49ers Faceplant vs Rams in Rainy Santa Clara

Week 15 - With just a handful of games remaining on the NFL's regular season schedule, the San Francisco 49ers entered their Thursday Night meeting with the rival (7-6) Los Angeles Rams with a record of 6-7 and very little margin of error to play with. Hoping to continue their improbable playoff run and cruise with a win at home, mother nature would have other plans as both teams struggled to get much of anything going on offense partly in part by the rainy conditions that effected both team's strategy through the air. With what many believed would be a back-and-forth shootout between two offenses led by two of the best young minds in all of football at the head coaching position between friends and former colleagues Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, instead turned into the first game in the NFL this season without a single touchdown scored. 

In a season that has been plagued by injuries, the 49ers finally received a bit of positivity on the injury front as linebacker Dre Greenlaw made his season debut, returning to action just 10 months removed from suffering a torn Achilles in a freak accident while on the sideline during February's Super Bowl. While the injury sent a ripple effect throughout the clubhouse and left his teammates in shock when it initially occurred, his return on Thursday night inspired the team and gave the defense a much-needed jolt on the field, at least through the first two quarters. Getting the start at linebacker opposite of Fred Warner, Greenlaw dazzled and led both teams with 10 tackles in the first half alone. With Greenlaw's help, the 49er defense held the Rams offense to four straight drives without a first down, the longest streak to start a game under head coach Sean McVay. While the 49ers did strike first with a 53-yard Jake Moody field goal on their second drive of the game, they weren't much better on offense as both teams combined for 11 punts in the first half, tied for the most in a half this season. After holding the Chicago Bears to just 3 yards of total offense in the first half a week ago, San Francisco was at it again and held the Rams to just 26 yards in the first half in rainy Santa Clara. 

With a score of 3-3 at the half, the 6-points scored were the fewest in a first half of a 49ers-Rams game since 2009. With 152 games played in the longstanding 49ers-Rams rivalry, it would also be the first game in series history without a touchdown thru the first three quarters, let alone the entire game as the kickers took centerstage and did all the scoring on Thursday night. After forcing a three and out on defense and taking a 6-3 lead following a field goal on San Francisco's first drive of the second half, things began to slip away for the 49ers both literally and figuratively. One play earlier before electing to kick the go-ahead field goal, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy threw a pass to a streaking Deebo Samuel who had blockers ahead of him and the end zone in his sights, but the recently disgruntled receiver dropped the pass and ran to the sideline holding his head in disbelief, much to the chagrin of the 49er fans in attendance as boo's rained down. The dropped pass that was likely destined for the end zone was especially frustrating for the 49ers as Deebo expressed to the media in the days leading up to Thursday's game that there was nothing wrong with him in what's been a down year for the former All-Pro receiver, he just hasn't been given the ball enough. Coach Shanahan and Brock Purdy both tried feeding Samuel on Thursday, even forcibly at times, dialing up plays both on the ground and through the air to no avail. 

Trailing 6-3 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Rams kicked field goals on their final three drives of the game to take a 12-6 lead. Just four nights after winning the highest-scoring game of the season in a 44-42 barnburner against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills, L.A. suddenly found themselves in one of the lowest-scoring games of the year. With a chance to turn the tables and avenge a comeback loss to the Rams in L.A. back in Week 3, Purdy struggled to connect on a pair of home run passes to receivers Ricky Pearsall and Jauan Jennings, respectively. After underthrowing a pass near the end zone to Pearsall, the Niners QB overthrew a deep ball to Jennings that was picked off inside the end zone. One possession later, the San Francisco offense would have one last-ditch effort remaining, but with no timeouts remaining and the game clock running against them, Purdy took a sack that sealed the Rams' win and most likely the Niners' season. With just 191 total yards of offense to show for, the 49ers put up the second fewest yards in a game under coach Shanahan. 

Perhaps an even bigger story than the proverbial final nail in the coffin that is the Niners' season, is that of linebacker De'Vondre Campbell who made headlines after refusing to go into the game for San Francisco during the third quarter. Demoted to a backup position on gameday due to the return of Dre Greenlaw, Campbell would hear his name called during the second half after Greenlaw and fellow linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles both went to the sideline after getting banged up, but Campbell refused to enter the game. Clearly feeling some type of way given his demotion, Campbell was sent to the locker room in what would end up being the final visuals of him in a 49ers uniform. Campbell's teammates and coaches sounded off on him when asked about the situation in their postgame interviews, and he has since been suspended for the team's final three regular season games this season. A former All-Pro while a member of the Green Bay Packers in 2021, Campbell began his NFL career with the Atlanta Falcons, with stops in Arizona and Green Bay before ultimately landing in San Francisco during the offseason. After initially agreeing to a 1-year deal with free-agent linebacker Eric Kendricks, the plug was eventually pulled on the deal when Kendricks bailed out and ultimately signed with the Dallas Cowboys, thus resulting in the 49ers reaching an agreement with Campbell who might've very well played his final downs as an NFL linebacker. 

For the Rams, winners of 7 of their last 9 games, Matt Stafford and company now have their first 3-game win streak vs San Francisco since 1999-2001 which saw six straight wins over their longtime rivals. This after the 49ers had won 9 straight regular season meetings over the Rams more recently from 2019-2023. Neither team's quarterback lit up the stat sheet as Stafford threw for 160 yards with 0 touchdowns, compared to Brock Purdy who tallied 142 yards, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception. L.A.'s Puka Nacua led all receivers with 97 yards receiving and 7 receptions, followed by George Kittle of the Niners who hauled in 4 receptions for 61 yards. Most of the damage done by the Rams offense would come on the ground which came as no surprise in a rain-filled game as L.A. outrushed SF 142 to 63 yards rushing. Kyren Williams would have the busiest day of all running backs, leading the way for the Rams with 108 yards on 29 carries, compared to just 57 yards rushing on 19 carries by rookie running back Isaac Guerendo of the 49ers. 

