Week 12 - All season long, the San Francisco 49ers who are sitting atop the NFC standings at 9-wins and 1-loss, have been beaten like a pinata by the mainstream media for having an "easy schedule" and having not played anyone of note. But a Sunday night meeting against the 8-2 Green Bay Packers would provide Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team with yet another chance to silence the critics and put those claims to rest. With the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints both breathing down the Niners' neck in the race for the NFC's top seed, San Francisco would not receive any favors on Sunday in their hopes for home field advantage as both teams were in close games but walked away with wins as their opponents shot themselves in the foot, leaving the 49ers to fend for themselves if they wanted to maintain the NFC's no. 1 spot.
And though the game between the Packers and 49ers would go on to register the highest average total television audience delivery for a Week 12 Sunday Night Football game since 2015 (Denver vs New England), the game would turn into a one-sided affair that got ugly from the onset. Having gone four straight games without committing a turnover, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers would be in for a rude awakening as the stout San Francisco defense put an end to that mark rather quickly. On Green Bay's opening-drive, the 49ers would force a strip-sack fumble on Rodgers, snapping a streak of 39 consecutive drives without a turnover, the longest active streak in the NFL. Needing only one play to capitalize on the Packers' rare turnover would be running back Tevin Coleman who turned it into an early touchdown by reaching over the goal-line. Forcing and recovering the fumble would be the tandem of linebacker Fred Warner and defensive-end Nick Bosa who would each have a monster game for a 49er defense that shined in their only Sunday Night game of the year and one that had to be flexed into the Sunday Night slot.
Trailing 10-0, Packers first-year head coach Matt LaFleur who served alongside Kyle Shanahan during stints with the Texans, Redskins and Falcons, would elect to gamble early on in the second quarter with a 4th & 1 attempt that the 49er defense stuffed. Following a second Chase McLaughlin field goal, rookie receiver Deebo Samuel hauled in one of his two receptions on the evening and took it 42-yards to the house. Forcing their fifth three and out of the half on defense, the Niners, needing only 24-seconds, would have even more opportunity to widen their lead as QB Jimmy Garoppolo hooked up with tight-end George Kittle for a 22-yard completion that allowed them to settle for yet another field goal. By halftime, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers had only accumulated 60-yards of total offense and were held scoreless while staring at a 23-point deficit. And though they would open the second half with a touchdown on their first possession of the third quarter after a 13-play drive that chewed up over eight and a half minutes, the Niners would answer back in a fraction of the time with a two-play, touchdown-scoring drive that needed only 57-seconds. After getting on the board with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Rodgers to receiver Davante Adams, the Packer defense gave it right back as Garoppolo found a wide-open Kittle who in his first game back after missing the last two weeks with broken bones in his ankle, caught the ball and ran 61-yards for the score.
It would be a welcoming sight for Niner players and fans alike who had feared the injury to Kittle was much more serious than the team initially led on as he finished his first game back with a game-high 129 yards on 6 receptions. LaFleur would pull the plug in the 4th quarter after electing to sit his starting quarterback who finished the game with a season-low in virtually every statistical category on offense. Trailing 30-8 and in full-on desperation mode, the Packers would again go for it on 4th down, but were left disappointed as they turned the ball over on downs. Niners running back Raheem Mostert would cap off the scoring with a 15-yard score up the middle as San Francisco increased their lead to 37-8, a score they would go on to win by in route to their first 10-1 record since 1997. Holding their opponent to 8 points or fewer for the fourth time this season, the 49er defense proved to be a thorn in the side of Rodgers who grew up a Niner fan and attended nearby Cal Berkeley. Finishing with only 104 yards passing on 20 of 33 attempts, the San Francisco defense would limit Rodgers to the fewest passing yards of his career in a game in which he completed 20+ passes, as the Packers' future Hall of Fame quarterback failed to complete a single pass beyond 10-yards. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo finished with a clean 253 yards passing on 14 of 20 attempts, 2 TD's and 0 turnovers.
