Week 12 - With a trip to Miami in store for Week 12 to take on the red-hot (6-4) Dolphins, winners of five straight, the upset-minded (1-9) 49ers would come out swinging in what would end up being a close game that came down to the wire. Having shown improvement week by week with the exception of last week's rain-filled loss to the Patriots, Niners QB Colin Kaepernick had arguably his best game of the season on Sunday against a dominant Miami defensive-line. Kaepernick would lead both teams in passing and rushing yardage on the day as he finished with 296 yards thru the air and another 113 yards on the ground to go along with 3 touchdown passes including one on San Francisco's opening-drive which put them ahead early on.
After forcing a three and out on Miami's opening possession to start the game, Kaepernick would help march the team down the field before dumping the ball off to Carlos Hyde who found the end zone to score his first receiving touchdown of the year and first touchdown overall since Week 5 vs Arizona. It would be a long time coming for the 49ers running back who started the season with six touchdowns scored in the first five weeks of the season but has since then cooled off while nursing a shoulder injury and sharing the load with fellow backs Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris. The early lead would be short-lived however, as San Francisco quickly found themselves trailing 14-7 heading into the half after back-to-back touchdown scoring drives by the Dolphins, the second of which set up by a Garrett Celek fumble which halted a 49ers drive inside enemy territory at the Miami 31 yard-line. It would also be San Francisco's 11th lost fumble of the season (most in the NFL). An equally disastrous start to the second half for the 49ers would put even more points on the board for the opposition as Kaepernick's pass intended for receiver Torrey Smith was intercepted on the first play of the second half which led to a Miami field goal.
Though the interception wasn't necessarily his fault as Smith should've came up with the catch, both Kaepernick and tight-end Garrett Celek who fumbled earlier would get to redeem themselves with a 4-yard touchdown, the first of Celek's career. Kaepernick wasn't the only one who had a fine performance on Sunday though, as Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill logged a solid outing with three touchdown passes of his own, including a 43-yarder late in the third quarter to receiver Kenny Stills and another from 15-yards out to Leonte Carroo to start the fourth quarter. Trailing 31 to 14 in the fourth, the 49ers would march all the way down to the 1-yard line before punching it in on a one-handed touchdown grab by Torrey Smith. In need of some help from the defense, the Niners would get just what the doctor ordered as they forced back-to-back Miami three and outs. Following a Phil Dawson field goal to bring them within a touchdown, San Francisco would be given one last chance to tie it late.
With the game clock a factor and no timeouts remaining, Kaepernick and company would march their way down to the 6-yard line with 5 seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass intended for Torrey Smith inside the end zone, the 49ers would have one final chance to score the game-tying touchdown. In a last-ditch effort and nobody open to throw to, Kaepernick scrambled and was stuffed by the collective effort of Ndamukong Suh and Kiko Alonso at the 2-yard line as time expired. San Francisco's late-game heroics would fall just short as Miami held on for the 31-24 win. With both teams going in complete opposite directions right now following Miami's first six-game win streak since 2005 and San Francisco on their worst losing-streak in their 70-year existence, the game that came down to the final play just goes to show that anything can happen on any given Sunday. While the 49ers secondary was picked apart time and time again by Tannehill, the San Francisco defense managed to stop the run quite well and held Dolphins rusher Jay Ajayi to only 45-yards on 18 carries, but one of those carries wound up being a touchdown. Having allowed a season average of 180 yards rushing which is the worst in the NFL, the 49ers D held Miami to less than a hundred yards rushing and forced their opponent to beat them thru the air which they did.
Week 13 Preview - After becoming the first player in franchise history with 3+ touchdown passes and 80+ rushing yards in the same game, QB Colin Kaepernick will now direct his attention to the (2-9) Chicago Bears as he gets set to face off against his former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Chicago, the only other team in the NFC with fewer than four wins, will hope to avenge the walk-off loss suffered at home to the 49ers in overtime a season ago. And with the 49ers leading the league this season in points allowed off turnovers, Fangio will be dialing up all he can in hopes of throwing Kaepernick off his game as the two were unable to face each other in last year's 49ers-Bears bout as Blaine Gabbert was under center for San Francisco. As for the Bears quarterback situation, Chicago will be without Jay Cutler who was recently placed on injured-reserved and will have surgery on Saturday to repair a torn labrum, thus opening the door for QB Matt Barkley. Barkley, a former QB of Chip Kelly's while with the Eagles, threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in a six-point loss to Tennessee last week and will try duplicating those numbers against the 49ers and the head coach who drafted him out of USC.
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Week 7 - Entering their Week 7 meeting with the (2-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the 49ers were hoping to put an end to their five game losing streak and head into the BYE week on a positive note. But another fast start on offense would be all Chip Kelly's 49ers would have to show for as they scored 14 of their 17 points in the opening quarter and squandered a 14-point lead once again. Since the injury to Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman three weeks ago, opposing running backs have eaten the 49ers defense alive and that trend continued on Sunday.
