Sunday, January 26, a day that was supposed to be like any other Sunday, minus the week off from football as the NFL prepares for Super Bowl Sunday just one week away. With no Sunday football to wake up to for the first time in 20 weeks, there was simply no alarm clock needed as I managed to get some rest and sleep in. Unbeknownst to the shocking news that I would wake up to just moments later, the text messages began pouring in from family members and friends alike, followed by an alert from my ESPN app: "12:04pm - NBA legend Kobe Bryant among five people killed in helicopter crash in Calabasas, California."
At first glance upon opening the texts and reading the alert while still rubbing the sleep out of my eyes, I thought, "that can't be right." Less than 24 hours earlier while taking on the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers Forward LeBron James passed Kobe for third place on the NBA's all-time scoring list, which James honored Kobe in his hometown of Philadelphia with a pair of customized sneakers that included a handwritten message that read, "Mamba 4 Life". In the visiting team's locker room, LeBron would give a post-game interview and answered a number of Kobe-related questions after being asked what it meant to move up the list of the game's all-time scorers while passing an NBA great and Laker legend like Kobe Bryant. James would share a number of stories, including the first time he met Kobe while attending a basketball camp as a teenager where he was gifted a pair of sneakers from the Mamba himself. And despite them being a full shoe size smaller, LeBron wore them anyway. Kobe took to Twitter to congratulate LeBron on his achievement with a short message that read, "Continuing to move the game forward @KingJames. Much respect my brother #33644." Little did we know it would be the last interaction between the two and the last time we'd hear from Kobe.
For me, a kid born in the year 1990 that grew up a Lakers fan and was fortunate enough to watch Kobe straight out of High School from the beginning of his career to the end, the man was not only an icon, but a global ambassador for the game of basketball. Serving as the transitional piece alongside his former teammate and good friend Shaquille O'Neal that helped bridge the gap following the Michael Jordan era, Kobe Bryant who entered the league at the tender age of 18, was the quintessential rock star from a basketball sense. Unlike Jordan who I only remember during his second stint with the Bulls and towards the twilight of his career, Kobe was the Jordan of my childhood and my hero. From having his own video game that I would play as a child for hours on end to his own sneakers and fashion line that I would beg my parents to buy me, Kobe Bryant was larger than life and is perhaps even more recognizable overseas than he is here in the States. Possessing a work ethic unlike any other, Kobe Bryant was the ultimate competitor, even greater than that of Jordan. And like Jordan who Kobe drew so many comparisons to and admits he molded his game around, Kobe was a player that brought the best out of everyone he faced on a basketball court. Whether you were a fan of his or you hated his guts for the sole reason that he likely ripped the heart out of your team on multiple occasions on the scoreboard and in the box score, chances are he had you glued to the TV in one way or another.
Having been a sports fan for my entire life, I can truly say that I've never followed someone who was so obsessed with something the way Kobe was with basketball. But as much as Kobe needed basketball, basketball needed Kobe just as much if not more. Having inspired an entire generation of athletes, not one player in the NBA today would admit that Kobe didn't inspire them or their game in some way, shape, or form. Whether it was a move they saw Kobe make in a game, or the way he handled himself on the court with a focus and a hunger for success unlike any before him which coined such phrases as "Mamba Mentality" and "Kobe System," chances are Kobe made an impact on each and every basketball fan and player out there over the last two decades. Kobe is a household name that is as synonymous with the game of basketball as well as any we've ever seen, so much so that his jersey numbers: 8 and 24, both of which retired by the Lakers, line up with two of basketball's most basic rules in the 8 Second Violation and the 24 Second Shot-Clock Violation. This allowed for the many NBA teams that were in action on Sunday to pay tribute to Bryant just hours after the tragic news broke as teams began purposely committing these violations, simply as a salute and a thank you to one of their very own. Dallas Mavericks team owner Mark Cuban, whom Kobe never played for in his entire career, had his own way of honoring Bryant and released a statement Sunday evening praising Kobe's legacy and saying that the number 24 will never be worn again by a member of the Mavs.
Sadly, the 41-year old Kobe who was beloved by fans and meant so much to the Los Angeles community, was not alone on that helicopter that came crashing down and killed more passengers than initially reported. Among the eight others that were on board and killed in the accident was Bryant's 13-year old daughter, Gianna. A prodigy under her dad's tutelage, Gigi was expected to be the next big thing in women's basketball. And I'd be lying if I said I wasn't excited to see when her time on the hardwood came calling, almost as an extension of Kobe who basketball fans, myself included, dearly miss seeing on a basketball court. Sadly, she was taken from us before her basketball legacy could even begin and before she was able to continue that of the family's. Among the game's all-time greatest players, Kobe in the public eye was even greater at being a father. I could sit here and talk about the many accolades and accomplishments that Kobe achieved on the court, but that would likely take all night and considering I have to be up for work in a few hours, that's probably not a great idea.
This photo was taken exactly three years ago to the day, the last Laker game I had attended prior to this season and of course donning the jersey of my all-time favorite basketball player and one of my favorite athletes ever. When you follow ones career and become as big a fan of someone like I was with Kobe, you begin to feel as if you knew that person on a personal level. And though that's not the case as I was merely a fan, I still feel like I've lost a close friend.
Rest in Peace.
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NFC Championship - After hosting their first ever playoff game a week ago at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara by handily beating the Minnesota Vikings, Conference Championship Sunday would bring another first to the San Francisco 49ers who despite playing in their NFL-leading 16th NFC Championship, hosted their first ever title game at their new digs and first overall since 2011. Playing host to Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers who Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team beat to a pulp during Week 12 of the regular season, all the talk coming into the game was how things would play out differently in the rematch for the Packers quarterback. But even for a future Hall of Famer and former Super Bowl winning QB who will be remembered as one of the greatest of all-time at his position, the combination of San Francisco's lethal running game and dominant defense once again proved to be too much for the Chico, California native who grew up rooting for this 49ers team that has now handed him three early exits from the postseason throughout his career.
Though Sunday's game didn't get out of hand quite as quickly as it did in the Week 12 meeting, once the Niners got rolling on offense, there was little to nothing Green Bay could do against the runaway train that was the San Francisco run game. With Green Bay winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, it was the Packers defense that made the initial stop by forcing a 49ers three and out on their opening possession. Failing to take advantage of the early opportunity, the Packers, too, would have to punt which triggered six consecutive scoring drives for Kyle Shanahan's offense. It wasn't long before the game turned into the Raheem Mostert show as the undrafted running back out of Purdue opened the scoring with a 36-yard rushing touchdown before setting multiple postseason franchise records. With starting running back Tevin Coleman carted off the field with a shoulder injury, the Niners' radio call would sound like a broken record as Mostert scored all four of San Francisco's touchdowns and by halftime, the 49ers had jumped out to a 27-0 lead. When Green Bay wasn't calling on the punt team in the first half, they were left scratching their heads as the 49er defense forced turnovers on back to back possessions when a fumbled snap put an end to the Packers' best-looking drive of the half, followed by Emmanuel Moseley's interception which kept the shutout alive heading into halftime.
Rodgers and company would open the second half with their longest and most successful drive of the game when he helped lead the offense on an 11-play drive that ended in a 9-yard touchdown pass to running back Aaron Jones. But answering Green Bay's first score of the game would be Mostert who made NFL history by becoming the first player to ever score four rushing touchdowns in a conference championship. The Packers would string together touchdowns on each of their next two drives, but a Robbie Gould field goal and a Richard Sherman interception following the two-minute warning, would spell doom for Rodgers and co. who came up short both on the clock and on the scoreboard as San Francisco pulled off the 37-20 win to punch their ticket to Miami for Super Bowl 54. In just their third year at the helm, the brain trust of Kyle Shanahan and GM John Lynch got the 49ers back to the promised land of competing for and appearing in a Super Bowl.