Week 16 Preview - Hitting the road for sunny South Beach Florida, the (6-8) 49ers will visit the (6-8) Miami Dolphins. With the Niners sharing an identical record as the Dolphins, Miami's up and down season has had plenty to do with the health of their quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who was forced to miss four games earlier this year due to yet another concussion. Since returning to action in Week 8, Tua had been playing some solid football to the tune of 15 touchdowns and only 1 interception, in spite of his team still losing games. That was until a clunker on the road in Houston where Tua threw only 1 touchdown to 3 interceptions in Week 15. With both teams coming off poor showings a week ago, both the 49ers and Dolphins will look to right the ship in Week 16 as Kyle Shanahan faces another one of his former colleagues in Miami head coach Mike McDaniel who spent five years on Shanahan's staff in San Francisco before landing his own head coaching gig. 

Seeking their first win in Miami since 1995, 49ers QB Brock Purdy who recorded his first career win against the Dolphins in relief of former teammate Jimmy Garoppolo in 2022, will attempt to get the job done against the team he grew up rooting for. 

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49ers Feast on Seahawks in Thanksgiving Win

Week 12 - Facing off with their hated rivals from the pacific northwest for the first time this season, the (7-3) San Francisco 49ers would look to continue their recent success against the (6-4) Seattle Seahawks in a Thursday night showdown on Thanksgiving. Rallying around the gridiron together instead of the dinner table, there would be no such thing as sharing between these two bitter foes come kickoff. Looking to distance themselves from Seattle in the NFC Western Division standings, San Francisco, donning their throwback white uniforms, would try to make it four straight wins over Pete Carroll's Seahawks following a sweep in all three meetings a season ago, including a playoff win in the NFC's Wild Card round. 

Things would get off to a great start for quarterback Brock Purdy, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 11 performance against Tampa Bay, and the 49ers who opened the game with the ball and marched it 71-yards on 11-plays, ending in a 2-yard touchdown run by Deebo Samuel. Although the Seahawks would answer on their ensuing possession with a field goal thanks to a 64-yard kick return by D'Wayne Eskridge, the Seattle offense was virtually shutout by the 49er defense throughout the first half. San Francisco jumped out to a 14-3 lead to start the second quarter when running back and scoring machine Christian McCaffrey punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown, kickstarting a busy night for the all-time record holder for the most consecutive games with a touchdown. The San Francisco defense would put their first stamp on the game by forcing the first turnover of the night when cornerback Ambry Thomas jumped in front of Geno Smith's pass intended for receiver Tyler Lockett. The 49ers would not be able to do anything with the takeaway and were instead held to a three and out punt, but they would redeem themselves one possession later. 

McCaffrey would continue to make history and etch his name into the record books, this time setting a 49ers franchise single-season record with his 11th rushing touchdown on the season after an 8-yard score. Previously, six players shared the team record of 10 rushing touchdowns in a season: Frank Gore (2009), Derek Loville (1995), Ricky Waters (1993), Billy Kilmer (1961), J.D. Smith (1959) and Joe Perry (1953). McCaffrey's second touchdown of the night would also give him 16 total TD's on the year, the most by a running back in a single season in franchise history. The 49ers would add to their lead again with a Jake Moody field goal thanks to another Seattle turnover, this time forced by San Francisco's special-teams unit, capitalizing on a muffed punt that resulted in a fumble recovery by the Niners and special-teams stud Oren Burks. Unfortunately, Burks who would be injured on the play with what was later confirmed to be a torn biceps that will require surgery and likely cause him to miss the rest of the season. Seattle would attempt to inch closer before the end of the half with a 53-yard field goal attempt by kicker Jason Myers who missed wide right as time expired. 

In no way did the 49ers play a perfect game in any facet, but the defense came pretty darn close as Seattle's offense was held out of the end zone all night long. The Seahawks did receive a sliver of hope early in the second half when their defense forced a turnover. Following a punt by Seattle on the opening-drive to start the second half, Purdy and the 49ers found themselves pinned deep inside their own territory at the 4 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Purdy was picked off for his first career pick-six after an errant pass skipped off the hands of McCaffrey and into a defender as linebacker Jordyn Brooks recorded his first career interception and took it in for an easy score. Appearing to take their foot off the gas pedal, the 49ers were forced to punt on each of their next two possessions, but Seattle would only manage a field goal out of it, cutting San Francisco's lead to 24-13. Allowing Seattle to hang around until midway into the fourth quarter, the 49ers would end any chance of a rally by the Seahawks as Purdy barreled down and put the game out of reach with an absolute dime of a touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk who made the grab in between four defenders for the 28-yard score. 

Trailing 31-13 with under 8-minutes remaining, Seattle's last-ditch effort at a comeback would end on a turnover on downs as the Niners shutdown the Seahawks offense on three consecutive plays when they needed only 1-yard. From there, San Francisco was able to milk the clock on a pair of big first down plays by backup running back Elijah Mitchell and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud who sealed the win with a dagger 23-yard reception on 3rd and 3 after the two-minute warning, as the 49ers celebrated at midfield with a Thanksgiving feast supplied by the NBC crew. San Francisco's defense tallied a season-high six sacks on the night, creating pressure virtually all night long and making things difficult for Seattle QB Geno Smith who was questionable throughout the week to even start in Thursday's game with a bruised triceps suffered in the Seahawks' Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams a week earlier. 49ers QB Brock Purdy won't be taking home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for a second consecutive week, but he did manage to record a solid road outing under the bright lights in a hostile environment, completing 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, compared to Geno Smith's 180 yards passing, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception on 18 of 27 passes. 