Before the Buccaneers outgained San Francisco in total offensive yards -- 513 to 273, the 49ers jumped out to an early lead thanks to arguably their best looking offensive possession of the season as Colin Kaepernick and company marched down the field and capitalized their six-play opening-drive with a Mike Davis touchdown. Making his first career start in place of the injured Carlos Hyde (shoulder), it would be the first touchdown of Davis' career as the second-year back rushed seven times for 21 yards before sharing rushing duties with DuJuan Harris (11 carries, 39 yards) who was promoted from the practice squad. The 49ers would get off to an equally hot start on defense as they stuffed Tampa Bay on a gutsy 4th and 1 call near midfield on the Bucs first possession, turning the ball over on downs. Two drives later they would force an interception as a Jameis Winston pass intended for Mike Evans was tipped by Tremaine Brock and picked by linebacker Gerald Hodges who returned the ball 21-yards thanks to a crucial block by Jimmie Ward on Evans. One play later the 49ers would strike for their second touchdown of the quarter as Kaepernick found Shaun Draughn in the end zone to put his team ahead, 14-0.
But as soon as the first quarter ended, so did the fun for the 49ers as Tampa Bay scored 27 unanswered-points including 17 in the second quarter on a pair of Winston touchdown passes to Evans and Russell Shepard. After adding another 110 yards on the ground from running back Jacquizz Rodgers in the first half alone, the putrid 49ers defense allowed the Bucs to tally over 300 yards of offense in the first half for only the second time in the last 25 years. In fact, Tampa Bay's first half yards (310) were more than what the 49ers would gain in the entire game. Hoping to begin the second half much better than they finished the first, San Francisco would hand the ball right back to the opposition after forcing a three and out only to fumble the ensuing punt. Having scored only 10 points in the third quarter of games this season, their third quarter woes would continue when Jeremy Kerley was ran into by his own teammate after calling for a fair catch. Unaware of his surroundings, rookie receiver Aaron Burbridge made the dubious mistake that would cause the fumble and allow the Bucs to add a field goal to their lead. Making matters worse, the 49ers would fumble on their following drive as well when Kaepernick was blindsided from behind as he was sacked and stripped of the ball. Winston's third and final touchdown pass on the afternoon would make it 27-14.
With very little hope of pulling off the comeback, San Francisco's lone scoring drive of the second half would come in the form of a Phil Dawson field goal that brought them within 10-points with just over 8 minutes remaining. But a 44-yard touchdown run by Peyton Barber would put the game well out of reach as the Bucs completed the 34-17 victory to win their second straight. As for the 49ers, the loss would be their sixth consecutive, their longest such streak since 2008. What's most frustrating is a team that was once known for their defensive run stopping ability suddenly can't stop a nosebleed as they've now allowed a 100-yard rusher for six straight games. Also, the 562 rushing yards allowed over the last two games is the most the 49ers have ever allowed in a two game span in franchise history, breaking the previous mark of 552 set in October of 1956. With the injured Bowman and the recently released Ian Williams who's been dealing with an injury of his own two key cogs in stopping the run over the past few seasons who are no longer around, the 49ers aren't going to be winning another game anytime soon if they can't stop the run.
Then again, that's just one of the many lingering issues this franchise currently faces as they've now fallen to 1-6 on the year and have put their name in the hat for most likely picking in the top 3 for next year's NFL Draft. Another is the quarterback position as Colin Kaepernick failed to wow us with another mediocre performance in which he threw for only 143 yards, ran for another 84 and completed less than half of his passes (16 for 34) while throwing one touchdown and one interception. With a deep threat in receiver Torrey Smith that is virtually wasting away in the 49ers offense, teams have already begun inquiring for the former Super Bowl champion with Chip Kelly's former team the Philadelphia Eagles among those most interested in Smith's services. Don't be surprised if he's dealt before the 49ers take the field again.
Week 9 Preview: With a BYE in Week 8, the 49ers will have plenty of time to clear their head and work out some of the kinks in preparation of their next opponent -- the New Orleans Saints (2-4) who will travel to Santa Clara. With another stellar start to the season from QB Drew Brees, the Saints defense has struggled much like that of the 49ers this year, giving up an average of 403.8 yards per game, just a few ticks under the 407.6 SF has allowed. And while they're allowing more points per game than the Niners, the Saints offense is averaging 130 yards more per game than San Francisco (421.7 vs 290.0). So unless 49ers defensive coordinator Jim O'Neil turns things around fast, the 49er defense could be in for another long week when Drew Brees and co. are in town.
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Week 6 - Heading into Buffalo to take on the (3-2) Bills in Week 6, the 49ers were hoping a shake up at the Quarterback position would help them reach the win column for the first time since Week 1. And while Colin Kaepernick did provide a jolt and show flashes at times on offense, the lackluster defense would once again fail to contain the opposition as Buffalo's LeSean McCoy ran amok against his former head coach in Philadelphia. 49ers head coach Chip Kelly knows McCoy very well as their distaste for one another was well publicized while with the Eagles, but Kelly was left helpless on the sideline as he watched McCoy shred the 49ers depleted secondary to the tune of three rushing touchdowns on the afternoon to tie a career-high.
