49ers Pummel Titans, Inch Closer to Playoff Berth

Week 15 - With the (9-4) San Francisco 49ers entering the homestretch of their regular season schedule, a late Bye might be the perfect remedy for Kyle Shanahan's club that has continued to win games despite having suffered a laundry list of injuries at virtually every position imaginable. After moving up in the standings last week while enjoying the Bye week, the 49ers would have a chance to increase their playoff odds which already stood at 90% and add to their resume with a favorable matchup in front of them on Sunday in the form of the (2-11) Tennessee Titans. Having won five of their last six games coming off the Bye under coach Shanahan, the team would look to continue that trend on Sunday while also seeking their fourth consecutive win of the season. Facing the No. 1 overall pick in April's Draft in QB Cam Ward, coming off his second career win a week ago against the Cardinals, Sunday's game would feature a match-up between the first pick of the draft versus the last pick as the 49ers selected Brock Purdy 262nd overall in 2022 to be that year's Mr. Irrelevant. 

Before kickoff on Sunday, it was reported that 49ers defensive-tackle Jordan Elliott was injured during pregame warmups, tweaking his knee. Another Niner that appeared banged up on San Francisco's first offensive drive was receiver Ricky Pearsall who has already battled a myriad of injuries and was tackled awkwardly on a hip-drop tackle as he winced in pain and limped to the sideline but would eventually return to the field. After missing the previous two weeks with a hamstring injury, Niners kicker Eddy Pineiro also returned to the field on Sunday and continued his solid campaign with the team. Following a three and out punt on Tennessee's opening-drive, Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense kicked things off with an impressive 12-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a touchdown grab from receiver Jauan Jennings on third and goal. The drive would mark the 25th 10+ play scoring drive of the season for San Francisco, the most in the NFL. In what would be a busy day for the offense, the early touchdown would spark a streak of five consecutive scoring-drives for Purdy and company, marking their longest streak in a single game since November 21, 2021. 

Equally as successful on their second drive, Purdy connected on big passing plays to Demarcus Robinson and George Kittle before handing the ball off to running back Christian McCaffrey who found the end zone from a yard out to extend the lead. Tennessee would add a first quarter field goal as well as a touchdown pass from Ward to make things interesting at 14-10, but that's as close as things would get as Pineiro connected on his first of three field goals on the afternoon. With a missed field goal attempt on the other end by Titans kicker Joey Slye to end the first half, the 49ers clung onto a 17-10 lead heading into the locker room at the half. Receiving the second half kickoff and staying hot on offense, the 49ers added another pair of touchdowns on each of their first two second half possessions with touchdown passes to Jennings and Kittle to take a commanding 31-10 lead. Putting a temporary stop to the 49ers' scoring barrage, Purdy was striped of the ball by Tennessee Pro-Bowl defensive-tackle Jeffery Simmons for a fumble. 

The very next play of the Titans' ensuing-drive, Ward would connect on a 43-yard bomb to receiver Van Jefferson who came down with the ball at the 1-yard line. The Titans would award Simmons' big play two plays earlier on the defensive side by bringing him in on offense and tossing him a 1-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone from Cam Ward, his second career TD reception.  Sandwiched between a pair of Eddy Pineiro field goals in the fourth quarter, the Titans would add a final touchdown on a 6-yard rush from running back Tony Pollard who had a nice game statistically with 104 yards on 14 carries. With a final score of 37-24, the 49ers won their fourth straight game to improve to 10-4 on the season, marking the 5th 10-win season under coach Shanahan, and perhaps his most impressive given the many injuries sustained and the magnitude of players lost this year. Thanks to the successful day on offense coupled with the lone turnover on the strip-sack fumble, the 49ers went the entire game without having to punt. It would mark their first game without a punt since September 27, 2020. 

Brock Purdy finished with a solid performance, throwing for 295 yards and 3 touchdowns, while also adding 44 yards on the ground including a 26-yard scamper, the longest rush of his career and the longest by a 49er this season. Etching his name into the record books, Purdy logged his seventh career game with a passer rating of 140-plus, which ties him with Hall of Famer Kurt Warner for the most such games by a player in his first four seasons in NFL history. Purdy's counterpart Cam Ward finished with 170 yards passing and 2 TD's in the loss, showing flashes of why Tennessee made him the first overall pick in April's Draft. Running back Christian McCaffrey added 73-yards and a touchdown on the ground and receiver Ricky Pearsall shook off an early injury to finish with a game-high 96-yards receiving on 6 receptions. 

Week 16 Preview: With a tough stretch ahead in the final three regular season games of the season for the (10-4) 49ers, first on tap will be a road game in Indianapolis to face the (8-6) Colts on Monday Night Football. Losers of four straight and 5 of their last 6 games, it wasn't that long ago that the Colts were touted as being the class of the AFC and one of the top teams in the league after getting off to a 7-1 start to the season before the injury bug set in. After what appeared to be a resurgent year for quarterback Daniel Jones who was a cast off with the New York Giants, a ruptured Achilles tendon in Jones' right leg would force the team to turn to the 44-year old former Colt Philip Rivers who returned to the team after spending the last four years retired. In his first NFL action since January 9, 2021, Rivers nearly finished off a storybook return for the ages with a road win over a high-powered Seahawks team before being outdone by a game-winning field goal in the final moments. After converting on a go-ahead 60-yard field goal with 52-seconds left, it looked as if Rivers would come out triumphant in his return after 1,800 days off, but that was before Seattle kicked a late field goal of their own from 56-yards out with 18-seconds remaining. 