Niners running back Christian McCaffrey was once again the team's bell cow on offense, rushing for 114 yards and 2 TD's on 19 carries to go along with another 25 yards receiving on 5 receptions. Deebo Samuel led all receivers with 7 receptions for a game-high 79 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown. Right behind him was Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in two receptions for 50 yards and a score, giving him 5 touchdowns on the season, making him the first 49ers receiver to achieve 5+ TDs in each of his first four NFL seasons. Aiyuk joined Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens as the only 49ers wide receivers in the past 40 seasons to have five or more receiving TDs in four straight seasons. Back to the defense, defensive-end Nick Bosa recorded another pair of sacks in the win, giving him three straight games with 1.5+ sacks, the longest streak for a 49er since 2012 (Aldon Smith, 4). Enjoying their latest acquisition, the San Francisco defense has now feasted on the opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 15 sacks in their last 3 games since acquiring defensive-end Chase Young at the trade deadline from Washington. The 49ers have now won four straight against their rivals from up north dating back to last season, outscoring them by a combined score of 120-56. 

Week 13 Preview: Pulling 2 full games ahead of Seattle in the division standings and into the NFC's No. 2 spot after their win coupled with a Detroit loss earlier on Thanksgiving morning to open the busy slate of games, the 49ers will have a chance to pull closer to the NFC's top seed in their next bout. With a few extra days of rest following the Thursday night game and the holiday, the (8-3) 49ers will now direct their attention to the (10-1) Philadelphia Eagles in one of the most highly anticipated match-ups on the NFL's 2023 calendar. In what will be a rematch of last year's NFC Championship, the meeting will signify a chance at redemption for one Brock Purdy, as the 49ers QB suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm on San Francisco's first drive, kicking him out of the game and into a six month recovery that required surgery. The 49ers eventually lost 31-7 to the Eagles who punched their ticket to the Super Bowl where they would go on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35. Proving to be a force again this year and likely to be in the thick of it again come playoff time, the Eagles exacted revenge against the Chiefs just a week ago on the road at Arrowhead, and are coming off a thrilling 37-34 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills at home in the rain. Philly QB Jalen Hurts threw for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win, adding another 65 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, including the walk-off score in OT. Hopefully both the football and weather gods are on the side of San Francisco this time around in what should be a tough blow for blow match-up between NFC heavyweights. 

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Niners Stifle Giants in Thursday Night Win

Week 3 - Entering the (2-0) San Francisco 49ers' home-opener on Thursday Night Football against the (1-1) New York Giants and in front of the Faithful at Levi's Stadium for the first time this season, the all-time head-to-head series between the two franchises stood at an even 17-17 in regular season meetings and 4-4 during the playoffs. Looking to tilt the series in their favor with a win to stay atop the NFC, the 49ers would also seek their first 3-0 start since 2019 when they got off to an 8-0 start on their way to a Super Bowl. Looking to also keep his perfect regular season record of 7-0 in tact would be Niners quarterback Brock Purdy who would be playing without one of his top targets in wide-receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Giants would be without a playmaker of their own in running back Saquon Barkley who leading up to game day appeared to be in line to make a miracle recovery from an ankle sprain in time for kickoff, before New York head coach Brian Daboll elected to sit his healing star. Despite the absence of Aiyuk who took home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 1 and is nursing a shoulder injury, Brock Purdy would make due with another pair of playmakers in Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, on his way to throwing for a career-high in passing yards. Helping step in for Aiyuk would be a rookie who would make his first career reception a memorable one. 

After both teams exchanged field goals to open the game, followed by a punt from both sides, the 49ers, donning their throwback uniforms, found the end zone first when Purdy connected with rookie receiver Ronnie Bell who's first career reception came in the end zone for a touchdown. Making his NFL-debut, the rookie out of Michigan displayed great awareness by sticking the landing and keeping both feet in bounds for the go-ahead score. One possession later, the San Francisco offense would be right back at it again, striking pay dirt on a 4-yard run up the gut from running back Christian McCaffrey who found the end zone for a 12th consecutive game (including playoffs). Coming off their first comeback win of 20-points or more since 1949 a week ago against Arizona, the Giants would not go down without a fight and stuck around for much of the game after a field goal just before the half made it a 17-6 game in favor of San Francisco. Making things even closer, New York struck first in the second half when a former Niner found the end zone. Filling in for the injured Saquon Barkley at running back was Matt Breida who spent his first three NFL seasons in a 49ers uniform and led the team in rushing in 2018. Throwing it back to his days at Levi's Stadium, Breida scored on an 8-yard carry to bring his team within 5-points after a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Unfortunately for Big Blue, it would be their one and only trip to the end zone on the night. 

Adding another pair of Jake Moody field goals to take a 23-12 lead, the 49ers added the final nail in the coffin when Brock Purdy launched a 27-yard strike into the end zone to Deebo Samuel. Any hopes of a second consecutive comeback attempt by Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was thwarted when a tipped pass ended up in the hands of San Francisco's Talanoa Hufanga for an interception and the game's only turnover. Pulling out the 30-12 victory and helping the 49ers improve to 3-0 on the year, QB Brock Purdy logged a much cleaner outing on Thursday Night Football after missing on a number of deep balls with a chance to put the game out of reach just a week earlier in L.A.. Logging a career-high 310 passing yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, Purdy found favorites in Deebo Samuel who caught 6 balls for 129 yards receiving and a touchdown, and tight-end George Kittle who hauled in a game-high 7 receptions for 90 yards. Meanwhile, the 49er defense held Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to only 137 yards thru the air and kept the New York offense as a whole to just 150 yards in total, compared to San Francisco's 441 yards of total offense. 

Week 4 Preview: The (3-0) San Francisco 49ers will continue their three-game homestand in Week 4 when they welcome in the division rival (1-2) Arizona Cardinals who despite their record, have been scrappy thus far having lost two games by a combined 7-points and are coming off one of the bigger upsets of the season thru the first three weeks over the Dallas Cowboys. What the Niners can ill-afford to do with their next opponent is overlook them as what might've been the case for the Cowboys who came into Arizona hot before being embarrassed in front of a pro-Dallas crowd despite being on the road. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan knows better than to underestimate a division foe who they'll see twice this season, but Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs who was acquired via trade just a month earlier, has the team playing inspiring football under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon. Many believed that Arizona would be in full-blown tank mode in favor of Heisman-winning quarterback and consensus first overall pick Caleb Williams out of USC, however, these pesky Cardinals look very much alive so far and look like they could be last season's Detroit Lions in the sense that they surprised everyone by coming out of nowhere and quickly put the league on notice. 

