Week 15 - Sunday's meeting between the San Francisco 49ers and Cincinnati Bengals was a clash between two teams going in completely opposite directions. With a win by the visiting Bengals, Cincinnati would clinch a playoff spot. But with backup QB AJ McCarron making his first career start, a win would have to be fought for. And with former Alabama quarterbacks a combined 0-13 since 1987, McCarron would be called upon to buck the trend while filling in for the injured Andy Dalton. After a scoreless first quarter which saw the 49ers force a turnover on downs as the Bengals elected to go for it on a fourth and 1 attempt, Cincinnati would get things going in the second.
Forcing three 49er turnovers in the second quarter, the Bengals capitalized on two of them, jumping out to a double-digit lead. Two of the miscues would be dealt to quarterback Blaine Gabbert as tight-end Vance McDonald had a pair of dropped passes result in interceptions, meanwhile, Anquan Boldin had a would-be first down reception stripped from his grasp as he went down, fumbling the ball. Bengals running back Jeremy Hill scored the first two of Cincy's three second quarter touchdowns with a pair of 1-yard runs at the goal line. The third being thru the air as McCarron's only touchdown pass on the afternoon went to a wide-open Tyler Kroft on a 20-yard dart to the rookie tight-end. Trailing 24-0, the Niners would finally get on the board after recovering a Jeremy Hill fumble as he was ran into by his own teammate. Five plays later, the offense would punch it in as fullback Bruce Miller recorded his first career touchdown with a 1-yard run up the middle. After blocking a field goal attempt a week ago versus Cleveland, the Niners had one of their own blocked on Sunday as kicker Phil Dawson who had made his last 19 field goal attempts, watched number twenty hit the hand of a Bengals defender.
With Anquan Boldin zeroing in on 1,000 career receptions, the 13-year veteran caught 8 passes for 74 yards on Sunday including one for a 15-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that pulled San Francisco within two scores. The 49ers would recover the ensuing on-side kick following the touchdown, but Gabbert would be picked off in the end zone for a third time just two plays later, helping Cincy seal the 24-20 victory. Despite holding the Bengals to less than 200 yards thru the air and only 68 yards on the ground, the four 49er turnovers including three by Blaine Gabbert who threw for 295 yards, were too much for the 49ers to overcome on a day they fell behind, 24-0. As for McCarron who played turnover-free football while passing for 192 yards and a touchdown, the two-time National Champion with the Crimson Tide, became the first Alabama alum to win a game as the starting QB since Jeff Rutledge of the Giants in 1987. With the win, the Bengals improved to 11-3 and clinched their fifth straight playoff berth with an AFC North division title still up for grabs and next on their Christmas wishlist. As for San Francisco, the loss dropped the 49ers to 4-10 on the year and guarantees them their first last place finish in the NFC West since 2005.
Week 16 Preview - In what will be their final road game of the season, the 49ers head north to take on the (5-9) Detroit Lions. Already eliminated from playoff contention, Matt Stafford and company will look to finish the season strong in what could potentially be the final home game for Lions receiver Calvin Johnson who's in the final year of his contract. Coming off a 35-27 win on the road over the Saints, Detroit hopes to make it consecutive wins. The 49ers on the other hand are just hoping to complete the 2015 season on a high note coming off another string of back to back losses.
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Week 6 - Meeting for the first time since Super Bowl XLVII just three seasons ago, Sunday's match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens, both of whom entered the game last in their respective division's at 1-4, took on the look of two entirely different teams than the ones that met in the Super Bowl. Out of the 44 starters in that Super Bowl, a combined 10 remain on that team today. And unlike that game which ended in disappointment for San Francisco fans, it was the 49ers who prevailed on Sunday. Niners QB Colin Kaepernick would build off of his best outing of the season just a week ago, a heart-wrenching loss to the Giants, with an even better performance in this one.
Throwing for a season-high 340 passing yards, Kaepernick connected on long passes to Torrey Smith and Anquan Boldin who had big games against their former team as well as fullback Bruce Miller who totaled a career-best 89-yards receiving on three receptions. The biggest play of the game coming on a career-high 76-yard touchdown reception by Smith. On the play, Smith torched Ravens cornerback Shareece Wright who signed with the 49ers during the offseason and demanded to be released just a week ago. Picked up by the Ravens, the Baltimore defender was exploited all afternoon long as Boldin burned his former teammate on a 51-yard reception in the fourth quarter to put him over 100 yards receiving in the game, which then set up a 21-yard touchdown catch by Quinton Patton, the first of his career. Scrambling in and out of the pocket, Kaepernick found Patton wide-open in the end zone after Wright slipped on the play, adding salt to the wound and making his disappointing Ravens debut that much worse. The Niner defense also did their part as the Ravens ground attack was held to just 76 yards.