Though Rodgers would pass Packers great Brett Favre for the most postseason passing touchdowns in franchise history and moved into a tie with Peyton Manning for 4th most all-time postseason passing TD's with 40, he dropped to 0-5 in his career as a starter in the postseason against teams ranked top 10 in pass defense (SF ranked No. 1). In their two meetings combined this season, the 49ers have outscored Green Bay 50-0 in the first half. Perhaps the most remarkable stat of the entire game was that of 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo and just how little was needed from their franchise quarterback. Despite dispatching the Packers for the second time this season, the Niners needed only eight pass attempts from their star quarterback on Sunday as Jimmy G finished the game 6 for 8 with 77 yards, no giveaways and a 104.7 passer rating. In contrast, Rodgers who is now 0-3 in his career during the postseason against the Niners, finished with 326 yards passing on 31 of 39 attempts, threw for a pair of touchdowns but had three giveaways on his way to a 97.2 passer rating. With no answer for the Niners rushing attack from Green Bay, Shanahan was able to feed his running backs and bleed the clock in route to a record day from one of the most unlikeliest of heroes.
NFL Cinderella - One story that cannot be talked about enough is that of 49ers running back Raheem Mostert. Cut from seven teams before landing with the Niners, including the woeful Cleveland Browns, Mostert who did not have a single rushing attempt in the NFL before landing in Kyle Shanahan's system, became the first player in NFL history to record 150+ rushing yards and 3 touchdowns in a single half of a playoff game. Compiling a conference championship record of 220 yards on 19 rushing attempts to go along with his four TD's, Mostert could not be stopped on Sunday. It would be the most rushing yards in 49ers postseason history and the 2nd most in NFL postseason history as his 36-yard score in the first quarter was the 49ers' longest rushing touchdown in the playoffs since former 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick's then record-setting performance against Green Bay in the 2012 divisional round which helped pave their way to Super Bowl 47.
Super Bowl Preview - The table is officially set for Super Bowl 54 as the San Francisco 49ers will take on the winners of the AFC in the Kansas City Chiefs. Making their first Super Bowl appearance in 50 years and their third appearance overall, the Chiefs who under head coach Andy Reid and led by 2018 MVP Patrick Mahomes, were able to book their flight to Miami after pulling off a pair of thrilling come-from-behind victories against both the Houston Texans and the Tennessee Titans. Despite earning the top seed in the AFC a year ago, making it back to the Super Bowl has been a long time coming for K.C. fans who witnessed their team fail at making it past Tom Brady and the Patriots in last year's conference title game. Still chasing the Lombardi Trophy in what is his 20th season as a head coach in the NFL, the former head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles will now look to his young star quarterback to help him secure that piece of hardware that has long eluded him. When that game kicks off two weeks from now, Mahomes will become the 5th youngest QB to start a Super Bowl and would be the 2nd youngest ever (Ben Roethlisberger) to win it. Something Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense will do everything in their power to try and prevent from happening in what will be San Francisco's seventh Super Bowl appearance.
No strangers to playing the big game in Miami where the 49ers have won two of their five Super Bowl titles, San Francisco is only the third team to reach the Super Bowl after coming off a 4-win season and first to do it since the 1999 St. Louis Rams who went on to hoist the Lombardi Trophy. The only other team to accomplish the feat was the 1988 Cincinnati Bengals who lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl 23 in 1988. But unlike that Super Bowl winning team that was part of a 49er dynasty, this team will have to deliver against the best arm in the game. Having struggled this year against mobile quarterbacks, the San Francisco defense can ill-afford to let Mahomes get comfortable when scrambling out of the pocket and need to prevent him from extending the play. They'll also have their hands full with one of the more dangerous receiving corps in the league when they lineup against speedsters Tyreke Hill and Sammy Watkins as well as one of the best tight-ends in the league in Travis Kelce. Much improved from last year, the Kansas City defense was able to do something no team had done since Week 8 by holding the Titans to under 100 yards rushing in their 35-24 win on Sunday. Containing 2019 rushing champion Derrick Henry to just 69-yards, the Chiefs will try to employ a similar game plan against Mostert and the 49ers run game.
With a limited arsenal from Jimmy Garoppolo and the passing game which saw only one target and completion to George Kittle in what was the second consecutive game in which Kittle was asked to do very little outside of blocking his tail off, I expect Shanahan and the Niner offense to dial up a heavy dose of action for their All-Pro tight-end come Super Bowl Sunday. With seven players on their roster with Super Bowl experience, San Francisco enters the game as 1.5 point underdogs. In what should be a spectacular match-up of two explosive teams on both sides of the ball and two rabid fan bases, Super Bowl 54 has the makings of what could be an instant classic that could very well come down to who's able to play mistake-free football and steer clear of the costly turnovers and penalties. Adding some spice on Sunday whether intentional or not was Chiefs defensive-end Frank Clark who in an expletive-laden post-game interview following the win over Tennessee, referenced the infamous off-sides penalty by former Chief and current 49er Dee Ford. Clark who was acquired in a trade with the Seattle Seahawks to replace Ford who was then traded to San Francisco, also wears Ford's old jersey number 55.
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NFC Divisional - Hosting their first ever playoff game in the six-year history of Levi's Stadium, the NFC's no. 1 seeded San Francisco 49ers put on a show and pulled off the win in dominant fashion in their first home playoff game since 2012. Facing off against the No. 6 seeded Minnesota Vikings who were coming off an upset win on the road against Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints, the dominant 49er defense proved to be too much for Minnesota's offense on Saturday. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was held in check virtually all afternoon long by a well rested San Francisco defense that received a week off thanks to the first-round BYE that saw the return of several key players. Having not won consecutive playoff games since 1987 when a No. 5 seeded Vikings team knocked off the No. 1 seeded 49ers on their way to an NFC Championship appearance, Kyle Shanahan made sure his team would not suffer a similar fate or be the ones that Minnesota ended that skid against.
Coming into the game, all the talk revolved around whether or not 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo could be trusted in what would be his first career start in the playoffs. As if Cousins who was coming off his first win in the postseason in two career starts, had some over the top advantage over his counterpart. And after a three and out forced by the San Francisco defense, Garoppolo would waste little time to prove that his postseason experience or lack thereof would be a non-factor as he completed 5-of-6 passes while hitting four different receivers during their opening-drive that ended in a touchdown pass to his favorite red zone target in Kendrick Boune. The Vikings would answer quickly with a touchdown of their own when 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon who has struggled mightily in the second half of the season, continued to have issues in coverage as he was beaten badly on two plays and penalized for pass-interference on another. But none worse than the 41-yard touchdown he surrendered on a pass to Stefon Diggs as Witherspoon fell to the ground, allowing his man to walk into the end zone for the easy score. With the game tied at 7-7 and Witherspoon clearly a liability in coverage, Shanahan and defensive coordinator Robert Saleh made the decision to bench Witherspoon the rest of the game in favor of his backup Emmanuel Moseley.
Both teams would exchange punts before San Francisco made a second trip to the end zone on a touchdown by running back Tevin Coleman. Setup by a pair of big plays by Deebo Samuel, Coleman sprung forward for the go-ahead touchdown. Looking to add to their lead following another Vikings three and out, Garoppolo's lone mistake on the afternoon would come in the form of an interception as he was picked off by Minnesota linebacker Eric Kendricks. Taking over in the red zone, Cousins and company would again fail to get much of anything going and were forced to settle for a field goal. Hanging onto a 14-10 lead at the half, the 49ers would turn things up on defense and pitch a shutout in the second half. Opening the third quarter with the first of two Robbie Gould field goals on the afternoon, San Francisco's Richard Sherman would come up with his third career postseason interception on third and long when he stepped in front of a Kirk Cousins pass intended for Vikings receiver Adam Thielen. Hoping to shake off his first career playoff interception, Cousins would fail to find an answer for San Francisco's defense the rest of the way as three of their next four possessions would end in three and out punts and the other two ending on turnover on downs.