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49ers Clinch the West with Sweep of Seattle

Week 15 - With the (9-4) San Francisco 49ers on the road to face the rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football with a chance to clinch a playoff spot and the division, the team would again turn to their rookie third-string quarterback. After passing the test in Week 14 by beating Tom Brady and the Bucs in his first career start, Brock Purdy would be tested yet again by playing in the hostile environment that is Seattle's Lumen Field for the first road start of his career. Known for being one of the more intimidating venues to play in in the entire NFL due to the high volume of the raucous crowd, Mr. Irrelevant again proved to be, well, relevant. Entering the match-up as rare road favorites in Seattle despite being winless in their last two trips to the Emerald City. 

On short rest following the quick turnaround from last Sunday's game at home against Tampa Bay, Purdy would get the nod at quarterback despite oblique and rib injuries that kept him limited in practice all week. Unfazed by it all, Purdy would continue to perform in a way that seems fit for a Hollywood script. After punting on their first possession of offense, the 49ers struck first on a brilliant play-call as Purdy faked a pair of screens before rifling a pass down the middle to a wide-open George Kittle who broke for the 28-yard touchdown. Keeping the game close, the Seahawks would get on the scoreboard with a field goal in the second quarter and threatened to take a lead before the half, but a big time hit on Seattle's Travis Homer from Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw would result in a fumble that San Francisco would turn into a touchdown just two plays later. Scoring with under a minute remaining in the half, Christian McCaffrey would spring forward for the easy score to give the 49ers a 14-3 lead at halftime. 

It would be an interesting turn of events as Seattle nearly picked off Purdy on the other end prior to Homer's fumble. Instead for Seattle, the only team with a turnover in every game this season, that stat would continue to haunt them following their latest miscue. With 11 straight games scoring 10+ points in the first half, the longest streak in one season in 49ers team history, San Francisco wouldn't score nearly as many points as they should've in the second half, but the defense would more than make up for that. Before you could even blink after the second half kickoff, the San Francisco offense found the end zone two plays into the half when a wide-open George Kittle leaked out towards the sideline and caught a deep ball that he would take 54-yards to the house, juking a pair of Seattle defenders on his way to the end zone. Now leading 21-3, the 49ers nearly added to their double-digit lead when Seattle quarterback Geno Smith was facing pressure and launched a deep pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Instead, 49ers defensive stalwart Nick Bosa would be flagged for a bogus roughing the passer call that wiped the San Francisco touchdown off the board. Seattle would take advantage of the second-chance by adding a second field goal.  

After exchanging a pair of punts, the 49ers had looked to add to their lead just before the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but a 43-yard field goal attempt by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould would sail wide right, keeping the score at 21-6. Making matters worse, Seattle would march 67 yards on eight plays, while chewing up only 1 minute and 25 seconds of game time. Inching closer by making it a 21-13 ballgame, Seattle would score their first offensive touchdown in nearly two whole games versus San Francisco this season, scoring at the 3:35 mark of the fourth quarter to pull within a single score. Looking to close out the game, the 49ers offense would take to the ground and do just that, taking advantage of a poor Seattle run defense which ranks 31st overall against the run. Having allowed 160 rush yards per game, Seattle had surrendered 838 rushing yards over their last four games prior to Thursday. The duo of Christian McCaffrey (26 carries, 108 rush yards) and Jordan Mason (4 carries, 64 yards) would add 170 more rushing yards for San Francisco, including 55 yards on a dash up the middle by the undrafted rookie, as Mason sealed the game-clinching first down before leaking oil and being stopped at the 3-yardline where they would let the clock run out. 

Becoming only the second team in the league to wrap up a playoff berth after Philadelphia, the 49ers on the other hand are the first to secure a division title, with their first NFC West crown since 2019. Sweeping the season series from Seattle for the first time since 2011, the 49ers currently have the longest active winning-streak in the NFL with seven consecutive victories, trailing them are the Cincinnati Bengals who are next with five. Niners QB Brock Purdy registered a turnover-free game, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts, including his first 11, and threw for 217 yards and 2 scores. Purdy's 11 consecutive completed passes to begin a game is the longest such streak by a rookie QB this season. Purdy is also the first rookie QB to win his first two starts vs a Super Bowl-winning QB in Tampa Bay's Tom Brady and a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Seattle's Pete Carroll, while also leading all rookie QB's this season with 6 passing touchdowns. Purdy did equally as well at the podium at his postgame press conference, deflecting all credibility to fellow Niner QB's Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy's favorite target on the night -- tight-end George Kittle, had his best game of the season, hauling in four catches for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 49er defense held Geno Smith to 238 yards and a touchdown. 

Week 16 Preview: Returning to Levi's Stadium on Christmas eve, the (10-4) 49ers will look to gift themselves an eighth straight win when they take on a (7-5-1) Washington Commanders team vying for an NFC Wild Card spot. With San Francisco having already clinched a playoff berth, the Commanders are not to be taken lightly as they will have plenty on the line to fight for, not to mention they are the only team thus far to hand the (12-1) Philadelphia Eagles a loss this season, albeit they are division rivals. If the Niners can continue to win and the Minnesota Vikings continue to fall, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have a chance to soar into the NFC's No. 2 seed, and while the chances of them catching Philly are possible, they remain slim. But most importantly, San Francisco will hope to avoid the injury bug during the regular season's homestretch. 

