Niners Fall to Falcons, Suffer First Loss of Season

Week 7 - In a perfect world, the (6-0) San Francisco 49ers would sail into their Week 8 Bye with a perfect record of 7-0. But in order to do that, they would have to get past the (2-4) Falcons with a road win in Atlanta, somewhere they hadn't won during the regular season since 2001 after coming up short in their previous four attempts. Looking to win for their defensive coordinator Raheem Morris who was fired from the Falcons in January after serving the last two seasons as the team's head coach, things were looking up for San Francisco early on before penalties and costly turnovers helped turn the tide, making things hard on a 49ers team that was forced to find production elsewhere down their top five receivers.

With six straight road wins under their belt dating back to last season, Kyle Shanahan's offense began Sunday's game in familiar fashion as they jumped out to an early lead by scoring a touchdown on the game's opening-possession. With a heavy dose of running back Christian McCaffrey who touched the ball on five of the game's first six plays from scrimmage, CMC appeared to be in store for another one of his signature games. But after taking a hit to his hamstring area that would result in medical attention on the 49ers' sideline, San Francisco's elite playmaker would give way to rookie Kaelon Black who had his most productive day since the season-opener in Australia. With the Niners getting to the 1-yard line and failing to reach the end zone after back-to-back attempts by Black, McCaffrey reentered the game on 4th and 1 and leaped over the goal line for the game's first touchdown. Atlanta would answer with a field goal while utilizing running back Bijan Robinson in a similar fashion as the Niners used McCaffrey, touching the ball on three of Atlanta's first four plays following a 61-yard kick return from Zachariah Branch. 

After trading punts, the 49ers found the end zone again, this time from Kaelon Black who scored his first career touchdown with a 30-yard scamper. But again, the Falcons would answer, this time with a touchdown of their own as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. found his backup tight-end Nick Muse, making it a 14-9 ballgame after a missed extra-point from kicker Nick Folk. Muse would serve his position proud as the league celebrated "National Tight End Day", an unofficial holiday made famous by San Francisco's George Kittle who also contributed on Sunday with 88 yards receiving on 8 receptions. Making it across midfield and looking to add to their lead before the half, San Francisco saw those hopes go up in flames after fumbles from running backs Jordan James and Kaelon Black on consecutive plays. After the 49ers were able to recover the fumble from James, they were unable to repeat the feat as Black's fumble on 2nd and 1 from the Atlanta 29 yard line was recovered by the defense. Holding the Falcons to a field goal, San Francisco went into the locker room clinging onto a 14-12 lead at the half. 

With Atlanta receiving the second half kickoff, the 49ers quickly found themselves in unfamiliar territory as they entered Sunday's game having spent 69% of time leading their opponents this season -- the highest in the NFL. Unimpressed, the Falcons would take a 19-14 lead with Penix Jr. finding another one of his tight-ends in the end zone, this time with Kyle Pitts who hauled in the 5-yard score. After beginning to march with what appeared to be another successful drive on offense, suddenly spiraled as 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy who was flushed from the pocket, and instead of throwing the ball away attempted to do too much by threading the needle with a pass that was intercepted along the sideline by the Atlanta defense. Making matters worse, the Falcons offense would again turn the 49er turnover into points as Penix Jr. threw his third touchdown pass of the day with a 21-yarder to receiver Drake London, giving his team a 12-point lead to start the fourth quarter. Facing their largest deficit of the season, Brock Purdy and company failed get anything going on their next possession, turning the ball over on downs after the Niners QB was taken down for a sack. However, just three plays earlier San Francisco thought they had inched closer with a 23-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to receiver Jordan Watkins, but the replay officials deemed it an incomplete pass as Watkins went to the ground without full control of the ball according to the referee. 

Despite all that, the 49ers would still have a chance to pull off the late comeback after forcing a three and out punt on Atlanta's ensuing possession. In desperate need of a touchdown, Kyle Shanahan's offense would get just that as Purdy found his fullback Kyle Juszczyk from a yard out. Unfortunately, Eddy Pineiro would miss the extra-point wide left, his third missed PAT of the season. Forcing another Atlanta punt, San Francisco would be given a chance to take the lead until Purdy had another pass intercepted, this time from rookie linebacker Kendal Daniels who tipped the ball to himself for the big time takeaway. By adding a field goal, Atlanta increased their lead to 29-20 as the game reached the two-minute warning. With little to no chance at a comeback, the final nail in the coffin came in the form of a George Kittle fumble that sealed San Francisco's fate, handing them their first loss of the season. After jumping out to an early 14-3 lead, it was the turnovers that did the 49ers in as they lost the turnover battle 4-0 on Sunday. Quite the surprise considering San Francisco had only six turnovers on the season entering Sunday.

Helping the Falcons claim their first home win of the season, Michael Penix Jr. threw for 213 yards and 3 touchdowns as San Francisco's defense was unable to bring the Atlanta QB down for a single sack. Meanwhile, Brock Purdy who was sacked twice on the afternoon, threw for 288 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. With the exception of Jordan Watkins who was the only 49ers receiver to log more than 50 yards (56 on 3 receptions), the absence of Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, De'Zhaun Stribling and Ricky Pearsall was on full display as newcomers Brandin Cooks and Christian Kirk were nonfactors in Sunday's loss. San Francisco rookie running back Kaelon Black tied Atlanta's Bijan Robinson for a game-high in rushing yards with 63, but needed eight fewer carries than Robinson. 