Had the Colts hung on for the win, the 49ers would've benefitted in the playoff standings by leaping Seattle. Now, they'll have a chance to get the job done themselves with wins in their final three games of the regular season, including a season-finale match-up at home against Seattle. San Francisco can clinch a playoff berth with a win in Indy or a Lions loss vs the Steelers, or in the more unlikely scenario of a tie from both the 49ers and Lions. Like the Niners, the Colts have had a fair amount of injuries and will likely be without several key players on defense including cornerbacks Sauce Gardner and Charvarius Ward as well as former first-round pick of the 49ers -- defensive-end DeForest Buckner. Being without three of their top defensive players, things should be a little easier for Brock Purdy and company to navigate the ball on offense come Monday. Having lost their last five games versus the Colts, the 49ers will try to leave Indy with their first win over the franchise since 2001. 

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49ers End Drought in Cleveland with Win over Browns

Week 13 - Hitting the road for one final game before entering the Bye week, the (8-4) San Francisco 49ers would head into the dog pound to face the (3-8) Browns in Cleveland where the Niners have been unable to escape with a win since 1984, having lost in each of their last four tries. With a win on Sunday, the 49ers would be guaranteed to clinch their fifth winning season under head coach Kyle Shanahan. But with poor weather conditions expected in the forecast, defensive stalwart Myles Garrett and a stout Browns defense wouldn't be the only thing 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and company would have to worry about out onto the field. However, the snowy and rainy conditions that effected much of the area in the days leading up to gameday would clear for the most part in time for kickoff with the exception of the cold wind. Regardless, coach Shanahan would take no chances with mother nature as he won the coin-toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff to start Sunday's game, a rare occurrence for San Francisco. 

Looking to shake off a rough performance in his last outing when he threw three first half interceptions in an ugly win at home over the Carolina Panthers, Purdy would complete a 23-yard pass on the game's first play from scrimmage before the 49er offense struggled to gain more than a yard over their next three plays and were forced to punt. Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders who became the first Browns QB to win his first career start since 1995 a week earlier, saw a similar fate on his team's opening-drive by converting a quick first down before things went awry and ended with the punting unit. And on that punt, return man Skyy Moore would come up with another huge play on special-teams by logging a 66-yard return, the longest punt return of his career to set things up for the 49er offense inside the red zone. Dialing up a heavy dose of plays for running back Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco would strike first with a 1-yard touchdown on third and goal. The Browns offense would begin to march on their ensuing possession by making it to the San Francisco 20 yard-line, but that's as far as they'd go as a 4th and 1 attempt was stuffed by the 49er defense to force a turnover on downs. 

With a series of punts from both sides, the Browns would get on the scoreboard before the end of the half after relying heavily on their rushing attack from rookie running back Quinshon Judkins. Following nine consecutive run plays to begin the drive, Sanders connected thru the air with his tight-end and fellow rookie Harold Fannin for a 34-yard touchdown. After a 49ers penalty for too many men on the field during the extra-point attempt, the Browns would try their luck at the two-point conversion and succeeded with a 1-yard rush from Judkins to give Cleveland a 8-7 advantage with 39-seconds remaining before halftime. 39-seconds would be all the San Francisco offense would need, however, as Purdy and company moved the ball 58-yards on three plays with passes to receivers Ricky Pearsall, Jauan Jennings and George Kittle, respectively. The last of which a 33-yard reception that setup kicker Matt Gay for a 25-yard field goal that clanked the left upright before making it thru as San Francisco jumped back ahead, 10-8 at the half. 

After punts from both teams to open the second half, the 49ers pounced on the first of two Cleveland fumbles on the day when a fumbled snap on 4th and 1 allowed for a short field for the San Francisco offense. With little success from McCaffrey from inside the Cleveland 5 yard-line, Purdy executed a perfect read-option and ran it in for the touchdown on third and goal for his first rushing touchdown of the season. With nothing to show for on their next possession, the 49ers would punt before coming up with another big play on special-teams by pouncing on and recovering a muffed fair-catch attempt that resulted in a fumble. Turning another turnover into points, the 49ers cashed in on a third and goal with a strike into the end zone from Purdy to Jauan Jennings to take a 23-8 lead. Sandwiched between a pair of turnover on downs forced by San Francisco's defense, Matt Gay would add his second field goal of the afternoon to give the Niners a commanding 26-8 lead that they would hang onto for the win. Shanahan and Purdy became the first 49ers head coach-QB duo to pull off a win in Cleveland since a pair of Hall of Famers -- Bill Walsh and Joe Montana did it in 1984 with a 41-7 drubbing of the Browns. 

On a day that was far from great for the offense, the 49ers won on Sunday by playing the field position game and took advantage of the opportunities they were given with short fields to work with. They also received big time contributions from their defense and special-teams units. Tallying three sacks on the afternoon, all from newcomers Clelin Ferrell (2) and Keion White (1), Robert Saleh's defense has turned in impressive performances in back-to-back games, allowing a combined 17-points over their last two games. Brock Purdy threw for 168 yards and a touchdown in the win, besting Cleveland's Shedeur Sanders who threw for 149 yards a touchdown in the loss. Running back Christian McCaffrey had another busy day at the office on Sunday but produced minimal results, totaling 20 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown, as well as 4 receptions for 21 yards. With 849 rushing yards and 806 receiving yards on the season, McCaffrey joins Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with at least 800-800 in three seasons. His counterpart Quinshon Judkins was one of the lone bright spots for a lackluster Browns team, rushing for 91 yards on 23 carries while adding another 18 yards on three receptions to put him over 100 total yards on the day. Niners tight-end George Kittle led all receivers with a game-high 67 receiving yards on 4 receptions. 

Week 15 Preview: With San Francisco improving to 9-4 on the season following their win over Cleveland, coach Shanahan and the 49ers will head home for their Week 14 Bye before returning to Levi's Stadium in Week 15 where they will host the (1-11) Tennessee Titans and the No. 1 overall pick in last April's Draft QB Cam Ward. With their lone win of the season coming on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, 22-21 in Week 5, the Titans are in the driver's seat to draft first overall for the second consecutive season. Having fired their head coach Brian Callahan only six weeks into the season after a 1-5 start in back-to-back years, the team is currently led by interim coach Mike McCoy. 

