Turnovers Galore End Niners Season

Week 15 - Taking a trip to the lone star state, the San Francisco 49ers (5-8) would go toe to toe with the Dallas Cowboys (4-9) in a must-win game. Initially scheduled as a primetime match-up on NBC's Sunday Night Football, the meeting was eventually flexed out of the late spot for a 10am start time in favor of the Cleveland Browns-New York Giants game. With both teams at or near the bottom of their respective division and playing without their starting quarterback, what was one of the more anticipated match-ups on the schedule for both teams at the start of the season, quickly lost its flare as injuries and poor play decimated what had the potential of being one of the more exciting games of the year between two old rivals. Instead, fans would be treated to a duel between two struggling teams led by backup QB's. Facing a do or die scenario, San Francisco saw their playoff hopes evaporate on Sunday following another turnover-filled performance that officially eliminated them from postseason contention. 

Having struggled virtually all season long in the turnover department, Sunday's game was no exception as the 49ers shot themselves in the foot right out the gates. After forcing a three and out on defense during Dallas' first offensive possession, punt-returner Richie James Jr. fumbled the ball away at the San Francisco 22 yard line. Even with an offense that has struggled mightily this season in the absence of both QB Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys made the most of the second chance opportunity as Tony Pollard scored several plays later to give Dallas an early lead, igniting what would go on to be a big day for the Cowboys' backup running back. The Niners' second possession would end in a similar fate as Mullens' recent struggles of protecting the ball and avoiding turnovers bit him once more when he was sacked and fumbled the ball. Wasting little time to capitalize on yet another 49er miscue, QB Andy Dalton found receiver Michael Gallup for a 3-yard score to put the home team on top, 14-0. Seeking their first winning streak of the season, Dallas would enjoy a hot start, but San Francisco would eventually chip away at their lead. A 13-play, 85-yard drive would end in a 49ers touchdown as Mullens connected in the end zone with tight-end Jordan Reed. 

After a Greg Zuerlein field goal made it 17-7 Dallas, the 49ers embarked on another 13-play drive that ended in the offense finding pay dirt. Having been one of the lone bright spots in the 49ers' dismal year, rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk continued his torrid pace with a 2-yard touchdown to pull San Francisco within a field goal. Trailing 17-14 at the half, the Niners would force another Dallas three and out before tying the game on a Robbie Gould field goal. But just when the 49ers offense began piecing things together, the defense gave in as a 45-yard connection from Dalton to rookie receiver CeeDee Lamb setup a touchdown on the very next play when Dalton Schultz hauled in one of his two receptions on the day for a 12-yard score. San Francisco would answer right back with another long drive capped off by Texas native Jeff Wilson Jr. who plowed into the end zone from a yard out. With the game tied at 24-24, the Niners would have a chance to take their first lead of the day after both teams exchanged punts, but Mullens' turnover woes would rear their ugly head once again as he was intercepted on a pass intended for Reed, which the Cowboys would turn into another field goal. 

Following another pair of punts, Mullens would be intercepted for a second time as he threw into traffic to commit another costly turnover which Dallas would be sure to make him pay this time around as Tony Pollard broke for a 40-yard touchdown just two plays later. Down by 10-points with under a minute remaining, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers quickly found themselves in a battle with the clock. Electing to go for a field goal on 2nd down, the 400th made field goal of Gould's career, the Niners made it a one-score game as they lined up for the onside-kick. With Dallas seeking their first kickoff return for a touchdown since 2008, Cowboy fans would witness that drought come to an end as CeeDee Lamb recovered the onside-kick attempt and took it 47-yards to the house, while receiving a pair of nice blocks along the way. San Francisco would get one last touchdown on the final play of the game. With many Niner fans calling for the end of the Nick Mullens experiment and the switch to C.J. Beathard, those fans got their wish late in the fourth quarter as he entered the game in relief of Mullens, and launching a 49-yard pass into the end zone that Kendrick Bourne leaped into the air and came down with to make it a 41-33 final score. 

Stringing together their first winning-streak in 21 games dating back to last season, the Cowboys ended the 49ers' playoff hopes while also keeping their own alive in the putrid NFC Eastern Division that is led by 6-8 Washington. Losing the turnover battle, 4-0, San Francisco continued to make things hard for themselves as they've now suffered 2+ giveaways in eight straight games, their longest streak since 2008. The culprit behind a lot of those turnovers is Mullens who has now allowed 14 turnovers (11 interceptions, 3 fumbles) in eight starts. While Mullens threw for more yards than Dalton, 219 to 209, he committed a whopping three turnovers to Dalton's zero as both QB's threw for a pair of touchdowns. Meanwhile, C.J. Beathard threw for an even 100 yards and a touchdown on 5 of 7 pass attempts. While the Cowboys relied heavily on Pollard who rushed for 69 yards and 2 TD's and caught six passes for another 63 yards, Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. split the bulk of the carries for San Francisco, rushing for 68 and 60 yards, respectively. While Kendrick Bourne led all wide-outs in receiving yards with 86 yards on four receptions to go along with his touchdown, rookie Brandon Aiyuk was the real story for San Francisco as he caught a game-high 9 receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown, while passing teammate Deebo Samuel (57 in 2019) for the most receptions by a rookie in 49ers franchise history. This after Aiyuk missed three games this season, including the season-opener. 

Week 16 Preview - With their season over now as the 2020-21 NFL Playoffs will be played without the reigning NFC Champions, the 49ers (5-9) will return to their home away from home in Glendale, Arizona, this time as the away team when they take on the division rival Arizona Cardinals (8-6). Facing off for the first time since Week 1 which the Cardinals edged the Niners by a narrow 24-20 outcome, San Francisco will try to play the role of spoiler against a Cardinals team that is vying for a playoff spot. Or the 49ers can show some appreciation for the Cards allowing them to play their home ball at their stadium for the past two games, by rolling over and letting them win. While that seems like a fat chance given Kyle Shanahan's team will likely give it everything they've got come kickoff, it might not be the worst of decisions either seeing as the Niners are now jockeying for position in next year's NFL Draft. With gameday slated for Saturday, it wouldn't be the biggest surprise if C.J. Beathard is in under center to start the game at quarterback for San Francisco in place of the struggling Nick Mullens, opposite of Arizona's Kyler Murray. 