Week 9 Preview: Next up on the schedule for the (6-1) 49ers is to enjoy the Week 8 Bye by recouping and regrouping before hitting the field again when they play host to the (3-4) Las Vegas Raiders. When San Francisco returns from the Bye, they will be welcoming home an old friend and familiar face in defensive-tackle DeForest Buckner whom 49ers general manager John Lynch traded for on Tuesday. After dealing Buckner to the Colts back in 2020 for a first-round pick, Lynch re-acquired Buckner who is on the final year of a two-year contract in exchange for a 2027 fourth-round pick in what appears to be a full blown rebuild in Indianapolis. The acquisition of Buckner will be a welcoming sight as San Francisco has had its fair share of injuries along the defensive-line in the season's early going. Buckner is expected to be ready to go when the Niners take on the Raiders in Week 9. Coach Shanahan is hoping to have a few more reinforcements in time for their next game as a number of players who missed the Atlanta game have a chance to return including: Mike Evans, Deebo Samuel, Demarcus Robinson, Nick Bosa, CJ West, Marques Sigle, Garrett Wallow, Luke Gifford and Upton Stout. 

After jumping out to an impressive 3-0 start behind first-year head coach Klint Kubiak, Las Vegas has suddenly fallen by dropping four straight games entering Week 8, a skid that has some in and around the team ready to see what this year's first overall pick Fernando Mendoza has to offer at the quarterback position after leading the Indiana Hosiers to a Heisman Trophy and National Title back in January. Whether or not the team moves on from current QB Kirk Cousins two weeks from now if the team continues to slide is still yet to be seen. Cousins' name has also been the subject to potential trades if the Raiders decide they're ready to hand the reigns to the kid Mendoza. 

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49ers Remain Unbeaten with Monday Night Win over Washington

Week 6 - Taking centerstage for Monday Night Football would be the unbeaten (5-0) San Francisco 49ers and the (1-3-1) Washington Commanders in a battle between two teams who have gotten off to very different starts in the early going of the NFL season. While the 49ers entered their Monday Night bout coming off a gutsy road win over the defending Super Bowl champs, the Commanders are fresh off the first tie of the 2026-27 season after failing to get a snap off in overtime against the rival Giants that would've setup a potential game-winning field goal. Unfortunately for them, those same struggles would rear their ugly head once more against San Francisco. With 55 wins on Monday Night Football, tied with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the most all-time, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would have a chance to separate themselves and claim the top spot with another win while also eyeing to improve on their 4-1 record all-time against Washington on Monday Night.

As San Francisco began the game with possession of the ball, MVP front-runner Brock Purdy got things clicking immediately by hitting his receiver Mike Evans down the middle for a big 24-yard gain on 3rd & 4 to extend their opening-drive. Several plays later, Purdy would cap things off with an 11-yard pass into the end zone to a wide-open George Kittle for the early touchdown. After Washington answered with a field goal, Purdy and company picked up right where they left off as the Niners QB connected with Evans yet again for another big gain, this time with a 54-yard reception on the first play of their second possession. Entering the match-up, San Francisco's offense had scored TDs on a league-best 87.5% of red zone drives, whereas Washington's defense had allowed TDs on a league-worst 83.3% of red zone drives. Those stats would prove to be true as the Niners punched in their second touchdown in as many possessions with a 1-yard touchdown from running back Christian McCaffrey, giving his team a 13-3 lead following a missed extra-point by kicker Eddy Pineiro. 

With Washington looking to keep things close, quarterback Jayden Daniels did find success when utilizing the deep ball as he connected with his receiving corps on plays of 27 and 29 yards early on. Despite reaching the red zone to start the second quarter, Washington's situational awareness or lack thereof would be on full display for the second straight week when the Commanders elected to go for it on 4th and 2 from San Francisco's 13 yard line and Daniels threw the ball away deep into the end zone without attempting to give any of his teammates a chance at making a play. Not doing himself any favors was head coach Dan Quinn who was seen on the sideline asking his staff what down it was and if they should setup for a field goal after the incomplete pass. Instead, it would be a turnover on downs which San Francisco would be more than happy with. Luckily for Washington, they would get the ball several plays later after forcing a turnover of their own. With the 49ers putting together another nice drive on offense, McCaffrey took a 12-yard gain inside the Washington 20 where he was met from behind with a peanut punch that resulted in a fumble recovery for the Commanders. 

The rare McCaffrey mistake would end a streak of over 500 touches without a fumble but would also light a fire under McCaffrey who would get redemption on San Francisco's following possession. After forcing a three and out punt by Washington, the 49ers extended their lead just before the end of the half with McCaffrey leading the way with a rushing touchdown from a yard out, his second of the evening. Capping off a 20-play drive that spanned over 89-yards, San Francisco jumped out to a 20-3 halftime lead. Unfortunately, both teams would take the field in the second half without their respective leading receivers as both Mike Evans and Terry McLaurin had to leave the game in the first half with injuries. While Evans who was already playing with two broken ribs, hit the locker room early with what team doctors described as a sore Achilles tendon, McLaurin had to be carted off the field after suffering a more serious injury to the patella tendon in his left knee. Team doctors would later confirm the worst as McLaurin suffered a season-ending tear. But as the saying goes -- the show must go on. 

