49ers Thrash the 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. 

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest 

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. 

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest 

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. 

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Follow me on Twitter/X: @FraserKnowsBest