49ers Cruise in Australia with Season-Opening Win over Rams

Week 1 - For the first time in NFL history a regular season game would be played in Australia as the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams opened up their season in Melbourne at the historic Melbourne Cricket Ground in front of a packed house as 100,021 fans poured in to watch one of the NFL's longest-standing rivalries. Slated to be a dandy, the 49ers and Rams came into the match-up after splitting their season series a season ago at a game apiece before finishing the year with identical 12-5 records. Selling out the stadium, the many fans in attendance would make it the seventh-largest crowd ever for a regular season game in NFL history. With the NFL announcing early on during the offseason that the Rams would host a regular season game in Australia, rumors began to swirl that it was the 49ers that they would choose to bring along with them, in hopes of eliminating the pro-49er crowd that has made a habit of taking over L.A.'s SoFi Stadium, appropriately nicknamed, "Levi's South." But even after having the 49ers tag along to open the season some 9,000 miles away, making this the furthest two teams would ever travel for an NFL game, San Francisco would make Melbourne their home for a full week in preparation for the game and would steal the show come gameday. 

While 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan made it a point to arrive in Melbourne early to adjust to the 17-hour time difference, Rams head coach Sean McVay took an entirely different approach, landing only 28-hours before kickoff in hopes of keeping his guys on a more familiar schedule before making the trip back home. The Rams even went as far as sending sleep experts to Australia in advance. But in McVay's defense, the quick turnaround did work for them last season when making a trip to London, England with less than 30 hours before kickoff in what was a dominant 30-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, albeit the flight to Melbourne is 6 hours longer. Despite being the "road team", the 49ers virtually served as NFL ambassadors, embraced their time in Melbourne by hosting various community events in and around the city and stole the support of the locals. Those newfound supporters would have plenty to cheer for come kickoff as the 49ers made early statements on both sides of the ball. 

With San Francisco winning the coin-toss, the Rams opened the game on offense where they would be met by Fred Warner and the 49er defense. Returning to his first bit of NFL action since suffering a broken ankle a season ago, Warner did not miss a beat on Thursday as he came up with a pass-breakup on L.A.'s first play from scrimmage before eventually finishing with a game-high 11 tackles. Forcing a three and out on the Rams' opening-possession, the 49ers would come out on offense and put up a 15-play drive that lasted over 7-minutes. Despite having some success and marching inside the red zone, the 49ers were held to a field goal to take an early 3-0 lead. With both teams exchanging punts on their next possession, the Rams got their first taste of success after a big play on a 41-yard gain from All-Pro receiver Puka Nacua who corralled a deep pass and broke a pair of tackles to help set his team up inside the red zone. Two plays later running back Kyren Williams would help give the Rams a 7-3 lead with a rushing touchdown from 5-yards out on the first play of the second quarter. Making history with what would be the NFL's first Australian regular season touchdown, it would be the only scoring L.A. would do as the 49ers took the wheel from there. 

In what would ultimately be a strong performance from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, one of the lone mistakes on the day by the San Francisco offense would come on a pass intended for tight-end George Kittle that was intercepted by the Rams defense. With the Rams marching and already in field goal range, the league's reigning MVP Matthew Stafford threw up a questionable pass intended for Nacua that was picked off by 49ers cornerback Renardo Green. It would be a nice bit of redemption for Green who was benched the last time we saw the 49ers defense in action against the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional round of the playoffs back in January. Green's big stop would keep the Rams off the board and helped turn the tide for the 49ers before the half. Turning the turnover into points, Purdy launched a deep ball into the end zone and into the arms of a streaking Demarcus Robinson as the former Ram hauled in the 39-yard touchdown grab to give the 49ers a 10-7 lead heading into halftime. 

The 49ers would receive some unfortunate news before coming out to begin the second half when rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling who dazzled during training camp and in the preseason for San Francisco after being selected in second round of April's Draft, was ruled out with a leg injury. Stribling would fail to log a single reception in his NFL debut and had to be carted off the field. With Stribling out and joining a list of other absent 49er receivers including Ricky Pearsall and Brandon Aiyuk, San Francisco would need contributions from their other receivers, notably Deebo Samuel who returned to the team during the offseason after a year away. Deebo would get that memo to start the second half as he returned the second half kickoff 45-yards to give his team stellar field position to begin the half. A pair of big runs by running back Christian McCaffrey on the first two plays from scrimmage and the 49ers were already within striking distance. Several plays later, Purdy would connect inside the end zone with one of his newest teammates in Mike Evans as the future Hall of Fame receiver hauled in the 2-yard touchdown grab on third and goal. 

With the Rams down 17-7 and looking to answer, Stafford and company began to march and made it all the way to the doorstep before being stopped at the 1 on 4th down as the San Francisco defense came up with a huge goal-line stand to force the turnover on downs. Making it to the 3 yard-line on 2nd down, the 49ers held their ground on three straight downs to come up with the stop. Making matters worse for L.A., Shanahan's 49ers would march 99-yards on 12-plays before finding the end zone again as Purdy scrambled to his right and threw a strike to Deebo Samuel to take a 24-7 lead. Any hopes the Rams had of a comeback evaporated on their ensuing possession when Fred Warner punched the ball free from Rams tight-end Tyler Higbee to force a fumble recovered by defense. The Niners would cash in the turnover for another Eddie Piniero field goal, increasing their lead to 27-7 with under 10-minutes remaining in regulation. Things on offense would continue to sour for the Rams as their next possession ended in a turnover on downs, paving the way for what would end up being a 27-7 win for San Francisco. 

Without overreacting and buying too much into things only one week into the season, you have to like what you saw on the side of the 49ers, while also having some concerns on the side of the Rams who opened up the season as heavy favorites to win the Super Bowl this season. After making a big splash during the offseason by making multiple trades to beef up the defense, the Rams' newly acquired Myles Garrett who is coming off winning the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award after setting the league's single-season sacks record with 23 a season ago, was shutout in the box score, failing to log a single sack and was held without a single tackle for only the 4th time in his career. After missing most of the team's training camp with knee swelling, the Rams have decided to shutdown Garrett for now by placing him on the team's Injured Reserve list while he undergoes arthroscopic knee surgery that will cause him to miss at least the next four games. The 49ers can relate to the injury bug as they learned on Tuesday just two days before gameday that they would be without second-year defensive-tackle Alfred Collins for the year after he tore his patella tendon during practice.  