Both teams struggled mightily on third down and entered the fourth quarter without a single third down conversion. It wasn't until San Francisco's final drive where they converted their first third down conversion when they converted on three in a row. Green Bay on the other hand entered the fourth quarter 0-for-10 on third down with Rodgers under center and converted their one and only third down conversion on their final drive of the game with backup Tim Boyle at quarterback. With the 29-point win, the 49ers have now outscored opponents by 169 points this season, their largest point differential through 11 games since 1948 (+210). However, it came with a loss as defensive-end Demontre' Moore was lost for the season after suffering a fractured forearm in the win and will be placed on injured-reserve. The loss of Moore who was signed just two weeks earlier, is unfortunate news for a defensive-line that was without Dee Ford on Sunday with an injured hamstring and has already lost Ronald Blair for the season.
Week 13 Preview - After holding Green Bay to under 200 yards in total offense (198), San Francisco currently leads the league in total defense (248.0 opponent yards per game), something they have not done since 1997. That's a number they hope to duplicate in Week 12 as they prepare to face the Baltimore Ravens (9-2) and their MVP candidate at quarterback in Lamar Jackson. Coming off a dominant Monday Night win on the road in L.A. against the Rams, Jackson became the youngest player in NFL history with multiple 5-passing TD games in a season and the first player with 5 TD's in his Monday Night Football debut as Baltimore handed the Rams their largest defeat in the history of the L.A. Coliseum: 45-6. San Francisco will look to slow Jackson who has the Ravens atop the AFC North and riding a 7-game winning-streak. Despite being tied with the New England Patriots for the best record in the league, odds-makers don't like the 49ers' chances in Baltimore as they open up as 6-point underdogs and are the first 10-1 team in over a decade to enter Week 13 as an underdog. With how dominant the 49ers have been on defense this year, the lone weakness I've seen has been against the running quarterback (Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray), and Lamar Jackson is that to a tee. If they can contain Jackson and prevent him from beating them with his legs, I like their chances of pulling off the upset and putting an end to Baltimore's streak. Also, with having to face the gauntlet of Green Bay, Baltimore and New Orleans in consecutive weeks, the 49ers will become the first team to play three straight games vs opponents with .800+ win percentage 10+ games into a season in the Super Bowl era.
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Week 11 - Looking to put their first loss of the season behind them and get back on track in the win column, the San Francisco 49ers (8-1) would hope for a much smoother outcome than the one that nearly ended in an upset against the Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1) two weeks earlier in Glendale. But from the opening drive on, it was Kliff Kingsbury's Cardinals squad that once again got off to the hot start. Leaving Kyle Shanahan shaking his head, his 49er team would allow Arizona to jump out to a quick 10-0 lead as the hole eventually grew deeper with San Francisco soon falling behind, 16-0. But having shown all season that they can answer the call when facing adversity, the Niners would eventually wake up on both sides of the ball to overcome the 16-point deficit, their largest of the season.
Having caused fits for the 49er defense virtually all game long in their Thursday night match-up back in Week 9 which ended in San Francisco narrowly edging Arizona by a final score of 28-25, Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray once again gave the Niners a headache, despite not padding the stat sheet. When he wasn't firing the ball off with impressive arm-speed or weaving around defenders, Murray was using his legs to get out of trouble and pick up a first down. However, it was the self-inflicted miscues that doomed San Francisco early on as a 41-yard penalty by Richard Sherman on third and long allowed the Cardinals to score their first points. Taking over in the red zone, Arizona was held to a field goal, but found themselves ahead, nonetheless. Drive no. 2 for Arizona would look a lot like deja vu as Sherman was called for a second pass-interference penalty that once again gifted the Cardinals with a trip to the red zone. Only this time, Murray and company would capitalize with a touchdown as a wide-open Larry Fitzgerald scored to make it 9-0 following a failed extra-point attempt. With the ball across midfield, Shanahan would dial up an early decision to go for it on 4th & 5, but the Niners were stopped in their tracks on an incomplete pass to Raheem Mostert.