In what would ultimately be a tale of two halves, things began in a similar fashion before the tables eventually turned. After forcing a Washington punt to open the second half, the 49ers tacked on a field goal that was setup by a 35-yard reception from tight-end George Kittle. With San Francisco now leading 23-3, the Commanders finally began to play inspiring football. With their most successful drive yet, Washington finally found the end zone on a 1-yard touchdown pass from Daniels to Steffon Diggs. Following a three and out punt by San Francisco, the Commanders would march yet again with a touchdown-scoring drive that would cut the deficit to six with 9:22 remaining in regulation. Aided by numerous penalties by San Francisco's defense that extended the drive and gave new life to the Commanders, you could just feel the momentum shift even while watching from home. Needing to answer with a score of their own or at the very least a long drive, the Niners offense suddenly went cold and was unable to muster anything with each of their three fourth quarter possessions ending with three and out punts while netting a total of 7 yards, clearly missing the on-field presence of Mike Evans.

However, while the offense began to sputter into a full blown tailspin, tallying only 67 yards of offense in the second half including 65 on their first possession, San Francisco's defense stepped up and answered the call when they were needed most. Another nice drive by Washington began to take form as the Commanders reached the red zone. But it would be there where Niners safety Malik Mustapha made a pair of bruising hits that laid bare to Washington's hopes of pulling off a comeback. After forcing the turnover on downs, all San Francisco needed to do was convert a game-sealing first down. Instead, their offensive woes would continue as they appeared to be lost without their star receiver and were forced to punt with a minute to go. With no timeouts remaining, Washington would attempt a last-ditch effort near midfield. After converting a first down that put them at the San Francisco 28 yard line, Daniels made a pivotal mistake when he was pressured and called for an intentional grounding penalty. One play later, Daniels would be taken down by the tandem of Keion White and rookie Romello Height for the game-sealing sack as time expired. 

Escaping with the 23-17 victory, San Francisco improved to 6-0 for the first time since 2019 and just the second time under head coach Kyle Shanahan. Hoping history will repeat itself, the past three 6-0 starts have led to an NFC Championship appearance for the 49ers. With 264 yards and a touchdown, quarterback Brock Purdy finished with a QB rating of 111.9, becoming the NFL's all-time leader in passer rating at 105.6 for his career, besting Lamar Jackson's previous mark of 102.7. Purdy also became one of only two quarterbacks to ever start a season 6-0 with 15+ total touchdowns and 2 or fewer turnovers with Tom Brady in 2015 being the other. Purdy's counterpart Jayden Daniels also finished with an impressive performance, especially considering his team's slow start and the fact that his leading receiver would be lost before halftime. Daniels threw for an even 300 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss. One area San Francisco did excel in against Daniels was in the sacks department as defensive coordinator Raheem Morris' unit totaled four sacks on the night, bringing their season total to 15 sacks. In comparison, San Francisco forced only 7 sacks at this point a season ago. 

Week 7 Preview: Hitting the road to face the (2-4) Atlanta Falcons, emotions will be especially high for one Raheem Morris as the current 49ers defensive coordinator will face his former team for the first time since being fired as head coach back in January after spending the last two seasons at the helm in Atlanta. Meanwhile, current Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will look to play spoiler and hand both Morris and the 49ers their first loss of the season. With San Francisco's Bye week on the horizon in Week 8 and receiver Mike Evans expected to miss some time while dealing with Achilles tendinitis, Brock Purdy and the 49er offense will need contributions elsewhere as Deebo Samuel is also working to get back from a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined in Week 6. The team is hopeful they will see receiver Christian Kirk for the first time this season after signing the 8-year veteran to a one-year contract during the offseason. With plenty of question marks surrounding the 49ers' receiving corps heading into Atlanta, we might be slated for another tilt where the defense is asked to step up and deliver another win, although they will also have their hands full with All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson. If not, this game could have trap game written all over it as San Francisco will take the field at 10am for the first time this season while seeking their first regular season win at Atlanta since 2001. 

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Niners outduel Seahawks in Wild Win over Seattle

Week 5 - No love would be lost between two hated NFC West foes as the (4-0) San Francisco 49ers and (3-1) Seattle Seahawks added the latest chapter to their heated rivalry with a thriller that came down to the wire. Going into their week 5 match-up with the reigning champion Seahawks, the one knock on the Niners among critics in and around the league was that they had yet to face a true road challenge despite claiming a dominant win on the other side of the globe in Australia against a heavy Super Bowl favorite Rams team. Despite the naysayers, they would take that challenge head on in this one with revenge on their mind after being trounced by Seattle back in January by a final score of 41-6. That loss would end San Francisco's season and propel the Seahawks into the NFC Championship where they would go on to advance to the Super Bowl. 