Elsewhere, the 49ers' newly hired defensive coordinator Raheem Morris made a great first impression with his new club while facing the team he helped win a Super Bowl with in 2022 under the same title. Morris' defense spearheaded by Fred Warner and Nick Bosa who returned from injury, held the NFL's best offense from a season ago to 290 yards of total offense and just one score. The 7-points allowed by San Francisco's defense mark the fewest-points in 85 games started by Matthew Stafford (including the playoffs) with the Rams. Finishing the game with 155 yards passing, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception, Stafford saw his streak of consecutive games with a passing touchdown come to an end on Thursday at 17 games. In fact, the Rams were the only team in the NFL to not score double-digit points in Week 1 and currently stand as the only win-less team in the NFC Western Division thru the first week after Seattle claimed a season-opening win over New England and the Cardinals pulled off the upset over the Chargers. Helping the 49ers claim their largest win over the Rams since Week 10 of the 2021 season, Brock Purdy threw for 205 yards and 3 touchdowns after shaking off the early interception. Having dealt with a groin injury during training camp, receiver Mike Evans got the nod and made all the difference for the 49ers passing game. Tying for the team-lead in receptions with 6 for 49 yards and a touchdown, Evans moved up to 20th on the NFL's all-time receiving yards list. 

San Francisco's Pro-Bowl tight-end George Kittle also returned to the field nine months after tearing his Achilles on January 11, making limited contributions on the stat sheet (2 receptions, 12 yards), but his infections energy and stellar run blocking made huge differences elsewhere. Rookie running back Kaelon Black who was drafted in the third round of April's Draft, made a strong first impression while sharing duties in the backfield alongside Christian McCaffrey, rushing the ball 14 times for 65 yards, compared to 68-yards on 10 carries from CMC. 

Week 2 Preview: The 49ers will make the long-distance trip back home to the Bay Area for Week 2 where they will host the (0-1) Miami Dolphins at Levi's Stadium. With the Niners coming off their fourth straight season-opening win, head coach Kyle Shanahan will look to keep things rolling just days after the team announced they came to an agreement to extend Shanahan's contract that was due to expire after the 2027 season. With multiple fan favorites returning to the field to play in front of the Faithful including Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle who all suffered season-ending injuries a season ago, and both Deebo Samuel and Dre Greenlaw who agreed to return to the 49ers during the offseason after trying their luck elsewhere for a season last year, Levi's should be rocking come kickoff.

The Miami Dolphins enter the meeting as a rebuilding team and are coming off a 27-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. After bringing in free-agent quarterback Malik Willis in the offseason and hiring first time head coach Jeff Hafley, the Dolphins have plenty of work to do before they're expected to begin contending again in the AFC East. Looking to keep those Dolphins at bey come Sunday will be All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner who is coming off an 11-tackle performance against the Rams which helped him become the all-time 49ers' franchise leader in tackles, passing the newly inducted Hall of Famer Patrick Willis for sole possession of first place. 

One player who will not suit up for San Francisco will be rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling who is expected to miss a month of action with a deltoid sprain in his ankle. While surgery is not currently planned, it remains a possibility while the team seeks other medical opinions. 

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Niners trounced as Magical Playoff run ends in Seattle

NFC Divisional Playoff - As if two meetings between two of the NFL's best teams wasn't enough, a third match-up would be slated between the No. 6 seeded San Francisco 49ers and the No. 1 seeded Seattle Seahawks, two hated rivals hailing from the NFC West. With just one win separating these two teams in the regular season standings with a Week 18 regular season-finale being the deciding factor in who would have home field advantage throughout the playoffs, "what could've been" would be the theme for the San Francisco 49ers had they won that week 18 match-up against Seattle and had they had a healthy roster that was without not only three of their best players and emotional leaders, but three of the best players in the entire league in Fred Warner, Nick Bosa and George Kittle. But after reigning victorious the week prior on the road against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round, the many holes left by those injured 49ers would prove to be too large and would take their toll against a stout Seahawks team that was out for blood from the first play on, while boasting the league's best defense.

Despite having won four straight games over the Seahawks at Lumen Field entering Saturday, the most in team history, the 49ers' lone playoff game in Seattle, however, ended in defeat with the infamous Richard Sherman-Michael Crabtree beef during the 2013 NFC Championship. While things between these two teams aren't quite as heated as they once were, there would be no love lost as both sides had their fair share of trash talk before game day. Unfortunately, the back-and-forth banter would end up being more eventful than the game itself considering how one-sided things became in the opening moments. From the opening-kickoff, the rout was on. With San Francisco winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, Seattle would make that a regrettable decision by pouncing on their opponent with a 95-yard kickoff returned for a touchdown by Rashid Shaheed. Shaheed, a trade deadline acquisition from the Saints known for his speed, entered Saturday's game as the only player in the NFL with a kickoff and a punt return for a touchdown this season. He would add a third which would give his team an early 7-0 advantage, sucking the air right out of the San Francisco sideline. 

Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold who would make his second career playoff start, entered the day questionable to play after getting hurt during practice in the days leading up to Saturday with an oblique injury that Darnold admitted he had never dealt with before. But after Seattle jumped out to an early lead without having to take a single snap on offense thanks to the team's red-hot start on special-teams, coupled with a dominant performance from the team's defense, Darnold was able to take a backseat and play things safe, allowing his running back Kenneth Walker III to do most of the dirty work. Staring down an early 7-0 hole, Brock Purdy and the 49er offense would make it past midfield on their opening-drive, but a failed 4th and 1 attempt would leave them empty handed with a turnover on downs. After initially appearing to have converted a first down with a completed pass, the officials blew the play dead and awarded Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald with a very late timeout call that left everyone on the field and watching from home confused. Most notably was coach Shanahan who was absolutely livid with the officials. The referees wouldn't be the only ones getting an earful from the 49ers' head coach, however, as second-year cornerback Renardo Green was also seen being chewed out and temporarily benched for something that upset his coach. 