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Niners solve 'Who Dat?' riddle with Epic Win

Week 14 - Continuing their quest thru the gauntlet of the toughest three-game stretch in NFL history, the (10-2) San Francisco 49ers headed into the Big Easy to take on the (10-2) New Orleans Saints in a back and forth melee that would be anything but easy. The first meeting between two teams with identical 10-2 records since 2007, the game was expected to be a tough, grind it out battle featuring two of the league's top defenses, but would quickly materialize into a shootout between quarterbacks as Jimmy Garoppolo and Drew Brees came out guns blazing and went blow for blow in a heavyweight match-up with the NFC's No. 1 seed on the line. It would also be a duel of the minds as offensive guru's Kyle Shanahan and Sean Payton squared off in a game that once things were underway, were destined to come down to the wire and likely be decided by whoever had the ball last.

With coach Shanahan keeping his 49er team on the east coast following Week 13 in Baltimore and spending the week in Florida in preparation of their second straight 10 a.m. eastern start on the road, San Francisco seemed ill-prepared for Brees' quick passes as he broke down the defense with precision before finding his tight-end Jared Cook for a 38-yard touchdown reception. Not to be outdone, Jimmy G connected on passes of 19, 31 and 25 yards to Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel, respectively, before hooking up in the end zone with Kendrick Bourne. While it would be the first of many touchdowns scored on the day, San Francisco's game-tying touchdown would be the first opening-drive TD allowed by the Saints defense all year. Drive No. 2 for New Orleans would look a lot similar to their first as Brees again found Cook for the score. Hurt on the play, Cook would have to leave the game after sustaining a concussion, but not before his controversial touchdown as replay showed the ball come loose as Cook went to the ground while in the end zone. With the call standing and 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon penalized for unnecessary roughness, Payton would decide to go for the two-point conversion but was unsuccessful.

After a 49ers three and out and one of only four punts in the game combined, the Saints continued to take advantage of their stellar field position with a drive that ended in another Drew Brees touchdown pass, this time to Josh Hill. Trailing 20-7 at the start of the 2nd quarter in a game where most teams would roll over, Jimmy G and company refused to give in as they needed only one play to answer with a touchdown of their own when Garoppolo threw a bomb to Emmanuel Sanders who returned to his feet after falling and sprinted for a career-long 75-yard score. But while the 49er offense had little trouble scoring, the defense continued to struggle finding an answer for the Saints offense which showed no signs of slowing. Just when San Francisco appeared to finally stand their ground by keeping New Orleans out of the end zone as a 1st and goal from the 4 eventually turned into a 4th and goal from the 1, Payton kept the offense on the field and allowed for Brees to handle the scoring himself as the future Hall of Fame quarterback kept the ball and leaped over the goal-line. With the score 27-14 and the defense in need of a breather after the tiring 7-minute and 14-second drive by New Orleans, it wasn't long before the San Francisco defense was right back out there as the 49er offense again answered with a quick response. Gaining 40-yards in two plays, Shanahan went to his bag of tricks to dial up a play that started with a handoff from Garoppolo to Samuel and ended with a lateral to Sanders who fired a strike down the field to a wide-open Raheem Mostert for the touchdown. Having already caught a touchdown earlier, Sanders became the first 49er in franchise history to record a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown in the same game.

Still seeking their first stop on defense, the 49ers would get just that as a nice play by rookie defensive-end Nick Bosa stopped the Saints in their tracks on a 3rd and 1 attempt that led to a 6-yard loss and resulted in a three and out. With a chance to steal the momentum heading into the half, San Francisco would take their first lead of the game as a nine-play drive ended with a 10-yard run up the gut by Mostert, entering halftime with a 28-27 advantage. With eight touchdowns in ten drives and both teams combining for 55 first half points, the most points scored in an opening half this season, Garoppolo entered the locker room nearly perfect with 206 yards and a pair of TD passes on 11 of 12 completions. But their first drive of the second half would result in their one and only turnover when a pass intended for Sanders was tipped and intercepted. Holding New Orleans to a field goal after the turnover, the 49ers would force a takeaway of their own when Saints running back Alvin Kamara was stripped by D.J. Jones on only the second lost fumble by the Saints this season. Looking to cash-in on the rare mishap and within striking distance, Garoppolo needed only two plays to capitalize as George Kittle caught a pass and sprawled over the pylon for the 5-yard score.

With the score 35-33 SF after a Saints field goal, Payton would try to get cute on a fake-punt on 4th and 18, but a heads-up play in coverage by the 49ers special-teams led to an incompletion and the turnover on downs. Beginning the frenzied fourth quarter with a 14-play touchdown-scoring drive, Garoppolo capped things off with his second connection in the end zone with receiver Kendrick Bourne. Taking their largest lead of the game at 42-33, the 9-minutes remaining in regulation would seem to last an eternity as the game was still far from over. A pair of big plays by Saints receiver Michael Thomas would have his team right back in the thick of things as he followed up a 49-yard reception two plays later with a 21-yard touchdown. With the first field goal on the day for 49ers kicker Robbie Gould making it a 45-40 lead with just under 2:30 remaining, Drew Brees would lead his team down the field with the game on the line once again. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon had a chance to seal the win for the Niners when Saints receiver Michael Thomas slipped, but the ball went thru the hands of Witherspoon and wound up being an incomplete pass. Given a second chance, Brees would take advantage of the opportunity two plays later, connecting with Tre'Quan Smith for the go-ahead touchdown. With 53 career game-winning drives under his belt in the 4th quarter or overtime for Brees, it appeared that we had witnessed No. 54, but Jimmy G would have other plans as another 2-point conversion attempt by the Saints went awry.

