the final play of the first quarter which would once again put the 49ers in field goal range. As if the big gainer wasn't enough, Mullens would connect with Kittle on the first play of their ensuing possession with an 85-yard touchdown which would be a career-long, setting the record as the longest touchdown reception by a tight-end in 49ers franchise history. San Francisco would add another touchdown before the half as Mullens found Dante Pettis in the end zone as the rookie receiver became the first 49er to log a touchdown reception in three straight games since Vernon Davis in 2013. By halftime, the Niners had gotten off to a 20-0 lead and Kittle had accumulated seven receptions for 210 yards, the most first half receiving yards by a player at any position since 1991.
Needing only four yards to tie former Broncos great Shannon Sharpe's all-time record of 214 receiving yards by a tight-end, Kittle seemed destined to break the record with a full half left to play. However, that wouldn't be the case as the game would be a tale of two halves as the 49ers dominated both the scoreboard and the box score in the first half, but would soon witness the Broncos who were snake-bitten for ten penalties in the first half including three off-sides penalties by Pro Bowler Von Miller, turn the tables in the third and fourth quarters. With San Francisco out-producing their opponent in total yards 311 to 65 (33 yards passing), it would be the most total yards put up in the first half of a game for the 49ers since 2016 and the most under coach Shanahan. Denver's second half role reversal would begin on their second possession as they marched 54-yards before rookie sensation Philip Lindsay rushed up the middle for a 3-yard score to put his team on the board. Eager to get his team closer on the scoreboard, Broncos head coach Vance Joseph who spent six seasons as an assistant with the 49ers, saw his team fall short on back to back fourth down attempts in the fourth quarter. Denver would eventually inch closer and endure better luck on fourth down, as a 4th and goal attempt from the 1-yard line ended with Keenum finding receiver DaeSean Hamilton in the end zone for the touchdown to make it a 20-14 game with under 4 minutes remaining in regulation.
With plans to milk the clock, Mullens converted on consecutive third down attempts to seal only the third win of the season for San Francisco despite being shutout in the second half. Failing to log a single reception in the second half, Kittle would fall just four yards shy of Sharpe's record. However, his 210 receiving yards were enough to break multiple franchise records previously held by Vernon Davis, such as the most receiving yards in a single-game by a 49ers tight-end (180 yards) and the most receiving yards by a tight-end in a single season (965). Kittle who entered Sunday's game leading the league in yards after catch, also became the first 49er to eclipse 1,000 yards receiving since Anquan Boldin in 2014, in what's become a Pro Bowl caliber season for the 25-year old stud. As for Nick Mullens, the 49ers QB who was coming off a 414 yard performance against Seattle a week ago, threw for 332 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the win. Playing without Matt Breida who was sidelined with an ankle sprain, Jeffery Wilson carried the load for the Niners run game, totaling a career-high 90 yards rushing on 23 carries. The 49er defense which had one of its better performances of the season, held Keenum to 186 yards and a TD through the air, and kept Philip Lindsay to only 30 yards on the ground on 14 carries, his third fewest yards in a game this season.
Despite the win, the 49ers still remain in position for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft as the Oakland Raiders also won on Sunday, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers. For Denver who could ill afford a loss, especially to an inferior opponent, their playoff hopes were dealt a sizable blow after losing on Sunday. Dropping to 6-7 on the year, the Broncos now trail the Titans, Dolphins, Colts and Ravens for the final AFC Wild Card spot, all of which are currently 7-6.
Week 15 Preview - Two weeks after being embarrassed by the division rival Seahawks in Seattle, the 49ers will prepare to host those same Seahawks in Week 15. Winners of four straight, Seattle is coming off a 21-7 victory over the Minnesota Vikings and are playing their best ball of the season in what will likely end with an NFC Wild Card berth for Pete Carroll's team. In what'll be a rematch of 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman facing his former team, the former Seahawk great who's been engaged in a war of words with former Seattle teammate Frank Clark leading up to Sunday's game. But with Seattle currently riding a 9-game regular game winning-streak against San Francisco, the 49ers will need to step up on the field if they want to prevail in this recent tiff. One way to do that would be through another stout performance from QB Nick Mullens who's been playing solid ball as of late, and will try to steer clear of the turnovers and replicate his performance in Seattle two weeks ago when he threw for 414 yards, the most by a 49er QB since Tim Rattay in 2004.