With zero touchdowns scored in their last two meetings against Seattle's vaunted defense, Brock Purdy and company refused to make it a threepeat by scoring the game's first touchdown early on thanks to the first of many big plays by the San Francisco defense. After a three and out punt by the 49er offense on the game's opening possession, San Francisco's Renardo Green intercepted Sam Darnold to set his team up inside the red zone. After a big third down conversion to receiver Mike Evans, quarterback Brock Purdy would award Evans one play later with a 2-yard strike for a touchdown. Playing with two broken ribs suffered in week 3, Evans would make his stamp on the game all afternoon long with big plays. Forcing a three and out punt on Seattle's ensuing possession, the 49ers had their opponent right where they wanted them until a major gaffe by return man Jacob Cowing who failed to signal for a fair-catch and was blown up on the play, resulting in a fumble recovery by Seattle. And as expected, the Seahawks would take advantage of the mistake with a game-tying touchdown several plays later. 

As Seattle took a 10-7 lead to open the second quarter, the 49er defense forced a turnover of their own and pounced on Emanuel Wilson's fumble created by Fred Warner. Christian McCaffrey would cash in on the takeaway one play later with an 11-yard rushing touchdown. With San Francisco leading the game 14-13 following another Jason Myers field goal, it appeared both teams would be heading into the half with a 1-point game. However, Seattle had other plans and instead of milking the clock, they ran a play with 18-seconds remaining and paid the price as rookie defensive-lineman Gracen Halton who had himself a game, stripped backup running back George Holani of the ball and recovered the fumble inside the end zone for a touchdown. The play would spell disaster for Seattle and spring San Francisco ahead with an 8-point lead at halftime. With another half of football to go, there would be plenty of fireworks in the first half alone, including a scuffle that broke out along the Seattle sideline following a late-hit penalty called on 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who pushed Darnold out of bounds. Greenlaw would be surrounded by a number of Seahawks including linebacker Ernest Jones IV who got in the face of Greenlaw and baited him into throwing a headbutt which Greenlaw would be ejected for. 

With another half of football to be played and already so much having taken place, the 49ers would open the second half the same way they did the first -- with Renardo Green intercepting Sam Darnold for the second time on the afternoon. In an attempt to add to their lead, the 49ers would suffer a missed field goal as Eddy Pineiro failed to connect on his 52-yard attempt. Seattle would inch closer with a successful field goal on the other end and would eventually take the lead as Brock Purdy threw a rare interception, only his second of the season. The 49ers would pay for their mistake several plays later as Darnold hit Jaxson Smith-Njigba who made a dash for the go-ahead 16-yard touchdown, despite having suffered an ankle injury earlier. San Francisco's string of unfortunate events would continue just two plays into their ensuing drive when Deebo Samuel took a hand-off and went down with a non-contact injury, fumbling the ball in the process. Seattle would again benefit from the costly turnover with a field goal to add to their lead, 26-21. 

Trailing by five entering the fourth quarter, it was there where Kyle Shanahan's offense would orchestrate the longest drive of the game for either team, marching 95-yards on 18-plays and eating up seven minutes off the clock. Capping off the long methodical drive, Brock Purdy hit his newest target in receiver Brandin Cooks for the 7-yard touchdown to jump back ahead. Electing to go for two, Purdy connected in the end zone with Mike Evans who hauled in the successful two-point conversion to give his team a 29-26 lead. Seattle would eventually tie the game one possession later with Jason Myers remaining perfect with his fifth field goal on the day. Having dealt with some ups and downs in the early part of the season, Niners kicker Eddy Pineiro would answer the call near the two-minute warning, drilling a go-ahead 44-yard field goal to put his team back on top in the final minutes. Forcing Seattle to make a last-ditch effort and pull off a comeback, the Seahawks got a big gain on first down on a 35-yard pass from Darnold to JSN, setting them up at midfield. But after three consecutive incompletions, the Seattle offense stared down a 4th and 10 call that would literally come down to inches as receiver Cooper Kupp shook off a tackle and made a diving attempt to convert the first down before being pushed out of bounds and marked just shy of the marker. The play would go to review but the call would stand as San Francisco held on for the 32-29 win in dramatic fashion. 

49ers QB Brock Purdy who had been kept on his feet thru the first four weeks without taking a single sack, was brought down three times on Sunday, but came thru in the end when his team needed him most, throwing for 189 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win. What would become known as the Mike Evans show, the banged-up receiver hauled in a game-high 7 receptions for 113 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, San Francisco's defense answered the call with 5 sacks on the afternoon, a bounce back performance from their quiet 0 sack performance against Denver the week prior. Sam Darnold threw for 195 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions for Seattle, with JSN being the only Seahawks receiver to tally more than 25 yards receiving, totaling 102 and a touchdown. After a combined 26-points scored in their three games played against Seattle a season ago, San Francisco was able to explode for 32-points Sunday despite being without several of their top players on the defensive-line and in the receiving department. The game would prove to be a gritty bout that was far from pretty for either team as a combined seven turnovers were committed. 

The 49ers improved to 5-0 on the season and have now claimed wins in the NFC Western Division over all three teams, an exceptional start for a team that is still banged up when looking at their depth-chart. San Francisco became just the second team in NFL history to start a season 5-0 with three wins coming against teams that had 12 or more wins the previous year (Rams, Broncos, Seahawks). 