With 53-seconds remaining and all three timeouts to work with, George Kittle would take us and a trio of Saints defenders along for a ride. Facing 4th and 2 at the San Francisco 33 yard-line, Kittle would grab a pass from Garoppolo and take it 39-yards as he stiff-armed a defender and had another draped all over him before a third Saint joined in to help take down the Pro Bowl tight-end who also benefited from a pivotal face-mask penalty that tacked on the extra yardage. In what many are calling the play of the year or at the very least the play of the 49ers' season, Kittle helped setup what would ultimately be the game-winning field goal by kicker Robbie Gould who connected on the 30-yarder as time expired. Giving Drew Brees and the Saints a taste of their own medicine, Jimmy G and the 49ers came back from the 20-7 deficit and completed the comeback with Gould's 16th career game-winning field goal marking the first 48-46 final score in NFL history.

Despite trailing 20-7 at one point, San Francisco's never say die mentality and sheer will allowed them to rally in what could very well go down as a season-defining moment for this 49er team that managed to still find a way to win. With both Brees and Garoppolo finishing with 349 yards passing, Jimmy G joins Steve Young and Jeff Garcia as the only 49er QB's with at least three games of 4 passing TD's in a single season after rallying his team to victory with his sixth career game-winning drive. Meanwhile, the Saints' 46-points are their most points scored in a loss in franchise history. 49ers running back Raheem Mostert and Saints running back Latavius Murray each finished with 69 yards rushing, and Emmanuel Sanders led all receivers with 157 receiving yards. However, it wasn't all roses and butterflies following the Niners' victory as the team learned that they'd be without center Weston Richburg for the season after he suffered a torn patellar tendon. Corner Richard Sherman and defensive-end Dee Ford would also leave Sunday's game after suffering hamstring injuries that will likely cause them to miss multiple weeks.

Week 15 Preview - The 49ers will be happy to return home to the state of California and their home field of Levi's Stadium when they host Matt Ryan and the (4-9) Atlanta Falcons. Facing his former team in head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons, 49ers signal-caller Kyle Shanahan will try putting a stop to what was once among the most dangerous offenses in the league when he was still with them calling the plays led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. In what's been a down season for Atlanta, the Falcons are coming off a 40-20 drubbing of division rival Carolina where Matt Ryan became the second fastest QB in NFL history to reach the 50,000 yard mark (186 games). And though Atlanta isn't quite the same team they once were since Shanahan's departure, they'll still need to be taken serious as the 49ers can ill-afford losing to a inferior team if they want to maintain the NFC's No. 1 spot since jumping from the No. 5 seed following their win on Sunday @ New Orleans and a loss by Seattle to the Rams. 


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9ers Overcome double-digit Deficit to Beat Arizona

Week 11 - Looking to put their first loss of the season behind them and get back on track in the win column, the San Francisco 49ers (8-1) would hope for a much smoother outcome than the one that nearly ended in an upset against the Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1) two weeks earlier in Glendale. But from the opening drive on, it was Kliff Kingsbury's Cardinals squad that once again got off to the hot start. Leaving Kyle Shanahan shaking his head, his 49er team would allow Arizona to jump out to a quick 10-0 lead as the hole eventually grew deeper with San Francisco soon falling behind, 16-0. But having shown all season that they can answer the call when facing adversity, the Niners would eventually wake up on both sides of the ball to overcome the 16-point deficit, their largest of the season.

Having caused fits for the 49er defense virtually all game long in their Thursday night match-up back in Week 9 which ended in San Francisco narrowly edging Arizona by a final score of 28-25, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray once again gave the Niners a headache, despite not padding the stat sheet. When he wasn't firing the ball off with impressive arm-speed or weaving around defenders, Murray was using his legs to get out of trouble and pick up a first down. However, it was the self-inflicted miscues that doomed San Francisco early on as a 41-yard penalty by Richard Sherman on third and long allowed the Cardinals to score their first points. Taking over in the red zone, Arizona was held to a field goal, but found themselves ahead, nonetheless. Drive no. 2 for Arizona would look a lot like deja vu as Sherman was called for a second pass-interference penalty that once again gifted the Cardinals with a trip to the red zone. Only this time, Murray and company would capitalize with a touchdown as a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald scored to make it 9-0 following a failed extra-point attempt. With the ball across midfield, Shanahan would dial up an early decision to go for it on 4th & 5, but the Niners were stopped in their tracks on an incomplete pass to Raheem Mostert.

After exchanging punts, Arizona added to their lead to start the second quarter as Murray connected with Pharoh Cooper for his second touchdown pass of the half. Serving as a wake-up call, the 49ers would finally begin to string together some offense of their own as a big play was made when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found Richie James Jr. on a screen-pass that the receiver turned into a 57-yard gain. Making their first red zone trip of the afternoon, it would be there that backup tight-end Ross Dwelley stepped up in the absence of George Kittle who was ruled out for a second straight game while nursing ankle and knee injuries suffered in the earlier meeting against these Cardinals. Fitting the bill, Dwelley would score each of the first two 49er touchdowns on the day and had another touchdown called back on an offensive-holding penalty. It would be a career day for the undrafted tight-end after entering the game with zero TD receptions in his first 20 career games. The Niners would inch closer to make it a one-possession game just before the half as Chase McLaughlin slipped a field goal through the uprights just before the half. Making the needed adjustments at the half, the Niners would open the third quarter with a bang as a 52-yard gain on the first play of the half helped set the table for San Francisco to take their first lead of the game on Garoppolo's second end zone connection to Dwelley.