After exchanging punts, Arizona added to their lead to start the second quarter as Murray connected with Pharoh Cooper for his second touchdown pass of the half. Serving as a wake-up call, the 49ers would finally begin to string together some offense of their own as a big play was made when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found Richie James Jr. on a screen-pass that the receiver turned into a 57-yard gain. Making their first red zone trip of the afternoon, it would be there that backup tight-end Ross Dwelley stepped up in the absence of George Kittle who was ruled out for a second straight game while nursing ankle and knee injuries suffered in the earlier meeting against these Cardinals. Fitting the bill, Dwelley would score each of the first two 49er touchdowns on the day and had another touchdown called back on an offensive-holding penalty. It would be a career day for the undrafted tight-end after entering the game with zero TD receptions in his first 20 career games. The Niners would inch closer to make it a one-possession game just before the half as Chase McLaughlin slipped a field goal through the uprights just before the half. Making the needed adjustments at the half, the Niners would open the third quarter with a bang as a 52-yard gain on the first play of the half helped set the table for San Francisco to take their first lead of the game on Garoppolo's second end zone connection to Dwelley.
San Francisco's next possession seemed just as promising as the offense marched into the red zone, but the drive would go up in flames when a head-scratching decision by Garoppolo ended in an interception as his pass went directly to a defender. Scoring only a field goal out of it, Arizona was able to reclaim the lead before Garoppolo began to work his magic in the passing game. With a big play to get his team into enemy territory by rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who logged his second consecutive 100-yard performance, the drive was capped off by a touchdown pass from Garoppolo to Kendrick Bourne. But the Cardinals would answer on their ensuing possession as Kyler Murray scored on a quarterback-keeper from 22-yards out. With Arizona back up by a field goal with under seven minutes remaining, Garoppolo was intercepted for a second time when he threw a pass out of the reach of Dwelley and into the hands of a Cardinals defender. Taking over before the two-minute warning, Garoppolo would redeem himself by marching his team up the field before finding one of the most unlikeliest of heroes. With under a minute remaining, into the game came Jeff Wilson Jr. who on the first play he saw, caught a pass with an acrobatic grab that he ran up the middle with 22-yards for the go-ahead touchdown. But a lot would happen in the final 31 seconds as both teams would be given a chance to put the game away for good.
Any chance of a Cardinals comeback appeared to be put to rest when the 49ers pounced on a fumble on Arizona's first play following the Wilson Jr. touchdown. But three short rushing attempts and a failed 4th & 1 attempt, gave Arizona the ball one last time as 6 seconds remained. Needing a bit of late-game heroics to pull off the miracle, a quick pass from Murray to Fitzgerald ended with the veteran receiver trying a lateral that was eventually fumbled and picked up by San Francisco's D.J. Reed who scooped up the ball and took it in for the easy score as time expired. The final score of 36-26 would not be indicative of how the game panned out for both teams as the Cardinals fought tooth and nail to once again hand Shanahan's Niners a hard fought win that they had to work for until the final seconds of the game-clock. And with the Niners' run game shutdown for a second consecutive week as running back Matt Breida sat out due to injury, Garoppolo would again be forced to get things done thru the air. Finishing with 424 yards and 4 touchdowns, Garoppolo joined 49er greats Joe Montana and Steve Young as the only quarterbacks in franchise history to throw for 400 yards and 4 touchdowns in a single game. Before Jimmy G's remarkable performance on Sunday, the last Niner QB to put up such numbers was Young in 1993 and the 400+ yards are the most by a 49ers team since Week 13 of the 199 season.
Noteworthy: Given the many weapons the 49ers have had on offense this season, one interesting stat from Sunday's win, is that all four of San Francisco's touchdowns were scored by undrafted players: Dwelley, Bourne and Wilson Jr.