With San Francisco hoping for a more successful drive on their second possession, things again would go south as backup tight-end Jake Tonges who was the hero in the Week 1 win over Seattle, hauled in an 11-yard reception for a first down before fumbling the ball away and giving the Niners their second turnover in as many possessions. Unlike the turnover on downs which only led to a Jason Myers field goal, the Seattle offense was able to capitalize with a touchdown following the fumble as Darnold connected with his favorite target and number one receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba inside the end zone. By the end of the first quarter the 49ers were already down 17-0 and in need of a jolt quick. San Francisco's offense would finally begin to string together a few successful drives before the half but were unable to make it to the end zone and were forced to settle for field goals as kicker Eddy Pineiro converted on kicks of 40 and 56 yards to help his team chip away, now trailing 17-6. With the Niners getting the ball to open the second half, forcing a Seattle punt like they did on their previous possession would be a huge win to keep the game within striking distance. Sadly, that would not be the case as the Seahawks were able to run the ball right through the San Francisco defense, eventually scoring on a 7-yard touchdown from Walker III. 

The drive would come at a cost, however, as Seattle's dynamic-duo of Walker III and Zach Charbonnet took a hit when Charbonnet left the game with what coach Macdonald would later confirm to be a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee. Taking over possession to open the second half, the 49ers would have a tall task ahead having to claw back from being down 24-6 and having been manhandled thus far in all three facets of the game. Things would only continue to sour as San Francisco's first four possessions of the second half would all end in turnovers -- fumble, interception and two on downs. With a chance to get their All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner back the following week for the NFC Championship game, the 49ers who were playing inspired football in hopes of a return for their emotional leader and defensive captain, would unfortunately witness that magical ride come to an end. After a Jason Myers field goal, Kenneth Walker III would put the finishing touches on a dominant night by completing the hat-trick with his second and third rushing touchdowns of the evening as Seattle stormed their way to a one-sided 41-6 victory. In what would go down as the most lopsided loss for the 49ers in the Shanahan era, the Seahawks matched their largest playoff win in franchise history while advancing to the franchise's fifth conference championship and first since 2014. 

Sam Darnold recorded his first career playoff win by throwing for 124 yards and a touchdown against his former team, while Brock Purdy threw for 140 yards and an interception. Seattle's Cooper Kupp led all receivers with 60 yards on 5 receptions, besting both Jake Tonges and Christian McCaffrey who each had 5 receptions for 59 and 39 yards receiving, respectively. 

Looking ahead -  With San Francisco's remarkable Cinderella season now over, it's still an amazing feat given the 49ers were able to advance this far and win as many games as they did in spite of all the challenges they endured and all the injuries they sustained. To be without their number one receiver Brandon Aiyuk for the entire season, have their two best defensive players go down for the season by Week 6, to missing their starting quarterback for eight weeks, to losing their future Hall of Fame tight-end and emotional leader in the first half of a playoff game that they would go on to win in, it would be quite difficult to deem this season a failure given all the pieces they were deprived of and lost along the way. Coach Shanahan should be the runaway favorite to win the Coach of the Year Award for those very reasons. 49ers left-tackle Trent Williams described it perfectly when explaining during the team's postgame interview that they were, "playing with house money" when describing the many obstacles they overcame in the face of adversity. With a franchise QB now locked in under contract for years to come and some promising young talent that should only grow and get better with the experience they gained this season, the future remains bright for this 49ers group. 

What they will now need to focus on is improving the roster to keep pace with the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks, two teams they share a division with that will now compete in the conference championship for a shot at a Super Bowl title. While the 49ers claimed early season wins over both teams this year, they went on to drop the rematch to each team and clearly have areas in which they need to improve on if they want to catch up and eventually surpass their division foes. For coach Kyle Shanahan who has enjoyed success against the competition in the NFC West for most of his tenure, appears to have a new thorn in his side as the Macdonald-led Seattle defense has now kept Shanahan's offense to under 7-points twice this year, something that had only been done one other time entering this season. The team will also be back to the drawing board and in search of yet another defensive coordinator as Robert Saleh is expected to take the head coaching job of the Tennessee Titans, leaving San Francisco searching for their fifth defensive coordinator in the Shanahan-John Lynch era. Early candidates to potentially land the vacant DC role include Brian Flores, Raheem Morris, Jim Schwartz, KJ Wright, and current 49ers assistant head coach Gus Bradley. 

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49ers Complete Wild Card Upset in Philly, Advance to Face Seattle

NFC Wild Card - After dropping the regular season-finale at home against the rival Seahawks in Week 18, the 49ers were forced to begin their quest to return home to Levi's Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LX, on the road where they would face off against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Opening up as 3-point underdogs, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers would witness those odds increase in favor of the Eagles to 5.5 come gameday. Having already been written off this season more times than fans can count given the plethora of injuries sustained to San Francisco's roster, those odds would mean nothing for a team that has looked adversity in the eye and has continued to prove doubters wrong virtually all season long. By Sunday the list of doubters would increase inside the media as the entire panel of ESPN's NFL Live chose the Eagles to prevail over the 49ers. As for the members of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, only former-49er Alex Smith chose the Niners to win. Finally, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw would be the odd man out on the NFL on FOX as the only one to, "have any guts" as he explained it while picking San Francisco. 

Returning to the field that was a house of horrors for the 49ers during the 2022 NFC Championship when the 49ers were routed 31-7 following an injury to quarterback Brock Purdy on the team's opening-drive, the Niners would look to avenge that playoff loss much like they did in the most recent meeting between these two teams when Purdy and company opened up a can with a 42-19 drubbing of Philly in 2023. With the 49ers and Eagles having combined to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in 5 of the last 8 years, the two teams would fight for their right to hoist the Lombardi trophy once again, something the Niners have not done since the 1994 season. If they plan on making it that far this year, they'll need to do so with a few unfamiliar faces, notably at the linebacker position after the latest round of injuries claimed Tatum Bethune (torn groin) and Dee Winters (ankle) who were ruled out in the days leading up to game day with Bethune being placed on season-ending IR. Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Luke Gifford was a game-time decision while nursing a quadriceps injury and would be ruled out just before kickoff, leaving the 49ers even thinner at the position and giving way to newcomers Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow, both of whom were not even on the active roster a month ago. 

