49ers Shake off 5 Turnovers to Stun Steelers

Week 3 - Coming off back to back road wins to open a season for the first time since 1989, the (2-0) San Francisco 49ers would look to do one better by improving to 3-0 for the first time since 1998. And though they would eventually get the job done and add another tally in the win column, it wouldn't come easy nor would it be pretty as the 49er offense would have its fair share of miscues and would have to be bailed out by the defense. On a day the Niners held a halftime presentation to honor Terrell Owens aka T.O. into their Hall of Fame, the 49ers offense committed a number of t.o.'s of their own as they were beaten badly in the turnover department on Sunday. Kicking off their home-opener and hosting the visiting (0-2) Pittsburgh Steelers, San Francisco would need to pull out all the stops in order to reign victorious in a game that would see them commit a total of five turnovers, including four in the first half alone after only two in the first two weeks combined.

Things would get off to a rocky start early on for the home team as San Francisco watched their first drive of the game go up in flames just three plays in as running back Matt Breida bobbled a pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo that wound up in the hands of Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt. They would nearly suffer another turnover during their second possession on a fumbled pitch to Raheem Mostert as the backup running back prematurely turned his head before having full possession of the ball, as the 8-play drive ended with a punt. But the Niners wouldn't be so lucky on their following drive which ended with another interception as the newly acquired Minkah Fitzpatrick made his presence felt in his Steelers debut, intercepting a tipped pass that was hurried when Garoppolo felt the pressure of a near sack. Just when things began to look up for the Niner offense, the team was doomed by consecutive fumbles inside the red zone as Mostert coughed up the ball at the Pittsburgh 15-yard line after being tackled, and Garoppolo fumbled at the Pittsburgh 7-yard line following a bad snap. Despite the four turnovers suffered in the first half, the 49ers were very fortunate to find themselves trailing by only three-points as the Steelers took a 6-3 lead into the half.

After being held scoreless in a quarter for the first time this season, the Niner offense would begin to finally show life in the third quarter. Making his first career start in place of the injured Ben Roethlisberger who was lost for the year with a shoulder injury in Week 2, quarterback Mason Rudolph failed to show the same poise he exhibited in the near comeback against Seattle just a week prior. And on Pittsburgh's opening possession to start the second half, the Niner defense finally got the best of him as he was intercepted on an errant pass intended for JuJu Smith-Schuster. Coming up with the interception was K'Waun Williams who helped the 49ers generate their first trip to the end zone thanks to the first of two rushing touchdowns by the third-string running back Jeff Wilson Jr., giving San Francisco a 10-6 lead, their first of the day. Following San Francisco's first three-and-out of the season midway thru the third quarter, Rudolph and JuJu would redeem themselves when the two connected on a 76-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh back on top. 49ers rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who caught his first career touchdown a week ago, would also get to redeem himself after dropping a pass that would've put his team in prime field position one drive earlier. After hauling in a 20-yard reception that put San Francisco in enemy territory, Jimmy G. and company marched their way into the red zone before handing the ball off to Wilson Jr. who did the rest.

While it was the stout defense that kept them in the game for most of the afternoon, the Niner secondary was dealt a blow at the start of the fourth quarter. Checking into the game and seeing his first live NFL action since September 2017 was former Pro Bowl cornerback Jason Verrett. Making his 49er debut after Ahkello Witherspoon suffered a leg injury that required him to be carted off the field, the rust was very apparent for Verrett who was called for an obvious pass interference penalty on the second play he saw, before getting beat for a 39-yard touchdown pass to Steelers rookie Diontae Johson one play later. Looking to answer with a touchdown of their own and trailing 20-17 with under seven minutes remaining in regulation, the 49ers committed their fifth and final turnover. Facing third and goal with Garoppolo in shotgun formation, the ball was snapped at the worst time possible as the ball ricocheted off receiver Richie James Jr. who was in motion, resulting in an easy recovery by Pittsburgh's T.J. Watt. However, the Niners would catch a break and would force a fumble of their own just three plays later when running back James Conner coughed up the ball that gave San Francisco new life as the duo of former Oregon Ducks Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner teamed up to force and recover the loose ball.

Working their way up with short passes and runs before knocking on the door of the end zone, Garoppolo would find Dante Pettis who finished with a quiet 20 yards receiving on four receptions, but none greater than the one that put his team ahead, 24-20 with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. With a pair of Steelers defenders draped all over him, Pettis was able to haul in the five yard touchdown catch, celebrating with an emphatic spike of the ball as Garoppolo threaded the needle. With one last chance, Mason and the Steelers would have to make a last-ditch effort to reach the win column for the first time this season, but those dreams would come crashing down as Pittsburgh failed to move the chains and turned the ball over on downs with an incompletion on fourth down. Prior to the 49ers shaking off the five turnovers and sealing the 24-20 victory, teams that had started a game with an 0-4 turnover ratio had owned a record of 0-28-1 since the start of 2016. The win for San Francisco would also be their first in a game in which they committed 5+ turnovers since November 8, 1998 vs Carolina.

Completing 22 of 32 pass attempts, Jimmy Garoppolo finished with 277 yards and a touchdown to go along with his pair of interceptions, however, I'd argue that the first of which was more on the receiver than it was the QB. Nonetheless, Jimmy G stepped up when he needed to and made a number of big plays when it appeared that the offense had all but lied down following the countless amount of turnovers. George Kittle hauled in a game-high six catches to lead the team with 57 receiving yards and fullback Kyle Juszczyk who had his most productive game of the young season wasn't far behind with 51 yards receiving on three receptions. Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida each ran of 79 and 68 yards respectively, but it was the goal-line guru Jeff Wilson Jr. who capitalized at the goal-line as he became the first player in team history with 2+ rushing touchdowns in his first two games played since 1956 (Hugh McElhenny).

Week 4 Bye & Week 5 Preview - Heading into the Bye Week undefeated at 3-0, the 49ers will take advantage of the early season rest before preparing for a Monday Night showdown against their next opponent in Baker Mayfield and the (1-2) Cleveland Browns. Facing an elite group of receivers in Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry, the 49ers will be without one of their starting corners in Ahkello Witherspoon who was diagnosed with a right foot sprain that will keep him sidelined for at least a month. And hopefully with the extra preparation, Jason Verrett can get his feet under him and shake off the cobwebs before making his first start in over two years. Having held their opponent to under 100 yards rushing for the second straight week, the 49ers will look to make it three straight weeks when they go up against Nick Chubb who fell just 4-yards shy of the century mark in Week 3 against the Rams. The 49ers will also like their chances with their own rushing attack as San Francisco ranks 2nd in the league in rushing as well as 4th in yards allowed thru the first three weeks of the NFL season. Finally, two Niners that should be rejoining the team for the Week 5 meeting vs Cleveland are running back Tevin Coleman (ankle) who's been out since Week 1 and rookie receiver Jalen Hurd (back) who is expected to make his season-debut.


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