Week 2 - After riding high following their Week 1 road victory over the rival Seattle Seahawks, the (1-0) San Francisco 49ers looked to keep things rolling in Week 2 as the road trip continued to the Big Easy where coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would take on the (0-1) New Orleans Saints. Eying a 2-0 start to the season for a fourth time under coach Shanahan, the 49ers hope their hot start would be a good omen as the team has reached the NFC Championship in each of the previous three instances. But if they wanted to improve to 2-0, they'd have to do so without two of their most important pieces on offense. The celebration of their Week 1 win would be short-lived as the team learned in the days following that they would be without All-Pro tight-end George Kittle who was placed on the team's Injured Reserve list, putting him on the shelf for at least the next four games due to a hamstring injury. The news on Kittle was to be expected considering he watched from the sideline for the second half of the game against Seattle in street clothes. What did catch the 49ers by surprise, however, was the unexpected injury designation placed on quarterback Brock Purdy who appeared unbothered in the team's Week 1 comeback victory. Instead, Purdy would be ruled out of Sunday's game against the Saints with toe and shoulder injuries. Listed as week-to-week, Purdy is expected to miss anywhere from 1 to 5 weeks, with team officials hoping he'll return sooner rather than later.
Taking over in Purdy's absence would be quarterback Mac Jones who signed a two-year, $7 Million contract with San Francisco as a free-agent during the offseason. A member of the 2021 NFL Draft class and selected 15th overall by the New England Patriots, Jones was one of several quarterbacks coach Shanahan and general manager John Lynch had considered drafting with the 3rd overall pick before ultimately deciding to take quarterback Trey Lance. Jones went on to have a Pro Bowl season in his rookie year with the Patriots, before being traded to Jacksonville three years later where he spent last season as a backup behind QB Trevor Lawrence. With a career record of 20-29 as a starter entering Sunday, Jones would get some support from none other than Brock Purdy pregame as the 49ers franchise quarterback was shown hyping up his fellow QB during warmups as Jones loosened up before making his first start in a Niners uniform. Jones would be one of many new faces getting their first bit of action on Sunday with the 49ers. With receiver Jauan Jennings banged up in Week 1 with a shoulder injury and listed as questionable, the 49ers didn't take any chances, signing free-agent receiver and former 49er Kendrick Bourne who had been released two weeks earlier by the Patriots. And last but not least would be at the kicker position.
After a rollercoaster Week 1 with kicker Jake Moody which included a missed field goal from 27-yards out and another field goal attempt that was blocked, Shanahan and company decided that they had seen enough and were ready to move on from Moody, releasing him and electing to sign kicker Eddy Pineiro. Both Jones and Pineiro would get off to rocky starts in their 49ers debut, before both eventually settled in and managed to have big days for their new club. Opening Sunday's game on defense, the 49ers got off to a sluggish start as San Francisco's secondary was beat on multiple plays but managed to escape the drive unscathed due to several drops by Saints receivers and a missed 48-yard field goal attempt from New Orleans kicker Blake Grupe. Taking over on offense, Mac Jones threw incomplete passes on each of San Francisco's first three downs, resulting in a quick 49ers three and out. Jones would rebound one possession later, helping lead the team to the end zone with a 16-play, 65-yard touchdown-scoring drive. Striking pay dirt would be tight-end Luke Farrell who scored his first career touchdown reception from 11-yards out, putting the Niners ahead, 6-0 following a missed point-after by Pineiro.
Pineiro would have a chance to redeem himself on San Francisco's next drive, splitting the uprights from 44-yards out for a field goal that gave the 49ers a 9-0 lead. The Saints would put together a strong drive before the end of the first half as quarterback Spencer Rattler who entered Sunday's game with a career record of 0-7, showed flashes, including on an 18-yard jump-ball reception by tight-end Juwan Johnson who had dropped two passes earlier in the game before making up for them with the touchdown grab. But instead of taking a 9-7 lead into the half, Mac Jones led the team on a perfectly executed 2-minute drill, completing 7 of 9 pass attempts for 77-yards, the last of which on a third down pass in the end zone to running back Christian McCaffrey for the 7-yard score. With the successful point-after by Pineiro, the 49ers went into the half leading 16-7. Beginning the second half with possession of the ball, San Francisco began to march on offense once again, making it across mid-field before Jones was sacked from behind which led to a fumble recovered by the defense. The Saints would turn the turnover into points as Rattler found a receiver in the end zone for his second touchdown pass of the afternoon.