San Francisco's next possession seemed just as promising as the offense marched into the red zone, but the drive would go up in flames when a head-scratching decision by Garoppolo ended in an interception as his pass went directly to a defender. Scoring only a field goal out of it, Arizona was able to reclaim the lead before Garoppolo began to work his magic in the passing game. With a big play to get his team into enemy territory by rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who logged his second consecutive 100-yard performance, the drive was capped off by a touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Kendrick Bourne. But the Cardinals would answer on their ensuing possession as Kyler Murray scored on a quarterback-keeper from 22-yards out. With Arizona back up by a field goal with under seven minutes remaining, Garoppolo was intercepted for a second time when he threw a pass out of the reach of Dwelley and into the hands of a Cardinals defender. Taking over before the two-minute warning, Garoppolo would redeem himself by marching his team up the field before finding one of the most unlikeliest of heroes. With under a minute remaining, into the game came Jeff Wilson Jr. who on the first play he saw, caught a pass with an acrobatic grab that he ran up the middle with 22-yards for the go-ahead touchdown. But a lot would happen in the final 31 seconds as both teams would be given a chance to put the game away for good.

Any chance of a Cardinals comeback appeared to be put to rest when the 49ers pounced on a fumble on Arizona's first play following the Wilson Jr. touchdown. But three short rushing attempts and a failed 4th & 1 attempt, gave Arizona the ball one last time as 6 seconds remained. Needing a bit of late-game heroics to pull off the miracle, a quick pass from Murray to Fitzgerald ended with the veteran receiver trying a lateral that was eventually fumbled and picked up by San Francisco's D.J. Reed who scooped up the ball and took it in for the easy score as time expired. The final score of 36-26 would not be indicative of how the game panned out for both teams as the Cardinals fought tooth and nail to once again hand Shanahan's Niners a hard fought win that they had to work for until the final seconds of the game-clock. And with the Niners' run game shutdown for a second consecutive week as running back Matt Breida sat out due to injury, Garoppolo would again be forced to get things done thru the air. Finishing with 424 yards and 4 touchdowns, Garoppolo joined 49er greats Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to throw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in a single game. Before Jimmy G's remarkable performance on Sunday, the last Niner QB to put up such numbers was Young in 1993 and the 400+ yards are the most by a 49ers team since Week 13 of the 199 season.

Noteworthy: Given the many weapons the 49ers have had on offense this season, one interesting stat from Sunday's win, is that all four of San Francisco's touchdowns were scored by undrafted players: Dwelley, Bourne and Wilson Jr.

Week 12 Preview - Summing up their three-game homestand, the 49ers (9-1) will welcome in Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (8-2) as San Francisco embarks on a string of three straight games against some of the league's top heavyweights that could very well make or break their season. And with Green Bay coming off a BYE, Kyle Shanahan's team will certainly need to be on their A-game in what has now been flexed into a Sunday night game, San Francisco's lone Sunday night meeting on their schedule. Aside from the future Hall of Famer Rodgers, the 49ers defense will also have to plan for running back Aaron Jones who is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 14 and is coming off a three rushing touchdown performance in the team's Week 10 win over Carolina. With the Niner defense losing Kwon Alexander and Ronald Blair for the season in consecutive weeks, the team hopes to have both if not at least one of D.J. Jones or Dee Ford available in time for their game against the Packers. With Jones inactive for the Arizona game with a groin injury, Ford was the latest Niner to fall to the injury bug after he was pulled from Sunday's game with a hamstring ailment. San Francisco will need all the help they can get as a loss would drop them even in the NFC standings alongside Green Bay.


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Kittle sets Record in Season-Finale Loss to Rams

Week 17 - For 49er fans, the 2018 season couldn't end soon enough. And with a Week 17 meeting at the L.A. Coliseum against the (12-3) Los Angeles Rams, the chances of finishing the year on a high note seemed slim to none heading into their season-finale. Despite being without their best player on offense in Pro Bowl running back Todd Gurley, Sean McVay's Rams would have no problem disposing of their NFC West rivals with the No. 2 seed in the playoffs on the line. Defensive monstrosity Aaron Donald who's a shoo-in to win Defensive Player of the Year and is vying to become only the third defensive player in NFL history to take home league MVP honors, entered Sunday's game needing three sacks to tie Michael Strahan's single-season sacks record of 22.5 sacks. And after tallying a career-high four sacks against the Niners in their Week 7 meeting in San Francisco earlier this year, tying or surpassing the record was certainly a possibility. And though there would be a new NFL record set in this one, it would be by an offensive player and on the opposing team as 49ers tight-end George Kittle etched his name into the record books once again.

Three weeks after setting the NFL record for the most receiving yards in a first half with 210 and falling just four yards shy of tying the all-time mark in a single-game by a tight-end, the second-year Iowa alum who's already been named to his first career Pro Bowl this season, did it again. This time Kittle would break a record that was set less than an hour earlier. Patriots tight-end Rob Gronkowski's record of 1,326 receiving yards set back in 2011 stood for six seasons until Chiefs tight-end Travis Kelce surpassed him in K.C.'s win over the Raiders on Sunday. But that mark would fall just minutes later as Kittle did him one better by scoring a 43-yard touchdown to nab the record in style and finish the season with 1,377 receiving yards. In a season that provided very few bright spots for the 49ers and was predominately marred by injuries, disappointment and so forth, Kittle was one of the lone bright spots in an otherwise dismal game for San Francisco.

The Niners offense would get off to as bad a start as possible in the opening quarter when they committed three turnovers via a Kyle Juszczyk fumble and a pair of interceptions by quarterback Nick Mullens. Entering the game having scored 99-points off of turnovers this year, the Rams would add to that total just minutes in as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead following the first two San Francisco miscues. Kicker Robbie Gould would get the Niners on the board with a field goal before the end of the first, but Mullens' third interception of the half would be a pick-six that forced head coach Kyle Shanahan to consider benching Mullens in favor of C.J. Beathard who began to warm up. Fortunately, Mullens would settle in from there and began manufacturing a solid drive of his own before connecting in the end zone with rookie receiver Richie James Jr. for a 9-yard score, logging the first receiving TD of James' career. But by then, the score was already 28-10 and the Rams would add another field goal just before the half. L.A. would pick up right where they left off to open the second half as Rams QB Jared Goff connected for touchdown passes on consecutive drives to receiver Josh Reynolds.