Entering the bout with a 7-2 record on the road this season, the 49ers would put that mark to the test against Eagles QB Jalen Hurts who entered Sunday's game with a perfect postseason record of 5-0 throughout his career at home. One of the biggest headlines entering the heavyweight matchup would be Kyle Shanahan's offense versus Vic Fangio's defense. Known for being one of the best play-callers in all of football, Shanahan's offense hasn't exactly fared well against Fangio's defenses over the years, with the offense scoring 15-points or fewer in all four meetings. Factor in the wind gusts of up to 35mph expected at kickoff and things would begin to favor the defense once again. But Shanahan and company would have other plans this time around and it showed right out the gates. 

With Philly winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the 49ers would make an early statement on the second play of the game with a 61-yard pass from Purdy to receiver Demarcus Robinson. In his first season with the team, Robinson has had an extremely quiet campaign in San Francisco, but made his presence felt and his first big impact of the season on Sunday. Robinson would be awarded later in the drive as Purdy found him in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Niners an early 7-0 advantage. The Eagles would be quick to respond, however, as the 49er defense was shredded by the run game much like they were the week prior against Seattle. Running back Saquon Barkley matched San Francisco with a big gain on Philadelphia's second play on offense with a 29-yard run. The big gain would help the Eagles on their march to the end zone as tight-end Dallas Goedert took a handoff on third down from the 1-yard line and punched it in for the score before kicker Jake Elliott missed the game-tying extra-point. From there, the 49ers would be held to back-to-back three-and-out punts and the Eagles would be stopped near mid-field on a 4th and 2 attempt. 

Trailing 7-6 to begin the second quarter, the Eagles would take their first lead of the game on a drive in which they marched 99-yards over 9-minutes as Hurts again found Goedert, this time with a touchdown pass on 4th and 2. San Francisco would cut the 13-7 deficit in half with an Eddy Pineiro field goal and nearly tied the game heading into halftime before a Brock Purdy fumble near the sideline prevented the 49ers from setting up a field goal try as time ran out. Both teams would struggle on offense in the third quarter, combining for three three-and-out punts and an interception from Purdy which allowed the Eagles to add to their lead with a second field goal from Jake Elliott to make it 16-10, Philadelphia. In need of a strong fourth quarter after being held score-less in the third, the 49ers would strike on the first play of the fourth thanks to a bit of trickery that included a touchdown pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey who made an over-the-shoulder catch a la Willie Mays for the go-ahead score. 

With a chance to add to their 17-16 lead, Purdy would again succumb to an interception as Quinyon Mitchell came down with his second pick of the game. The 49er defense would again hold Philadelphia to a field goal, but the Eagles would still manage to take a 19-17 lead with 8-minutes remaining in regulation. Putting together their longest drive of the game in terms of time of possession (5:06), Purdy would cap things off with a touchdown pass on third down, finding McCaffrey inside the end zone as the Niners jumped back ahead 23-19 following a missed extra-point by Pineiro. With just under 3-minutes remaining and all three timeouts, the Eagles would be in a prime position to win the game with a last-minute touchdown, but Robert Saleh's defense would have other plans as Jalen Hurts failed to complete a pass on three consecutive plays from just outside the red zone as Eric Kendricks deflected a pass on 4th and 11 to seal the upset win for the 49ers. 

The 49ers would again lose one of their key players when All-Pro tight-end George Kittle went down midway thru the second quarter with a lower leg injury that required him to be carted off the field and into the visiting locker room where he would be visited by his wife and team owner Jed York. Feared to be something serious, coach Shanahan would confirm in his postgame presser that Kittle suffered a torn Achilles, adding yet another star player to San Francisco's ever-expanding list of injuries that one would have to think will eventually catch up to them. Kittle would hurt himself on his one and only reception of the game, a 6-yard gain. Demarcus Robinson would lead all receivers with a game-high 111 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Brock Purdy threw for 262 yards in the win to go along with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while Jalen Hurts threw finished with 168 yards and a touchdown for Philly. Saquon Barkley rushed for 106 yards and caught 3 passes for another 25 yards, besting Christian McCaffrey's 48 yards of rushing, but not his 66 yards and 2 touchdown receptions thru the air. 

The 49ers received big time contributions on defense from Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow who shored up the linebacker position when they needed it most and combined for a total of 21 tackles on the night. Rookie safety Marques Sigle also stepped up big time when called upon after starter Ji'Ayir Brown went down with a hamstring injury late in the first half. Robert Saleh will likely need this trio and more to step up for the rest of the playoffs and they continue to get banged up. 

SF-SEA Preview:  The 49ers will now head back to the pacific northwest where they will pay a visit to the Emerald City to face off for a third time this season against their rival and top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the NFC's Divisional Round Playoffs. With both teams claiming victories against each other on the road this season, the Niners will look to keep that trend alive as they try for their fifth consecutive win at Seattle, having turned the tide after going nearly a decade without a single road win in the daunting venue. In a close game that came down to the final possession, the 49ers escaped Lumen Field with a 17-13 win back in Week 1, before coming up short in the regular season-finale at Levi's Stadium less than two weeks ago. In the most recent matchup, a 13-3 loss, the 49ers were unable to muster up any offense and had no answer for Seattle's run game. With All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams back in the fold after missing the Week 18 meeting against the Seahawks with a hamstring injury, the 49ers will look to keep quarterback Brock Purdy on his feet and free of duress, something they failed to do in the second match-up. 

San Francisco's offense will also need a more productive game from Christian McCaffrey than what he gave them in Week 18, combining for 57 yards on 8 carries and 6 receptions. Robert Saleh's defense will also need a much stronger performance in the final chapter of this trilogy after allowing a whopping 180-yards on the ground between the running back tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. If they can generate anything resembling a pass rush to rattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and force him to make mistakes, something he has done quite often to the tune of 14 interceptions on the year which ranks third-most in the NFL, that would be a major win for the SF defense. At home this season, Seattle has won 6 of 8 games in their home digs, while the Niners have maintained one of the better road records in the league at 8-2 this season. Oddsmakers, however, have the 49ers as 7.5-point underdogs. With Seattle coming off the first-round bye week, San Francisco on the other hand was screwed out of a full week of rest after playing the late game on Sunday. Instead of scheduling Bears-Rams for Saturday after both teams played the previous Saturday, the greedy and ratings-hungry NFL decided that made too much sense and chose to schedule SF-Seattle for Saturday instead. 