Week 12 Preview - Summing up their three-game homestand, the 49ers (9-1) will welcome in Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers (8-2) as San Francisco embarks on a string of three straight games against some of the league's top heavyweights that could very well make or break their season. And with Green Bay coming off a BYE, Kyle Shanahan's team will certainly need to be on their A-game in what has now been flexed into a Sunday night game, San Francisco's lone Sunday night meeting on their schedule. Aside from the future Hall of Famer Rodgers, the 49ers defense will also have to plan for running back Aaron Jones who is tied for the league lead in touchdowns with 14 and is coming off a three rushing touchdown performance in the team's Week 10 win over Carolina. With the Niner defense losing Kwon Alexander and Ronald Blair for the season in consecutive weeks, the team hopes to have both if not at least one of D.J. Jones or Dee Ford available in time for their game against the Packers. With Jones inactive for the Arizona game with a groin injury, Ford was the latest Niner to fall to the injury bug after he was pulled from Sunday's game with a hamstring ailment. San Francisco will need all the help they can get as a loss would drop them even in the NFC standings alongside Green Bay.
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Week 10 - Returning home to Levi's Stadium for a Monday Night showdown against the division rival Seattle Seahawks (7-2), the San Francisco 49ers (8-0) would put their undefeated record to the test against the NFC's front-runner for league MVP through the first half of the season in quarterback Russell Wilson. But with tight-end George Kittle ruled out before game time with ankle and knee injuries, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would be forced to try their luck without their leading receiver and best player on offense. It would also be the team's first game without one of their emotional leaders in linebacker Kwon Alexander who was lost a week earlier to a torn pectoral muscle which ended his first season with the team. But perhaps the biggest absence would be that of kicker Robbie Gould (injured quad) as the fate of the game would come down to the foot of a free-agent kicker that was signed just four days earlier. And as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. So too would be the case for the 49ers' unbeaten mark of 8-0 as they entered the Monday Night affair as the last undefeated team in the league and gave it their all in what would go down as a Monday Night Classic.
Off to their best start since 1990 and vying for their 50th win in Monday Night Football history, the most of any team in the NFL, things were looking good early on for the Niners as they quickly jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Entering the Monday night match-up tied for the second best start in NFL history through his first 18 career starts at 16-2, San Francisco QB Jimmy Garoppolo was aided by three Seattle penalties on the opening-drive which setup the newest member of the 49ers, Chase McLaughlin, for a 43-yard field goal. Undrafted out of Illinois, McGlaughlin who had been waived or released by three different teams this season, seemed unfazed as he nailed his first kick right down the middle. San Francisco's second drive which resulted in a touchdown, was setup by big plays from receivers Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders before Jimmy G. found Kendrick Bourne in the end zone for the score. However, on the play made by Sanders, a 12-yard reception which resulted in a big hit that left Sanders without a helmet, the newcomer who has already developed into one of Garoppolo's favorite targets, would leave the game with a rib injury after showing obvious discomfort.
Forcing back to back three and outs to begin the game and punts on each of Seattle's first four possessions, the 49er defense would also open the game strong. However, it would be the Seahawks' defense that would get them on the board and swing the momentum in their favor just before the half when Garoppolo was sacked and stripped of the ball by Jarran Reed. Seattle's Jadaveon Clowney who was acquired before the start of the season from the Houston Texans, scooped up the Garoppolo fumble and returned it for the touchdown. Clowney would have a field day against a rusty 49ers offensive-line that had welcomed back a pair of starting tackles in Joe Staley and Mike McGlinchey who had been out of action since Weeks 2 and 3, respectively. Seattle appeared to be on their way to taking the lead with them into the half, but a huge play would be made by Niners safety Jaquiski Tartt who helped the 49ers force a fumble recovery of their own. With San Francisco being the only remaining team in the league to hold opponents scoreless in the final two minutes of the first half, Tartt's heroics kept that streak alive when he stripped Seattle's DK Metcalf of the ball at the 2 yard-line to help stall the Seahawks' attempt to claim the lead.