Dialing up eight consecutive run plays on offense following the Sherman interception, Tevin Coleman would find the end zone again to become the first 49er with two rushing touchdowns in a playoff game since Frank Gore in 2013. With one last field goal at the start of the fourth quarter to increase their lead to 17-points, the 49er defense would do the rest as a sack party would ensue. Niner defensive-end Dee Ford who might've benefited most from the BYE week and returned to the field after missing five of the last six games due to a hamstring injury, was one of five players to record a sack, with rookie sensation Nick Bosa leading the way with two quarterback sacks on the day. Having already been named to the Pro Bowl and the odds on favorite to win this year's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award, Bosa becomes the first 49ers rookie to tally two sacks in a playoff game since Dana Stubblefield in 1993. Helping his team set a franchise playoff-best with only 147 total yards allowed, the 49er defense smothered their way to a 27-10 victory and held Vikings running back Dalvin Cook to only 18 yards rushing on nine carries. Meanwhile, Niners running back Tevin Coleman rushed for 105 yards on 22 attempts. Completing 21 of 29 pass attempts, Cousins threw for 172 yards compared to Garoppolo's 131, but threw the ball ten more times and needed ten more completions than his counterpart. While it was a rather pedestrian performance in the passing game for Garoppolo, the dominant defense and efficient rushing attack was plentiful to secure the win over Minnesota which gave the 49ers five wins in six playoff meetings against the Vikings, all of which in the Divisional-round which sets a record for the most wins vs a team in one playoff round.
NFC Championship Preview - The San Francisco 49ers will be making their first trip to the NFC Championship since 2013 when the team made it to three consecutive NFC title games under head coach Jim Harbaugh and their first time hosting since 2012. Standing in between the 49ers and a trip to Miami is Aaron Rodgers and the No.2 seed Green Bay Packers. After serving up a 37-8 beating on Sunday Night Football back in Week 12 which saw one of the worst games statistically of Rodgers' career, Shanahan and the 49ers know that what happened in the Week 12 blowout victory means little to nothing heading into this one, with the exception of what they know they need to do in order to punch their ticket to Super Bowl XLIV. Having grown up a huge 49er fan in nearby Chico, California, the future Hall of Fame quarterback Rodgers is not to be taken lightly and has his sights on revenge for both the earlier meeting this season and the two Divisional-round losses the 49ers have served him in the past. Since their Week 12 loss to San Francisco, the Packers, who like the Niners finished the regular season 13-3, have not lost a game. One way the 49er defense can change that is by duplicating what they did in the previous match-up when they held Rodgers in check on third down (0-for-10) and prevented him from completing a single pass beyond 10-yards. Despite escaping with a few close wins, Green Bay has been rolling ever since their last trip to Levi's and will be seeking, "redemption" as Packers head coach Matt LaFleur described it during his post-game speech in the team locker room following their close 28-23 win at Lambeau over the Seattle Seahawks.
Spread - According to Las Vegas sportsbooks and odds makers, San Francisco opens as 7-point favorites with the over/under at 45.
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Week 17 - Entering Week 10 of the 2019 NFL season a perfect 8-0, the San Francisco 49ers welcomed into town their division foe and arch nemesis Seattle Seahawks who spoiled the party and handed Kyle Shanahan's team their first loss of the season in an overtime thriller. With Seattle getting the better of San Francisco over the last few years, the (12-3) 49ers would get a chance to exact revenge over Pete Carroll's (11-4) Seahawks team with a win that would clinch a first-round BYE and number one seed in the NFC. But as the Niners know as well as anybody, Seattle isn't exactly the easiest place to come out victorious unless you're the home team of course. In what would be an NFC West Championship between two bitter rivals, the game that was flexed into Sunday Night Football, would be a fitting end to what's been one of the most heated rivalries of the last 10 years between the 49ers and Seahawks, putting a bow on the last game of the decade in the NFL's 100th season.
Having not won in Seattle since 2011, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team would still enter the game as 3-point favorites before kickoff. Through the first half, the 49ers looked like shoo-ins to finally get off the schneid up north as San Francisco dominated through the first two quarters on both sides of the ball. Coming off NFC Special-Teams Player of the Week honors for his game-winning heroics against the Rams the previous week, 49ers kicker Robbie Gould would kick things off with a 47-yard field goal on the team's first offensive possession to put San Francisco ahead early on. No receiver on Sunday night would have a bigger game than 49ers rookie Deebo Samuel who scored the lone touchdown of the first half not through the air, but on the ground. Faking a handoff to the running back, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo tossed the ball in the backfield to Samuel who spun his way down the sideline and into the end zone for the 30-yard touchdown. Leading 10-0 at the start of the second quarter, the 49ers would again add to their lead with a second Robbie Gould field goal. Seattle's best-looking drive of the half would go up in flames when a 4th & 1 attempt was stuffed at the line by Niners rookie sensation Nick Bosa, causing the turnover on downs with less than a minute remaining. Having only allowed 3-points in the final two minutes of the first half all season long, the stout 49er defense once again held their ground before heading to the locker room.
After a quiet first half on offense much like in their first meeting against the Niners on Monday night, the Seahawks opened the second half on another level, scoring touchdowns on each of their first three drives of the second half. Unfortunately for them, San Francisco would answer two of those scores with a pair of touchdowns of their own. Following Seattle's first TD -- a 14-yard strike from QB Russell Wilson to receiver Tyler Lockett, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert responded with a score from 2-yards out. Orchestrating the longest drive of the game for either team, Wilson and the Seattle offense chewed up 8-minutes and 30-seconds while marching 75-yards over a 14-play drive that ended with a leaping touchdown at the goal-line from running back Marshawn Lynch. Playing his first down of NFL football in 441 days, Lynch would suit up in a Seattle uniform for the first time since the 2015 season after spending his previous two seasons with the Raiders before taking a break all of last year. With 5:51 remaining in the 4th quarter, the 49ers would take a 26-14 lead after Mostert's second rushing touchdown in as many drives. Hoping it would be the dagger, the game would be far from over as Russell Wilson continued to show why he's among the top candidates for league MVP.
In what would be a forgetful night in coverage for 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, the former third round pick in his third NFL season, was beat constantly in the secondary and allowed both of Seattle's touchdowns thru the air. The second of which, a 14-yard pass to rookie D.K. Metcalf, brought the Seahawks within five points with less than 4 minutes to play. And with San Francisco forced to punt following a three and out, Seattle would get one final chance and would have just under two and a half minutes to pull off the comeback. For San Francisco, the defense which has been among the league's best but has also had its fair share of close calls, would once again be called upon to win them the game. With the division on the line, the two teams would be locked in for one of the more wild final minutes to an NFL game this season. Marching down to the 12 yard-line, the Seattle offense would face a 4th and 10 that they would convert on a clutch reception by rookie receiver John Ursua who's one and only grab of the night gained his team the much needed first down. Out of timeouts and with the clock running, Wilson and company were in panic mode when one of their own linemen was slow to get back to the line to hike and spike the ball to stop the clock.