Expected to be a finalist for the Coach of the Year Award, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has at the very least reached the NFC Championship in all four of his team's playoff appearances since joining San Francisco's staff in 2017. With a shot at another NFC Championship on the line, this may be coach Shanahan's most impressive run yet given the multitude of injuries his team has sustained and the odds they continue to overcome. Kickoff is set for 5pm PST Saturday on FOX. 

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49ers Stymied in Season Finale Loss to Seattle, Will Face Eagles in Wild Card Round

Week 18 - After treating us to one of the most entertaining games of the NFL season a week ago when the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers went blow for blow against the Chicago Bears in a back-and-forth melee that included 80 total points scored and came down to the final play of the game, the regular season-finale against the rival (13-3) Seattle Seahawks would be rather uneventful in comparison. With the NFC Western Division title on the line as well as the NFC's No. 1 seed, the 49ers entered Saturday's game liking their chance of securing the division crown and home field advantage throughout the playoffs after having beaten Seattle on the road back in Week 1. However, the 49ers team that took the field on Saturday night would be a far cry from their Week 1 selves given the laundry list of injuries they've sustained since their season-opening win over the Seahawks. And by the time things officially got underway, San Francisco looked outmatched from start to finish, despite both teams entering the meeting riding six-game winning streaks. 

Winning the coin-toss and electing to defer would be about the extent of any winning Kyle Shanahan's team did on Saturday night as they were outclassed in all facets of the game. Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense came out guns blazing with a 13-play drive that ate up 7-minutes and 37-seconds of game time before being stood up inside the red zone at the 4-yard line. With only one play going for double-digit yards on the opening-drive for the Seahawks, the 49ers were able to force an incomplete pass on 4th and 4, resulting in the turnover on downs. The bend but don't break mentality would fire up the 49er sideline as well as the 49er Faithful in attendance, but it would be one of the few positives on the night for Robert Saleh's defense which struggled virtually all game long. The 7:37 time of possession on Seattle's opening-drive would mark their longest without scoring any points since 2018. Taking over on offense pinned back near their own goal line, the 49ers were held to a quick three and out punt which allowed for superb field position on Seattle's ensuing possession that was aided another 15-yards following a face mask penalty against the Niners on the return. 

Taking advantage of the short field, Seattle needed only three plays to find the end zone as running back Zach Charbonnet broke for a 27-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd and 2. With nothing to show for on San Francisco's first offensive possession, drive No. 2 failed to provide better results as Brock Purdy and company was held to their second three and out punt in as many possessions. After punting the ball only twice in the entire month of December, the 49er offense would match that total by the end of the first quarter on Saturday, ending San Francisco's team record of 27 straight quarters with a score. Despite no success whatsoever through the first quarter, Kyle Shanahan's team still found themselves in a prime position after Seattle marched 58-yards on their next possession but failed to connect on Josh Myers' 47-yard field goal that sailed wide-right. After going the whole first quarter without a single first down, the 49er offense was finally able to move the chains to start the second, but things would again spiral quickly as a call to go for it on 4th and 1 near mid-field ended in an incomplete pass from Purdy who again faced pressure and had to hurry his pass. Seattle's kicker would redeem himself on the Seahawks' next drive with a 45-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 ballgame. 

San Francisco would get on the scoreboard before the end of the first half with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Eddy Pineiro. Trailing by just a touchdown, the 49ers would get the ball to open the second half and appeared to be on track to score again, but Seattle's third sack of the night would ultimately lead to another punt as the absence of San Francisco's Pro Bowl left-tackle Trent Williams who sat out of Saturday's game while battling a hamstring injury began to come into focus. After being torched for a season-high 115 rushing yards allowed in the first half, the 49er defense held Seattle in check for the most part in the third quarter before an absolute meltdown on 3rd and 17. Perhaps no two plays would haunt the 49er defense greater than two of the first three plays on Seattle's next drive when Seahawks QB Sam Darnold was stepped on by his own teammate, resulting in a fumble that Niners defender Yetur Gross-Matos failed to come up with, eventually resulting in a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, Seattle handed the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III who rushed 19-yards to pick up the first down, erasing the dreadful 3rd and 17 and prolonging the drive instead of punting the ball over to San Francisco in a one-score game. 

To make matters worse, Seattle would continue to march on the drive before having to settle for another Josh Myers field goal to take a 13-3 lead. Trailing by two-scores again, Purdy and the 49er offense began the fourth quarter by moving the ball with their most successful drive yet, marching 65-yards to give the offense their first trip to the red zone all night. But the 6-yard line would be as far as they'd make it as Purdy would have his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, resulting in a wobbly ball in and out of the hands of Christian McCaffrey and into the arms of a Seattle defender who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time before stepping out of bounds. The turnover would prove to be crucial as any momentum the Niners thought they had captured went right out the window. Another long drive orchestrated by the Seahawks offense would chew up over 8-minutes of game time as precious time ticked away for a 49ers team hoping to stage a late comeback. Marching 94-yards the other way, Seattle kicker Josh Myers would miss his second field goal of the night when his 26-yard attempt hit the right upright to reinstill hope into the 49ers once again. Unfortunately, that hope would evaporate rather quickly as a quick turnover on downs ended any chance of a last-ditch effort from San Francisco. Making matters worse, Purdy reportedly suffered a "stinger" on the 49ers' final offensive play of the game after taking a hit to his left shoulder while being sandwiched between two Seattle defenders. 