Week 6 Preview: The (5-0) 49ers will return home in Week 6, playing host to the (1-3-1) Washington Commanders on Monday Night Football. Coming off a rare tie against the New York Giants after a complete debacle in overtime where Washington failed to get the snap off in an attempt to setup a potential game-winning field goal, the Commanders may be playing for head coach Dan Quinn's job on Monday. Though they've already experienced a rollercoaster season up to this point that featured a gruesome elbow injury suffered by franchise quarterback Jayden Daniels in Week 2 and an upset win over Seattle in Week 3 with their backup quarterback, the Commander are not to be taken lightly. Meanwhile, the 49ers will be taking the field without both Deebo Samuel who is expected to miss several weeks with a hamstring injury and Dre Greenlaw who is serving a one game suspension without pay for his actions in the scuffle with Seattle's bench. San Francisco will attempt to keep their unbeaten streak alive and continue to mount a lead in the NFC Western Division standings after Seattle, Los Angeles and Arizona all walked away from Week 5 with losses added to their respective records. 

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Niners Buck Broncos with Strong Second Half

Week 4 - For the San Francisco 49ers who entered Sunday as one of only four remaining unbeaten teams in the NFL at 3-0, including a dominant season-opening win over the division rival and Super Bowl favorite -- Los Angeles Rams, perhaps their biggest test yet would come on Sunday at home against the visiting (2-1) Denver Broncos. Falling one win shy of making it to the Super Bowl a season ago, head coach Sean Payton and company would enter Levi's Stadium with back-to-back come-from-behind wins under their belt after falling flat in their season-opener against the rival Kansas City Chiefs. Notoriously known for being a second half team under third year starting quarterback Bo Nix who has recorded 20 total comeback victories -- the most ever for a quarterback in his first three seasons since 1970, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would need to register a full four quarters of solid football in order to stave off another heroic effort from the Broncos QB. 

On the other side, Nix's counterpart Brock Purdy would enter Sunday's meeting fresh off being named the NFC Offensive Player of the Month for September. With 13-offensive touchdowns scored in the first half by the 49er offense this season entering their bout with the Broncos, tied for the league-lead in that department, Sunday's game would have a much different feel to it as it was the defense from both sides that stole the show. After Denver opened the game with a three-and-out punt, the 49ers converted a pair of first downs before having to punt themselves. Having trailed in a game for a total of less than five minutes this season, the 49ers found themselves in rare territory after Denver took a 3-0 lead with less than two minutes remaining in the first quarter. It would also be the first points allowed in the first quarter by the 49er defense this season. With nothing doing on their next two possessions, including a turnover on downs on a failed 4th and 1 attempt, the 49ers eventually tied the game with a field goal of their own and even had a chance to take a 6-3 lead at the half, but kicker Eddy Pineiro's second field goal try was blocked, leaving both team's to head into the locker room all tied up at 3-3. 

Opening the second half with the football, the 49ers nearly fumbled away the second half kickoff when receiver Deebo Samuel was back to return and had the ball knocked out and up into the air before his teammate Brayden Willis came up with the football to avoid further disaster. The Broncos, however, would not be so lucky on the other end on special-teams. Following a trio of three more punts to open the second half, the 49ers pounced on an opportunity that would lead to the first touchdown of the afternoon from either team. Special-teamster Siran Neal made arguably the biggest play of the game when he forced and recovered a fumble for San Francisco from Broncos punt returner Marvin Mims Jr. Ironically, Neal was on the opposite end of a special-teams blunder just a week earlier when an Arizona Cardinals punt bounced off of him, resulting in an easy recovery and eventual touchdown for his opponent. And just like in that game, the other team would cash in on the costly error. 

Taking over with stellar field position, the 49ers slowly worked their way up the rest of the field before a touchdown pass on 3rd and 1 was hauled in by Deebo Samuel to give the home team their first lead of the afternoon. After only two scores in the entire first half, Samuel's touchdown would kickstart a combined streak of five consecutive scoring-drives. With the Broncos cutting into the 7-point deficit with another field goal to make it 10-6, the 49ers added another touchdown, but it would come at a cost as Pro Bowl fullback Kyle Juszczyk would be injured on the drive after taking a hit to the knee following a 16-yard reception. San Francisco would finish the drive with a 1-yard touchdown from running back Christian McCaffrey who in his 10th NFL season would face the Broncos for the first time in his career, the team his father Ed helped win a pair of Super Bowls in 1997 and 1998. With the 49ers now leading 17-6 with less than 10-minutes remaining, Denver would need a touchdown of their own to keep pace. Thanks to their best drive of the day on offense, the Broncos would do just that as Bo Nix found receiver Jaylen Waddle who recorded his first touchdown on the season and first in a Broncos uniform, cutting the deficit to just a field goal. 