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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. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

Packers Beat 49ers' B-Team on Thursday Night

Week 9 - Meeting for the first time since a blowout victory in the NFC Championship that punched a ticket to the Super Bowl for the San Francisco 49ers (4-4), the Green Bay Packers (5-2) would stroll into the Bay Area seeking revenge after being embarrassed not once, but twice a season ago. But any hopes of a slugfest would be shutdown rather quickly for one team. Having been ravaged by injuries all season long, a new enemy would emerge and make its presence felt on the 49ers roster, or at least the threat of it. Entering Thursday night's game with 13 players on Injured Reserve -- tied for the most in the NFL, the Niners would be dealt yet another blow after receiver Kendrick Bourne tested positive for COVID-19. With teammates Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk and Trent Williams all considered, "high-risk close contacts," all four players would be ruled out of Thursday's game on Wednesday. But after a pair of subsequent negative Covid tests submitted by Bourne, including one several hours before kickoff, the initial positive test would be deemed a false positive. Unfortunately for the home team, the damage was already done as those players would still be placed on the NFL's Reserve/COVID-19 list and ruled out by the league, leaving 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan with even less to work with against one of the top teams in the NFC. To say the 49ers would be undermanned in their Thursday night affair would be an understatement. But as the saying goes: the show must go on. 

In what would be the 70th match-up all-time between the two historic franchises, backup QB Nick Mullens would make his third start of the season in place of the ailing Jimmy Garoppolo who re-injured his high-ankle sprain in last week's loss to Seattle. Even with the countless holes on offense, the 49ers would still have a sliver of hope before kickoff as Mullens' only other start on Thursday Night Football came during Week 9 of the 2018 season when he made his NFL debut and threw a career-high three touchdown passes in a blowout win against the Raiders. The main difference in this one, however, would be a guy named Aaron Rodgers. After being stymied and constantly pressured by the 49er defense in both games last season, the ghostly defense of San Francisco's past would like nothing like the team Rodgers faced on Thursday and he admitted it in his postgame interview. But that wouldn't stop him from turning up the heat and taking advantage of the situation. While the game would remain competitive until the final minutes of the second quarter, Green Bay took an early 7-0 lead after their first possession and never looked back. 

Needing only six plays to march 75-yards, Rodgers struck first by connecting with his Pro-Bowl receiver Davante Adams for a 36-yard touchdown. It would be the start of a big night from both players as they each registered impressive numbers in the box score. Biting into Green Bay's lead with a Robbie Gould field goal on San Francisco's second possession to make it a 7-3 ballgame, it would be the closest the Niners would get after kickoff. San Francisco nearly tied the game on a touchdown reception by the recently promoted River Cracraft who came down with a catch in the end zone from 4-yards out that was initially ruled a touchdown, but was eventually overturned after review showed he failed to maintain complete control of the ball when falling to the ground, forcing Shanahan to settle for a field goal. The absence of Pro Bowl tackle Trent Williams would be felt virtually all night long on the 49ers offensive-line as Justin Skule had a tough time trying to fill in for the sidelined Williams, but especially on a pair of plays that resulted in a Nick Mullens interception in the second quarter and on a sack-fumble in the third, both of which leading to scoring drives for the Packers. By halftime, Rodgers had tossed a trio of touchdown passes as Green Bay took a 21-3 lead into the locker room. 

With the Green Bay lead increasing to 34-3 at one point, the 49ers were able to fend off a complete massacre on the scoreboard as they pieced together a pair of touchdown scoring drives in the fourth quarter to make it a 34-17 final score. The first of which would come on a 41-yard touchdown pass to receiver Richie James Jr. who served as one of the lone bright spots on what was a dismal night for San Francisco after hauling in career-highs with nine receptions for 184-yards and a touchdown. Running back Jerick McKinnon would supply the only other score as he struck pay dirt from a yard out in the game's final seconds. Both Rodgers and Adams would tally impressive numbers for Green Bay's offense as the Packers QB threw for 305 yards, four touchdowns and no picks, one of those touchdowns and 173 yards going to Adams who hauled in a game-high 10 receptions. In comparison, Nick Mullens threw for 291 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. Turning back the clock, the 34-points scored by the Packers were the most they put up on the road against San Francisco since December 13, 1959. 

Week 10 Preview - The 49ers' schedule will not get any easier in Week 10 when they make a trip to the Big Easy to face Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints (6-2) who are coming off an impressive blowout win against Tom Brady and the Bucs, 38-3. Following one of the best regular season games of the year a season ago when the 49ers left the bayou with a thrilling 48-46 victory that went back and forth in Week 14, it's unlikely we'll see anything remotely close to that shootout with all of San Francisco's missing pieces. With 13 players on IR, 45 different starters and 71 players used -- all the most in the NFL this year, coach Shanahan will do his best to try and piece together a team that can hopefully compete much better than they did against Green Bay. The Niners might also see the recently traded Kwon Alexander on opposite ends next week as he recovers from a high ankle sprain that has caused him to miss an extensive period of time. Another familiar face on opposite ends and one that helped play a key role in San Francisco's wild win against the Saints last season, is receiver Emmanuel Sanders who missed the last two weeks after being placed on the NFL's Reserve/Covid list. Two players the Niners are hopeful of getting back to assist their offense and their chances of pulling off the upset against the Saints are running back Raheem Mostert and receiver Deebo Samuel as the two have been dealing with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

49ers, Jimmy G Win close-call in Arizona

Week 9 - With the San Francisco 49ers (7-0) riding hot and paying a visit to the desert for a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals for the first time this year in a Halloween match-up that would feature the first two picks of the 2019 NFL Draft in Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa, Kyle Shanahan's defense would find themselves in rare territory and would be pushed to the brink for the first time this season. Having allowed 100 net passing yards or less in four straight games for the first time since 1977 and a combined 23-points in those contests, the 49er defense would allow more points than that in this game alone against a Cardinals team that came into the affair on a three-game winning streak of their own. In only their second division match-up of the year and on short rest, the 49er defense would be caught off-guard and for the first time this season would rely on the arm of Jimmy Garoppolo who answered the call by logging his first 300 yard performance of the year while throwing for a season-high 28 completions and a career-high 4 touchdowns.