Aside from Seattle's run game which tallied 180 total yards on the ground, neither team lit up the stat sheet on offense. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 97 yards while Zach Charbonnet added 74 yards and a touchdown, besting San Francisco's 53 total rushing yards. Christian McCaffrey who entered the week with a league-best 108 missed tackles wasn't able to break many tackles on Saturday while dealing with a back ailment and rushed for just 23 yards on 8 carries and another 34 yards receiving on 6 receptions, falling short of his second career 1,000-1,000 season for rushing and passing yards. Jauan Jennings led the 49ers with a team-high 35 yards on 4 receptions, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished with a game-high 84 yards receiving on 6 receptions. Sam Darnold threw for 198 yards compared to just 127 from Brock Purdy. But perhaps the most glaring stat of all came in the time of possession battle which Seattle dominated by producing long drives: 37:48 to just 22:12. 

Wild Card Preview: Following the loss to Seattle, the 49ers not only missed out on securing the NFC's No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they'll now face the daunting task of having to win all of their games on the road if they want to partake in Super Bowl LX being played in their own house of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. San Francisco's loss coupled with a win from the L.A. Rams meant the 49ers will enter the playoffs as the NFC's No. 6 seed and will face off against the No. 3 seed and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. With the 49ers opening up as 3.5 point underdogs against an Eagles team that went 11-6 in the regular season, Kyle Shanahan's team will hope to capture the same magic during a 42-19 win at Philly the last time these two teams met on December 2, 2023. San Francisco won handedly and was able to avenge their 31-7 loss in the NFC Championship the year prior after Brock Purdy was injured on the 49ers' first drive of the game. 

Philly's Lincoln Financial Field has become known for being one of the tougher venues to win in on the road during the playoffs, and no bad blood will be lost come gameday. Already facing a thin roster at the linebacker position, Robert Saleh's defense just got lot thinner after an MRI revealed on Monday that second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the playoffs after suffering a torn groin in Saturday's loss to Seattle. Already without All Pro linebacker Fred Warner who is hoping to make a return in the NFC title game if the 49ers can survive and advance that far, Dee Winters is currently listed as questionable after having to leave Saturday's game early with an ankle injury. The recently signed Eric Kendricks is expected to start and fill in in Bethune's absence. While Philly still boasts one of the best defenses in the NFC, their offense has struggled in the second half of the season despite plenty of weapons for quarterback Jalen Hurts to choose from. If the 49ers can muster up anything close to the type of offense they showcased in the two weeks prior to the season-finale, they should be able to stand a chance in pulling off the upset. And although Philly's offense has been stagnant for much of the second half, San Francisco's defense will need a much better outing than the one they had against Seattle. 

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49ers Outlast Bears in Sunday Night Rumble

Week 17 - With things getting down to the nitty-gritty as teams approach the homestretch of the NFL's regular season, two teams vying for the NFC's top seed would faceoff in a heavyweight matchup on Sunday Night Football between the (11-4) San Francisco 49ers and (11-4) Chicago Bears. While both teams have ascended their way near the top of the league's power rankings in surprising fashion for very different reasons, few teams in the NFL have looked as good on offense this year as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers and Ben Johnson's Bears. While San Francisco has continued to defy all odds despite suffering a plethora of injuries to some of the league's best players, the Bears on the other hand have come out of nowhere after bouncing back from a last place finish just a season ago. And with Sunday night's game expected to be knock-down, drag-out war, nothing would quite prepare us for the back-and-forth melee that would actually ensue. 

After winning the coin-toss and electing to defer, the Chicago Bears would take over on defense and would make their presence felt in a hurry. Having gone the entire month of December without punting the ball away entering Sunday's game, the 49ers would again begin their night on that streak but not in the way they had envisioned. San Francisco would suffer a double-whammy on the opening-play that resulted in a pick-six interception as well as an injury suffered by left-tackle Trent Williams who just days earlier was named to his 12th career Pro Bowl. Following a tipped-pass from 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy intended for Jauan Jennings, Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards came up with the interception and ran it back as Williams injured his hamstring on the play and was forced to watch all of the game from the sideline. While the play left the 49ers and their fans shocked, it would serve as a wakeup call if anything as the early turnover would prove to be nothing but a minor speedbump. Purdy and company would waste little time before answering with a score of their own, connecting on a deep pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson for 25-yards before finding backup tight-end Jake Tonges in the end zone for the 1-yard score. Filling in for the injured George Kittle who would sit out while nursing a sprained ankle, Tonges would answer the call with a team-high 7 receptions on the night against his former team. 

After forcing a three-and-out punt on Chicago's first offensive drive, the 49ers would also be forced to punt, something they hadn't done in a franchise-record 23 consecutive drives. Following another Chicago three-and-out, the 49ers were right back to their old selves with another touchdown-scoring drive, this time requiring only three plays. Setup by a 41-yard rush from running back Christian McCaffrey, the longest run of the season by a 49er, Purdy scrambled into the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. Following his rushing touchdown, Purdy would become the first QB in NFL history to rush for a TD, pass for a TD and throw an interception for a TD in the first quarter of a game. Any hopes of San Francisco taking an early lead and riding it to the finish line would go right out the window as Chicago answered with a quick touchdown drive of their own following a pair of deep passes, including one into the end zone from 35-yards out to rookie receiver Luther Burden III for the equalizer. With already a wild first quarter in the books, things would only intensify as touchdowns became commonplace. 49ers receiver Ricky Pearsall who was a game-time decision with a knee injury, hauled in a team-high 85-yards on the night, including a 30-yarder that helped setup McCaffrey for a 5-yard score. 

Needing half the number of plays to score a touchdown of their own, the Bears would march 65-yards on just three plays before a free-play touchdown pass from Bears QB Caleb Williams to rookie tight-end Colston Loveland. Called for a defensive offsides penalty on the play, it would mark the second consecutive week in which the 49ers were snakebitten by a free-play touchdown. While San Francisco would lack much of the efficiency Chicago had on most of their first half drives, they would manage much greater success as Shanahan's offense embarked on an 18-play drive that ate up nearly 9-minutes of time of possession before Purdy capped things off with his second rushing touchdown of the night and his third of the season to give the Niners a 28-21 halftime lead. While the 49ers would dominate the first half on offense with 330 total yards and 47 plays to just 19 plays for Chicago, only one score would separate both teams on the scoreboard. With a combined 49-points scored in the first two quarters, it would be hard for these two teams to give us another half of football as entertaining as the first one, but they would somehow manage to do just that. 