Entering the game with the worst passing offense in the league, Buffalo didn't need to do much through the air as they utilized their rushing attack that couldn't be stopped, eclipsing over 300 yards on the ground in total. To put the disastrous performance into perspective, the 312 rushing yards allowed by San Francisco would be their most since 1958. But before the Bills began their scoring frenzy in the second half, it was the 49ers who struck first and provided most of the big plays in the first half. On Buffalo's first offensive possession, we finally saw our first true highlight of former Oregon Duck teammates Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner who combined for a forced and recovered fumble as Armstead provided the hit on Bills QB Tyrod Taylor and Buckner recovered. It would be the first of three forced fumbles by the 49ers defense, two of which were recovered. But unfortunately, the offense was unable to do much with them, with only a field goal to show for as Phil Dawson gave his team an early 3-0 lead. The Bills would answer with their first of six touchdowns on the afternoon as McCoy struck paydirt to take a 7-3 lead in the first.
Making his first start of the season and throwing his first pass in a meaningful game in over a year, Colin Kaepernick showed signs of rust but was able to dust off the cobwebs at times, connecting for a 53-yard touchdown to a wide-open Torrey Smith to start off the second quarter. Though he was unable to connect with Smith in stride and slightly underthrew him, Smith stopped for the grab before breaking away for the easy score which put San Francisco back on top at 10-7. It would be the last lead of the afternoon that they would enjoy as another pair of Phil Dawson field goals was all they would show for the rest of the way. With Buffalo hanging on to a 16-13 lead at the half, both teams would struggle to get anything going early on in the third quarter before the Bills stringed together four consecutive touchdown scoring drives to blow the game open. With over 100 yards rushing in the first half alone, McCoy finished the game with 140 yards on the ground to go with his trio of touchdowns after shaking off an apparent knee injury late in the first half which sidelined him for Buffalo's following drive. He would appear to be just fine as the Bills ran away with a 45-16 victory to claim their first four game winning-streak since opening the 2008 season 4-0. As for the Niners, they would drop their fifth consecutive game, their first such streak in six years.
Kaepernick and Taylor finished with nearly identical stat lines with Kaepernick holding a slight edge with 187 yards thru the air and another 66 on the ground compared to Taylor's 179 and 68. But with Taylor completing three more passes than Kaepernick on four fewer tries, it was obvious which quarterback has been starting all season and which one has been sidelined. But with this game to build on, Kaepernick should see his comfort level and rhythm rise going forward. Another positive to take from the beating was receiver Torrey Smith getting involved in the offense once again as he was merely forgotten about with Gabbert under center. Meanwhile, the exact opposite could be said for Jeremy Kerley who only caught two passes for 12 yards on Sunday. This after having hauled in over 85-yards and a touchdown in each of his last two games with Gabbert as the QB. If Kaep can get all parties involved, we could see the Niners passing game take a huge leap forward sooner than later.
Week 7 Preview - With running back Carlos Hyde ruled out for Week 7 with a shoulder injury, the (1-5) 49ers will be shorthanded on offense when they try to put an end to their 5-game skid as they return home to host the (2-3) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Another pair of play makers that might not join the 49ers on Sunday and were limited in practice are receiver Torrey Smith (back) and standout rookie cornerback Rashard Robinson (concussion). Needing as much help as they can get, Chip Kelly's 49ers will be facing a well rested Bucs team that is coming off a BYE and last played on Monday Night Football on October 10 as they defeated the struggling Carolina Panthers. Getting their first glimpse of last year's first overall pick and reigning NFL Rookie of the Year Jameis Winston, the 49ers will hope to bounce back from another disappointing performance on defense to head into their Week 8 BYE on a positive note with a win.
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Week 2 - With the 49ers on the road in Carolina on short rest to face the defending NFC Champion Panthers (0-1), they'd be given a tall task if they wanted to improve to 2-0 on the year. As if being on short rest wasn't already a disadvantage in the NFL, Carolina on the other hand had as much rest as you could possibly want, having played four days earlier than San Francisco in the Thursday night opener in a Super Bowl rematch against the Broncos. And with the Panthers coming up short, suffering a heart-wrenching 21-20 loss on a missed field goal by kicker Graham Gano as time expired, we all knew Carolina would come into their home-opener with a chip on their shoulder and in need of a big win to bounce back and avoid an 0-2 start. After kickoff, it would be the 49ers who got off to a fast start as the San Francisco defense came up with an interception on Cam Newton's first pass attempt of the afternoon just two plays in.
Unfortunately, the 49ers would have to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal. After forcing Carolina to punt on their second possession, the Niners had a chance to jump out to an even bigger lead in the 1st quarter, but a Carlos Hyde fumble inside his own 20 would put the Panthers on the board and ahead as the ball was recovered and taken into the end zone for a Carolina touchdown. The 49er defense would turn the tables on Carolina's next offensive possession, forcing a fumble and this time capitalizing with a trip to the end zone as Blaine Gabbert found Torrey Smith for a 28-yard touchdown. San Francisco's 10-7 lead would be short lived, however, as a 78-yard bomb on Carolina's next play would put them back ahead for good as Newton connected with his tight-end Greg Olsen who was left all alone down the middle. The Panthers would add a late field goal to take a 17-10 lead into the half as San Francisco still had hopes of pulling off the upset.