Looking to keep the Saints at bay, the 49ers added to their lead with a made field goal on their next drive. With their lead now 19-14, San Francisco's defensive captain Fred Warner came up with a huge stop right when the Saints offense began to have success as the All-Pro linebacker made a heads up play to punch the ball loose to force and recover the fumble following an errant pass reception by New Orleans' Alvin Kamara who was holding the ball up on his shoulder which made for an easy target. Another well-orchestrated drive by the 49ers was capped off by a 42-yard strike to Jauan Jennings on 3rd and 11, resulting in the catch and run touchdown to give San Francisco a two-score lead. With the Saints refusing to go down without a fight, Rattler led the Saints on another scoring-drive to pull his team within striking distance, marching 61-yards on 17-plays for his third touchdown pass of the game, setting a new career-high. Attempting to put the game on ice needing one final successful drive on offense, Jones and company came up short on each of their last two possessions, the last of which ending on an incomplete pass that was just missed by Jauan Jennings.
With San Francisco forced to punt, it would be up to the defense for a second consecutive week to shut the door and seal the win for the Niners. Meanwhile, Rattler who was still in search of his first career win as a starter, the second-year QB would connect on each of his first six pass attempts for short gains during the Saints' final drive before an incomplete pass would bring up a pivotal 4th and 1. Having closed things out by getting to the quarterback and forcing a fumble on their final play in Week 1, it was the defensive-line that came thru in the clutch yet again. With Nick Bosa the hero against Seattle, it was his fellow defensive-end and newcomer Bryce Huff who would make the game-winning play versus the Saints by getting to the quarterback and knocking the ball loose. Although New Orleans did recover the fumble, the ball went backwards to result in an 8-yard loss and a turnover on downs as San Francisco hung on for the 26-21 win. Prior to Sunday's win, the 49ers had boasted a record of 0-4 in games Brock Purdy missed or left with an injury. The team was able to bring that dubious streak to an end thanks to a strong outing from the defense and a valiant effort from Mac Jones.
Jones tied a career-high with 3 touchdown passes and threw for 279 yards. Perhaps what was most impressive in the win for the 49ers QB were his numbers on third down: 7 for 12, 121 passing yards, 3 TD's, 0 interceptions and a passer rating of 132.3. Jauan Jennings led all receivers with 89 yards and a touchdown on five receptions. Running back Christian McCaffrey had another busy day at the office and etched another milestone by becoming just the third RB in NFL history to reach 50+ rushing touchdowns and 30+ receiving touchdowns, a feat matched by only Hall of Famers Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore. CMC finished with 55 rushing yards and 52 receiving yards to go along with his receiving TD. Spencer Rattler had a strong outing in the loss for the Saints, throwing for 207 yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 picks, while running back Alvin Kamara ran for 99 yards on 21 carries, and caught another 6 receptions for 21 yards receiving. Unfortunately for New Orleans, the duo would not be able to prevent the Saints from falling to 0-2 for the first time since 2017.
Week 3 Preview: With the 49ers knotted up atop the NFC Western Division standings alongside the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams who each sit at 2-0, San Francisco will have a chance to separate themselves a bit in Week 3 when they play host to the Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. While the team is sure to be fired up when they kick-off their home-opener, a win over Arizona would give the Niners two wins over division opponents, while everyone else in the division is still seeking their first division win of the season. With a narrow win at home against the (0-2) Carolina Panthers in Week 2, Arizona has won each of their games this season in similar fashion as the 49ers, having come thru with big defensive stops in the final moments to stave off any late comebacks. San Francisco will also hope to breathe easier in the final minutes of a game in Week 3, but nothing can be so certain when these two division foes meet. The 49ers will also have revenge on their mind as the Cardinals handed Kyle Shanahan and company losses in both meetings a season ago. Two members of the 49ers who might not be able to join their team in Week 3 are fullback Kyle Juszczyk who left Week 2's game with a concussion and guard Ben Bartch who suffered a foot injury and was seen postgame wearing a boot.
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