With the ball at the 1-yard line, the table was set for a story line fit for a Hollywood script when Marshawn Lynch grabbed his helmet and hurried to the line to set up for what figured to be a game-winning touchdown. But the storybook ending never materialized as "Beast Mode" was held in check and making matters worse, the Seahawks failed to snap the ball in time and were flagged for a delay of game penalty. Incomplete passes on the next two downs would set up a do or die 4th and goal from the 5 yard-line. Dropping back to pass, Wilson would fire a strike to tight-end Jacob Hollister who was stopped at the goal-line by 49ers rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw who kept the receiver out of the end zone for the game-winning tackle. After losing a game to the Atlanta Falcons just two weeks earlier in the same exact fashion, the 49er defense flipped the script and held their ground as the team stormed the field and celebrated the goal-line stand that clinched them both a division championship and a No. 1 seed for the first time since 1997 as San Francisco prevailed, 26-21. It would be a long time coming for the duo of coach Shanahan and general manager John Lynch who were each brought in on six-year contracts at the same time three seasons ago and promised to right the ship and get this proud organization back to their glory days.
When his career is all said and done, San Francisco's George Kittle will have set the bar pretty high for future 49er tight-ends. Kittle who missed the first meeting between the two teams, made his presence felt early and often in the rematch as he made several key blocks in the run game and hauled in 7 receptions for 86 yards to put him over the 1,000 yard mark for the season. Just a year after becoming the first 49ers tight-end in franchise history to record 1,000 yards receiving during his record-setting season of 1,377 yards, the most ever by a tight-end in NFL history, Kittle becomes the first 49er to do it in back-to-back seasons. But it was receiver Deebo Samuel who stole the show for the San Francisco offense as he caught five passes for 102 yards, while also carrying the ball twice for 33 yards and a touchdown. Raheem Mostert led all Niners with 57 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries, giving him six consecutive games with a rushing TD which ties him for the most in 49er history in a single season. With Seattle's Russell Wilson entering Sunday night with a perfect 8-0 record in his career at home against the Niners, San Francisco finally ended their skid when they needed it most, all thanks to the stellar play by their own QB. Finishing 18 for 22 and throwing for 285 yards in his first ever visit to Seattle, Jimmy Garoppolo once again proved unfazed by the hostile environment on his way to an impressive passer rating of 118.8. And in his first full year at the helm of the Niners, Jimmy G finishes with 3,978 passing yards, the 4th most in franchise history, while joining Hall of Famers Steve Young and Joe Montana as the only 49er QB's to win 13 games and have a 100+ passer rating in a single season.
With the NFC's No. 1 seed clinched, the importance of a first-round BYE cannot be overstated as 26 of 34 teams to make the Super Bowl had a BYE, including teams in the last six Super Bowl's. And in the team's playoff history, San Francisco is 20-9 all-time when hosting a playoff game compared to just 5-10 when playing on the road. Having now played in five straight games decided by one-score, these quasi playoff games, though tiresome, could certainly pay dividends down the stretch for an otherwise inexperienced roster heading into the playoffs as Kyle Shanahan's team looks to take a week off and recover for the first time since their Week 4 BYE, while awaiting their next foe in the NFC as the Eagles host the Seahawks and the Saints host the Vikings.
Honorable mention - During the first meeting between these two teams, 49ers tackle Joe Staley was making a return after coming off a six-game absence following a broken leg suffered in Week 2. In what would go down as one of the worst games of his career as he was constantly beat by Seattle defensive-end Jadeveon Clowney who feasted on the 49ers o-line and had a monster night, Staley had a chance to get even with Clowney in the rematch. Not allowing a single sack all night, Staley would do just that, redeeming himself with arguably his best performance of the season and keeping Clowney at bey as he was virtually a non-factor, finishing the game with only one tackle. Like many of his 49er teammates, Staley is beginning to play his best ball at the best possible time as the playoffs are officially underway.
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Week 16 - A week after dropping a tough one at home to the lowly Atlanta Falcons, the (11-3) San Francisco 49ers who've been banged up on defense and were without five starters in the Week 15 loss, were happy to learn that they'd get both Richard Sherman and K'Waun Williams back at the cornerback position in time for their next match-up. Hosting the (8-6) Los Angeles Rams who've been a disappointment this year after making it to the Super Bowl the previous season, the 49ers knew they'd be in for a dog fight like most division games, not to mention the Rams would be playing for their playoff lives as a loss would result in elimination for Sean McVay's squad. But with the NFC's number one seed still up for grabs if the Niners could win out, the team would receive an extra dose of motivation in the form of a family tragedy.
Playing with heavy hearts, the Niners had much more to play for than just a win as it was learned in the wee hours of the night that 49ers backup quarterback C.J. Beathard lost his younger brother Clayton Beathard who was fatally stabbed in their hometown of Nashville, Tennessee early Saturday morning. With head coach Kyle Shanahan tending to the distraught QB as late as 3 a.m. on the morning of game day, Beathard asked one thing of his coach and 49er teammates and that was a win on Saturday in memory of his late brother of just 22-years old. And like their first meeting back in Week 5 which saw the Rams jump out to an early 7-0 lead before eventually falling, 20-7, L.A. got off to a similar start in this one. Marching down the field with ease, quarterback Jared Goff led his team on a touchdown-scoring opening-drive that saw the former No. 1 overall pick throw for 66-yards on 4-for-4 pass attempts. The 49ers would also waste little time to get on the scoreboard as an 81-yard return by Richie James Jr. on the ensuing kick, helped San Francisco setup shop inside the red zone. However, a fumbled snap and a pair of incompletions would force the Niners to settle for a field goal. Exchanging three and out punts on the next three possessions, the 49ers would once again let good field position go to waste when Jimmy Garoppolo was picked off by Rams mid-season acquisition Jalen Ramsey.
Turning the turnover into points, Todd Gurley II would score his first of two first half touchdowns, setup by a big play from Goff to Robert Woods who had a huge night in the receiving department. Trailing 14-3, the Niners would finally begin to put the pieces together with a busy second quarter. In what would be a relatively quiet first half for Garoppolo, the ground attack began to pick up the slack as Deebo Samuel found the end zone with a 19-yard rushing touchdown to ignite the spark. With Gurley's second touchdown on the Rams' ensuing possession, San Francisco would once again have to answer in order to keep things close. Riding the hot hand, 49ers running back Raheem Mostert would answer the call on the very next drive as he found the end zone with a 16-yard score to become just the fourth player in franchise history to record a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games and the first since Derek Loville in 1995. It would be a remarkable streak for Mostert considering he had only scored two touchdowns in his previous 44 career games and opened the season as the team's third-string running back. The score by Mostert would also mark the 20th rushing touchdown by a 49er this season, the most by a 49ers team since their Super Bowl-winning season in 1994. With things beginning to look up for San Francisco, the Niners would get a huge momentum shift in the form of a pick-six interception by linebacker Fred Warner in the final minute of the second quarter. Stepping in front of a pass from Goff, Warner made the grab to record his first career interception and returned it 46-yards to help his team claim their first lead of the evening just before the half, capping a 21-point second quarter which tied a season-high.
Receiving the ball at the half and looking to add to their lead, that idea was shutdown rather quickly as Garoppolo was intercepted for a second time on a tip-drill pass just two plays into the third quarter. However, the Rams would fail to do anything with it as an intentional grounding penalty pushed them back an extra 10-yards which proved to be costly as kicker Greg Zuerlein missed a 52-yard field attempt wide-left. In a much quieter third quarter that saw both teams combine for five punts, the Rams would score the lone touchdown of the quarter by either team when Goff found a wide-open Cooper Kupp for a 26-yard TD. Trailing 28-24 with under 9 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Jimmy Garoppolo and tight-end George Kittle would hook up on their first play of the drive for a 36-yard gain. And five plays later, the two would connect once again on a third and goal from the 7-yard line when Jimmy G extended the play with his legs, rolling out of the pocket and throwing a strike to Kittle to recapture the lead. The Rams would tie the game with a 52-yard field goal with 2:36 remaining, setting up another dramatic ending which 49er fans have grown accustomed to over the second half of the season.