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Week 13 - Coming into the 2018-19 NFL season, the (2-9) San Francisco 49ers had lofty expectations of making it to the playoffs and finally ending their 9-game losing streak (including playoffs) to the division rival (6-5) Seattle Seahawks. And while their playoff hopes had all but slipped away the moment quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was lost for the year due to injury, defeating the Seahawks still remained a possibility. But with Seattle playing their best ball of the season as of late after getting off to a slow start, and San Francisco still seeking their first road win of the season, the odds would be stacked against Kyle Shanahan's football team once again as they entered Sunday having lost four of their six road games this season by 8-points or fewer and were headed to a stadium they haven't won in since 2011.
Looking to take advantage in the NFC Wild Card race as the Carolina Panthers were dealt a blow earlier in the day after losing to NFC South rival Tampa Bay, the Seahawks had plans of helping head coach Pete Carroll notch his 86th career win with the franchise which would tie him with former Seattle coach Mike Holmgren for the most regular season wins in team history. It would practically be a done deal by halftime as Carroll's team found themselves leading 20-3 at the half. Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson would complete just 4 of 6 pass attempts in the first half, but three of those would go for touchdowns as he logged the fewest completions in a half with three TD's since Mark Rypien of the Washington Redskins in 1991. Though his busy day finding the end zone wouldn't end there. The Niners would have their chances to make it a much closer game before halftime, but a pair of fumbles including one inside the red zone by backup running back Jeffery Wilson and another on a muffed punt by Richie James, kept the San Francisco offense at bey with only a field goal to show for through the first two quarters.
The second half wouldn't start any better for San Francisco as Seattle return man Tyler Lockett returned the opening kickoff 84-yards before rookie running back Rashaad Penny took one to the house for a 20-yard touchdown run just one play into the third quarter. The 49ers would finally strike pay dirt of their own as rookie receiver and Washington alum Dante Pettis made a nifty move to find the end zone on a 17-yard score. It would be a busy day for Pettis who would later score on a 75-yard touchdown before finishing the game with 129 yards on 5 receptions and accounting for the only two trips to the end zone on the day for the 49ers. QB Nick Mullens would log a career-high 414 passing yards, but was intercepted by Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner who cashed in a 98-yard pick-six, the longest in Seattle franchise history. Russell Wilson would throw for only 185 yards in total, but tallied a season-high in passing touchdowns with four as Seattle ran away with the 43-16 win. The victory which helped Seattle improve to 7-5 on the year, was the 71st win of Wilson's career, tying Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens for the most wins at the QB position in NFL history thru the first seven seasons. Equally as impressive are the 63 TD passes Wilson has thrown since the start of last season which is the most in the league during that span.
Falling to 2-10 on the season, it would be a not-so-deal first attempt at a revenge game for former Seahawk Richard Sherman as the 49ers have now lost their 9th straight regular season meeting to Seattle and 10th overall when counting their loss in the 2013 NFC Championship in what's become a one-sided rivalry. The nine straight wins for Seattle over San Francisco ties Kansas City for the longest active winning streak against a divisional opponent as the Chiefs have also won nine straight against the rival Chargers.
Week 14 Preview - Returning home for a three-game homestand, the 49ers will play host to the (6-6) Denver Broncos who look to keep their AFC Wild Card hopes alive and are currently riding a 3-game winning-streak. Coming off a 24-10 road win over the Bengals, the Broncos will likely go with a heavy dose of rookie running back Phillip Lindsay on offense as the undrafted workhorse is coming off a 157-yard, 2 touchdown performance which helped him become just the 4th undrafted rookie since 1970 to record at least 1,000+ scrimmage yards in a single season. As for the 49ers who would own the 1st overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft if the season ended today, the remaining schedule for San Francisco will be a tough one, despite playing three of their next four games at home. With the coaching staff and front-office ready to put this season behind them, the 49ers will continue to evaluate what they have on the current roster in preparation for 2019 as this young team will continue to get valuable experience down the stretch in these last handful of weeks.