It's not often a team wins during their Bye week, but the 49ers were guaranteed to do just that as San Francisco moved into the No. 6 seed in the NFC Playoff picture following the Chicago Bears' loss to the Green Bay Packers. Following the Bye week, coach Shanahan has to be feeling good as his team's playoff chances have increased to 90% following the results of other games around the league in Week 14. The Bye will also help refuel a banged up 49ers team during a pivotal time with the playoffs on the horizon. 

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Blown Opportunities Doom 49ers in Music City Meltdown

Week 16 - The final Thursday Night Football game on the 2021-22 NFL schedule would be a doozy and a major letdown if you're a fan of the San Francisco 49ers (8-6). On the road to take on the Tennessee Titans (9-5) in the Music City, Thursday's match-up would mark the latest point in the season that the 49ers would have to travel two time zones and over 2,000 miles in preparation for a game, not to mention on short rest. But none of that would seem to bother coach Kyle Shanahan's team early on as San Francisco quickly jumped out to a double-digit lead, while also missing several other opportunities and leaving plenty of other points on the table. 

San Francisco was in total control of the game through the first two quarters and came out guns blazing on offense as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo connected on each of his first five pass attempts, including a big play on a 23-yard gain to receiver Deebo Samuel to setup the game's first touchdown. Playing without rookie running back Elijah Mitchell who missed his third straight game with a knee injury, Jeff Wilson Jr. got the start and answered the call with a 1-yard touchdown to put his team ahead, 7-0. The Niners offense which didn't face a single third down on their initial possession (11-plays), would march just as easy on their second possession after a big play from fullback Kyle Juszczyk who's 26-yard reception turned into a 41-yard gain after a face-mask penalty against the defense. Several plays later, the 49ers would setup shop for a 2nd and goal from the 8 yard-line. It would be there where San Francisco would commit their first of many blown opportunities. Looking to connect with tight-end George Kittle, Garoppolo's pass was intercepted in the end zone, ending the scoring threat and marking Jimmy G's first red zone interception since 2019. 

Though Tennessee's offense failed to do anything with the takeaway and was forced to punt, the damage was still done as Garoppolo never looked the same from that point on. The Niners would add to their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal one possession later, but only after Garoppolo missed his target on a deep pass to a wide-open Juszczyk who was streaking down the right sideline but was overthrown. What should've easily been a 17-0 lead, was only a 10-0 advantage for the Niners who walked off the field and into the locker room at halftime having dominated through the game's first two quarters. However, the game would quickly turn into a tale of two halves as Tennessee came out firing on all cylinders to open the third quarter. After four offensive possessions and only four punts to show for through the first two quarters, head coach Mike Vrabel was able to get through to his Titans team at halftime. With the Niners leading by 10+ points for a seventh straight game, Tennessee chipped away at San Francisco's lead with a field goal to open the second half. Showing some signs of life, the Titans defense would get yet another gift just one play into the Niners' ensuing possession when Garoppolo air-mailed a pass intended for Deebo Samuel and into the arms of a Titans defender. 

Taking over in the red zone, the Titans would find the end zone several plays later to tie the game at 10-all. In a matter of less than two-minutes, the 49ers quickly saw their 10-point lead evaporate and all momentum shift to the side of Tennessee. Making it across mid-field on their next possession, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan faced a difficult decision to go for it on 4th and 1 which then turned into a 4th and 6 following a false start penalty on 49ers All-Pro Trent Williams. Even that wouldn't stop Shanahan as the decision to gamble would backfire once Garoppolo was unable to connect with Brandon Aiyuk for the first down. Making matters worse, the San Francisco defense would have the Titans pinned back on several third and long's on their next drive, including a third and 23 & a third and 10, but were unable to come up with a stop on either play. Having to play without their whole left side of the offensive-line, Tennessee did catch a break in time for Thursday's game by getting a pair of starting wide-receivers back in A.J. Brown who's been out since Week 11, and Julio Jones. Marking the first time since Week 9 that Titans QB Ryan Tannehill would have both targets at his disposal, the game would quickly turn into the A.J. Brown show as the star receiver came up with both receptions when facing those aforementioned third and long's. 

Rewarding him for his big third down conversions, Tannehill continued to feed Brown, including on an 18-yard strike in the end zone that gave Tennessee a 17-10 lead, their first of the game. In need of a response, the 49ers would get just that two possessions later. The Niners entered Thursday night's game with a league-leading five drives of 90+ yards and they would get another late in the fourth quarter, embarking on a 9-play, 95-yard touchdown-scoring drive to tie the game at 17-all. Fueled by a 56-yard play from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel which left the Niners duel-threat wideout winded and on the sideline for the remainder of the drive, Jimmy G found Brandon Aiyuk all alone in the back of the end zone for the easy score. Taking over with less than two and a half minutes in regulation would be the Titans offense led by Tannehill who entered the game with 12 game-winning drives since joining the franchise in 2019, the most in the NFL in that span. With a number of dink and dunk plays through the air and on the ground, Tannehill would wait until his team's final drive to show off his athleticism as he broke free for a 23-yard scramble up the middle to put his team in field goal range. Kicker Randy Bullock would take it from there, splitting the uprights from 44-yards out for the game-winning field goal. With only 4-seconds remaining, the Niners would be in need of a Music City Miracle of their own, but came up short as time expired as Tennessee escaped with the 20-17 victory. 