Hall of Famer and Fox NFL analyst Michael Strahan questioned the ability of Garoppolo during the pregame show and begged the question of whether or not he could lead his team to victory if needed. "Has the game ever been on his shoulders? Has it ever been on him to win a game?" Those questions would be put to rest in this one as Jimmy G silenced the critics with his bast game yet, albeit against the rebuilding Cardinals. With the defense bailing Garoppolo and the 49er offense out on multiple occasions this season, it was only appropriate that their QB returned the favor on Thursday when the defense had a hiccup of their own and needed his help. Among their struggles against the Arizona offense, was the outstanding debut of Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake who was acquired from the Miami Dolphins just days earlier on Monday. With both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds nursing injuries, the Cardinals were forced to acquire three new running backs during the week. However, it'd be a one man show from the onset as Drake burst through for a 36-yard gain on his very first carry of the ballgame, an impressive start considering his previous season-long was only 11-yards while with Miami. Starting the drive and game with the big play from Drake, his team would continue feeding him as he finished the drive with a 4-yard score to kickstart his most productive game of the season and give Arizona an early 7-0 lead.

After surrendering only the second Cardinals touchdown in their last 21 drives to open the game, the 49er defense would keep the opposition at bey in their next two drives by forcing back-to-back three-and-outs. The 49ers would dodge a bullet early in the first quarter after having a scare when Pro Bowl tight-end George Kittle went down after taking a helmet to the knee. Kittle, easily the team's biggest weapon on offense, would head to the sidelines, but would return on San Francisco's next possession and would end up scoring the team's first touchdown on a 30-yard reception in which he shoo'd off a defender and stiff-armed his way to a game-tying score. The big time play would ignite a streak of three consecutive touchdown-scoring drives for the 49ers and four TD's in a five drive span as Garoppolo connected in the end zone with a different receiver each time. Garoppolo's second touchdown pass of the evening, a 7-yard connection to Kendrick Bourne, would be the first TD reception of the season for Bourne. His third touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders, would be the second in as many games for Sanders who has quickly become one of Garoppolo's favorite targets after being acquired just a week earlier via trade with the Denver Broncos.

But the Niners would have Arizona's first-year head coach Cliff Kingsbury to thank for the Sanders touchdown as they caught a huge break just before the half. Facing 4th and goal from the 1 yard-line and with 0:04 remaining in the half, Kyle Shanahan dialed up a hand-off that Arizona appeared to make a stop on at the goal-line. Fortunately for them, Kingsbury called for a timeout just before the snap, which then gave San Francisco another chance and resulted in the touchdown pass to Sanders as the Niners jumped out to a 21-7 lead at halftime. Showing the same uptempo offense to begin the second half that they showed in the first, the Cardinals, despite only 15-yards passing through the first two quarters, once again came out swinging and scored a touchdown on their first drive of the new half. Answering with a score of their own, Garoppolo would toss his fourth and final TD pass of the game as he found a wide-open Dante Pettis alone in the end zone from 21-yards out. And while it was his only catch of the night, he made it count in what's been a disappointing season from the second-year wide-out from the University of Washington.

After a Zane Gonzalez field goal made it a 28-17 lead for San Francisco in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals would strike for a huge 88-yard touchdown that took only two plays and chewed up only 35-seconds. Leading all rookie QB's in both passing and rushing yards, Kyler Murray found fellow rookie Andy Isabella who's third career reception and one and only catch of the night, would be a long one as he darted to the end zone for a 88-yard score that helped his team leap right back into the ballgame. Following a successful 2-point conversion to add to the busy day by Kenyan Drake, the Cardinals suddenly had all the momentum on their side and had the 49ers on their heels. With San Francisco taking over with under five minutes remaining and Arizona in possession of all three of their timeouts, the Niners were in need of a productive, yet time consuming drive in order to seal the win. Orchestrating an 11-play, 40-yard drive, Garoppolo managed to do just that as the 49ers signal-caller did a superb job eating up clock and making several big plays on third down. None would be bigger than the 3rd and 9 call at the two-minute warning that iced the win as Garoppolo stepped up and out of the pocket to deliver a clutch pass to tight-end Ross Dwelley who converted the game-winning first down that allowed his team to milk precious time as the final seconds ticked away.

Hoping to receive one final shot at rallying his team to victory, Kyler Murray would not get that chance and would have to watch from the sideline as the clock hit double-zero. Having outscored opponents by 130 points this season, the most through 7 games in franchise history, San Francisco would squeak by with the 28-25 victory to log their first win at Arizona since 2013 and snap their 8-game losing skid to the Cardinals. After becoming the first 49er to ever record three rushing TD's and a receiving TD in the same game, running back Tevin Coleman was virtually shutout as he was kept out of the end zone and held to only 23-yards on 12 carries. Matt Breida rushed for 78-yards on 15 carries, but both backs paled in comparison to Kenyan Drake who tallied 110-yards on 15 carries, registering only the third 100-yard performance of his career, while also adding 52-yards receiving on 4 receptions. But the player of the game would belong to Jimmy Garoppolo who became the first 49er QB with 4+ touchdown passes and 300+ passing yards in a single game since Jeff Garcia in 2000. With three of his TD passes coming on third down and one on fourth, Jimmy G also became the first 49er QB since Colin Kaepernick in 2012 to toss for 4 TD's in a game.

Garoppolo's favorite target of the game would be Emmanuel Sanders who in just his second game with his new team, has already hauled in a pair of touchdown passes after his seven catch, 112-yard performance against Arizona. With the timing and chemistry on a number of passes from Garoppolo to Sanders, you'd think the two have worked with each other all offseason long as the savvy vet and 2-time Pro Bowl receiver has already become arguably the biggest mid-season acquisition in the NFL this season. The ever-so reliable George Kittle also caught his second touchdown pass and racked up 79-yards on six receptions. It would be a quiet game for rookie sensation Nick Bosa who a week after being named both Rookie Defensive Player of the Week and NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three sack, 1 interception performance against the Panthers, logged only one tackle in Thursday night's win. That win would come at a price, however, as the defense lost a key contributor in linebacker Kwon Alexander who will miss the remainder of the season after an MRI revealed that he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Signed to a lucrative deal in the offseason, Alexander was enjoying a stellar 2019 campaign in the middle of this 49er defense.