Those hopes would vanish, reappear and then vanish once again in the second half as the game soon became the Kelvin Benjamin show. Having missed all of the 2015 season last year with a torn ACL suffered during training camp, the former first round draft pick has picked up right where he left off before the injury and has shown no ill effects of a surgically repaired knee as he caught touchdown passes on back to back drives to open the second half. Thanks to their dominant 3rd quarter, the Panthers lead would improve to 31-10 as the game seemed well out of reach for the 49ers. But as soon as the 4th quarter started, things began to turn in the 49ers favor. Two plays into the final period, the San Francisco defense would flush Newton out of the pocket for a sack, forcing him to fumble and turning the miscue into three points. A muffed punt return by Ted Ginn Jr. on the ensuing kick would put the Niners offense right back in business on the 1-yard line. Gabbert would do it himself on the very next play, prancing into the end zone untouched.
With plenty of game left and the Panthers hanging onto a 34-20 lead midway thru the 4th, the 49ers would pull off their biggest play of the game on a 75-yard catch and dash touchdown as Gabbert found tight-end Vance McDonald who was aided with a nice block from receiver Quinton Patton as he ran down the sideline for the score. After Carolina answered with a field goal to make it a two possession game, Gabbert who had registered a clean game up to that point, would suffer a pair of late 4th quarter interceptions, dooming any chance of pulling off the miraculous comeback. Newton would put the Niners out of their misery with a late touchdown to Devin Funchess, giving him four touchdown passes on the afternoon and putting him over the 350-yards passing mark. Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart would suffer a hamstring injury early on in the game which opened the door for backup RB Fozzy Whittaker who filled in quite nicely by rushing for 100 yards on 16 carries in Stewart's absence. As for San Francisco's run game which wasn't nearly as effective as it was in Week 1, Carlos Hyde and Shaun Draughn were held to a combined 55 yards on 23 carries. Gabbert finished with 243 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the 46-27 loss.
Week 3 Preview - With the 49ers traveling to Seattle to take on the bitter rival Seahawks (1-1) in Week 3, San Francisco will need a win in order to hang on to first place in the division. With the Rams, Cardinals, Seahawks and 49ers all 1-1 thru the first two weeks of the season, the 49ers are the only team in the NFC West with a 1-0 record within the division, thus giving them sole possession of first place in the early going. Though it's been years since the 49ers have able to pull off a win in Seattle, Pete Carroll's Seahawks haven't looked too good thru the first two weeks after surviving a late scare at Home to the Dolphins in Week 1 followed by a loss to the Rams on Sunday. But by no means will coach Chip Kelly and company be able to underestimate Seattle QB Russell Wilson, even if he's still hobbled by a sprained ankle suffered in Week 1. With another stout effort on defense and a bounce back performance on the ground from Carlos Hyde as well as clean game in the turnover department from Blaine Gabbert, the 49ers may be able to leave Seattle with a 'W'.
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Week 16 - Heading into Detroit for their final road game of the season, the (4-10) 49ers entered Sunday's game hoping to exit the Motor City with a win and return home with a winning-streak to finish what's been a disappointing season. But with the (5-9) Lions playing their best football of the season as of late, the Niners would be put to the test. A challenge they appeared to be willing to accept as they jumped out to an early lead by scoring a touchdown on their first drive for the first time all year. It would also mark their first 1st quarter touchdown of the 2015 season.
After putting up a fight which saw the Niners not only score the first 7-points of the game, but also stick around in a back and forth first half, the San Francisco offense disappeared after halftime as they were shutout in the second half. 49ers receiver Anquan Boldin who caught his first career ball against the Lions, got things started off by becoming just the 13th player in NFL history to record 1,000 career receptions when he caught a 5-yard pass on the first play of the game. A series of runs and short passes helped San Francisco march all the way to the goal line where they put an exclamation point on the drive with a 1-yard touchdown pass from QB Blaine Gabbert to tight-end Vance McDonald. The Lions answered by scoring a 36-yard field goal and a 29-yard touchdown on back to back drives to take their first lead. A fake punt in which Detroit converted a first down on a direct snap would setup the go-ahead touchdown. But Gabbert would have other plans as the Niners jumped back ahead after a 16-yard touchdown connection to Torrey Smith.
Gabbert managed to go without throwing an interception in the game but a 9-yard sack in which he fumbled the ball at the 1-yard line would cost him in the second quarter. Detroit's Joique Bell would capitalize on the very next play by scampering into the end zone for a touchdown. Niners kicker Phil Dawson would split a pair of field goals, missing a 45-yarder and making one from 40, only to be outdone by Detroit's Matt Prater who kicked a pair including one with time expiring to send his team into the locker room at the half, leading 20-17. Aside from keeping it a close game, San Francisco would also tie a season-high 17 first half points. Unfortunately, it would be all the scoring they would do as they failed to scratch a single point on the scoreboard in the second half. The 49ers shot themselves in the foot nearly all afternoon long as they were called for offsides or for being in the neutral zone seven times to set a single-game high by an NFL team this year, six of which came in the first half, the most for any team since 1993.