Already thin at the running back position, San Francisco's Jeff Wilson Jr. would need to be carted to the locker room in the first quarter which opened the door for a big game from veteran Alfred Morris who scored a touchdown and eclipsed the century mark for the first time this season with 111 yards rushing. Like Morris, Rams running back C.J. Anderson would also have a big day on the ground while filling in for the ailing Todd Gurley as he followed up last week's 167 yard, one touchdown performance against Arizona with another 132 yards and a touchdown against the Niners. Nick Mullens would toss a touchdown pass to Kendrick Bourne to start things off in the fourth quarter before connecting with Kittle on his record-setting score as he was mobbed in the end zone and congratulated by his teammates. Unfortunately by then the game would be well out of reach as the Rams walked away with the 48-32 victory to clinch the No. 2 overall seed in the NFC. Mullens would finish with a game-high 282 yards passing with three touchdowns and three interceptions. However, the biggest difference between the two quarterbacks would be in the turnover department as Goff would steer clear of committing any miscues while throwing for 199 yards and four touchdowns. As for Aaron Donald, the Pro Bowl defensive tackle would log only one sack on Sunday, falling two shy of Strahan's record and finished the season with a career-high 20.5 sacks.

Beating San Francisco for the second time in as many games this season, the Rams would complete the sweep of their NFC West rival for the first time since 2004 to log their third 13-win season in franchise history (first since 2001). While the Rams would finish the season as the only team to go unbeaten within their division this year, the 49ers failed to win a single game on the road in 2018 (0-8) for the first time since 1979. Even more frustrating would be San Francisco's inability to force turnovers in 2018 as they failed to log a single takeaway on Sunday which led to Robert Saleh's 49ers defense setting a dubious record of only 7 turnovers forced this season which is four fewer than the previous mark of 11 shared by the 1982 Baltimore Colts, 2013 Houston Texans, 2015 Dallas Cowboys and 2016 Chicago Bears. Finishing 4-12 on the season, the 49ers will own the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, selecting behind only the Arizona Cardinals.

More Kittle - George Kittle led both teams in both receptions (9) and receiving yards (149) on Sunday as he put a stamp on his busy day by also setting a franchise record for most catches in a single-season by a 49er tight-end with 88 and is one of only seven tight-ends in NFL history to finish a season with 75+ receptions and 1,200+ receiving yards. While his unforgettable season will certainly go down as one of the greatest ever at the tight-end position, the fact that he nearly set both the single-game and single-season receiving records in the same year is insane. And with both fans and the coaching staff looking forward to next season, Kittle is one name everyone in the league will be keeping an eye on moving forward.


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Nick at Night, 9ers roll Raiders in Battle of the Bay

Week 9 - Returning home to host the Oakland Raiders (1-6) with bragging rights on the line in what's likely to be the last installment of the Battle of the Bay before the silver and black pack their bags and relocate to Las Vegas in 2020, Kyle Shanahan and the San Francisco 49ers (1-7) liked their chances of pulling out the rare win and ending their six-game losing-skid on Thursday night. But a game-time decision at the quarterback position would force coach Shanahan to start his third-string quarterback who had never stepped onto an NFL field outside of the preseason. With C.J. Beathard nursing an injured wrist, waiting in the wings would be Nick Mullens who would get the starting nod to make his NFL debut about an hour before kickoff. With little known about Mullens and very few giving him a chance coming into the game, the undrafted QB in his second-year out of Southern Mississippi would be the talk of the town by games end.

Following an opening-drive field goal by the Raiders, Mullens would answer back with a perfect drive on San Francisco's first possession by going 3-for-3 thru the air and capping things off with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Pierre Garcon who had returned to action after missing last week's game with a knee injury. In his second year with the team, the touchdown reception would be Garcon's first in a Niners uniform after being dangled on the trading block before the NFL trade deadline just two days earlier. But things wouldn't end there for Mullens who's spectacular night would just be getting started as he orchestrated yet another impressive drive on San Francisco's second possession. Facing third & goal from the 4-yard line, Mullens remained calm before throwing a strike to Kendrick Bourne in the end zone. The 49ers nearly struck for a third touchdown just before the half, but a drop by rookie receiver Richie James Jr. who hauled in a 53-yard reception just three-plays earlier, forced them to settle for a field goal. By halftime, Mullens had already hit eight different receivers in the passing game and the Niners had jumped out to a 17-3 lead.

Having made a bad habit out of blowing second half leads in games this season against the Chargers, Packers and Cardinals, Mullens and company would refuse to take their foot off the gas pedal in this one as they showed no mercy on each of their first two possessions of the third quarter. George Kittle who's been one of if not the best tight-end in the league this year, flexed his muscles yet again by hauling in four catches for 108-yards on Thursday, none bigger than the one-handed grab he snagged and took 71-yards before being brought down. Mullens would reward him for his efforts just two-plays later with an easy touchdown. The Niners' scoring barrage would get its biggest touchdown of the night one-drive later as running back Raheem Mostert used a down-field block from 2018 first-round pick Mike McGlinchey to his advantage for a 52-yard touchdown, putting a dagger in the heart of a Raiders run defense that ranks last in the league and was coming off a BYE. Mostert would lead all rushers with 86-yards on just 7 carries, but would unfortunately suffer a gruesome arm injury that would end his season. All the Raiders would have to show for in the second half was a missed field goal attempt that would clink off the right upright as the Niners stormed away with a 34-3 victory.