After committing four turnovers a week ago in Pittsburgh, the Titans registered a clean sheet on Thursday as the 49er defense was unable to force a single turnover, eventually losing the turnover battle -- 2-0, both on a pair of Jimmy Garoppolo interceptions. With the win, Tennessee improved to 10-5 on the year, completed their mission of clinching the AFC South Division. Meanwhile, the loss by the 49ers dropped them to 8-7 on the year and clinched a playoff spot elsewhere in the conference for the Dallas Cowboys. In the loss, Garoppolo threw for a game-high 322 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions compared to Tannehill's 209 yards, 1 touchdown and 0 interceptions. Deebo Samuel hauled in 9 receptions for 159 yards, while also adding 32 yards on five carries for San Francisco. A.J. Brown made his return to the field a memorable one, catching a game-high 11 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Neither team did much on the ground, with the Niners' Jeff Wilson Jr. leading all rushers with only 45 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries in a game played without Tennessee's All-Pro running back Derrick Henry. 

Week 17 Preview: The Niners will return to Levi's Stadium to play their last home game of the season when they welcome the visiting Houston Texans (4-11). Facing another one of Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan's previous employers, the Texans are riding their first two-game winning streak of the season after upsetting a depleted Chargers team behind a pair of strong performances from rookie QB Davis Mills and a career day from running back Rex Burkhead who carried the ball 22 times for a personal-best 149 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. With L.A. missing several key players due to Covid issues, Houston took advantage of the holes in the Chargers' lineup and put up their highest point total of the season. Not to be taken lightly, Houston can not be overlooked by a 49ers team that can ill afford dropping another winnable game against an inferior opponent with the playoffs on the horizon. With a chance to flush the disappointing loss at Tennessee, the Niners control their own fate in the NFC Wild Card picture after both the division rival Rams and Cardinals clinched playoff spots in Week 16 on Sunday. 

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Niners Down Dirty Birds, 31-13

Week 15 - With the exception of their annual struggles each and every year when playing in Seattle, the San Francisco 49ers (7-6) entered Sunday's game as one of the better teams since the start of the second half of the season, while playing their best ball yet. But the two things that have haunted the Niners this year, aside from the injury bug, has been missed tackles and their woes on special-teams. Both would show up early and often in Sunday's game against the Atlanta Falcons (6-7) who along with San Francisco, are also in the hunt in the NFC's Wild Card picture. With the 49ers receiving the opening kickoff, the Falcons would receive a gift right out the gates as San Francisco's struggles on special-teams continued when running back JaMycal Hasty fumbled the ball which was recovered by Atlanta. Looking to capitalize on the early miscue and take advantage of the exceptional field position, the Falcons offense would make it all the way to the 1-yard line before running into trouble. 

Having stood their ground a number of times with goal-line stands this season, San Francisco's defense came thru yet again when they needed it most. Electing to go for it on 4th and goal, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan failed to complete a pass inside the end zone to his rookie tight-end Kyle Pitts. Unable to get beyond their own 10-yard line, the 49ers offense would have to punt which eventually setup Atlanta's kicker Younghoe Koo for the go-ahead field goal. After getting a field goal of their own on their next possession to tie the game at 3-all, San Francisco's offense would finally get going as Jimmy G and company flipped the switch and began firing on all cylinders. Finding the end zone with four straight touchdown-scoring drives, it was fullback Kyle Juszczyk who opened up the Niners' touchdown-scoring barrage. Setup by a big play from receiver Brandon Aiyuk who made sure his only reception of the game was a big one by turning on the burners for a 36-yard gain, Juice struck pay dirt with a 6-yard score, logging his first rushing touchdown of the season to put San Francisco up, 10-3. The Niners' first lead of the game would be short-lived, however, as Atlanta's offense was awarded another gift, this time by the officials. 

After a big stop on 3rd and 4 by the San Francisco defense, defensive-end Arden Key's 5-yard sack that would've setup 4th down and a likely 52-yard field goal attempt by Atlanta, instead turned into an automatic first down as Key was flagged for "landing on the quarterback" as he was taken to the ground. The bogus penalty would give the Falcons offense new life which they would take advantage of on the very next play as Ryan connected in the end zone with receiver Russell Gage for the game-tying 20-yard touchdown. Feeling like they should still be leading the game, the 49er offense made sure they'd take a lead into the half as Garoppolo hit Deebo Samuel for a 30-yard catch and run. Awarding him for his big play, Deebo would take a handoff several plays later for a 10-yard touchdown to give him seven rushing touchdowns on the year. Continuing his historic 2021, no other receiver in the Super Bowl era has more than four rushing touchdowns in a single season. Even more impressive, it would be his fifth consecutive game with a rushing touchdown, something no other player has accomplished in the Super Bowl era. 

Opening the second half with a 17-10 lead, the 49ers would have their roles reversed with the Falcons just a few plays into the third quarter. After fumbling the opening kickoff to start the game, the Niners forced a fumble on defense just three plays into Atlanta's possession to start the second half. Chasing and bringing Matt Ryan down from behind, San Francisco's Nick Bosa tallied his 15th sack of the season and stripped the Falcons QB of the ball which was recovered by Fred Warner. Needing only four plays to convert it into another touchdown, running back Jeff Wilson Jr. plowed his way into the end zone to give San Francisco their first multi-score lead of the game. After Atlanta answered with another field goal, the 49er offense went right back to work. Picking up right where they left off, a 12-play, 75-yard drive ended with QB Jimmy Garoppolo finding Jauan Jennings for the 4-yard touchdown. Playing catchup to start the fourth quarter, Falcons head coach Arthur Smith would gamble the rest of the way on offense. Making it to the red zone on two of their final three drives, the Falcons offense would be stood up twice inside the 10-yardline, including once at the 1 as San Francisco's goal-line defense epitomized the bend but don't break mentality, forcing a pair of turnovers on downs, the third of the game for the Niners inside the 10. 