In what's been a nightmarish season for 49ers running backs this year with injuries sustained to Carlos Hyde, Reggie Bush and now Shaun Draughn, DuJuan Harris got the nod and was one of the few bright spots for San Francisco on Sunday. Signed by San Francisco as recent as Tuesday just days before Sunday's game, Harris rushed for a career-high 73 yards to lead all players. Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne was also promoted to the team just in time for Sunday's affair and received his heaviest workload yet, rushing for 27 yards on 9 carries and catching a career-best 5 receptions for 20 yards. With both Harris and Hayne still getting their feet wet with their respected team, one name that has been around for quite awhile now in Detroit is receiver Calvin Johnson, better known as Megatron. In what may be his final home game in a Lions uniform, the ?-time Pro Bowl wide-out caught six passes for 77 yards including a fourth quarter touchdown as quarterback Matthew Stafford was sure to send his favorite target off with one last touchdown reception if he indeed plays elsewhere in 2016. Stafford threw for a pair of TD's and eclipsed the 300-yard mark with 301 yards on the afternoon, inching closer to his fifth consecutive 4,000 yard season, needing only 36-yards with one game remaining. Gabbert tallied 225 yards and a pair of touchdowns of his own, but did so in a losing effort as the Niners fell, 32-17.
Week 17 Preview - After falling to 4-11 on the season, the 49ers head back home to meet with the division-rival (7-8) St. Louis Rams where they'll hope to avoid their first four-win season since 2005. As for the Rams who are coming off a 23-17 win over the Seahawks in Seattle, St. Louis will look to finish their disappointing season by finishing with an even .500 record. And their rookie running back Todd Gurley who ran amok versus the Niners in their first meeting this year by racking up 133 yards and a touchdown, will be called upon to do the same thing a second time around. After holding Detroit to fewer than 90-yards on Sunday, the 49er run defense will once again need a strong effort in this one if they plan to end 2015 on a high note and avenge the 27-6 loss to St. Louis earlier this year.
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Week 13 - With the 49ers in Chicago to face off with the (5-6) Bears, San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula found himself going up against a former colleague -- Vic Fangio who served four seasons as the Niners defensive coordinator before landing the same job title in the windy city during the offseason, as well as Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase whom Tomsula beat out for the head coaching job. In what would be a struggle offensively for most of the game by both teams, the game would have to be decided in overtime.
After three and outs in each of San Francisco's first two possessions, the Bears took an early 6-0 lead on a pair of Robbie Gould field goals. Celebrating his 34th birthday, the rest of the day would be one to forget for the longtime Chicago kicker. Seeking their first 1st quarter touchdown of the season, the Niners would strike pay dirt in the form of a Jimmie Ward interception he took to the house. Playing in Chicago for the first time not far from Northern Illinois University where he played collegiately before being selected in the first round of last year's Draft, the interception marked the first of Ward's career, helping put his team on the board and end a first quarter touchdown-less drought that had reached 11 games. Kicker Phil Dawson would fail to tack on the ensuing PAT, however, as the 49ers suffered their first missed extra-point since 2003. With the game tied at 6, both teams would exchange rushing touchdowns as Matt Forte scored for Chicago, only to be matched by San Francisco's Shaun Draughn who scored his first touchdown in a Niner uniform.
The game would remain tied at 13 heading into the 4th quarter. It would be there where the Bears and 49ers would once again exchange rushing touchdowns, this time by a pair of unlikely recipients as both Ka'Deem Carey and Blaine Gabbert logged the first rushing touchdowns of their career, both capping six-play drives in the 4th quarter. Carey's would come first as he found the end zone from 4-yards out, followed by the longest rush of the season by a 49er -- a 44-yard scramble up the middle by Gabbert who showed athleticism on the play that nobody knew he had as San Francisco once again tied the game at 20 apiece. But Gabbert's late-game heroics were nearly erased on the ensuing kick as the 49ers special teams surrendered a 74-yard return to Deonte Thompson with under two minutes remaining. The return would put Chicago in position to win as Bears head coach John Fox called on Gould to kick his team to victory. But after missing his previous attempt in the third quarter, nothing was promised. And from 36-yards out, the Bears' Pro Bowl kicker shanked the kick wide left, spoiling his birthday and sending the game into overtime. It would mark the first game of Gould's career in which he missed a pair of field goals 41-yards or fewer.
With both teams going three and out on their first possession in overtime, Gabbert wasted little time on San Francisco's second drive as he aired it out along the left sideline where he found Torrey Smith all alone for the 71-yard walk-off touchdown. Prior to his game-winning reception which led to his 49er teammates mobbing him in the end zone, Smith had one catch for five yards. Gabbert threw for 196 yards on the day and led the team in rushing with another 75 yards as the 49ers pulled off the 26-20 overtime victory. Chicago's Jay Cutler threw for 202 yards in a losing effort as San Francisco claimed their first road win of the season and first of Tomsula's career. Niners receiver Anquan Boldin caught five passes for 37 yards, helping him reach 13,000 career receiving yards in what's been a stalwart career in the NFL and one that could very well result in a Hall of Fame induction one day.
Week 14 Preview - At 4-8 on the year, the 49ers will look to build their first winning-streak of the season when they pay a visit to Cleveland to take on the 2-10 Browns. Coming off a 37-3 shellacking by their inner-state rivals the Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns are looking to bounce back at Home. Having endured quarterback trouble of their own this season, Cleveland has decided to name Johnny Manziel their starting QB heading into Sunday's game. While Manziel gives the Browns their best chance of winning games over fellow QB's Josh McCown who's now injured and Austin Davis, the former Heisman Trophy winner is coming off a 2-game absence as Cleveland coach Mike Pettine decided to discipline his young QB after videos of Manziel partying in his native Texas surfaced over the internet. The Niner defense will look to keep the duel threat quarterback at bey with another stellar showing on defense and build on their first road victory of the season.