But just when the 49ers needed a clutch touchdown of their own to help seal the win, tight-end George Kittle answered the call with a short screen pass that he would take to the house for a 56-yard touchdown, making it a two-score game again. The Broncos would attempt to claw closer with a 58-yard field goal try from kicker Wil Lutz, but his kick would sail wide right, allowing the 49ers to kneel the ball and kill the clock, sealing the 24-14 victory. After becoming just the 4th team in the Super Bowl era to start 3-0 with 0 sacks allowed, the 49ers continued that streak on Sunday by going another game with Purdy staying on his feet. Despite it being the quietest of Purdy's four games played this season, throwing for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns, Sunday marked the team's first win this season where the defense was ultimately what helped them to victory. Brock Purdy also became just the second QB in NFL history to record 10+ TD passes and 0 sacks taken through the first 4 games of a season since his childhood idol Dan Marino in 1984. Elsewhere, McCaffrey led all rushers with 52-yards and a touchdown on 15 attempts, while receiver Mike Evans led the way in receiving with 76 yards on 5 receptions despite being a game-time decision and playing with a rib injury. 

On the defensive side of things, linebacker Dre Greenlaw who played for the Broncos last season, registered a team-high 12 tackles on the day and had an extra pep in his step while facing his former team. Greenlaw would later be fined by the league nearly $12,000 for taunting the Broncos sideline and having some choice words for his former head coach Sean Payton after bad blood boiled over towards the end of his Broncos tenure and spilled out onto the field when both teams merged near midfield following the final whistle. Improving to 4-0 for the third time under head coach Kyle Shanahan, 49ers players and fans alike are hoping for a similar result as the last two instances (2019, 2023) which resulted in a trip to the Super Bowl. Coach Shanahan would reach a milestone on Sunday with what was his 167th game coached with the 49ers, the most in franchise history, surpassing Hall of Famer Bill Walsh. 

Week 5 Preview: The 49ers will hit the road in Week 5 where they will face off against the (3-1) Seattle Seahawks with a chance to secure another win within the division and sweep thru their first of two runs against the NFC West. Currently trailing San Francisco by 1 game in the division standings, Seattle's only blemish thus far was a Week 3 loss on the road against backup quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Washington Commanders. Coach Mike Macdonald's Seahawks got back on track in Week 4 with a win at home over the struggling (0-4) Los Angles Chargers, 30-23. The 49ers will look to flush their last visit to Seattle's Lumen Field where they were blown out in the NFC's Divisional round of the playoffs back in January by a final score of 41-6. Instead, they will look to duplicate the success they had in Seattle to open the season a year ago when they escaped with a 17-13 win thanks to one Nick Bosa. Unfortunately, Bosa will not be around to help them this time around. 

The 49ers offensive-line that has yet to allow a sack on QB Brock Purdy so far this year thru four weeks, they will try to keep their guy on his feet once more on Sunday against a defense that got to him six times last year over three meetings. With a win on Sunday, San Francisco will add to their division lead and can claim their most impressive win yet. 

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Purdy Shines in Win over Rival Cardinals

Week 3 - Just two weeks into the 2026-27 NFL season and it would be hard to find another team that has looked as impressive as the (2-0) San Francisco 49ers have with back-to-back wins of 20+ points to start the season. And with the division rival Seattle Seahawks having lost on the road to the Washington Commanders earlier in the day, the 49ers would have a chance to take sole possession of first place in the NFC West with a win on Sunday against the (1-1) Arizona Cardinals. Coming off a blowout loss to Seattle in their home-opener a week earlier, one might think the 49ers would have an easy win in store, but as we've learned time and time again, you can never count out a divisional opponent no matter the record. San Francisco would also be forced to take the field Sunday without their top pass-rusher in defensive-end Nick Bosa who reportedly pulled his calf during Thursday's practice and is expected to miss several weeks. Bosa joins a lengthy list of injured 49er defensive-linemen, giving them six injuries at the position through the first two weeks. Not to mention they began the season already without their first-round pick from a season ago Mykel Williams who is still recovering from a torn ACL injury suffered last year.  

After winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the 49er defense would force an Arizona punt on the Cardinals' first possession of the game. Taking over on offense, San Francisco looked like they were headed for a slow start of their own while facing a 3rd and 12 at their own 18, but a brilliantly executed hook and ladder play would turn the tide in a hurry and help the 49ers jump out to an early lead. After appearing to have come up short of the first down with a quick 2-yard pass to veteran receiver Mike Evans, the seasoned vet hit a streaking Deebo Samuel with a lateral who converted the first down and then some while breaking a tackle near the sideline and taking it to the house for an 80-yard touchdown. Facing another third and long on their second possession of the game, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy would hit receiver Jordan Watkins who turned his first reception of the season into a big one with a 26-yard gain to convert the first down on 3rd and 12. Three plays later, Purdy would hit Mike Evans inside the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown pass that snuck past the defender and made it thru the tightest of windows. 

Chipping away at San Francisco's 14-0 lead just before the half, the Cardinals tacked on a pair of Chad Ryland field goals on their final two possessions of the first half to make it a 14-6 ballgame. But with 23-seconds remaining in the second quarter, Brock Purdy connected on another deep pass to Jordan Watkins who picked up 34-yards to give the Niners an opportunity to get three of those points back just before heading into the locker room. Coming in for his first and only field goal attempt of the afternoon, kicker Eddy Pineiro nailed a 57-yard field goal attempt to put his team back ahead, 17-6. Opening the second half with nice field position thanks to a face mask penalty on Arizona, the 49ers opened half number two just like they did the first -- with a touchdown-scoring drive as running back Christian McCaffrey made his first stamp on the game with a 1-yard score. Unfortunately for the home team, Pineiro would miss the extra-point attempt. Answering with their most successful drive yet, the Cardinals would respond with a touchdown of their own as QB Jacoby Brissett found his favorite target of the afternoon in receiver Michael Wilson to make it a 23-13 game. 