Week 10 Preview - Officially halfway through the 2019-20 NFL regular season schedule and the 49ers find themselves as the last remaining unbeaten team in the league at 8-0. Turning the page to their next opponent, San Francisco will return home to host the Seattle Seahawks (7-2) on Monday Night Football. Hoping to win their second straight game against their division rivals, the 49er defense will need to rebound quickly from their rough performance against Kyler Murray and the Cards as they'll see a similar skill set in Russell Wilson who's even more dangerous and has been arguably the league's MVP through the first half of the season. Despite Wilson's monster game on Sunday in which he threw for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, the Seahawks needed Overtime to avoid being upset at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers will certainly have their hands full with Wilson, but are also expected to get one of their starters back in Tackle Joe Staley who's been out since Week 2 when he suffered a broken left fibula against the Bengals. One thing that is certain is that there'll likely be plenty of fireworks as Richard Sherman gets to take on his former team and head coach once again when the two teams renew rivalries on Monday.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

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.


Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest

Questionable late Penalty Derails 49ers Comeback

Week 3 - With the (0-2) 49ers returning home on short rest to host the division rival (1-1) Los Angeles Rams on Thursday Night Football in their only game scheduled in prime time this season, San Francisco would hope to continue their recent dominance of the only team they were able to beat a season ago when they claimed both wins against the Rams in their first season back in southern California. Boasting a record of 7-wins, 1-loss and 1-tie in their last 9 home meetings against the Rams, the 49ers would put that streak to the test under rookie head coach Kyle Shanahan. And after failing to score a single touchdown in each of their first two games this year, the 49ers offense would finally show signs of life while wearing their blacked-out Color Rush uniforms. Expected by many to be another lackluster showcase on Thursday night, this NFC West battle between northern and southern California would instead evolve into one of the more exciting and action packed Thursday Night Football games we've seen in years as the two rebuilding teams in search of their identities went blow for blow in a high-scoring affair.

After scoring a combined 12-points through their first two games of the season, the 49ers offense erupted for 39-points on Thursday night. But before their five touchdown barrage, San Francisco QB Brian Hoyer would get off to as bad a start as you could ask for as he saw his first pass attempt on the first play of the ballgame intercepted and nearly taken to the house by Nickell Robey-Coleman before a shoestring-tackle by Niners tight-end Garrett Celek helped save a touchdown. Unfortunately, the Rams would need only one play and a total of 12 seconds to capitalize as running back Todd Gurley took it in from three yards out to begin what would ultimately be a busy day for both he and the L.A. offense. The early pick-off would catch everyone on the San Francisco side by surprise, including Hoyer who entered the game with the third lowest interception rate among active QB's (70 passes), trailing only Tom Brady (126 passes) and Aaron Rodgers (75 passes). Oddly enough, the interception on the first play from scrimmage would serve as a wake up call for Hoyer as he would help the 49ers march down the field to tie the game on their ensuing possession. Aided by an offsides call during a punt that gave the offense another chance, Hoyer took advantage by taking matters into his own hands and scoring with his feet to give San Francisco their first touchdown of the season some 23 possessions later on a 9-yard scramble.

Second-year quarterback Jared Goff who was drafted first overall a year ago just a stones throw away from Levi's Stadium at nearby Cal, would look rather comfortable under center as a visitor while facing the team he grew up rooting for. With many of his friends and family in attendance watching from the stands, the game would serve as a homecoming for Goff who threw three touchdowns in a game for just the second time in his career and the first without recording an interception. The former Golden Bear and his receivers would feast on a banged up Niners secondary that was without Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid, to the tune of 292 passing yards, with both Robert Woods (108) and Sammy Watkins (106) each eclipsing the century mark in receiving yards. After receiving a gift on their first score, Goff and company would prove that they too could create scoring chances as they answered Hoyer's touchdown with one of their own on the ensuing possession as Gurley struck pay dirt for the second time in the opening quarter, this time of the receiving variety.

Both teams would turn turnovers into points in the second quarter as the two exchanged field goals with both 49ers third-string running back Raheem Mostert (fumble) and Rams return man Tavon Austin (muffed punt) serving as the guilty parties. Gurley's third and final touchdown on the evening, a 2-yard rush, would allow the Rams to take a 24-13 lead into the locker room at halftime. Receiving the ball to open the second half, the Rams nearly made it a three-score game before a goal-line stand by the San Francisco defense held them to another Greg Zuerlein field goal. Trailing 27-13, the 49ers would spark a streak of four consecutive touchdown-scoring drives between both teams as running back Carlos Hyde shook off an early hip injury by rushing for his first of two 1-yard touchdowns on 4th down. Rams receiver Sammy Watkins would match Hyde's pair of touchdowns with two scores of his own including a 1-yard score on L.A.'s ensuing drive. One drive later, Hoyer would connect with Marquise Goodwin for a 50-yard completion just before the end of the third quarter, setting up Hoyer's first passing touchdown as a Niner -- a 1-yard strike to Garrett Celek, and a very wacky 4th quarter.

Following a crucial missed extra-point by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould, L.A. would answer with the second touchdown connection between Goff and Watkins -- a 13-yard strike as Watkins fought off defenders and muscled his way over the goal-line. It would also be the fifth touchdown pass of the season for Goff, tying the mark he threw all of last year while needing four fewer starts. From there, both teams would exchange punts before another big gainer from Hoyer. Receiver Pierre Garcon who entered Thursday's game with 573 career receptions, the most by any active player without a single Pro Bowl selection, would haul in seven more catches including this one for 59-yards to set up another score. It would prove to be a game of firsts as Garcon finished with a game-high 142-yards receiving for his first big game in a 49er uniform. Three plays later, rookie wide-out Trent Taylor would haul in his first career touchdown on a 3-yard pass from Hoyer, making it an 8-point game with just over 5 minutes remaining in regulation. In need of another break, the 49ers would get one on the ensuing kickoff as Victor Bolden forced a fumble on return man Pharoh Cooper. Capitalizing on yet another Ram fumble, Hyde would once again rumble into the end zone on a do or die 4th and 1 call from the 1-yard line.