Marching away with the 31-13 victory, the Niners improved to 8-6 on the year, moving two games above .500 for the first time since their 2-0 start to the season as coach Kyle Shanahan defeated his former team. Logging his second straight game without an interception, Garoppolo registered a clean game in the win, avoiding any sacks or turnovers on his way to passing for 235 yards and a touchdown on 18 of 23 passes for a 123.7 passer rating. The win would mark Jimmy G's eighth straight game with a passer rating of 90+, good enough for the second-most among 49er QB's since 1950, trailing only Hall of Famer Steve Young's streak of 15 straight from 1994-95. Atlanta's Matt Ryan finished with a similar stat line -- 19/32 passes, 236 yards and 1 touchdown, but only a 92.7 passer rating. On the ground, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. finished with 110 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries, making him the first 100-yard rusher against the Falcons defense since Week 17, 2019. 

49ers tight-end George Kittle had another strong game on Sunday, despite being held out of the end zone for the first time in the last three weeks, finishing with a game-high 93 yards receiving on six receptions. With three games still remaining on the regular season schedule, Kittle surpassed Rob Gronkowski for the third-most receiving yards by a tight-end in his first five NFL seasons. And after a slow start, at least slow to his standards, the 49ers All-Pro tight-end has logged 28 catches for 425 yards and 3 touchdowns over his last 3 games. This after logging 35 catches for 425 yards and 3 touchdowns thru the first 8 games of the season. His 425 yards over a 3-game span are tied for the most ever by a tight-end in NFL history. 

Week 16 Preview - It will be a quick turnaround for the Niners who will need to be ready for their only Thursday Night Football game on the schedule in Week 16 when they pay a visit to the Music City of Nashville to take on the Tennessee Titans (9-5). Coming off a road loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers where Tennessee lost the turnover battle -- 4-0, the 49ers would love a repeat performance if they're able to force as many turnovers as the Steelers did. Shutout in the second half, the Titans entered halftime with a 13-3 lead in Pittsburgh before three fumbles and an interception doomed them, including three turnovers in the second half before falling, 19-13. Sitting atop the AFC South with a 1-game advantage over the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans would've been the top seed in the conference had they pulled off the win on Sunday over Pittsburgh. Instead, they'll look to right the ship with a rebound performance on Thursday night. Jimmy Garoppolo and the Niners will look to put a stop to that while maintaining their own ground in the NFC's playoff picture as they currently own a 1-game advantage over the New Orleans Saints (7-7) for the 6th seed. 

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It's a G Thing: Garoppolo & Gould Shine as Niners Win Third Straight

Week 15 - Coming off their first multi-game winning-streak in three seasons, the new-look San Francisco 49ers who have begun to finally resemble an NFL team behind the recently acquired Jimmy Garoppolo, kept on rolling as they returned home to Levi's Stadium on Sunday. Hosting the Wild Card hopeful (8-5) Tennessee Titans, coach Kyle Shanahan's Niners would look to improve on their recent winning ways while also playing the role of spoiler against a team vying for a playoff spot. And while the previous two wins against a pair of lowly opponents were nice, a win over an above average Tennessee team would be yet another step in the right direction for this young 49ers squad.

The opening-drive by San Francisco which would result in a Robbie Gould field goal, would be an omen of things to come for the Niners who were able to move the ball rather easily but forced to settle for field goals as Gould registered another busy day in the kicking department. Struggling to score a first quarter touchdown for the 11th consecutive game, the 49ers would jump out to 6-0 lead before Tennessee answered with a field goal of their own to cut the deficit in half. Looking to ditch the field goals for a touchdown, the third time would be a charm for San Francisco as Jimmy Garoppolo capped off a 17-play drive by connecting in the end zone with tight-end Garrett Celek for the second time in as many weeks. Setting a career-high in touchdown receptions with four, Celek's score coupled with another Robbie Gould field goal would make it a 16-3 ballgame as San Francisco scored on each of their first four possessions for the first time this season. But the Titans would manage to inch a bit closer before the end of the half as quarterback Marcus Mariota found former 49er tight-end Delanie Walker in the end zone for a touchdown, allowing Walker to redeem himself after turning the ball over one possession earlier with a fumble.

After taking a lead into the half for only the third time this season, the 49ers would quickly witness that lead evaporate as Delanie Walker's touchdown sparked a streak of 17 unanswered-points for Tennessee who went from trailing 16-3 to leading 20-16 following Mariota's second touchdown pass of the afternoon. The Titans touchdown just three plays into the fourth quarter would ignite an intense final quarter that saw four lead changes before this one was finally decided. Answering Tennessee's touchdown with another pair of field goals to give San Francisco the lead again, Mariota led the Titans on an 11-play drive that would set up kicker Ryan Succop for a go-ahead 50-yard field goal. With 1:07 remaining in regulation and his team trailing 23-22, Jimmy Garoppolo would go to work, marching his team down the field after connecting on passes to three different targets -- Trent Taylor, George Kittle and Marquise Goodwin, to move the ball 45-yards before a short run by running back Carlos Hyde set things up for Robbie Gould who would once again be called upon to be the savior. And like he's done so often this season, Gould would answer the call, splitting the uprights from 45-yards out to give the Niners the dramatic 25-23 victory as time expired. Entering the game with the longest active streak in the NFL with 14 consecutive made field goals, Gould went one step further by adding another five field goals on Sunday to improve his streak to 19, in what figures to be another Pro-Bowl season for the 13-year veteran.

With his parents in attendance, Garoppolo would put on a show for his family and the 49er Faithful as he threw for 381 yards, becoming the first Niner QB with back to back 300-yard performances since Jeff Garcia in 2000. While the running game saw a quiet day from both Carlos Hyde (25 yards) and Matt Breida (16 yards), receiver Marquise Goodwin recorded another productive game under Garoppolo, recording game-highs in receptions (10) and receiving yards (114). Though San Francisco's 2017 season has been over and well decided for weeks now, Garoppolo has breathed life back into the franchise and has given fans and team brass hope moving forward. Since naming Garoppolo the starting quarterback heading into Week 13, the team that had one victory through the first 11 weeks and often struggled to remotely resemble an NFL team, has now pulled off three straight victories and appears to be having a good time while doing so as 49ers general manager John Lynch even made it out onto the field to congratulate his new QB and celebrate Sunday's wild win the moment Gould's game-winning kick made it through the uprights. And though there's still plenty of work to be done moving forward, this team is finally making strides in the right direction. As for the Tennessee Titans who fall to 8-6 on the season following the loss, their chances of winning the division which were already slim prior to Sunday's loss, took another major hit as they remain in a three-way tie in the Wild Card along with (8-6) Kansas City and (8-6) Buffalo.