After a pair of quarterback sacks by the Los Angeles defense, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49er offense rallied on a pair of 3rd & 16 conversions, none greater than the 46-yard bomb to Emmanuel Sanders who raced by two defenders to convert with the big gain. With the clock winding down, Tevin Coleman was able to add a 9-yard run to help setup Robbie Gould for the game-winning walk-off field goal from 33 yards out as San Francisco pulled off the 34-31 victory. Completing their first season sweep of the Rams since 2016, the 49er defense did a good job of clamping down and allowing only 10 second half points compared to the 21 points scored in the first half which set a season-high for Goff and company. Throwing for 248 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions, it was a less than stellar game for Garoppolo in the box score, but he made the big plays late in the game when he needed to and helped his team capture the win which was the 20th of his career, helping him tie Hall of Famers Roger Staubach and Kurt Warner for the third most wins through a QB's first 25 careers starts in the Super Bowl era. Playing against the team he grew up rooting for, Jared Goff had an impressive night through the air, compiling 323 yards, two touchdowns and an interception. L.A.'s Robert Woods led all receivers with 8 receptions for 117 yards and George Kittle led the way for the 49ers with 5 catches for 79 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, San Francisco's Raheem Mostert (53 yards, 1 touchdown on 11 carries) and L.A.'s Todd Gurley II (48 yards, 2 touchdowns on 15 carries) led their respective teams in rushing. And for the first time in three years under coach McVay, the Rams will miss out on making the playoffs.
Week 17 Preview - Following Week 16, the table is officially set for a heavyweight title fight between the (12-3) 49ers and the (11-4) Seattle Seahawks. The game which has now been flexed into the Sunday Night Football slot, will feature two bitter rivals facing off on primetime television to determine the winner of the NFC Western Division and a potential number one seed. After already eliminating one of their division foes from playoff contention, coach Shanahan's 49ers team will try to deny another rival from clinching a first round BYE while punching their own ticket by closing out the 2019 regular season with a win in Seattle where the 49ers have not reigned victorious since 2011. And with Pete Carroll's team failing to win at home in Week 16 against the last-place Arizona Cardinals, the 49ers have to like their chances a little bit more given that the Seahawks have not quite been the same team at home this season like they have in years past. Having not received any rest since the early Week 4 BYE, the 49ers would love to not only clinch home field advantage and skip having to play an extra playoff game, but would also welcome a first round BYE to rest up and heal some of the banged up bodies on both sides of the ball. Not to mention how sweet it would be to clinch both the division and a number one overall seed up north in enemy territory. With ex-Seahawk and current 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman injured before the meeting between the two teams in Seattle last season, it remains as anyone's guess as to whether or not he receives a warm welcome from the CenturyLink Field faithful. Adding another layer to the big game, the Seahawks who are without three running backs due to injury, announced on Monday that they've agreed to a deal with former Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch who will see his first NFL action since 2018 after serving the last two seasons with the Oakland Raiders... as if there wasn't enough anticipation heading into the game.
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Week 15 - Following their epic last-second win in New Orleans to stun Drew Brees and the Saints, the San Francisco 49ers were riding high in possession of the NFC's number one seed, but were feeling the after effects of the street fight that left them with a depleted defense missing five of its starters. Having to continue without several key players on both the defensive line and in the secondary, the (11-2) Niners would return to action and play host to another NFC South opponent in the (4-9) Atlanta Falcons. With the dirty birds already eliminated from playoff contention and the 49ers needing a win or a Rams loss to clinch a playoff berth of their own, the game would be a battle of ex-employees and former coworkers as Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan spent the 2015-2016 seasons as the offensive coordinator in Atlanta alongside Falcons head coach Dan Quinn, who served four seasons in San Francisco as the defensive quality control coach and defensive line coach from 2001-04.
For Niner fans, any hopes of an offensive explosion similar to the one that played out a week earlier in New Orleans which saw a season-high 55 combined points scored in the first half, went out the window rather early as neither team scored in the first quarter. Entering the half in a 10-10 tie, the 49ers would open the scoring with an NFL season-long 21-play touchdown-scoring drive that marked the most offensive plays on a drive since Week 17 of the 2011 season (Miami Dolphins). Running back Raheem Mostert would do the honors, helping the 49ers draw first blood as he darted up the middle for the 2-yard score. The Falcons would answer on their ensuing possession as quarterback Matt Ryan connected with Julio Jones in the end zone for the first time in 10 games, helping Jones snap the longest scoring drought of his career and tie the game at 7. With the Niners maintaining a 13-10 lead, both teams would struggle holding onto the ball and were bit by the fumble bug. Already across midfield and threatening to add to their lead, 49ers running back Matt Breida was stripped of the ball on the Atlanta 38 yard-line. Though the turnover would halt what appeared to be a promising drive for the 49er offense, the Falcons were unable to cash in as they were forced to punt. The Niners would also have to punt on their ensuing drive, but would benefit from a fumble on special-teams.
With Falcons return man Kenjon Barner pinned deep to return, tight-end Ross Dwelley was able to get a helmet on the ball when making the tackle which led to a fumble picked up and taken to the 1-yard line by 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk. Rewarding him for his efforts, Shanahan would dial up consecutive plays for Juszczyk who caught a touchdown pass from San Francisco quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo on 2nd and goal as the 49ers turned their NFL-leading 20th fumble into six points. Coming off NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Saints, it would be the lone touchdown pass on the day for Garoppolo who saw his fair share of pressures, despite only being sacked once. Following a rare missed extra-point by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould who had made 43 consecutive PAT's before kicking one wide-left, San Francisco led 19-10 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the 4th quarter. However, the challenge would be a welcomed one for an Atlanta team that entered the game with the highest-scoring offense in the fourth quarter this year, having scored 121-points entering Sunday. With a 1-yard touchdown run by Qadree Ollison on his one and only carry of the game, the Falcons were once again on their way to adding to their league-leading mark. And with only a field goal to show for on San Francisco's ensuing drive, the Atlanta offense would be given the chance of going for the win.
What would take place in the final 1:52 of regulation would be some of the most bizarre football witnessed by Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers this season. Clinging onto a 22-17 lead, the San Francisco defense would allow a pair of big plays to the most dangerous player on the field in Julio Jones. Making it to the red zone and setting up shop at the 5 yard line, the Falcons thought they had the game-winner on a pass from Matt Ryan to tight-end Austin Hooper who was believed to make a miraculous grab between his legs. But upon further review, the call that was initially ruled a touchdown, was reversed after replay showed that the ball had made contact with the ground before the receiver was able to cradle it with his legs. As if things weren't wild enough, it would turn into a game of inches as Atlanta flipped the script on the very next play when Julio Jones scored the game-winning touchdown by barely crossing the goal-line that was initially ruled short. Both teams began to celebrate and had thought they won, the Niners on a stop at the goal-line and the Falcons on a close but successful touchdown. But after further review, there could only be one and the officials would reverse the call as replays showed that Jones did in fact break the plain ever so slightly to make it a 23-22 Falcons lead. With 0:02 remaining and the Niners in need of a last ditch effort on the ensuing kickoff, San Francisco tried their luck at a miracle by lateraling the ball, but would instead lateral into a fumble that was scooped up at the 3-yard line and returned for an Atlanta touchdown as time expired. Handing the Niners the 29-22 loss, the Falcons scored 19 of their 29 points in the 4th quarter, including 12 in the final five seconds.