With the win, San Francisco snaps its six-game losing-streak and improves to 2-7 on the year. Meanwhile, the team across the bay who in their first season (again) under head coach Jon Gruden, falls to 1-7 on the season, their third worst start in franchise history thru their first 8 games. Raiders quarterback David Carr who was sacked a total of seven times on Thursday, was held to only 171-yards passing on 16-of-21 attempts. As for Nick Mullens, the Southern Mississippi kid who wears his No. 4 jersey in honor of fellow Southern Miss. alum Brett Favre and who's school records he broke for both career passing yards and career passing touchdowns, the new kid on the block threw for 262-yards and three touchdowns on 16-of-22 pass attempts. Mullens would one-up his idol once more by logging a 151.9 passer rating in his first career start compared to the 144.6 rating put up in Favre's debut. Mullens' passer rating would be the highest in an NFL debut since 1990 with a minimum of 20 pass attempts and would earn him a phone call from the man himself as Favre called and congratulated Mullens following the game for his performance and first career victory.

Week 10 Preview - Playing host to the lowly New York Giants (1-7) on Monday Night Football before heading into their Week 11 BYE, the 49ers could very well be riding a two-game winning-streak when we see them again in Week 12. The lone team the Niners were able to beat a season ago with somebody not named Garoppolo under center, San Francisco will likely make it back-to-back victories against the G-Men. However, the Giants will be coming off a BYE and are likely to unleash rookie sensation Saquon Barkley who will have fresh legs and will look to make the Niners' win-streak a short-lived one. And again we might not know until kickoff who coach Shanahan elects to go with at the QB position as he refused to commit to Mullens even after he became the first Niners QB to throw for 250+ yards with at least 3 TD's and no interceptions since Colin Kaepernick did it in Week 6 of 2014. Not to mention Beathard's only career victory came against these Giants a year ago. While I'd like to think Mullens earned the right to start for a second consecutive game, I expect the Niners to pull off their second straight win regardless of who's at the helm come Monday.


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49ers Strike Early but Fall Short vs Chargers

Week 4 - Road games in the month of September have been none too kind to the San Francisco 49ers. In fact, their last road win in the month of September came back in Week 1 of the 2014 season when they defeated the Dallas Cowboys on September 7, 2014. Since then, the Niners have dropped eight straight games away from home in September. And playing without their starting quarterback for the first time this season, those September woes were likely to continue against a Chargers team expected by many to compete for a Super Bowl this season. A pair of 1-2 teams chasing the only two remaining unbeaten teams in the league, leading their respective divisions -- Rams and Chiefs, the 49ers and Chargers were both eyeing their second win of the season when the two faced off at L.A.'s intimate StubHub Center. Playing in their second season since relocating to the Los Angeles area, the Chargers would elect to wear their road white uniforms on Sunday, allowing San Francisco to wear their home reds. It would be a fitting choice considering 75% of the 30,000 fans in attendance would be supporting the road team as the stands were full of red clad 49er fans, myself included.

Us Niner fans would have plenty to cheer for in the early going as the 49ers came out firing on all cylinders on both sides of the ball to open the game. Winning the coin toss and electing to receive, Philip Rivers and the Chargers offense would put together a trio of drives they'd much rather forget. Facing third and long on their opening possession, Rivers would be picked off by safety Antone Exum who turned his first career interception into a pick-six touchdown to give San Francisco an early lead. After a punt on their next possession, the Chargers would once again come up empty as kicker Caleb Sturgis missed a 54-yard field goal in what would end up being an up and down ballgame for the L.A. kicker who was signed during the off-season. Taking over near midfield, 49ers QB C.J. Beathard would piece together what would ultimately end up being a respectable game serving as San Francisco's backup quarterback in the absence of starter Jimmy Garoppolo. Showing poise and quickness in his release, Beathard connected in the end zone with receiver Kendrick Bourne to give the Niners an early 14-0 lead. After watching the 49ers score a touchdown on offense, the Chargers were finally able to log one of their own as a wide-open Antonio Gates hauled in a pass from Rivers to put a dent into the deficit, but Sturgis would miss his first of two extra-points on the afternoon.

Looking to add to their lead, Beathard and company would produce a drive of 21-plays, the most by a 49ers team since 1993. Eating up 10 minutes and 44 seconds, kicker Robbie Gould would cap the long drive with his 32nd consecutive made field goal to add to his franchise record. Trailing 17-6 with 5:02 remaining in the half, Rivers would answer the call and rally his team to pull even just in time before the half. After striking for a 22-yard touchdown thru the air to running back Austin Ekeler and succeeding on the 2-point attempt, the 49ers appeared to be headed to the locker room with at least a 3-point lead before the Chargers turned a 56-yard punt return into a field goal to tie things up at 17-all heading into the half. The second half would see the tables turn as it was the 49ers who opened the third quarter ice-cold, virtually identical to how the Chargers opened the first. After a punt on a three and out to begin the half by San Francisco, Rivers would continue to pour it on as he threw his third and final touchdown pass on the afternoon, a 6-yard score to running back Melvin Gordon.

And just when the 49ers were on track to stop the bleeding, making it to the red zone and facing a first and goal at the Chargers 8-yard line, the self-inflicted miscues would once again begin to show their face as a pass to Garrett Celek bounced off his chest and into the hands of a Chargers defender who nearly took it the distance. An 86-yard return by Trevor Williams would set up another field goal by Sturgis, adding to the Chargers' onslaught of 20 unanswered-points and five consecutive scoring-drives. San Francisco had a chance to come up with a huge turnover of their own as a rare fumble by Melvin Gordon who hasn't lost a fumble in 28 games, was recovered by a pair of Niner defenders who collided and stepped out of bounds, ruling the ball dead and allowing the Chargers to continue the drive. Two possessions later, the 49ers would finally put an end to their second half skid when Beathard connected with his former college teammate George Kittle for an 82-yard touchdown, the longest by the 49ers this season and second longest of Beathard's career by one yard.