Week 16 Preview - After pulling off the upset victory over the Titans, the 49ers will now aim their attention to one of the best defenses in the league as the red-hot (10-4) Jacksonville Jaguars pay a visit to Levi's. Winners of three straight and 7 of their last 8, the Jags are coming off a 45-7 dismantling of division-rival Houston and are looking to continue their recent dominance despite already clinching a playoff spot for the first time since 2007. Behind quarterback Blake Bortles who has logged three straight solid starts in which he's eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice and has thrown for 7 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, the Jags have scored 24-points or more in four straight outings and are expected to get their starting running back Leonard Fournette back on the field versus San Francisco after sitting out of Sunday's game with a quad injury. The former LSU standout who has missed three games this season due to injury, is still 77-yards shy of the 1,000 yard plateau in his and will look to capture that feat against a 49ers defense that has stepped up against the run as of late, allowing an average of only 3.7 yards per carry to opposing backs the last six weeks. SF will look to improve on that feat and keep Fournette and the number one rushing team in the league in line and force Bortles to get the job done through the air. If San Francisco's offensive-line can keep their QB on his feet and Garoppolo can catch the Jacksonville defense off-guard, the 49ers just might be able to keep things rolling and put a dent in the Jags' stellar record.


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Week 7: 49ers trample Titans to win fourth straight.

After a bit of a Super Bowl hangover which saw the 49ers fall to 1-2 after the first three weeks of the season, Jim Harbaugh's club seems to be clicking on all cylinders having won three straight entering Sunday's meeting in Tennessee. But despite San Francisco's resurgence, many have already begun to write off QB Colin Kaepernick. With far less read-option plays called by offensive-coordinator Greg Roman this year, running the ball seems like a forgotten element of the quarterback's game. But on Sunday, we were reminded of Kaepernick's running ability as he found the end zone with his feet for the first time this year. 

Leading 3-0 in the second quarter, Kaepernick kept the ball to himself and ran for a 20-yard touchdown to make it a 10-0 ballgame. It would be the beginning of a trio of rushing touchdowns on the day by the 49ers. Kaepernick ran for a total of 68 yards while throwing for another 199, but was kept out of the end zone through the air. Running back Frank Gore who eclipsed the century mark in last week's win against the Arizona Cardinals but finished the game touchdown-less, made up for it on Sunday by reaching the end zone on a pair of occasions, both from 1-yard out. With their grasp on the scoreboard, Jim Harbaugh's team also won the time of possession battle by handling the rock for 11 minutes longer than Tennessee.

Titans quarterback Jake Locker who had missed his last two starts with a knee and hip injury and wasn't expected back for a few more weeks, toughed it out and still managed to have a decent game under center. Throwing for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns including one to former 49ers tight-end Delanie Walker, Locker tried to make a game out of it late in the fourth quarter but costly miscues dug too big of a hole for him and his team to climb out of. Winning the turnover battle has been vital during San Francisco's current winning-streak and this one would be no different as the 49ers continued the trend by forcing two turnovers and committing none of their own. Cornerback Termaine Brock who's filled in quite nicely for the ailing Nnamdi Asomugha came up with his third interception in as many games while the special-teams also delivered when Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt by Darius Reynaud inside the end zone.

With one of their best all around performances of the season, the 49ers beat the (3-4) Titans by a final score of 31-17. It would be their fourth straight 30-point performance as they improve their record to 5-2 and their winning-streak to four games, all of which have been won by double-digits. 

Week 8 Preview: With one game over with and another remaining on San Francisco's current road trip, the 49ers get ready to cross the pond for their matchup in London against the win-less Jacksonville Jaguars (0-7). As the 49ers' BYE week looms in Week 9, coach Jim Harbaugh plans to ride into the week off with another win added to their total. But that's not to say he's overlooking his next opponent. Though Jacksonville is arguably the worst team in the league, Harbaugh won't expect anything but the very best from his squad come Sunday. And with pounding the rock being San Francisco's recipe to success over the last four weeks, expect another heavy dose of runs from Frank Gore and company. After all; if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Right? This week should also be a good week for Colin Kaepernick to blow off some steam and get into a groove of his own both through the air and on the ground. 


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49ers Sign Manningham, Enter Peyton Manning Sweepstakes

Last Monday, the 49ers off-season would get off to an exciting start after news broke that the team had signed veteran wide receiver Randy Moss to a one-year deal to help upgrade their receiving corps. Just days later, 49ers GM Trent Baalke would follow that up by signing Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham to a two-year pact. The former New York Giants wide-out who's spectacular fourth quarter grab down the sideline to set up the game-winning drive against the New England Patriots, will now be running routes and receiving passes for the team he helped defeat in January's NFC title game. But just when you thought San Francisco's off-season couldn't get any better, the 49ers have reportedly emerged as a sleeper team in the running for one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game in Peyton Manning.

After informing the Miami Dolphins along with division rivals Seattle and Arizona that they weren't among his finalists on Friday, it was learned that in the midst of all the speculation revolving the Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans that Peyton Manning had worked out for the 49ers. According to sources, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman flew out and met up with the 4-time MVP at Duke University where Manning has been practicing for the past several weeks. After watching him take part in a throwing session, 49ers officials sent a team doctor to North Carolina where Manning underwent a physical exam. While team representatives for both the Broncos and Titans also met with Peyton, as you could imagine, each franchise has had their fair share of endorsers.