Opening the second half with the ball, Chicago would tie things at 28 with another touchdown-scoring drive capped off by running back D'Andre Swift who scored from 2-yards out. Orchestrating another drive that would end with a visit to the end zone would be Purdy who's 25-yard strike on the first play of the possession to receiver Kendrick Bourne would help setup an eventual touchdown pass to fullback Kyle Juszczyk as the 49ers' shifty quarterback danced around a pair of Chicago defenders before finding his target. With the Bears trailing 35-28 entering the fourth quarter, they would kick things off with a game-tying touchdown on the first play of the quarter when Swift scored his second touchdown of the night after a 22-yard scamper. With the game tied at 35-35, the tit for tat dog fight would make the record books as the first game in NFL regular season history to be tied at 7, 14, 21, 28 and 35, a feat that had only happened one other time but during the playoffs. After a rare punt for the 49ers on their first possession of the final quarter, the Bears would take their first lead since the opening-drive with a 73-yard drive that ended with a 29-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos and Chicago ahead, 38-35. 

Having found themselves trailing in the second half of a game for the first time in nearly two months, Purdy would remain calm, cool and collected before marching his offense 70-yards before hitting Jauan Jennings across the field for a 38-yard touchdown to give his receiver five straight games with a score and seven TDs in his last eight matches as San Francisco took a 42-38 lead. But with 2:15 remaining in the fourth quarter for Chicago, things were beginning to align much like they have been all season long for second-year QB Caleb Williams who had made a habit out of fourth quarter comebacks this season. He nearly had another one up his sleeve in this one before San Francisco's makeshift defense pulled a rabbit from their hat. With their backs against the wall, Robert Saleh's defense answered the call when they needed it most. Williams and company would not go down without a fight and certainly not before causing a bit of drama as the Bears reached the 2-yard line before two final incompletions, including one of the final play of the game that left Williams flushed from the pocket and throwing on the run and off his back foot to an empty spot in the end zone as the game came to an end with the 49ers prevailing. 

In what will be an instant classic for years to come with both teams combining for 936 total yards, Brock Purdy became the first QB in 49ers franchise history with back-to-back 5 touchdown games after his performance on Sunday night included 2 rushing touchdowns, 3 passing touchdowns and 303 passing yards. Caleb Williams also played exceptionally well to the tune of 330 passing yards and 2 passing touchdowns. Chicago's Luther Burden III led all receivers with 8 receptions and 138 receiving yards, while San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey led all rushers with 140 yards to go along with 41 yards receiving and a rushing touchdown. McCaffrey also had 100 rushing yards in the first half for the first time in his career, and joined Hall of Famer LaDanian Tomlinson as the only players in NFL history to have 3 seasons with 2,000+ scrimmage yards and 15+ TD. 

Week 18 Preview: Staying in the bay area for the regular season-finale, the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers will play host to the archrival (13-3) Seattle Seahawks in a winner-take-all battle for the NFC Western Division title and the NFC's No. 1 seed. As if these two teams needed any more ammunition to spice up their rivalry, the temperature will be increased to the nth degree as the stakes couldn't be any higher for a regular season match. Despite having already defeated the Seahawks in Seattle this season back in Week 1 and being at home, the 49ers opened up as 1.5-point underdogs according to oddsmakers. With both teams entering the heavyweight bout having won their last six games, we may be in store for yet another slugfest as each team has been on a roll and doesn't seem to like each other one bit. The one glaring difference over the last few games between these two clubs has been the quarterback play. While the 49ers have rode off the success of their quarterback Brock Purdy the last few games, Seattle has managed to win despite recent struggles from QB Sam Darnold. Robert Saleh's squad will look to continue to make things miserable for Seattle's signal-caller on Saturday night, but the last two weeks haven't exactly gone that way as opposing quarterbacks have had a field day against San Francisco's defense for the greater part of the last two weeks now. 

However, no offense in football is as hot as San Francisco's right now as Kyle Shanahan's team has now scored in 27 consecutive quarters entering the regular season-finale. Saturday's meeting is sure to be the latest chapter in what's been a rivalry defined by eventful endings including the stop at the goal-line by San Francisco's Dre Greenlaw in the 2020 regular season finale that helped secure home-field advantage and the No. 1 seed for the 49ers during the Super Bowl run. 

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Purdy Leads 49ers in Monday Night Shootout over Colts

Week 16 - With three games remaining on the regular season schedule for the (10-4) San Francisco 49ers, the team would learn on Sunday night that their playoff ticket would be punched before even having to take the field on Monday night against the (8-6) Indianapolis Colts thanks to a loss from the Detroit Lions. And with a chance to secure the NFC's No. 1 seed by winning their final three games, first on the list would be a 44-year old quarterback in Philip Rivers. Stealing the headlines entering Monday night's game, all eyes would be on Rivers who would make his home debut for the Colts after coming out of retirement on December 10, ending a layoff of nearly five years. And after nearly returning to a victory one week earlier had it not been for some late-game heroics from Seattle Seahawks kicker Josh Myers, Rivers who played well enough to win in his season debut, would try his luck at Indy's Lucas Oil Stadium. Through nearly 3 1/2 quarters Monday night, Rivers would go toe-to-toe with 49ers QB Brock Purdy in a tit-for-tat slugfest that saw the most combined points scored in a Monday Night Football game since a 54-51 shootout between the Rams and Chiefs in 2018. 

Winning the coin-toss and electing to receive, it was Rivers and the Colts who came out guns blazing on offense to begin the game. Having lost their last four games, Rivers had the Colts offense looking much like they did earlier in the year when they jumped out to a 7-1 start to the season under quarterback Daniel Jones. Marching 82-yards in 11-plays, Rivers capped things off with the first free-play touchdown of his career, connecting on a 20-yard pass to receiver Alec Pierce inside the end zone to open up the scoring and give Indy an early 7-0 lead. Up for the challenge, Brock Purdy and the 49er offense would answer quickly with a touchdown of their own by marching 69-yards in only 6-plays before a touchdown pass to receiver Demarcus Robinson from 22-yards out, his first of the season. With a fumble on the ensuing return from the Colts' special-teams, the 49ers would take over with a short field and once again wasted little time before finding the end zone again as Purdy threw a strike to running back Christian McCaffrey for a 2-yard score, giving San Francisco their first lead of the ballgame. 