After forcing L.A. to punt on their ensuing possession, the 49ers had plans to retake the lead, but not before enduring a scary moment as a scrambling C.J. Beathard absorbed a shot to the chest that left the Niners QB rolling around in pain before being attended to by the medical staff. The big hit would result in third-string quarterback Nick Mullens to begin to warm up, but it turned out Beathard just had the air knocked out of him, as he returned on San Francisco's next possession. San Francisco would get a field goal out of it, jumping out to a 27-26 lead with under 13 minutes remaining in regulation. But the lead wouldn't last long as L.A. would retake the lead with a field goal of their own on their ensuing possession. But a pair of exchanged punts would put the ball in Beathard's hands late with a chance to lead his team to victory. Taking over at the 7 yard-line with 3:49 left in the 4th quarter, the Niners would see their comeback hopes come crashing down when a pair of rookies came up huge for the Chargers. 2018 first round pick Derwin James applied pressure with a hit on Beathard as he was releasing the ball, resulting in an interception that landed in the lap of Isaac Rochell with 2:31 remaining. Taking over in the red zone, the Chargers would milk the clock from there, sealing the 29-27 victory and give San Francisco their ninth consecutive road loss in the month of September.

Beathard would finish with a game-high 298 passing yards, a pair of touchdowns and a pair of unfortunate interceptions, both of which were far from his fault. As for Philip Rivers who shook off his shaky start to finish with 250 yards passing, three touchdowns and an interception, the 36-year old veteran moved to 8th place on the NFL's all-time passing yards list by leaping Hall of Famer John Elway. 49ers running back Matt Breida who entered the game tied for the league lead in rushing yards, finished with only 39 yards on the ground on nine carries, while adding another 32 yards on three receptions. Meanwhile, Chargers running back Melvin Gordon eclipsed the century mark with 104 rushing yards, benefiting from another lackluster performance by a 49er defense that came into the game having missed more tackles than any team in the league as Gordon broke off several big plays on the day after multiple blown tackles. Tight-end George Kittle finished with a game-high 125 receiving yards and is one of only three tight-ends to lead his team in both receptions and receiving yards this season. Pierre Garcon who caught four balls on Sunday for 52 yards, tallied his 131st consecutive game with a reception, the third longest active streak in the NFL behind only Larry Fitzgerald and Brandon Marshall.

Week 5 Preview - The 49ers will look to benefit from some home cooking when they return to Levi's Stadium for the first time since their Week 2 win over the Detroit Lions. Hosting the win-less (0-4) Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco hopes to get back into the win column as they face a division opponent for the first time this season and welcome a Cardinals team with a new head coach and a new rookie quarterback under center in Josh Rosen after the benching of Sam Bradford in Week 3. Making only his second career start following a last second loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Rosen will be called upon to breath life into the Cardinals offense as they've scored a league-low 37-points in four games after tallying a combined 6-points though the first two weeks. The 49ers defense, however, hoping to have Pro Bowl cornerback Richard Sherman back in the lineup after watching Week 4 from the sideline with a calf injury, would prefer an easier outing on Sunday as they've already seen their fair share of talented quarterbacks through the first four weeks of the season. In comparison, the 49ers offense has scored 100 points so far this season and owns a point differential of -18, far from ideal, but nowhere close to Arizona's horrific -57 point differential which ranks worst in the NFL.


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49ers Fight off Late Rally to Squeak by Lions

Week 2 - Making the playoffs after falling to 0-2 to start a season in the NFL is no easy task. In fact, of the 92 teams that have opened a season 0-2 all-time, only 10 have went on to make the postseason which translates to a 12% success rate. And with both the San Francisco 49ers and Detroit Lions falling in Week 1, both teams would much rather escape Week 2 with a victory and not have to test that statistic. After shooting themselves in the foot on multiple occasions and blowing several opportunities that resulted in a Week 1 loss against the Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers knew they'd have to tidy things up and play a much cleaner game if they wanted to get into the win column in Week 2, despite facing an opponent not nearly on the level of Minnesota. And hosting an 0-1 Lions team still searching for its identity under first-year head coach Matt Patricia whom 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo knows quite well dating back to the time they shared in New England where Patricia served as defensive coordinator, the 49ers would do just that. It wouldn't be easy, however, as the game quickly turned from being a blowout to a nail-biter that came down to the final drive.

Coming off a 48-17 shellacking on Monday Night against the visiting New York Jets which saw Pro Bowl quarterback Matthew Stafford throw four interceptions, the Lions appeared to be destined for a similar fate in Week 2 when they found themselves down by 17-points with under eleven and a half minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. But those interceptions which doomed Detroit in Week 1, never showed their face on Sunday as this time around it was Stafford's play-making ability that kept the Lions in the game, nearly pulling off the comeback. For San Francisco, their ground attack was on point virtually all afternoon long and wasted no time to get going as 49ers running back Matt Breida began what would ultimately be a career day for the second-year back with a 28-yard run on the offense's first play from scrimmage. But like they did so often in the season-opening loss, the Niners would once again sputter after marching into the red zone thanks to back-to-back sacks. Instead of opening the game with a touchdown, San Francisco would settle for a field goal. After taking an early lead, the 49ers would watch Detroit answer with a touchdown as a mental error in coverage by cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon allowed Lions receiver Kenny Golladay to catch a wide-open pass and take it to the 5-yard line before spinning his way into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Unfortunately for Detroit, it would be the only time the 49ers would trail as they would answer right back to recapture a lead they would never relinquish.