With Broncos executive vice president of football operations John Elway lobbying for Peyton to land in Denver, the Titans on the other hand not only have team owner Bud Adams on the forefront who has said he'd do anything to make Manning a Titan, including offer him a lifetime contract, but they also have the entire state of Tennessee backing him. Manning is beloved in the Volunteer State for his successful college career at the University of Tennessee so much so that a Tennessee diner has offered him free pancakes for life if he signs with the team. The 49ers might not be able to provide Peyton with free pancakes for life, but something they would be able to provide him with is the best possible chance of making it to and winning another Super Bowl. Something former Hall of Fame QB of the 49ers, Steve Young says could be the deciding factor in where Manning chooses to take his talents in 2012. Of the three teams remaining in the Peyton Manning sweepstakes, no team appears to be as stacked on both sides of the ball as the San Francisco 49ers do.

Not only do the 49ers possess a dominant rushing attack led by the tandem of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter, but they also have a wide-receiving corps that just got better with Michael Crabtree and the additions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. And not to be forgotten is Pro-Bowl tight-end Vernon Davis. Even more deadly is San Francisco's defense which put up record-setting numbers last season as the top ranked defense in the league. Though San Francisco would be the run away favorites to land Manning in most people's yes given the talent they currently have, those closest to the story are calling it a long shot. But until he writes the 49ers off or signs on the dotted-line elsewhere, let's keep the optimism flowing and keep our fingers crossed.

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Fisher Gone Fishing

With a majority of the NFL focused mainly on the main attraction that is Super Bowl weekend, headlines are still being made elsewhere in the league. After an unsuccessful 2010 campaign in which the Tennessee Titans finished the season tied for last in the division, team owner Bud Adams decided it was time to part ways with head coach Jeff Fisher. Prior to his departure, Fisher was the longest tenured head coach in the league, spending 16 seasons at the helm, amassing an overall record of 142 wins and 120 losses for the team formally known as the Houston Oilers until 1997. Two years removed from coaching Tennessee to a league best 13-3 record before falling short in the Playoffs, the USC alum finds himself jobless. Fisher's career highlight came in the 1999 season that resulted in a Super Bowl appearance, where his Titans fell one yard short of what would have been a game winning touchdown.

Since then, it hasn't been all negative for Fisher, but at the same time, it hasn't been all velvet ropes for the former cornerback either, having made the Playoffs five times since their Super Bowl stint, and only reaching the AFC title game once in '02. After their disappointing 6-10 season this year that saw issues both on and off the field between Fisher and Titans QB Vince Young, reports began to surface of Bud Adams demanding one of the two to be axed. With a strong relationship between the coach and owner, all signs were pointing towards the 2-time Pro Bowl QB being the odd man out, and Fisher returning in 2011. Instead, the 88-year old owner decided to pull the plug on his head coach and take the youth approach by holding onto Young. However, that might not last very long either.

According to sources, the latest developments revolving Tennessee still has the team seeking offers for their talented young QB. If so, the release of two of the teams bigger names will make for an interesting change and storyline heading into the 2011 season. Among those suitors interested in Young are the Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers.

I'm sure I speak for the entire 49er fan base when I say we'd be more than happy to demote that bum of a QB Alex Smith and would welcome Young with open arms...As long as he's staying out of trouble and not beating people up for flashing upside down 'Hook 'em Horns' sign of coarse. But will these rumors remain just that, or is old man Adams seriously contemplating a complete makeover? Only time will tell... As for Fisher who remains uncertain about his coaching career, it'll be odd glancing at the Titans sidelines and knowing that iconic mustache of his will no longer be there.

AFC Squad Stuggles To Find It's QB

With one of my more recent posts regarding the NFL Pro-Bowl, instead of attending and playing in the game, players are now beginning to pass on their chances, even after being named to the roster. This year's Pro-Bowl will be the game's first time it's being held in Miami, rather than the in Honolulu, Hawaii where it's been held the past 30 years. The 2010 Pro-Bowl will also be the first time the game will be played before the Superbowl. The players on teams still in the playoffs should get a free pass considering playing for the Lombardi Trophy is much more important than an exhibition game with little to no meaning, but the rest of the players should be honored to make the squad. But at the same time, you can't blame those who pass on the game given the possibility of injury. The game is a lot more different than other sports' All-Star games, given the contact and greater risk of injury, but never did I think the game would have as many dropouts as it's had already.

The AFC squad is having trouble with finding a starting Quarterback after a series of injuries and declined invitations by Philip Rivers, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer. All of whom passed on the chance, opening the window of opportunity for another potential candidate. As of Wednesday, Tennessee Titans QB Vince Young will now take the position and is slated to start the game for the AFC team. This year's duty will be Young's second Pro-Bowl appearance and first as a starter. Aside from Matt Schaub and Tom Brady, I think Young's the best possible choice, especially after helping the struggling Tennessee Titans improve to a .500 record of 8-8, after starting the season 0-6 behind veteran QB Kerry Collins.

What I would like to know, is why the game is being held before the Superbowl and why it's not in Hawaii. Could the economy be that screwed up that the league isn't willing to pay for plane tickets to and from Hawaii? The game was always a legitimate hit with the Hawaiian fans given they have no pro football team, or any other team for that matter. The city of Miami is already being awarded to host the Superbowl, but if the stadium is having trouble filling seats during Marlin games, what makes them think fans will sell-out a stadium to watch an exhibition football game?

Music City Miracle, 20-17.

Last Sunday Vince Young led the Tennessee Titans to a last minute victory over Matt Lienart and the Arizona Cardinals. Leinart who started in place of the injured Kurt Warner made it a much anticipated rematch since the two quarterbacks played against one another in the 2006 Rose Bowl. With just minutes remaining and the home team down by 4, Vince Young and the boys stormed down field 99 yards in what would be the last drive of the game. The game couldn't have gotten any more nail biting than it was, as Young connected with rookie wide-receiver Kenny Britt for a 10-yard touchdown pass with time expiring. The game winning drive gave the Titans their fifth straight victory since promoting Vince Young as the starting quarterback and beginning the season 0-6.