Following a series of punts from each team, the Cardinals caught a huge break on special-teams when a punt bounced off a 49er player who fell to the ground, allowing for an easy recovery by Arizona. Several plays later the Cardinals would inch closer with a 1-yard touchdown pass from Brissett to rookie running back Jeremiyah Love, cutting the once 17-point deficit to a 3-point game near the start of the fourth quarter. Needing a long successful drive of their own, the 49ers would get just that by marching 64-yards on 12-plays, capped off by a touchdown pass from Purdy to tight-end George Kittle, once again making it a two-score game. However, the 49ers and Cardinals would answer each other with four consecutive touchdown-scoring drives to begin the fourth quarter. After Brissett found the end zone from a yard out, the Cardinals got as close as 2-points as Pineiro missed his second extra-point of the afternoon. Needing another clutch drive on offense, Brock Purdy delivered with his fourth touchdown pass of the day. After Purdy scrambled for a 45-yard touchdown on the ground that was nullified by a questionable holding call on Kittle, the two redeemed themselves two plays later when the two connected on a 20-yard touchdown pass. It would be the second touchdown grab of the day for Kittle who celebrated his very own bobblehead day at Levi's Stadium. 

Now trailing 36-27 with under two-minutes remaining in regulation, the Cardinals attempted a last-ditch effort to pull off the double-digit comeback and even added another field goal, but their late-game heroics would fall short as they were unable to recover the ensuing onside-kick as San Francisco held on for the 36-30 victory to remain unbeaten and improve to 3-0 on the season. The win would come at a cost, however, as a number of injuries were suffered on the 49ers front, including Mike Evans (rib), Dre Greenlaw (quad) and Trent Williams (stinger), all of whom had to leave the game. Thankfully, none of which are expected to be long-term injuries. Strengthening his early season MVP candidacy, Brock Purdy added four more touchdowns on the afternoon, helping him become the first 49er QB since Steve Young in 1998 to tally at least 3 total TDs in each of the team's first three games to start a season. Finishing Sunday's game with a QB Rating of 133.8, Purdy's QBR of 93.7 for the season is the highest QBR of any QB in his team's first 3 games to start a season since the metric was introduced in 2006. Of QBs to play three games this year, Baltimore's Lamar Jackson is the next in QBR at 83.8. Purdy also has 8 games with a 140.0+ passer rating, the most in a player's first five seasons in NFL history. 

Finishing Sunday's game with 297 yards passing, Purdy's favorite target of the game would be none other than George Kittle who hauled in 6 receptions for 82-yards and 2 touchdowns, tying him with fellow 49er tight-end Vernon Davis for 4th most receiving touchdowns in 49ers franchise history with 55. Kittle trails only Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens and Gene Washington in that category. Deebo Samuel also had an interesting stat line, putting up 80 receiving yards and his 50th career scrimmage touchdown despite failing to record a single reception on the afternoon, marking the most receiving yards ever in a game without a single catch. The previous record was held by Timmy Brown who had 65 yards back in Week 12 of the 1961 season. Christian McCaffrey also added 75 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the 49er offense. His counterpart Jeremiyah Love also had a strong day on the ground, rushing the ball 21 times for 90 yards, the most by a Cardinals rookie running back since David Johnson in 2015. He would add another 19 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett who set an NFL-record for the most completed passes in a game with 47 the last time these two teams met in Santa Clara last season, finished with another respectful performance, throwing for 280 yards and 2 touchdowns in the loss. 

Week 4 Preview: With the (3-0) 49ers seeing a number of new players fall to the injury bug following their Week 3 win, reinforcements are on the way as general manager John Lynch made a pair of moves by signing two veterans in receiver Brandin Cooks and linebacker Matthew Judon to the team. There's a possibility the pair will be ready to play this Sunday when the team gets set to host the (2-1) Denver Broncos. Beginning the season with a 3-0 record in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1989-90, Brock Purdy and company will look to improve on that mark with a win against Bo Nix and the slow-starting Broncos. After falling flat in their season-opener against the Chiefs, the Broncos have won back-to-back games by coming from behind in the fourth quarter to win both, including a thrilling victory at home over the Los Angeles Rams. Capping off the win over the heavy Super Bowl favorites was former 49er Talanoa Hufanga who intercepted reigning MVP Matthew Stafford twice to seal the victory. 

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49ers Thrash Fish in Home-Opening Win

Week 2 - Making the long trip back home from Melbourne, Australia following their dominant Week 1 victory over the rival Los Angeles Rams, the (1-0) San Francisco 49ers returned to Levi's Stadium for their home-opener against the (0-1) Miami Dolphins. In what would be a match-up between the oldest team in the league (SF) versus the youngest (Miami), Sunday's bout between the 49ers and Dolphins would also feature the largest Pro Bowl gap entering a game in 29 years with San Francisco showcasing a combined 55 career Pro Bowls among their roster (most in the NFL) compared to Miami's 1 (fewest in the NFL). Those numbers would show throughout the game as the more experienced team prevailed when it was all said and done. But not before a number of fan favorites made their return to Levi's on Sunday when receiver Deebo Samuel and linebacker Dre Greenlaw put on the red and gold again in front of the 49er Faithful after both players played elsewhere a season ago. 