Orchestrating a 13-play drive that continued into the 2nd quarter, Garoppolo would not be denied on San Francisco's second trip inside the red zone, capping things off with a short 4-yard pass to a wide-open Kendrick Bourne who hauled in his first career touchdown reception, making it a 10-7 ballgame. With both QB's logging a much cleaner game in the turnover department on Sunday than in their season-opener's when they combined for seven total interceptions, Stafford's only blemish against the Niners would come in the second quarter when he was sacked and stripped of the ball by linebacker Elijah Lee who filling in for the injured Brock Coyle (concussion), would make his presence felt. But again, the Niners would only get a field goal out of it as Robbie Gould converted on his 28th consecutive made field goal, setting a new franchise record which he would later add to. Getting the ball back with less than a minute remaining before the half, Detroit would look to put any points they could onto the board as Matt Prater inched the Lions closer to make it a 13-10 San Francisco lead at halftime.

Opening the second half with some fireworks, rookie return man D.J. Reed would take the opening kickoff of the second half some 101-yards to the house before being called for a face masking penalty. Despite the call, the 49ers would setup shop within striking distance at the 26-yard line in enemy territory. Four plays later, Garoppolo would connect for his second touchdown pass of the day, throwing a dart to tight-end Garrett Celek for the 11-yard score. A few drives later, the 49ers would unleash Matt Breida who carried the ball 11 times on Sunday, but none bigger than the career-long 67-yard rushing touchdown that would also set a career-high in rushing yards as he tallied 138 to go along with 21 yards receiving. What won't show up on the box score is the superb blocking by Niners receiver Pierre Garcon that allowed Breida to reach the end zone on the big gain. He would also collect a team-high 4 receptions for 57-yards receiving. Robbie Gould's third and final made field goal on the day would make it a 30-13 lead that appeared to be out reach for Detroit given how the first three quarters went. But not so fast as the 17-point deficit instead appeared to be the fuel Matthew Stafford and company would need in order to get going.

Entering the 2018 season as the only quarterback in NFL history to record seven consecutive seasons of 4,000+ passing yards before reaching the age of 30, Stafford looked the part in the fourth quarter like he's done so often throughout his career. And with 30 career game-winning drives in the fourth quarter or overtime under his belt, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2009 would try to make it 31 as the Niners were forced to fend off a late surge by the Lions QB. And a 67-yard reception to receiver Golden Tate would be the first big play to help ignite Detroit's attempt at a comeback as Stafford threw a touchdown pass just two plays later. For a moment it appeared Stafford would get some much needed help from the Lions special-teams. After forcing a three and out on San Francisco's ensuing possession, Lions punt-returner Jamal Agnew returned a punt 73-yards for a touchdown before receiving the bad news of an illegal block in the back penalty that nullified the big play. Stafford would once again have to do things the hard way as he marched his team down the field before tossing a touchdown pass to tight-end Michael Roberts inside the end zone. What was once a 17-point deficit at the start of the 4th quarter was now 3-point game with less than 3:30 remaining in regulation.

As if things couldn't get anymore dramatic, the Niners who were in need of a big drive to either score or chew up as much time as possible, caught a huge break when what appeared to be a pick-six thrown by Garoppolo, was called back on a defensive-holding call away from the ball. Levi's Stadium would collectively share a sigh of relief, but still weren't off the hook as the 49ers offense was able to erase two minutes and some change from the clock before a sack on Garoppolo forced San Francisco to punt, giving Detroit one final chance. Pinned back at their own 16-yard line and out of timeouts, Stafford and co. would have 1 minute and 8 seconds to either tie and send things into overtime or win the ballgame. And while the Lions would make it interesting, San Francisco's defense would bend but not break as back-to-back incompletions on 3rd and 4th down spelled doom for Detroit as they turned the ball over on downs, sealing the Niners' 30-27 victory. Garoppolo logged a clean 206 yards passing and 2 touchdowns on 18 for 26 pass attempts, meanwhile, Stafford completed 34 of 53 attempts for 347 yards and 3 touchdowns in the loss.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan congratulated his team on the win in the locker room after the game and admitted that wins in NFL are hard to come by, but shouldn't be nearly as hard as his team made it seem on Sunday, hinting that they got too comfortable and took their foot off the pedal. Veteran cornerback Richard Sherman took some of that blame and pinned it on the players on defense for nearly allowing Detroit to complete the comeback while also praising the great game called by defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. Playing with a banged up Mike Person at guard and without Joshua Garnett (foot) at the same position, the 49ers offensive-line allowed Detroit to get to San Francisco's expensive quarterback for a total of six sacks on Sunday, despite the Lions being without their best pass rusher in Ziggy Ansah who was inactive with a shoulder injury. Protecting the quarterback will most certainly be a point of emphasis in Week 3 if the 49ers hope to stand any chance in going toe to toe with their next opponent who looks as good as anybody thru the first two weeks of the season.

Week 3 Preview - The 49ers will hit the road in Week 3 and will look to build upon their first win of the season as they head to Arrowhead to take on the 2-0 Kansas City Chiefs. Among the biggest surprises in the early going of the 2018 NFL season is the red-hot start by Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes who in his first-year at the helm, has dazzled at the QB position having tossing an NFL-record 10 touchdown passes through the first two games to start a season. And with such targets as Travis Kelce, Tyreke Hill and Sammy Watkins among others to choose from, there's no telling if and when Mahomes will show any signs of slowing. If an MVP Award was given to a player in the first two weeks of the season, it's likely Mahomes would be the recipient of that award. But the Niner defense won't shy away from the challenge as they look to crash the party and hand K.C. their first loss of the season in their home-opener. One player who will be added to that defense and will be making his season-debut is second-year linebacker Reuben Foster who will see his first action of the season after serving a two-game suspension which was handed down after a troublesome off-season that many thought was likely the end of his career in a Niner uniform. The 49er offense will also hope to welcome back one of their own as receiver Marquise Goodwin is currently ruled as questionable as he missed half of Week 1 and all of Week 2 with an injured quad. If he's able to play, Garoppolo will look to utilize his speed like K.C. does with the many deep threats they posses.


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