The 49er defense would open the second half the same way they'd closeout the first, as K'Waun Williams and DeForest Buckner teamed up to force and recover a fumble on Seattle running back Rashaad Penny. However, San Francisco would give the ball back on three consecutive possessions which ended in turnovers by the offense. After a failed 4th and 2 attempt which resulted in a turnover on downs, Garoppolo was intercepted on a pass that went through the hands of Kendrick Bourne. And finally, a second fumble by the quarterback as Clowney once again got to Garoppolo to force the ball loose. Seattle would turn both the interception and fumble into points, capitalizing with touchdowns to put them ahead, 21-10. Trailing by double-digits for the first time this season to begin the fourth quarter, San Francisco would need to answer and stop the bleeding of 21 unanswered-points scored by Seattle. With all 21 of Seattle's points coming off turnovers, the Niner defense would finally break through with a score of their own when Russell Wilson was sacked and unable to hold onto the ball, allowing DeForst Buckner to take it into the end zone for a touchdown. Following a successful 2-point conversion cashed-in by Bourne, the Niners were once again in it, making it a 21-18 game before tying things up at 21-all following a field goal.
Seattle would recapture the lead with a 46-yard field goal from Jason Myers, leaving 1:44 remaining in regulation for the Niners to either tie or take the lead. With a series of short passes and dump-offs, Jimmy G would get his kicker in position to send the game into overtime. And from 47 yards out, McLauglin would connect to send both teams to the extended period. Winning the coin-toss and electing to receive, Russell Wilson would begin marching his team up the field and into the red zone as they had reached the San Francisco 14 yard-line, but it would be there where Wilson would throw his first career red zone interception against the Niners as rookie linebacker Dre Greenlaw came up with the clutch turnover and first of his career. With the game now in sudden death as a score by either team would win the game, Shanahan once again left it up to his new kicker. With the only thing standing in their way of a perfect 9-0 record being a 47-yard field goal which McLaughlin had already made one possession earlier to force the game into overtime, the bright lights and big stage would get the best of the rookie kicker who was unemployed just a week earlier, as McLaughlin's kick was shanked wide-left.
Each team would exchange punts following a pair of three-and-outs, but San Francisco's biggest mistake would be their inability to chew up precious time as there was just enough on the clock for Wilson and company to come through in the clutch. With three straight incompletions by Garoppolo allowing the offense to eat up only 25 seconds of game-clock, Wilson used both his arm and his legs to put his kicker in position to win the game. And where McLaughlin failed to rally his team to victory, Myers answered the call as he shook off his missed extra-point and two missed field goal performance from a week ago by converting on the game-winning field goal from 42-yards out as Seattle won, 27-24. Needing overtime to hand San Francisco their first loss of the season, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson admitted after the back and forth affair that it was the craziest game he had ever been a part of. Held to only 72 yards in the first half, Wilson would finish the game with 232 yards to go along with his one touchdown and interception. As for Garoppolo who suffered his first career loss at Levi's Stadium, the Niners QB threw for 248 yards, one touchdown and one interception, despite his receivers not doing him any favors as there were a number of key drops up and down the lineup. One of the few players that did step up on offense, was 49ers rookie receiver Deebo Samuel who logged his first career 100-yard receiving game, finishing with 12 receptions for 112-yards.
After being handed the loss and seeing their run to perfection come to an end, you can bet that coach Shanahan will let this serve as a learning block for his young team as they try to make a positive out of their first loss and work on correcting their mistakes moving forward.
Week 11 Preview - San Francisco will need to put their first loss behind them rather quickly as they'll be on short-rest when they welcome the Arizona Cardinals (3-6-1) to Levi's Stadium. As evident by their close call two weeks ago when the Niners narrowly escaped the desert with a 28-25 victory on Halloween, these Cardinals are not to be taken lightly in spite of their record. Having played both Russell Wilson and Cards QB Kyler Murray in consecutive weeks, the Niner defense will once again have to be on their toes in the rematch against the speedy Murray and these Cardinals whom San Francisco struggled to put away in the previous meeting. They'll also have to be better at containing Arizona running back Kenyon Drake who had one of the best games of his career when making his Cardinals debut against this very 49ers defense. If San Francisco can steer clear of the turnovers and mistakes they committed against Seattle, they shouldn't have any problem at getting back into the win column.