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Week 6 - Meeting for the first time since Super Bowl XLVII just three seasons ago, Sunday's match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom entered the game last in their respective division's at 1-4, took on the look of two entirely different teams than the ones that met in the Super Bowl. Out of the 44 starters in that Super Bowl, a combined 10 remain on that team today. And unlike that game which ended in disappointment for San Francisco fans, it was the 49ers who prevailed on Sunday. Niners QB Colin Kaepernick would build off of his best outing of the season just a week ago, a heart-wrenching loss to the Giants, with an even better performance in this one.
Throwing for a season-high 340 passing yards, Kaepernick connected on long passes to Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin who had big games against their former team as well as fullback Bruce Miller who totaled a career-best 89-yards receiving on three receptions. The biggest play of the game coming on a career-high 76-yard touchdown reception by Smith. On the play, Smith torched Ravens cornerback Shareece Wright who signed with the 49ers during the offseason and demanded to be released just a week ago. Picked up by the Ravens, the Baltimore defender was exploited all afternoon long as Boldin burned his former teammate on a 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter to put him over 100 yards receiving in the game, which then set up a 21-yard touchdown catch by Quinton Patton, the first of his career. Scrambling in and out of the pocket, Kaepernick found Patton wide-open in the end zone after Wright slipped on the play, adding salt to the wound and making his disappointing Ravens debut that much worse. The Niner defense also did their part as the Ravens ground attack was held to just 76 yards.
Baltimore's Joe Flacco threw for 343 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was picked off twice on the afternoon. In a last-ditch effort and a chance to hand the Niners consecutive last-minute losses, the former Super Bowl MVP heaved one into the end zone only to have the ball batted down by San Francisco safety Eric Reid, sealing the victory for the 49ers. The win, San Francisco's first since Week 1, helped the Niners end a four-game losing streak and snap a six-game losing skid to the Ravens who fell to 1-5 on the season, their worst start in franchise history through the first six games. Despite having to settle for four Phil Dawson field goals in the 25-20 win, a number of nifty passes by Kaepernick, including two for touchdowns, helped stave off a 5-game losing streak and breathe life into an offense that has looked much improved from the offense that struggled out of the gates. Then again, Baltimore's defense isn't quite what it once was.
Week 7 Preview - With a short week ahead prior to the 49ers next game -- a Thursday night showdown with the arch-rival (2-4) Seattle Seahawks who are coming off a last-minute loss at home to the undefeated Carolina Panthers, San Francisco will look to claim their first win in the division and first winning-streak of 2015. While the 49ers have mirrored a completely different team this season than the one that made three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship which ended a season ago, the Seahawks have yet to look like a playoff team this season either and appear to be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover, having already blown a number of fourth quarter leads this year, including in back to back games (losses to Cincinnati and Carolina). And if not for an illegal tip in the end zone late in their Monday night meeting against the Lions three weeks ago, Seattle would be starring down a 1-5 record right now. Even given their recent struggles and new faces, these are still two teams that don't like each other as both teams look to shed the title of "last-place" in the division.
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Week 4 - Heading into Sunday's meeting against the visiting Green Bay Packers (3-0), we knew it wouldn't be an easy task, but neither could we have predicted an offensive struggle like the one that would unfold at Levi's Stadium. Since taking over the starting quarterback position in San Francisco, QB Colin Kaepernick has made a living off of torturing the team he grew up rooting for, having built an undefeated record of 3-0 and averaging 401 total yards per game versus Green Bay. In this one, however, Kap would be a shadow of his former self as a lack of protection coupled with a number of bad passes would eventually bring out the boo-birds before the game ended as frustration was felt throughout.
The Niner defense would have themselves a fine afternoon overall, but they would shoot themselves in the foot early on as a would be three and out turned into 7-points after an illegal contact call on linebacker Michael Wilhoite. Reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers was sacked on the play that would've led to a punt. Instead, the penalty would breathe life into the Green Bay offense as Rodgers and company marched down the field before striking paydirt on a bullet to tight-end Richard Rodgers. It would be Rodgers' 11th touchdown to start the season without a pick, the third-longest streak in NFL history as Green Bay increased their active-streak to 19 consecutive games with a first quarter touchdown. As for San Francisco's first drive on offense, the Niners would be robbed of not one but two missed penalties on nose tackle B.J. Raji, the first being a blown call on a facemasking and another on the very next play on an obvious off-sides call that the officials instead ruled a false start call on Kaepernick. Under constant pressure, Kaepernick would get little help on San Francisco's second drive as tight-end Vance McDonald failed to come up with a wide-open catch that would've led to a big gain and first down.