Coincidentally, 49ers tight-end George Kittle and Falcons receiver Julio Jones each finished with 13 receptions for 134 yards on the day to lead their respective teams. While Jones scored two of his team's three touchdowns on offense, Kittle was held out of the end zone, but did manage to make some history as he passed Hall of Fame tight-end Mike Ditka for the most receiving yards by a tight-end in his first three seasons in NFL history. Having proved to be one of if not the best tight-end in the league today and a key component in Kyle Shanahan's offense, Kittle also made a number of key blocks that has helped his team along the way. Neither team's quarterback stacked the box score as Matt Ryan narrowly topped Jimmy Garoppolo in passing yards: 210 to 200, and threw two touchdowns to Jimmy G's one.
Week 16 Preview - Despite the loss, the 49ers did manage to clinch their first playoff berth since 2013 with the L.A. Rams suffering a blowout loss on the road to the Dallas Cowboys. Hoping to get back into the win column in preparation of the playoffs and big Week 17 showdown that could determine the fate of the NFC's No. 1 seed as well as the NFC Western Division crown, the (11-3) 49ers will host the (8-6) Rams in what will be the Niners' final home game of the regular season. After handing the Rams a 20-7 loss at the L.A. Coliseum back in Week 6, San Francisco will try to replicate a similar outcome and hopes to return to form on defense as they're expected to get both Richard Sherman and K'Waun Williams back on defense to help reinforce a 49er secondary that proved to be costly in the loss to Atlanta. But after having their way with Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks just two weeks earlier, the Rams are not to be taken lightly and are always a dangerous foe whenever the 2-time reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is on the field. The 49ers will have to account for him and plenty of others if they plan on proving that the upset loss to the Falcons was just a fluke and that they're still the team to beat in the NFC when they have all their key pieces on defense.
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Week 14 - Continuing their quest thru the gauntlet of the toughest three-game stretch in NFL history, the (10-2) San Francisco 49ers headed into the Big Easy to take on the (10-2) New Orleans Saints in a back and forth melee that would be anything but easy. The first meeting between two teams with identical 10-2 records since 2007, the game was expected to be a tough, grind it out battle featuring two of the league's top defenses, but would quickly materialize into a shootout between quarterbacks as Jimmy Garoppolo and Drew Brees came out guns blazing and went blow for blow in a heavyweight match-up with the NFC's No. 1 seed on the line. It would also be a duel of the minds as offensive guru's Kyle Shanahan and Sean Payton squared off in a game that once things were underway, were destined to come down to the wire and likely be decided by whoever had the ball last.
With coach Shanahan keeping his 49er team on the east coast following Week 13 in Baltimore and spending the week in Florida in preparation of their second straight 10 a.m. eastern start on the road, San Francisco seemed ill-prepared for Brees' quick passes as he broke down the defense with precision before finding his tight-end Jared Cook for a 38-yard touchdown reception. Not to be outdone, Jimmy G connected on passes of 19, 31 and 25 yards to Emmanuel Sanders and Deebo Samuel, respectively, before hooking up in the end zone with Kendrick Bourne. While it would be the first of many touchdowns scored on the day, San Francisco's game-tying touchdown would be the first opening-drive TD allowed by the Saints defense all year. Drive No. 2 for New Orleans would look a lot similar to their first as Brees again found Cook for the score. Hurt on the play, Cook would have to leave the game after sustaining a concussion, but not before his controversial touchdown as replay showed the ball come loose as Cook went to the ground while in the end zone. With the call standing and 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon penalized for unnecessary roughness, Payton would decide to go for the two-point conversion but was unsuccessful.
After a 49ers three and out and one of only four punts in the game combined, the Saints continued to take advantage of their stellar field position with a drive that ended in another Drew Brees touchdown pass, this time to Josh Hill. Trailing 20-7 at the start of the 2nd quarter in a game where most teams would roll over, Jimmy G and company refused to give in as they needed only one play to answer with a touchdown of their own when Garoppolo threw a bomb to Emmanuel Sanders who returned to his feet after falling and sprinted for a career-long 75-yard score. But while the 49er offense had little trouble scoring, the defense continued to struggle finding an answer for the Saints offense which showed no signs of slowing. Just when San Francisco appeared to finally stand their ground by keeping New Orleans out of the end zone as a 1st and goal from the 4 eventually turned into a 4th and goal from the 1, Payton kept the offense on the field and allowed for Brees to handle the scoring himself as the future Hall of Fame quarterback kept the ball and leaped over the goal-line. With the score 27-14 and the defense in need of a breather after the tiring 7-minute and 14-second drive by New Orleans, it wasn't long before the San Francisco defense was right back out there as the 49er offense again answered with a quick response. Gaining 40-yards in two plays, Shanahan went to his bag of tricks to dial up a play that started with a handoff from Garoppolo to Samuel and ended with a lateral to Sanders who fired a strike down the field to a wide-open Raheem Mostert for the touchdown. Having already caught a touchdown earlier, Sanders became the first 49er in franchise history to record a receiving touchdown and a passing touchdown in the same game.
Still seeking their first stop on defense, the 49ers would get just that as a nice play by rookie defensive-end Nick Bosa stopped the Saints in their tracks on a 3rd and 1 attempt that led to a 6-yard loss and resulted in a three and out. With a chance to steal the momentum heading into the half, San Francisco would take their first lead of the game as a nine-play drive ended with a 10-yard run up the gut by Mostert, entering halftime with a 28-27 advantage. With eight touchdowns in ten drives and both teams combining for 55 first half points, the most points scored in an opening half this season, Garoppolo entered the locker room nearly perfect with 206 yards and a pair of TD passes on 11 of 12 completions. But their first drive of the second half would result in their one and only turnover when a pass intended for Sanders was tipped and intercepted. Holding New Orleans to a field goal after the turnover, the 49ers would force a takeaway of their own when Saints running back Alvin Kamara was stripped by D.J. Jones on only the second lost fumble by the Saints this season. Looking to cash-in on the rare mishap and within striking distance, Garoppolo needed only two plays to capitalize as George Kittle caught a pass and sprawled over the pylon for the 5-yard score.
With the score 35-33 SF after a Saints field goal, Payton would try to get cute on a fake-punt on 4th and 18, but a heads-up play in coverage by the 49ers special-teams led to an incompletion and the turnover on downs. Beginning the frenzied fourth quarter with a 14-play touchdown-scoring drive, Garoppolo capped things off with his second connection in the end zone with receiver Kendrick Bourne. Taking their largest lead of the game at 42-33, the 9-minutes remaining in regulation would seem to last an eternity as the game was still far from over. A pair of big plays by Saints receiver Michael Thomas would have his team right back in the thick of things as he followed up a 49-yard reception two plays later with a 21-yard touchdown. With the first field goal on the day for 49ers kicker Robbie Gould making it a 45-40 lead with just under 2:30 remaining, Drew Brees would lead his team down the field with the game on the line once again. Cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon had a chance to seal the win for the Niners when Saints receiver Michael Thomas slipped, but the ball went thru the hands of Witherspoon and wound up being an incomplete pass. Given a second chance, Brees would take advantage of the opportunity two plays later, connecting with Tre'Quan Smith for the go-ahead touchdown. With 53 career game-winning drives under his belt in the 4th quarter or overtime for Brees, it appeared that we had witnessed No. 54, but Jimmy G would have other plans as another 2-point conversion attempt by the Saints went awry.
With 53-seconds remaining and all three timeouts to work with, George Kittle would take us and a trio of Saints defenders along for a ride. Facing 4th and 2 at the San Francisco 33 yard-line, Kittle would grab a pass from Garoppolo and take it 39-yards as he stiff-armed a defender and had another draped all over him before a third Saint joined in to help take down the Pro Bowl tight-end who also benefited from a pivotal face-mask penalty that tacked on the extra yardage. In what many are calling the play of the year or at the very least the play of the 49ers' season, Kittle helped setup what would ultimately be the game-winning field goal by kicker Robbie Gould who connected on the 30-yarder as time expired. Giving Drew Brees and the Saints a taste of their own medicine, Jimmy G and the 49ers came back from the 20-7 deficit and completed the comeback with Gould's 16th career game-winning field goal marking the first 48-46 final score in NFL history.