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Week 9 - With the San Francisco 49ers (7-0) riding hot and paying a visit to the desert for a meeting with the Arizona Cardinals for the first time this year in a Halloween match-up that would feature the first two picks of the 2019 NFL Draft in Kyler Murray and Nick Bosa, Kyle Shanahan's defense would find themselves in rare territory and would be pushed to the brink for the first time this season. Having allowed 100 net passing yards or less in four straight games for the first time since 1977 and a combined 23-points in those contests, the 49er defense would allow more points than that in this game alone against a Cardinals team that came into the affair on a three-game winning streak of their own. In only their second division match-up of the year and on short rest, the 49er defense would be caught off-guard and for the first time this season would rely on the arm of Jimmy Garoppolo who answered the call by logging his first 300 yard performance of the year while throwing for a season-high 28 completions and a career-high 4 touchdowns.
Hall of Famer and Fox NFL analyst Michael Strahan questioned the ability of Garoppolo during the pregame show and begged the question of whether or not he could lead his team to victory if needed. "Has the game ever been on his shoulders? Has it ever been on him to win a game?" Those questions would be put to rest in this one as Jimmy G silenced the critics with his bast game yet, albeit against the rebuilding Cardinals. With the defense bailing Garoppolo and the 49er offense out on multiple occasions this season, it was only appropriate that their QB returned the favor on Thursday when the defense had a hiccup of their own and needed his help. Among their struggles against the Arizona offense, was the outstanding debut of Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake who was acquired from the Miami Dolphins just days earlier on Monday. With both David Johnson and Chase Edmonds nursing injuries, the Cardinals were forced to acquire three new running backs during the week. However, it'd be a one man show from the onset as Drake burst through for a 36-yard gain on his very first carry of the ballgame, an impressive start considering his previous season-long was only 11-yards while with Miami. Starting the drive and game with the big play from Drake, his team would continue feeding him as he finished the drive with a 4-yard score to kickstart his most productive game of the season and give Arizona an early 7-0 lead.
After surrendering only the second Cardinals touchdown in their last 21 drives to open the game, the 49er defense would keep the opposition at bey in their next two drives by forcing back-to-back three-and-outs. The 49ers would dodge a bullet early in the first quarter after having a scare when Pro Bowl tight-end George Kittle went down after taking a helmet to the knee. Kittle, easily the team's biggest weapon on offense, would head to the sidelines, but would return on San Francisco's next possession and would end up scoring the team's first touchdown on a 30-yard reception in which he shoo'd off a defender and stiff-armed his way to a game-tying score. The big time play would ignite a streak of three consecutive touchdown-scoring drives for the 49ers and four TD's in a five drive span as Garoppolo connected in the end zone with a different receiver each time. Garoppolo's second touchdown pass of the evening, a 7-yard connection to Kendrick Bourne, would be the first TD reception of the season for Bourne. His third touchdown pass, a 1-yarder to Emmanuel Sanders, would be the second in as many games for Sanders who has quickly become one of Garoppolo's favorite targets after being acquired just a week earlier via trade with the Denver Broncos.
But the Niners would have Arizona's first-year head coach Cliff Kingsbury to thank for the Sanders touchdown as they caught a huge break just before the half. Facing 4th and goal from the 1 yard-line and with 0:04 remaining in the half, Kyle Shanahan dialed up a hand-off that Arizona appeared to make a stop on at the goal-line. Fortunately for them, Kingsbury called for a timeout just before the snap, which then gave San Francisco another chance and resulted in the touchdown pass to Sanders as the Niners jumped out to a 21-7 lead at halftime. Showing the same uptempo offense to begin the second half that they showed in the first, the Cardinals, despite only 15-yards passing through the first two quarters, once again came out swinging and scored a touchdown on their first drive of the new half. Answering with a score of their own, Garoppolo would toss his fourth and final TD pass of the game as he found a wide-open Dante Pettis alone in the end zone from 21-yards out. And while it was his only catch of the night, he made it count in what's been a disappointing season from the second-year wide-out from the University of Washington.