After finally putting a promising drive together, the Niner offense would go up in flames on a trip to the red zone before the half. A short tap from Kap to receiver Quinton Patton would result in a 40-yard gain, one of few big plays on the afternoon for the San Francisco offense. Staring down a chance to tie the game, Kaepernick would fall victim to back to back sacks, pushing the Niners back as they would have to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal. A solid first half performance by the Niner D would be capped off by a 9-yard sack from linebacker Ahmad Brooks with seconds to go in the second quarter. Hoping to put up some late points and add to their lead heading into the looker room at the half, Green Bay's Mason Crosby would shank a 44-yard field goal attempt wide-left, keeping it a 7-3 ballgame and leaving the Niners within striking distance. The Packers would manage to get those points and then some in the second half, as they cashed in on their first drive of the third quarter. Facing a third and long, a perfectly placed ball by Rodgers along the visiting sideline to receiver James Jones resulted in a 38-yard pickup, setting up a touchdown run from fullback John Kuhn three plays later.
With running back Carlos Hyde virtually a non-factor with only 20 yards rushing on 8 attempts, Kaepernick was forced to play catch up thru the air, something he struggled mightily at as he was picked off on a deep pass attempt along the sideline to Anquan Boldin. Green Bay would fail to do anything with it, but by then, time was beginning to run out fast for San Francisco. With just under 5 minutes remaining, Kaepernick and co. was given one final chance to inch closer and make a game out of it. And after finding Torrey Smith down field for a 47-yard gain, things began looking good. But once again, the Niner offense would fizzle out in the red zone as a pair of incompletions and a sack resulted in a turnover on downs. On a day Kaepernick was sacked six times on the afternoon, the 49ers QB managed only 160 yards thru the air as the Niners fell for the third consecutive week, all losses coming by double-digits. With the Packers making their first ever trip to Levi's Stadium, a site they hope to revisit later this year as it'll host the Super Bowl, Rodgers threw for 224 yards and a score, beating his boyhood team for the first time in his last five tries. Green Bay made themselves feel right at home and were welcomed by the many cheese heads in attendance who watched their team come away with the 17-3 victory. LB Aaron Lynch was one of the few bright spots for the 49ers, totaling 4 tackles, including 2 sacks in the loss.
Week 5 Preview - The (1-3) Niners will look to get back into the win column in Week 5 as they take a trip across the country to face Eli Manning and the (2-2) New York Giants. Coming off an upset victory on the road over the Buffalo Bills, the Giants have won consecutive games after falling in their first two and are tied with the Dallas Cowboys for first in the NFC East. With the San Francisco secondary being torched already twice this season by shifty receivers in Pittsburgh's Antonio Brown and Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald, the Niner D will have to keep a close eye on second-year receiver Odell Beckham Jr. if they want to keep the New York offense at bey. With Giants QB Eli Manning playing some nice ball as of late, the Niner defense will have to apply the same kind of pressure they did on Sunday that took Rodgers out of his comfort zone. More importantly, they'll have to wake up on offense if they plan to hand Big Blue a loss as San Francisco has scored a measly 10-points combined in their past two games.
Trade News - Needing all the help they can get, the 49ers went out and acquired linebacker Gerald Hodges during the week from the Minnesota Vikings. In return, SF sent C Nick Easton and an undisclosed draft pick to Minnesota in return for the former fourth round pick (120th overall) in the 2013 NFL Draft out of Penn State.
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Week 2 - Entering Sunday's Week 2 match-up between the (1-0) San Francisco 49ers and (0-1) Pittsburgh Steelers, the Niners held a two game edge over Pittsburgh, having won 11 of 20 meetings between the two teams all-time. But San Francisco would dig themselves too big a hole to climb out of early on as the Steelers utilized something Minnesota didn't in Week 1 -- the deep pass. QB Ben Roethlisberger shredded the San Francisco secondary on numerous occasions, including pickups of 28 and 41 yards to convert on third down on each of Pittsburgh's first two drives, the second ending with a touchdown as Big Ben found Heath Miller in the end zone.
The only answer San Francisco was able to put up in the first half was a Phil Dawson field goal, only to watch the Steelers QB connect for a big gain once again with receiver Antonio Brown who hauled in a 59-yard strike, setting up an easy touchdown run by running back DeAngelo Williams. A week after holding one of the game's very best in Adrian Peterson to a measly 31 yards rushing and zero touchdowns, Pittsburgh's DeAngelo Williams humbled San Francisco's run defense by finding the end zone three times which tied a Steelers franchise record coupled with 77 yards. Heading into the game, the 49ers had initially thought they had caught a break with Steelers All-Pro running back Le'Veon Bell serving the final game of a 2-game suspension, but it didn't matter who Roethlisberger handed the ball off to on Sunday as they were bound to score. As for the 49ers who ran their way to victory in Week 1 with the help of Carlos Hyde's monster performance, the San Francisco bell cow who celebrated his 24th Birthday on Sunday, only mustered 43 yards on 13 attempts while leaving the game in the third quarter after being checked by team officials for head and leg injuries.
Facing a 29-3 deficit at the half, the blowout score coupled with Hyde's injuries forced the 49er offense to take a much different approach thru the air as they played catch up. Niner QB Colin Kaepernick logged career-high's in pass attempts (46) and completions (33) while throwing for 335 yards and 2 touchdowns. Though Kaepernick had himself a nice game overall aside from a lost fumble, his performance was overshadowed by the offensive-line's inability to buy him time as Kap was brought down for a sack 5 times and was constantly hurried. The 49er offense had two would-be touchdowns wiped off the board when Bruce Miller dropped a pass in the end zone on fourth down and Kaepernick came up short on a play that was reversed after initially being ruled a touchdown. The replay showed the knee of a diving Kaepernick touch the ground before he broke the plane of the end zone as the Steelers took over on downs from the 1-yard line and let the clock die down. Not even defensive coordinator Eric Mangini's familiarity with the Steelers could prepare his defense for the aerial assault Pittsburgh put on thru the air as Roethlisberger bombarded the Niner D time and time again as 195 of Big Ben's passing yards were caught by Antonio Brown who also hauled in 1 of 3 touchdown passes.