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Week 12 - Even before their meeting against the (3-7) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the San Francisco 49ers found themselves in a bit of a quandary as news broke just hours before kickoff that linebacker Reuben Foster had been arrested by Tampa police on domestic violence charges at the team's hotel. Following his third run in with the law in less than a year, the team decided to cut ties with their first round pick from a season ago after giving the troubled 24-year old one last chance to keep his nose clean as he failed to follow those guidelines. But despite the gaping hole the Niners now face at the linebacker position which has been without Brock Coyle since the early part of the season due to head and back injuries, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team still had a game to play on Sunday.
Coming off the Week 11 BYE, the 49ers would take on a Buccaneers offense that ranks tops in the league despite a QB carousel that would land former first overall pick Jameis Winston back at the helm for Tampa Bay. But as good as the Bucs' offense has been this season, their defense came into the game having allowed a league-worst 33-points per game on average, something Nick Mullens and the 49ers offense would hope to exploit. With both teams exchanging punts to open the game, Winston and the Bucs would be first to strike as a 42-yard gain on a deep pass to receiver Mike Evans would set things up for a 6-yard touchdown pass to Cameron Brate. The 49ers would come close to tying things up in the second quarter as Mullens connected with rookie receiver Dante Pettis who scored his first touchdown since Week 1 and second overall, but Robbie Gould would miss the point-after, making it a 7-6 Tampa lead. It would be a busy day for Pettis who's been plagued with injuries this season and entered the game with only seven receptions on the year, as he compiled more than half that in this game alone. A pair of Cairo Santo field goals before the half would allow the Bucs to take a 13-6 lead through the first two quarters.
Looking to answer on their opening possession of the second half, the 49er offense would march all the way to the 1-yard line, but were stopped on both 2nd and 3rd downs before a false start penalty on 4th down stalled any chance to go for it at the goal-line as the offense was forced to settle for a field goal. San Francisco's inability to capitalize in the red zone would sting the team even more considering Winston would lead the Bucs offense on back-to-back touchdown-scoring drives heading into the fourth quarter. In need of a few quick scores to answer, Mullens was picked off on each of San Francisco's final two drives, ending any chance of pulling off the miracle comeback. For Tampa Bay, their performance on defense would be their best of the season as the pair of interceptions were only their second and third of the season which also ended a streak of seven consecutive games without allowing a single takeaway. The Bucs D which held Kyle Shanahan's offense to their fewest point total in a game this season, also did a good job at disrupting the quarterback as they kept Mullens in check by forcing a total of four sacks and prevented the 49ers quarterback from getting into any type of rhythm in the passing game. The constant pressure was something Mullens saw very little of through his first two starts considering his offensive-line didn't allow a single sack in those first two games.
The only positive takeaway on the day for the 49ers, would be that of running back Matt Breida who rushed 14 times for 106-yards in the loss, his second consecutive game with over 100 yards rushing and the team's 9th game with over 100+ yards on the ground, the most in the NFL. As for Breida's counterpart, Bucs running back Peyton Barber who was coming off a career-high 106 yards rushing in Week 11, was held to only 47 yards on 18 carries. As good as San Francisco's defense was against Barber, they were unable to say the same for quarterback Jamis Winston as the former No. 1 overall pick threw for 312 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including 116 yards to Mike Evans who eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving on the season and was a constant problem against a banged up Niners secondary. Nick Mullens had easily his worst start of his career as he finished with 221 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 picks while completing only 18-of-32 pass attempts. With the loss, the 49ers fell to 2-9 on the year and stand alongside the division rival Cardinals as the only 2-win teams in the NFC. Of course Arizona's only two wins on the season came at the hands of San Francisco.
Week 13 Preview - The 49ers' schedule won't get any easier in their next match-up as they take a trip up north to renew rivalries with the (6-5) Seahawks in Seattle where the Niners haven't won since 2011. Coming off a pair of 3-point wins against the Packers and Panthers, Seattle will look to continue their hopes of making the playoffs as they currently stand in the hunt for an NFC Wild Card spot. Going three straight games without throwing a single interception, the always dangerous Russell Wilson will try to maintain their recent dominance over the 49ers against an old friend as former Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman will look to exact revenge as he prepares to oppose his former team for the first time since being released in the offseason. With two of their five losses suffered at home this year where Pete Carroll's Seahawks have been virtually untouchable in years passed, the Niners will need a near perfect game from their offense if they plan to end their streak of six straight losses in Seattle's Century Link Field.
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