After a Zane Gonzalez field goal made it a 28-17 lead for San Francisco in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals would strike for a huge 88-yard touchdown that took only two plays and chewed up only 35-seconds. Leading all rookie QB's in both passing and rushing yards, Kyler Murray found fellow rookie Andy Isabella who's third career reception and one and only catch of the night, would be a long one as he darted to the end zone for a 88-yard score that helped his team leap right back into the ballgame. Following a successful 2-point conversion to add to the busy day by Kenyan Drake, the Cardinals suddenly had all the momentum on their side and had the 49ers on their heels. With San Francisco taking over with under five minutes remaining and Arizona in possession of all three of their timeouts, the Niners were in need of a productive, yet time consuming drive in order to seal the win. Orchestrating an 11-play, 40-yard drive, Garoppolo managed to do just that as the 49ers signal-caller did a superb job eating up clock and making several big plays on third down. None would be bigger than the 3rd and 9 call at the two-minute warning that iced the win as Garoppolo stepped up and out of the pocket to deliver a clutch pass to tight-end Ross Dwelley who converted the game-winning first down that allowed his team to milk precious time as the final seconds ticked away.
Hoping to receive one final shot at rallying his team to victory, Kyler Murray would not get that chance and would have to watch from the sideline as the clock hit double-zero. Having outscored opponents by 130 points this season, the most through 7 games in franchise history, San Francisco would squeak by with the 28-25 victory to log their first win at Arizona since 2013 and snap their 8-game losing skid to the Cardinals. After becoming the first 49er to ever record three rushing TD's and a receiving TD in the same game, running back Tevin Coleman was virtually shutout as he was kept out of the end zone and held to only 23-yards on 12 carries. Matt Breida rushed for 78-yards on 15 carries, but both backs paled in comparison to Kenyan Drake who tallied 110-yards on 15 carries, registering only the third 100-yard performance of his career, while also adding 52-yards receiving on 4 receptions. But the player of the game would belong to Jimmy Garoppolo who became the first 49er QB with 4+ touchdown passes and 300+ passing yards in a single game since Jeff Garcia in 2000. With three of his TD passes coming on third down and one on fourth, Jimmy G also became the first 49er QB since Colin Kaepernick in 2012 to toss for 4 TD's in a game.
Garoppolo's favorite target of the game would be Emmanuel Sanders who in just his second game with his new team, has already hauled in a pair of touchdown passes after his seven catch, 112-yard performance against Arizona. With the timing and chemistry on a number of passes from Garoppolo to Sanders, you'd think the two have worked with each other all offseason long as the savvy vet and 2-time Pro Bowl receiver has already become arguably the biggest mid-season acquisition in the NFL this season. The ever-so reliable George Kittle also caught his second touchdown pass and racked up 79-yards on six receptions. It would be a quiet game for rookie sensation Nick Bosa who a week after being named both Rookie Defensive Player of the Week and NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his three sack, 1 interception performance against the Panthers, logged only one tackle in Thursday night's win. That win would come at a price, however, as the defense lost a key contributor in linebacker Kwon Alexander who will miss the remainder of the season after an MRI revealed that he suffered a torn pectoral muscle. Signed to a lucrative deal in the offseason, Alexander was enjoying a stellar 2019 campaign in the middle of this 49er defense.
Week 10 Preview - Officially halfway through the 2019-20 NFL regular season schedule and the 49ers find themselves as the last remaining unbeaten team in the league at 8-0. Turning the page to their next opponent, San Francisco will return home to host the Seattle Seahawks (7-2) on Monday Night Football. Hoping to win their second straight game against their division rivals, the 49er defense will need to rebound quickly from their rough performance against Kyler Murray and the Cards as they'll see a similar skill set in Russell Wilson who's even more dangerous and has been arguably the league's MVP through the first half of the season. Despite Wilson's monster game on Sunday in which he threw for 378 yards and 5 touchdowns, the Seahawks needed Overtime to avoid being upset at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The 49ers will certainly have their hands full with Wilson, but are also expected to get one of their starters back in Tackle Joe Staley who's been out since Week 2 when he suffered a broken left fibula against the Bengals. One thing that is certain is that there'll likely be plenty of fireworks as Richard Sherman gets to take on his former team and head coach once again when the two teams renew rivalries on Monday.
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