Kicking off a first half that featured a combined zero punts, the Dolphins would attempt to take an early lead with a field goal try on the game's opening-possession, before kicker Riley Patterson's 51-yard field goal try sailed wide right. Taking over with good field position across the 40-yard line, the home team would ignite what would ultimately be a busy day for the 49er offense as a 13-play drive was capped off by a 1-yard rushing touchdown from running back Christian McCaffrey. Miami would make a game out of it for at least the first half by answering with a field goal on each of their next two drives including one before the half, but when the Dolphins settled for three points, the 49ers continued to answer with seven. San Francisco would only maintain two possessions in the first half, with both resulting in a touchdown as quarterback Brock Purdy who grew up a big fan of Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins, rushed it in himself to give his team a 14-6 advantage at the half. 

As impressive as the Niners were on offense in the first half, their defense raised some eyebrows as they were unable to get off the field with Miami having success with long drawn out first half drives. Those drives would be mostly fueled by running back De'Von Achane who had a career-high 14 carries in the first half. However, defensive coordinator Raheem Morris would have the San Francisco defense playing much better football to open the second half as they nearly pitched a shutout the rest of the way. Meanwhile, the 49ers offense picked up right where they left off to open the second half, scoring touchdowns on each of their next three drives. Needing only four plays to find the end zone coming out at the half, tight-end George Kittle bookended the drive with a 40-yard reception followed by a 12-yard touchdown grab. Their next possession would require double the amount of plays but ended in a similar result as fullback Kyle Juszczyk hauled in a 6-yard touchdown grab to keep the scoring going. 

After a turnover on downs by the Dolphins, the 49er offense again made quick work of their opponent by needing only two plays to find the end zone for a fifth consecutive time. Setup by an impressive play from Brock Purdy who faked a pass before running away from a defender to eventually find receiver Mike Evans who picked up 27-yards and nearly scored himself had he been able to stay in-bounds. One play later Christian McCaffrey would find the end zone for the second time on the afternoon. San Francisco's scoring frenzy would end there as they scored touchdowns on their first five drives to start a game for the first time since 1991. Making the record books elsewhere, McCaffrey's second touchdown of the game would also be the 100th touchdown of his career, becoming the fourth fastest player to reach the century mark in TD's behind only Ladanian Tomlinson (89), Emmitt Smith (93) and Shaun Alexander (96). McCaffrey would reach the mark in 114 games, one game fewer than Jerry Rice's 115. The two touchdowns on the day would also give him 50 in his career with the 49ers, joining only Marshall Faulk and Randy Moss as the only other players in NFL history to record 50 or more touchdowns with multiple teams. 

Already leading 35-6, the 49ers' first punt of the day would come with 10:36 remaining in the fourth quarter. Looking to end things there, the San Francisco defense would come 2:30 away from holding their opponent from scoring in the second half for the second consecutive game to start the season, but a garbage-time touchdown on a 77-yard bomb from Dolphins QB Malik Willis to receiver Ryan Miller would make it a 35-13 ballgame as the 49ers milked the clock and brought it home from there. The emphatic win would make a franchise first for San Francisco as they opened the season with two wins by 20+ points each. Unlike their game a week ago against the Rams when the 49ers were able to win despite not being able to get to the opposing quarterback, the San Francisco defense was able to tally four sacks on Sunday against Malik Willis, while also keeping their own quarterback on his feet without allowing a single sack for the second consecutive week. 

Brock Purdy finished with another impressive line by completing 20 of 22 pass attempts for 287 yards and 2 touchdowns to go along with another touchdown on the ground. Purdy would also lead his team in rushing by finishing with 30 yards on three attempts. Running backs Kaylon Black and Christian McCaffrey, each finished with 25 and 23 yards rushing, respectively. Tight-end George Kittle would look a lot like his normal self after returning to form following a quiet Week 1 by leading his team in receiving with 80 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Among those receptions would be career reception No. 600 for Kittle who stands alone with the 2nd-most receptions in 49ers franchise history behind only the great Jerry Rice. Kittle is also just the 8th tight-end in the Super Bowl era to reach that number in his first 10 seasons and the third fastest (126 games) behind only Travis Kelce (110 games) and Jason Witten (125 games), some rather elite company for the longtime 49ers tight-end. 

Week 3 Preview: The 49ers will play host to the (1-1) Arizona Cardinals in Week 3 as they look to improve on their early season success with what would be their third win of the season and second win in the division. After pulling off an upset win on the road over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1, the Cardinals returned home for Week 2 where they were manhandled by the Seattle Seahawks by a final score of 31-7. In that loss, Cards QB Jacoby Brissett was held to under 100 yards passing on the day (95) and Arizona's defense had no answer for Seattle's top receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba who hauled in 9 passes for 155 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Brock Purdy can continue his hot start, the 49er offense may be in store for another big day on offense come Sunday. 

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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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