After throwing for a total of 120 yards a week earlier against Seattle, Rivers would have more passing yards in the first quarter Monday night than he had all of last week. Looking to answer and keep his team in the game, Rivers would do just that on the Colts' next drive, opening the second quarter with another touchdown pass to Pierce, marking the first time since 2012 that Rivers would have touchdown passes on his first two drives. But no matter what Rivers and the Colts offense threw at the San Francisco defense, Kyle Shanahan's offense continued to throw haymakers in return as Brock Purdy and company showed no signs of slowing down and kept firing away with successful drives of their own. By the 9:30 mark in the second quarter, Purdy would have three touchdown passes to three different targets over his team's first three possessions as George Kittle joined in on the scoring palooza with an 11-yard touchdown reception to help San Francisco regain the lead. Following a three and out punt from Indy, the 49ers added an Eddy Pineiro field goal to add to their lead. After the Colts answered with a field goal of their own, Pineiro came on for one final field goal attempt to send the game into halftime, but his 64-yard try that would've set a new career-high clanked off the crossbar, keeping the score at 24-17 in favor of San Francisco. 

After tossing three first half touchdowns for the first time in his career, Purdy picked up right where he left off to begin the third quarter, connecting on big plays to Jauan Jennings and Kittle before a touchdown pass on third down to Jennings, ending a streak of seven games without allowing a third quarter touchdown by the Colts defense, their longest streak since 2007. Both teams would exchange field goals before setting up a wild fourth quarter that began with the Colts making it a 7-point game following a 1-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jonathan Taylor. With a record of 9-0 this season when leading at the half for San Francisco, Niners running back Christian McCaffrey did his part to keep that streak alive by tallying a 24-yard run, his longest of the season to put him over 1,000 rushing yards for the season. Purdy would award his running back later in the drive with his second TD reception of the night from 9-yards out to give Purdy a career-high 5 passing touchdowns, the most by a 49ers quarterback since Steve Young in Super Bowl XXIX. As for regular season statistics, you would have to go back even further to 1990 when Joe Montana threw a franchise-record 6 passing TD's against the Atlanta Falcons. On a near perfect night for Purdy, his only blemish on the evening came on a tipped pass just out of the reach of a leaping Kendrick Bourne and into the arms of a Colts defender. 

With Rivers and Colts looking for a quick score with under 5-minutes remaining, the San Francisco defense came up with their biggest play of the night when linebacker Dee Winters made his first career interception a good one, making a house call with a 74-yard pick-six. It would be the final nail in the coffin on the night for Robert Saleh's defense that failed to play anywhere near their best ball but made a big play in the end when they needed it most. With a final score of 48-27, the 49ers captured their first win over the Colts since 2001 after dropping their last five meetings. San Francisco also improved to 11-4 on the year and increased their winning streak to an NFC-best 5 straight games, all by 10+ points, their 2nd longest streak under coach Shanahan. San Francisco's offense which is firing on all cylinders, has now gone two full games without a single punt, a feat achieved by only four other teams in the Super Bowl era: 2004 Steelers, 2021 Bills, 2024 Commanders and the 2025 Colts. With 11 touchdowns and 6 field goals over their last 20 drives, the last 49ers punt took place on November 30 against the Cleveland Browns. Having scored in 23 straight quarters, the 49ers are on their longest scoring streak since 1995. Helping spearhead that offense on Monday night was Brock Purdy who would be named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for throwing for 295 yards, 5 touchdowns and 1 interception for a PFF grade of 96.6, setting a career-high and the highest grade of any QB in an NFL game this season. 

49ers tight-end George Kittle led all receivers with a season-high 115 yards and a touchdown before having to leave the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury. Christian McCaffrey added 117 yards on the ground, while scoring both of his touchdowns on the night thru the air and is now just 151 receiving yards shy of becoming the first player ever with two 1,000 yards rushing/1,000 yards receiving seasons. Kittle and McCaffrey would be two of six 49ers named to the NFC Pro Bowl team, joining Kyle Juszczyk, Trent Williams, Luke Gifford and Jon Weeks. With six representatives being named, they tie the Ravens, Broncos and Seahawks for the most players chosen from one team. For the Colts, Monday night's loss guaranteed playoff berths for the Chargers, Bills and Steelers in the AFC. With the Colts having a playoff percentage of 98% back in Week 8, those chances have now plummeted to 5% after the loss on Monday. Despite the loss, Rivers had an impressive outing by throwing for 277 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception to add to his Hall of Fame resume. 

Week 17 Preview: Setting up a primetime clash on Sunday Night Football, the (11-4) 49ers will play host to the (11-4) Chicago Bears, leaders of the NFC North. In their first year under head coach Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams and the Bears have gone from last to first in the division and are currently sitting in the No. 2 position in the NFC and like San Francisco, have their eyes set on the No. 1 seed. With San Francisco riding their NFC-best five game winning streak, Chicago enters Sunday's game having won 7 of their last 8. The Bears are coming off an overtime win at home over the archrival Green Bay Packers in which Chicago came back from being down 13-3 in the fourth quarter before capitalizing late and recovering a successful onside-kick. Facing a stout secondary which leads the NFL in interceptions forced with 21 and a league-best +21 turnover differential, Brock Purdy and the 49ers will attempt to keep things rolling on offense with 26+ points scored in six of their last seven games. 

With 8 passing touchdowns over his last two games, Brock Purdy is getting hot at the right time and has made receiver Jauan Jennings a top target of his with Jennings scoring touchdowns in four straight games and six of his last seven. While the Chicago defense has excelled against the pass, they've struggled to contain the opposition on the ground, allowing 5 yards per carry to running backs this season which ranks 29th in the league. That could translate to another big game on the ground from San Francisco's Christian McCaffrey who's coming off his best game in eight weeks. 

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49ers Pummel Titans, Inch Closer to Playoff Berth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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49ers End Drought in Cleveland with Win over Browns

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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