Young's stunning final drive consisted of 16 passes, including 10 receptions for 94 passing yards and 5 rushing yards. He also converted three fourth-downs on the drive and finished the game with a career-high 387 passing yards. Thanks to Vince Young's late game heroics, things are now starting to stir up in the NFC West, as the 49ers begin to show life in the division by taking advantage of a Arizona loss and beating the Jacksonville Jaguars 20-3.

Noteworthy: The recipient of the game winning touchdown pass, rookie WR Kenny Britt finished with 7 receptions and a career-high 128 receiving yards. Tennessee RB Chris Johnson ran for a total of 154 rushing yards to go along with a touchdown. With another solid game for the speedy Johnson, he joins Earl Campbell and Eric Dickerson as the only players in NFL history with six straight 125-yard rushing games.

49ers x Week 9 Recap x Week 10 Preview

For the fourth week in a row, the San Francisco 49ers have came out win-less, this time against Vince Young and the Tennessee Titans. & For the second straight week, Titans running back Chris Johnson proved he couldn't be stopped. Last week he feasted off the Jaguars defense by tallying up a franchise record 228 rushing yards. & Although the Niners defense held him 100 yards less than Jacksonville did, his 135 yards and 2 touchdowns ended up being the deciding factor as the 49ers fell short, 34-27.

Similar to last week's close loss to the Colts, the Niners went into the half with the lead. But the 49er defense just wasn't there and Alex Smith's 3 interceptions didn't help much either. The Niner offense turned the ball over a total of 4 times (3 int's and 1 fumble) resulting in 24 points for the Titans. The loss was also Smith's 7th straight. As for Tennessee, it was the team's second consecutive win after the Titans went win less through their first 6 games. Now that Vince Young has earned his job back, it looks like the team is beginning to rebound after a disappointing start of the season to say the least. Then again, it could be the lack of opponents -- Jacksonville & San Francisco.

In week 10, the 49ers will host the Chicago Bears as the NFL kicks off their first Thursday night game of the season. 49er tight end Vernon Davis decided to add some flame to the fire as he says he and the 9er offense can and will destroy the Bears defense tomorrow night. That defense Davis speaks of is normally a 'D' that's among the league's best year after year. However the Bears 'D' has slowly began to fall apart the past 2 years & the team has been without it's pro-bowl captain Brian Urlacher since week 1 and will now be without three time pro-bowl defensive tackle Tommie Harris. Harris was ejected from Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals for punching offensive guard Deuce Lutui. Not only will this game be a must win for both teams, but it's also a homecoming game for 49er head coach Mike Singletary.

Singletary won't be making a return to Chicago, but he'll be up against his former team. Singletary played 11 years as a Bears linebacker and was part of one of the strongest defenses the NFL has ever seen, dubbed the nickname "The Monsters of Midway". It'll be interesting to see whether or not Vernon Davis can back up his words tomorrow night and get the Niners their much needed 4th win of the season in quest of making the playoffs. Davis is currently tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions with 7.

Smooth Operator

I'm not one to brag, but I believe I called this one 2 weeks ago when the Titans were still struggling behind starting quarterback Kerry Collins. & Prior to last week's Titans-Jaguars match-up, the Titans front office demanded coach Fisher to name Vince Young the starting quarterback for week 8. Some questioned the move, but like others, I thought it was about damn time. In fact, I thought the move should have been made weeks earlier.

In his first start since week 1 of the 2008 season, Vince Young helped seal the first win of the season for the Tennessee Titans. Although Young didn't put up eye boggling numbers, he played mistake free football completing 15-of-18 passes for a total of 125 yards and 1 touchdown. Regardless of the numbers, he did something in his first start, that Collins couldn't do in 7 starts. Something else the Jacksonville Jaguars were unable to stop was the Tennessee run game as Titans running back Chris Johnson broke the Titans' single-game franchise record for rushing yards by compiling 228 yards to go along with 2 touchdowns.

Johnson's career game might have stolen the spotlight from Young, but Vince couldn't be any happier now that he's got his job back. & Although former starter Kerry Collins doesn't agree with the move, he'll now have to deal with it until management decides to think otherwise. After a sluggish 0-6 start of the season for the Tennessee Titans, Vince Young will try to prove last week's victory was no fluke as he aims to continue his success this Sunday against my 49ers.

The Brady Bunch

The big question coming into Sunday's game regarding the Titans, was what has to happen in order to get back up quarterback Vince Young the ball? The Titans' season has started off poor to say the least & you almost feel sorry for them. Not only because they've yet to make it into the win column, but because this team had such high hopes coming into this season, after failing to bring home the gold last year by going an NFL best 13-3.

The Titans season then went from bad to worse once Tom Brady and the New England Patriots stepped foot on the icy field of Gillette Stadium. Snow wasn't the only thing in the air, as Tom Brady became the first quarterback since Donovan McNabb to throw 4 touchdowns in a single quarter. But 4 wasn't enough for the 3-time Superbowl Champ and 2-time Superbowl MVP, as he went on to throw for a record 5th second quarter touchdown. The feat lands the New England quarterback in the record books by becoming the first quarterback to ever throw 5 touchdowns in a single quarter since 1950.

The score heading into halftime was an unheard of 45-0. The 45 points was also the most first half points by any team since 2002. But the offensive onslaught didn't stop there, as Brady came back out in the second half of the game to throw for another touchdown, giving him 6 total touchdowns to go along with his 380 yards. 59-0 was the final. What I find most amazing aside from Brady's record setting performance, is how accurate he was able to throw the ball in both rainy & snowy conditions, completing 29 passes out of 34 attempts. It might have taken Brady and the Patriots a little big longer than they had hoped, but I think it's safe to say he's back!