Despite trailing 20-7 at one point, San Francisco's never say die mentality and sheer will allowed them to rally in what could very well go down as a season-defining moment for this 49er team that managed to still find a way to win. With both Brees and Garoppolo finishing with 349 yards passing, Jimmy G joins Steve Young and Jeff Garcia as the only 49er QB's with at least three games of 4 passing TD's in a single season after rallying his team to victory with his sixth career game-winning drive. Meanwhile, the Saints' 46-points are their most points scored in a loss in franchise history. 49ers running back Raheem Mostert and Saints running back Latavius Murray each finished with 69 yards rushing, and Emmanuel Sanders led all receivers with 157 receiving yards. However, it wasn't all roses and butterflies following the Niners' victory as the team learned that they'd be without center Weston Richburg for the season after he suffered a torn patellar tendon. Corner Richard Sherman and defensive-end Dee Ford would also leave Sunday's game after suffering hamstring injuries that will likely cause them to miss multiple weeks.
Week 15 Preview - The 49ers will be happy to return home to the state of California and their home field of Levi's Stadium when they host Matt Ryan and the (4-9) Atlanta Falcons. Facing his former team in head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons, 49ers signal-caller Kyle Shanahan will try putting a stop to what was once among the most dangerous offenses in the league when he was still with them calling the plays led by Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. In what's been a down season for Atlanta, the Falcons are coming off a 40-20 drubbing of division rival Carolina where Matt Ryan became the second fastest QB in NFL history to reach the 50,000 yard mark (186 games). And though Atlanta isn't quite the same team they once were since Shanahan's departure, they'll still need to be taken serious as the 49ers can ill-afford losing to a inferior team if they want to maintain the NFC's No. 1 spot since jumping from the No. 5 seed following their win on Sunday @ New Orleans and a loss by Seattle to the Rams.
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Week 13 - Entering Week 13's heavyweight match-up between the 10-1 San Francisco 49ers and the 9-2 Baltimore Ravens, the narrative all week long was how badly Ravens QB and MVP-candidate Lamar Jackson was going to roll over one of the best defenses in the league. Coming off a 45-6 shellacking of the L.A. Rams a week earlier and riding the NFL's longest active winning streak at seven games, Jackson and the league's best offense did anything but against a stout 49er squad as the two teams went toe to toe and delivered in a potential Super Bowl preview that came down to the final seconds. Playing in less than ideal conditions as the rain wouldn't let up until late in the second half, the damp field conditions and inclement weather played a slight factor but would not take away from what would ultimately be a classic up to this point of the 2019 NFL season and a game most football fans are hoping to see again on a neutral field in Miami come February.
Opening the game on offense, the 49ers would waste little time to score, electing to gamble on an early fourth down attempt that would pay off as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo heaved the ball 33-yards to rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who freed himself from two Baltimore defenders and found the end zone. The early gamble on fourth down would spark a theme all game long by both teams due to the poor conditions as the Ravens suddenly found themselves in unfamiliar territory, failing to score first for the first time in a game since October 13. The early score by San Francisco would also mark the first opening-drive touchdown allowed in 17 games by the Baltimore defense, snapping the longest active streak in the league. Having handled some of the league's best teams with double-digit victories over the Patriots, Texans and Seahawks, the 49ers let it be known from the onset that they wouldn't go down without a fight. With only two punts in the last three games for the Baltimore offense, things would continue to go in the 49ers' favor early on as the defense forced the Ravens to punt on their first drive. But a costly mistake on a fumble by Garoppolo, would result in the Ravens' first touchdown as Lamar Jackson capitalized on the early miscue just two plays later with a 20-yard touchdown pass to his tight-end -- Mark Andrews.
With the game tied at 7, Jackson would begin to go to work with his legs, helping march the offense into the red zone before taking it in himself for a 1-yard touchdown, giving his team their first lead of the day and setting the pace for another 100-yard rushing performance. The touchdown run by Jackson would be the 49th touchdown scored by the Baltimore offense this season, setting a franchise record for the most TD's in a single season. Looking to add to that mark with their 50th, the 49er defense would make sure the milestone wouldn't come on their watch as the Ravens were held out of the end zone the rest of the way. Trailing for the first time of the afternoon, the Niners would answer with a big score of their own from one of the most unlikeliest of heroes in third-string running back Raheem Mostert. With Matt Breida heading into Sunday morning as a game-time decision, team staff decided to scratch Breida from Sunday's game in hopes of having him at full strength and ready for Week 14 with another week's rest. In place of Breida, Mostert would not disappoint as he darted down the sideline for a game-tying 40-yard touchdown that would ignite a career day for a guy that until Sunday had been better known for being a standout player on special-teams.
With a second consecutive 13-play drive ending in only a field goal for Baltimore, the 49ers had a chance to either tie the game or take the lead heading into the half. But poor clock management by coach Kyle Shanahan and improper usage of his timeouts would cost his team valuable yards as they took their time before the half. Showing no signs of urgency, the 49er offense which took over with just under two minutes remaining, lollygagged after making it across midfield, letting precious time tick away while all three timeouts still remained as late as the 30-second mark. Making their way to the Baltimore 33-yard line, kicker Robbie Gould who missed the last three games with a quad injury, would be asked to attempt a 51-yard field goal in the rain. Instead of using those timeouts to try and gain more yards to make things easier for his rusty kicker, Shanahan, with a timeout remaining in his pocket, would watch Gould's kick sail offline and fall well short of the goalposts as his team entered the half trailing, 17-14. The miss by Gould would be his 8th of the season, setting a career-high for misses in a single season.
Having reached the end zone in each of their last four games to open the second half, the Ravens offense appeared to be heading in that direction once again until a promising drive came to a screeching halt thanks to another one of San Francisco's unsung heroes. Threatening to score with the ball at the San Francisco 33 yard-line and facing a 3rd and 1, Jackson faked a handoff and bootlegged to his left for a 14-yard gain before having the ball stripped by backup safety Marcell Harris. Entering the game just four plays earlier following an injury to Jaquiski Tartt, Harris' spectacular play would mark the first lost fumble on the year by Jackson and would give his team another opportunity to tie or take a lead. Orchestrating the longest drive of the game by either team as the 49er offense ran 14-plays that ate up 8:26 of game clock, San Francisco would make it to the red zone before settling for a field goal to tie the game at 17-all. After exchanging punts to take things into the fourth quarter, both teams would embark on six-play drives that would end on a turnover on downs. However, only San Francisco's choice of play-call would result in criticism when Shanahan raised eyebrows after dialing up a passing play on 4th and 1 from the Baltimore 35 at a time when Mostert was chewing up chunks of yardage each and every time he carried the ball.
Given a chance to milk the clock and put his team into position to win the game while keeping the ball out of the oppositions hands, the league's front-runner for MVP would do just that, spearheading a 12-play drive that included eight rushing plays, three of which by Jackson himself. And with 0:03 seconds remaining on the clock, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker who entered the game with the NFL's longest active streak of 37 consecutive made field goals in the 4th quarter, split the uprights once more as his 49-yard field goal try was never in doubt and gave his team the 20-17 walk-off victory. As his Baltimore teammates rushed the field to congratulate the Pro Bowl kicker and celebrate their franchise record-tying 8th straight win, San Francisco fell on the road for the first time this season. Falling to 10-2 on the year and having now lost two games this season by a combined six-points, the Niners once again showed why they belong in the conversation among the top teams in the league. And if the 3-point loss isn't enough to back that claim, perhaps the defense's ability to hold the league's best offense to their fewest point total and second fewest yards will do it for them.