Baltimore's Joe Flacco threw for 343 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but was picked off twice on the afternoon. In a last-ditch effort and a chance to hand the Niners consecutive last-minute losses, the former Super Bowl MVP heaved one into the end zone only to have the ball batted down by San Francisco safety Eric Reid, sealing the victory for the 49ers. The win, San Francisco's first since Week 1, helped the Niners end a four-game losing streak and snap a six-game losing skid to the Ravens who fell to 1-5 on the season, their worst start in franchise history through the first six games. Despite having to settle for four Phil Dawson field goals in the 25-20 win, a number of nifty passes by Kaepernick, including two for touchdowns, helped stave off a 5-game losing streak and breathe life into an offense that has looked much improved from the offense that struggled out of the gates. Then again, Baltimore's defense isn't quite what it once was.
Week 7 Preview - With a short week ahead prior to the 49ers next game -- a Thursday night showdown with the arch-rival (2-4) Seattle Seahawks who are coming off a last-minute loss at home to the undefeated Carolina Panthers, San Francisco will look to claim their first win in the division and first winning-streak of 2015. While the 49ers have mirrored a completely different team this season than the one that made three consecutive trips to the NFC Championship which ended a season ago, the Seahawks have yet to look like a playoff team this season either and appear to be suffering from a Super Bowl hangover, having already blown a number of fourth quarter leads this year, including in back to back games (losses to Cincinnati and Carolina). And if not for an illegal tip in the end zone late in their Monday night meeting against the Lions three weeks ago, Seattle would be starring down a 1-5 record right now. Even given their recent struggles and new faces, these are still two teams that don't like each other as both teams look to shed the title of "last-place" in the division.
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With the 49ers already eliminated from playoff contention, there was still plenty to play for in Sunday's season-finale against the division-rival Arizona Cardinals. While a win was needed for San Francisco to finish the season at .500, both Frank Gore and Anquan Boldin had their eyes set on reaching personal milestones. With Frank Gore needing only 38 yards rushing to reach the 1,000 yard mark for the eighth time in ten seasons and Anquan Boldin knocking on the door of back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons receiving, both would reach their quotas by the end of the day.
Entering the game, Cardinals QB Ryan Lindley had not thrown a touchdown pass in a record 228 pass attempts, the longest dry spell to begin a career. But by the time this one was over, he would throw not one but two touchdowns including one on Arizona's opening drive as he connected with receiver Michael Floyd on a flea-flicker from 20-yards out. Colin Kaepernick and the 49er offense would need only three plays to answer with a touchdown of their own as Kap found a wide-open Anquan Boldin down the middle for a 76-yard score to tie the game at 7. Though San Francisco would pull ahead with a 13-7 lead on a pair of Phil Dawson field goals in the second quarter, it was Arizona who would take a 17-13 lead into the half as Lindley connected with Floyd for a second time, this one coming from 41-yards out just before halftime.
With the 49ers having played their best ball offensively all season during the first half of games only to vanish come the start of the second half, the San Francisco offense was once again only able to score once in the second half, but it would be all they needed in this one. Kaepernick and Gore teamed up to march the team down the field with their legs before Kaepernick found a wide-open Bruce Miller in the back of the end zone for the go-ahead score. With the Niners leading 20-17, the Cardinals were given one final chance to tie or pull ahead with possession at the start of the 2-minute warning but the San Francisco defense would come up big, intercepting Lindley for a third time as safety Craig Dahl out muscled receiver John Brown for the ball in mid-air. After coming up with the game-sealing interception, Dahl sprinted to the sideline and handed the ball to coach Jim Harbaugh who was later given a Gatorade bath by his players in what many have speculated will be his final game as head coach.
Even before the final whistle was blown on Sunday, Jim Harbaugh's future with the team was all the buzz. Another Niner who's future with the organization is questionable is that of running back Frank Gore who in the final year of his contract with the team, became one of only eleven players to rack up eight or more seasons of 1,000 yards rushing and only the second active player with such numbers alongside Steven Jackson. While it's not yet known if Sunday's 20-17 win over the Cardinals was the final game for Frank Gore in a 49er uniform or any other uniform for that matter, the 5-time Pro Bowler has proved that he still plenty of gas left in his tank. Gore finished the game rushing for 144 yards on 25 carries. Meanwhile, receiver Anquan Boldin caught two passes for 81 yards on the afternoon to become one of only four players in franchise history to log consecutive 1,000 yard seasons receiving.
As for Colin Kaepernick who managed to play turnover-free football, the 49er QB threw for 204 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Arizona's Ryan Lindley threw for 316 yards and a pair of touchdowns while being picked off three times in a losing effort. With the win, the 49ers closed the season at .500 for an even 8-8 record and deprived the (11-5) Arizona Cardinals of their first 12-win season in franchise history.
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