The Niner defense couldn't do much to stop Pittsburgh's pass game from close range either as Big Ben and company converted on both of their 2-point conversion attempts. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin might be the league's newest trendsetter with the 2-point conversion being strongly considered more often than years past with the league recently implementing a new rule which moved the traditional extra point back to the 15-yard line which has already ed to more missed PAT's this season thru the first two weeks than all of last season. The lone highlight for the 49ers in Week 2 came on a 75-yard catch and run touchdown pass from Kaepernick to his new receiver Torrey Smith who tallied 120 yards on 9 receptions and has been known to torch the Steelers throughout his career while playing in Baltimore. Still, it wouldn't be enough as the Steelers stormed their way to an easy 43-18 victory to claim their first win of the year and handing San Francisco their first loss.
Week 3 Preview - Week 3 will see the 49ers travel to the desert to take on division rival Arizona as the Cardinals remain the only undefeated team in the NFC West at 2-0. After lighting up the scoreboard in Chicago with a 48-23 win over the Bears, the 49er defense will once again have their hands full thru the air versus a Carson Palmer led Arizona team that is averaging a league-best 39.5 points per game through the first 2 weeks. The meeting will be 49ers first-year head coach Jim Tomsula's first taste at a division opponent as the two teams split the division series a year ago with both teams winning at home. A win for San Francisco would do wonders for the team's confidence considering they'll be given the daunting task of playing host to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in Week 4.
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What started as a nightmare of an offseason for the San Francisco 49ers with the firing of head coach Jim Harbaugh, has now gone from bad to worse with the news of not one but two of the team's star linebackers announcing their early retirement from the game of football less than a week between one another. After learning just days ago that the 49ers would be without All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis who has been the heartbeat of the San Francisco defense since being drafted eight years ago, news broke that the team's brightest young star on defense -- Chris Borland, is also walking away from the sport just one year into his professional career. While Willis, 30, admitted it was past injuries that led to his decision, most notably those to his feet which he explained have bothered him for years during his press conference, the 24-year old Borland cited the dangers of what could happen rather than what did as his reason to hang 'em up.
It's no secret that the game of football is as dangerous as any with what we know today regarding the studies of repeated head trauma that occur during tackles and after doing his research, Borland is among those well aware of the safety concerns and long-term effects it could have on ones life. But it does come as a shocker with Borland announcing his decision so early on in his career. Selected out of the University of Wisconsin in the third round of last year's NFL Draft, Borland shined and was a tackling-machine for the 49er defense after getting the starting nod in Week 7 when asked to fill in for the injured Patrick Willis. From his Week 7 start until Week 15 when he suffered an injury of his own, the rookie linebacker led the league in tackles with 98, eight more than the next closest player during that span and was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Month for the month of November. Borland led the 49ers with 108 total tackles while averaging a tackle per every 4.5 snaps played which was the best in the league. In the wake of Willis announcing his retirement plans, the expectations for Borland next season were sure to skyrocket following his impressive rookie campaign. Instead, the team will now be left searching for an alternative replacement who's unlikely to step up in the way Borland was capable of while also holding their fingers crossed that Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman can return to full strength after missing all of last season with ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.
As if the 49ers weren't already expected to showcase a completely different team defensively in 2015 under a new regime with former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio departing for the Chicago Bears, the franchise will virtually feature an entirely new roster with both Willis and Borland gone as well as fellow linebacker Dan Skuta, cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox all signing elsewhere for bigger paydays. The defense isn't the only area that was dealt a blow in the early goings of the offseason, however, as the Niners' o-line saw their 3-time Pro-Bowl guard Mike Iupati sign with the rival Arizona Cardinals. Another name that will soon follow is Michael Crabtree who's a free-agent and isn't expected to return with the team that drafted him in 2009. And then there's the franchise's all-time leading rusher in Frank Gore who inked a contract with the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend after 10 memorable seasons in San Francisco. The busy free-agent frenzy wasn't all about losing players, though, as the 49ers also made a number of acquisitions by signing 3-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle/defensive end Darnell Dockett who the team is quite familiar with having played his entire 11-year career in Arizona. Other signings include cornerback Shareece Wright formerly of the San Diego Chargers, running back Reggie Bush who gives the Niners another dimension in the running game after spending the last two seasons with Detroit and former Ravens wide-out Torrey Smith who provides the 49er offense with a deep threat they've so desperately needed.
As for the linebacker position, the unexpected retirement of two of their top three players at the position has to throw off the team's initial plans heading into next month's NFL Draft, but it's better to have happened now rather than after the draft. It would be hard not to see the Niners address the position come Draft day, however, unless they plan to hang onto Michael Wilhoite who was recently placed on the trading block or decide to possibly kick the tires on LB Nick Moody who saw limited action on the field a season ago.
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