Electing to go for the game-tying 2-point conversion, Hoyer would have nobody to throw to as his receivers were blanketed and the pass was intercepted. But an excellent recovery on a surprise onside-kick would allow San Francisco one final chance to pull off the comeback victory. Facing third and 10 with the ball at their own 40 yard line, Hoyer would connect with Taylor for an 11-yard pickup for the first down. But a controversial offensive pass-interference call against Taylor would negate the first down and pin the 49ers back another 10-yards. With the fans already out of their seats in hopes of witnessing a comeback victory of epic proportions, the Levi's Stadium faithful was none too pleased as the replay of the heinous call resembled nothing remotely close to what would normally warrant an offensive pass-interference call. And on an all or nothing 4th and 20 two plays later, Pro Bowl defensive-end Aaron Donald would come up with a game-sealing sack as the 49ers turned the ball over on downs. With under two minutes remaining, Goff and co. would milk the clock as San Francisco's last-ditch effort fell just short, 41-39. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, it was the first game in NFL history to end with a final score of 41-39.

The loss would be painful one for San Francisco as it marked their second defeat in four days by a combined five points. However, the team finally showed that they're more than capable of lighting up the scoreboard. Or was the 80-point outburst between the two teams simply a product of two tired defenses playing on short rest? 49ers All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman admitted after the game that he didn't feel like he normally would have had the game been on Sunday and it definitely showed on the field as he missed a handful of tackles he usually makes in his sleep. Whether or not that sentiment was felt from the entire 49er defense, they would look the part as their inability to get to the quarterback resulted in their second game this season without recording a single sack. This while watching their guy go down a total of four times. As for the offense, Hoyer completed 23 of 37 passes for 332 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also getting some help from Hyde who rushed the ball 25 times for 84 yards and two TD's.

Los Angeles' first-year head coach Sean McVay who happens to be the youngest head coach in modern NFL history at 31 years of age, has the Rams trending in the right direction, especially on offense which has been their Achilles heal the past few seasons as they've now scored 107 points thru their first three games, the franchise's most thru 3 games since 2000 (119 scored). He also appears to have been able to breathe life back into the running game as Todd Gurley set a career-high with 33 touches (28 carries, 5 receptions) while logging his first 100-yard rushing performance since 2015. Only 3 games in and the 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year has already matched his touchdown total from a season ago with six. Hopefully this will serve as a preview for what will be an exciting rivalry for many years to come between two inner-division, rebuilding teams with rookie head coaches who're quite familiar with one another having served on the same Washington Redskins staff from 2010-2013. These two teams will meet again in Los Angeles on New Year's Eve for Week 17.

Week 4 Preview: The (0-3) 49ers will continue their play against the NFC West in Week 4 when they take a trip to the desert and face the (1-2) Arizona Cardinals for the first of three consecutive road games for San Francisco. With Carson Palmer and the Cards off to a sluggish start without their All-Pro running back from a season ago as David Johnson will miss an extensive amount of time while nursing a dislocated wrist, the 49ers will hope to take advantage of his absence. But once again they'll be hitting the field without yet another key player on defense as defensive-end Tank Carradine sustained a high ankle sprain in Thursday's loss which will sideline him for 4 to 6 weeks, thus adding to the pressure put on San Francisco's D-line. Coming off a Monday night loss at home to the Cowboys, Arizona hopes to right the ship against a banged up Niner D as Carradine joins both Eric Reid and Reuben Foster in the injury department. 


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Bears spoil Thanksgiving for Favre, Pack

While most of us feasted on turkey dinners and spent time with our families on Thanksgiving night while being glued to our TV's for Thursday Night Football, the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears had some unfinished business to settle in the NFC North. Free-falling from the NFC power rankings, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers suffered their most recent loss and fourth in their last five games, at home to the Chicago Bears. On a night in which they honored future Hall of Fame QB Brett Favre and inducted him into their own Hall of Fame by retiring his iconic number 4, the Packers were unable to deliver a victory to the Green Bay faithful on a cold and rainy night at Lambeau.

With Packers great Bart Starr in attendance for the Favre ceremony, Green Bay's current great quarterback Aaron Rodgers had himself a sub-par performance under his own standards. In what's been a rough month for one of the NFC's heavyweights which entered Thursday night's game clinging onto a tie for first place in the NFC North with rival Minnesota, the Packers dropped consecutive games at historic Lambeau Field. Just three weeks after surrendering their first defeat to the Lions at Lambeau Field since 1991, Chicago's Jay Cutler finally escaped the frozen tundra with a win under his belt after failing in his first four attempts. Chicago's defense held off a late surge and comeback attempt by Rodgers and company when a fourth and goal attempt from the 8-yard line went sour for the cheese heads as Packers receiver Devante Adams was unable to come up with what would've been the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining.

James Jones also had a go-ahead grab slip away as the ball was stripped from his grasp in the end zone a play earlier which set up the big fourth and goal try. Cutler threw for 200 yards and a touchdown in the win, besting Rodgers who appeared to be hurt after taking a sack, but came back into the game and threw for 202 yards to go along with a touchdown and a late fourth quarter interception. Packers running back Eddie Lacy rushed for 105 yards on 17 carries and caught Rodgers' lone TD pass, but lost a costly fumble in the first half. The turnover set up the Bears who capitalized on the miscue with a 7-play scoring drive which tied the game at 7 before the half as they improved to 5-6 on the year under first-year head coach John Fox. Meanwhile, Green Bay fell to 7-4 on the season with the loss and currently remain a half game behind (7-3) Minnesota for first place in the NFC North who takes on the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. Green Bay handed the Vikings a loss in their own home just a week ago and are now hoping to get some help from the dirty birds as they try solving their own problems while currently holding onto an NFC Wild Card spot.


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