Held to only 105 yards passing, it was Jackson's rushing ability that made him most dangerous on Sunday as he finished with a team-high 101 rushing yards on 16 carries, while scoring a touchdown both on the ground and thru the air. Garoppolo threw for 165 yards and one touchdown on 15 of 21 pass attempts, but it was backup running back Raheem Mostert who stole the show for the 49er offense, enjoying a career-high 146 yards rushing on 19 carries.
Week 14 Preview - Adding insult to injury, the Niners (10-2) would once again fail to receive any favors from the rest of the league as Minnesota, winners of 6 of their last 7 games, failed to continue their hot streak on the road against Seattle who managed to leapfrog ahead of the Niners for sole possession of first place in the NFC West. Even worse, San Francisco fell from the NFC's no. 1 seed to the no. 5 seed. But like the saying goes: If you want things done right, do them yourself. Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will be able to do just that this week when they pay a visit to New Orleans to take on Drew Brees and the Saints (10-2) in the Big Easy. With another heavyweight match-up in line for San Francisco, the two teams will clash with the chance to separate themselves from one another as the 2019 season enters its homestretch. Coming off a Thanksgiving win on the road and avenging their Week 10 loss against the division-rival Falcons, the Saints who have already clinched the NFC South division and a playoff berth, are looking to finish strong and maintain the top seed in the conference. As for the 49ers who will be happy that they won't have another rushing quarterback to face this week, will still need to bring their A-game against a Hall of Fame-bound quarterback that can still make you pay thru the air. And with one of the best play-making receivers in the business in Michael Thomas, San Francisco's banged up secondary will surely be tested in a game with playoff implications.
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Week 12 - All season long, the San Francisco 49ers who are sitting atop the NFC standings at 9-wins and 1-loss, have been beaten like a pinata by the mainstream media for having an "easy schedule" and having not played anyone of note. But a Sunday night meeting against the 8-2 Green Bay Packers would provide Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team with yet another chance to silence the critics and put those claims to rest. With the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints both breathing down the Niners' neck in the race for the NFC's top seed, San Francisco would not receive any favors on Sunday in their hopes for home field advantage as both teams were in close games but walked away with wins as their opponents shot themselves in the foot, leaving the 49ers to fend for themselves if they wanted to maintain the NFC's no. 1 spot.
And though the game between the Packers and 49ers would go on to register the highest average total television audience delivery for a Week 12 Sunday Night Football game since 2015 (Denver vs New England), the game would turn into a one-sided affair that got ugly from the onset. Having gone four straight games without committing a turnover, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers would be in for a rude awakening as the stout San Francisco defense put an end to that mark rather quickly. On Green Bay's opening-drive, the 49ers would force a strip-sack fumble on Rodgers, snapping a streak of 39 consecutive drives without a turnover, the longest active streak in the NFL. Needing only one play to capitalize on the Packers' rare turnover would be running back Tevin Coleman who turned it into an early touchdown by reaching over the goal-line. Forcing and recovering the fumble would be the tandem of linebacker Fred Warner and defensive-end Nick Bosa who would each have a monster game for a 49er defense that shined in their only Sunday Night game of the year and one that had to be flexed into the Sunday Night slot.
Trailing 10-0, Packers first-year head coach Matt LaFleur who served alongside Kyle Shanahan during stints with the Texans, Redskins and Falcons, would elect to gamble early on in the second quarter with a 4th & 1 attempt that the 49er defense stuffed. Following a second Chase McLaughlin field goal, rookie receiver Deebo Samuel hauled in one of his two receptions on the evening and took it 42-yards to the house. Forcing their fifth three and out of the half on defense, the Niners, needing only 24-seconds, would have even more opportunity to widen their lead as QB Jimmy Garoppolo hooked up with tight-end George Kittle for a 22-yard completion that allowed them to settle for yet another field goal. By halftime, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had only accumulated 60-yards of total offense and were held scoreless while staring at a 23-point deficit. And though they would open the second half with a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter after a 13-play drive that chewed up over eight and a half minutes, the Niners would answer back in a fraction of the time with a two-play, touchdown-scoring drive that needed only 57-seconds. After getting on the board with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to receiver Davante Adams, the Packer defense gave it right back as Garoppolo found a wide-open Kittle who in his first game back after missing the last two weeks with broken bones in his ankle, caught the ball and ran 61-yards for the score.
It would be a welcoming sight for Niner players and fans alike who had feared the injury to Kittle was much more serious than the team initially led on as he finished his first game back with a game-high 129 yards on 6 receptions. LaFleur would pull the plug in the 4th quarter after electing to sit his starting quarterback who finished the game with a season-low in virtually every statistical category on offense. Trailing 30-8 and in full-on desperation mode, the Packers would again go for it on 4th down, but were left disappointed as they turned the ball over on downs. Niners running back Raheem Mostert would cap off the scoring with a 15-yard score up the middle as San Francisco increased their lead to 37-8, a score they would go on to win by in route to their first 10-1 record since 1997. Holding their opponent to 8 points or fewer for the fourth time this season, the 49er defense proved to be a thorn in the side of Rodgers who grew up a Niner fan and attended nearby Cal Berkeley. Finishing with only 104 yards passing on 20 of 33 attempts, the San Francisco defense would limit Rodgers to the fewest passing yards of his career in a game in which he completed 20+ passes, as the Packers' future Hall of Fame quarterback failed to complete a single pass beyond 10-yards. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo finished with a clean 253 yards passing on 14 of 20 attempts, 2 TD's and 0 turnovers.
Both teams struggled mightily on third down and entered the fourth quarter without a single third down conversion. It wasn't until San Francisco's final drive where they converted their first third down conversion when they converted on three in a row. Green Bay on the other hand entered the fourth quarter 0-for-10 on third down with Rodgers under center and converted their one and only third down conversion on their final drive of the game with backup Tim Boyle at quarterback. With the 29-point win, the 49ers have now outscored opponents by 169 points this season, their largest point differential through 11 games since 1948 (+210). However, it came with a loss as defensive-end Demontre' Moore was lost for the season after suffering a fractured forearm in the win and will be placed on injured-reserve. The loss of Moore who was signed just two weeks earlier, is unfortunate news for a defensive-line that was without Dee Ford on Sunday with an injured hamstring and has already lost Ronald Blair for the season.
Week 13 Preview - After holding Green Bay to under 200 yards in total offense (198), San Francisco currently leads the league in total defense (248.0 opponent yards per game), something they have not done since 1997. That's a number they hope to duplicate in Week 12 as they prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens (9-2) and their MVP candidate at quarterback in Lamar Jackson. Coming off a dominant Monday Night win on the road in L.A. against the Rams, Jackson became the youngest player in NFL history with multiple 5-passing TD games in a season and the first player with 5 TD's in his Monday Night Football debut as Baltimore handed the Rams their largest defeat in the history of the L.A. Coliseum: 45-6. San Francisco will look to slow Jackson who has the Ravens atop the AFC North and riding a 7-game winning-streak. Despite being tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the league, odds-makers don't like the 49ers' chances in Baltimore as they open up as 6-point underdogs and are the first 10-1 team in over a decade to enter Week 13 as an underdog. With how dominant the 49ers have been on defense this year, the lone weakness I've seen has been against the running quarterback (Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray), and Lamar Jackson is that to a tee. If they can contain Jackson and prevent him from beating them with his legs, I like their chances of pulling off the upset and putting an end to Baltimore's streak. Also, with having to face the gauntlet of Green Bay, Baltimore and New Orleans in consecutive weeks, the 49ers will become the first team to play three straight games vs opponents with .800+ win percentage 10+ games into a season in the Super Bowl era.
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