49ers come Alive in Second half to pull off Comeback

Week 10 - In the days leading up to their Sunday Night match-up with the (5-3) Los Angeles Chargers, coach Kyle Shanahan's (4-4) San Francisco 49ers were hit with some unfortunate news when they learned about the season-ending injury suffered to one of their players. Few players in the NFL have had luck as bad as Jason Verrett who's career has been plagued by injury since being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the then San Diego Chargers who selected him 25th overall. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season-opener last year and nearing a comeback after being activated by the 49ers just two weeks ago, the former Pro Bowl corner was dealt yet another blow after tearing his Achilles during practice on Wednesday. Before the heartbreaking injury which has become commonplace for the Niners franchise since the start of coach Shanahan's tenure, teammates and coaches alike were awaiting Verrett's return as he was expected to be somewhat of a reinforcement after the season-ending injury fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffered in Week 5. 

A tough pill to swallow, the Niners will now have to find that production elsewhere in hopes of someone else stepping up and filling that void. However, San Francisco would get reinforcements at several other positions on defense in time for Sunday's game as defensive-coordinator DeMeco Ryans saw the return of defensive-lineman Jordan Willis as well as linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, although Greenlaw's night would be cut short due to an illegal hit which led to an early disqualification. While the San Francisco defense would ultimately come up big when they were most needed, things got off to a sluggish start out the gates. With the Chargers getting the ball first, quarterback Justin Herbert led the team to a touchdown-scoring drive on their opening possession. Playing with a short-handed receiving corps with both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen sidelined with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively, Herbert hit a wide-open DeAndre Carter for the 32-yard score. Coming off the BYE, the 49ers also opened the game with an effective opening-drive, but were held to a field goal in what wound up being an offensive struggle inside the red zone for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and company. 

San Francisco's second offensive possession lasted only one play after Garoppolo hit his intended target Brandon Aiyuk in stride for a 19 yard gain, before an inadvertent helmet knocked the ball loose as the Niners receiver was tackled. Turning the turnover into a field goal, the Chargers took a 10-3 lead to open the second quarter. Trailing 13-3, the 49ers were able to find the end zone before halftime thanks to a pair of big plays from George Kittle and Ray-Ray McCloud who hauled in receptions of 21 and 33 yards, respectively, on consecutive plays. A few plays later, Garoppolo would take it in himself, plowing forward from the 1-yardline and into the end zone for the touchdown. Looking to capitalize by getting the ball back to start the second half, the 49ers were unable to keep the Chargers off the board in the final two minutes of the first half as a pair of costly penalties, including the one that led to the Greenlaw disqualification, allowed the Chargers to sneak in a field goal just before halftime. 

Happy to have Elijah Mitchell back in the backfield for the 49er offense for the first time since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1, the tandem of Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey helped march the 49ers to a field goal to open the second half and make it a 16-13 ballgame in favor of the Chargers. Playing catch up virtually all night long, San Francisco would take their first lead of the night with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Orchestrating a 16-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with McCaffrey lunging forward for a 2-yard touchdown, the 49ers were able to capture the lead and allow the defense to do the rest. After exchanging punts, San Francisco was able to pin the Chargers deep near their own goal-line, which ultimately resulted in a turnover on downs inside the 10. Unable to punch the ball in for the final dagger, Mitchell would be stood up near the goal line on three straight rushing attempts. Adding another Robbie Gould field goal to improve the 49ers' lead to 22-16, the Chargers would have one last chance to pull off the comeback with less than a minute remaining. Putting an end to that comeback attempt would be Talanoa Hufanga who made a shoestring catch on an errant pass from Herbert to seal the win. 

Stepping up huge in the second half was the San Francisco defense which applied the pressure to Justin Herbert on each of the Chargers' final two possessions which led to a pair of turnovers as the Niners completed the shutout in the second half. Throwing for 240 yards and rushing for a touchdown in the win was Jimmy Garoppolo who's favorite target on the evening was Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in six catches for a game-high 84 yards receiving. The trio of Elijah Mitchell, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel combined for over 150 yards rushing for the 49ers, comparehd to just 51 yards rushing for the Chargers. The San Francisco defense held L.A.'s quarterback Justin Herbert to 196 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. 

Week 11 Preview: Hitting the road and traveling south of the border to face the division rival Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, the 49ers will look to improve on their perfect record of 3-0 within the division this year as they take on the big stage of Monday Night Football. At 4-6 on the year, the Cardinals have had an up and down season thus far and are coming off a road win against the defending Champion Rams, with both teams having to call on backup quarterbacks. While there's no word just yet on who will be under center for the Cards come game day, the 49ers defense which has logged back to back solid performances, will look to make it three straight regardless of who Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury has at quarterback out of Kyler Murray or Colt McCoy. In their first of two head to head match-ups this year, the 49ers will look to bounce back after losing both meetings to Arizona a season ago. 

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Niners tame Lions to avoid upset

Week 1 - Entering Sunday's season-opener on the road as heavy favorites against the Detroit Lions, the San Francisco 49ers would have scares to start and finish the game, while dominating in all facets in the middle. Luckily, that "bend but don't break" mentality would be a theme for head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad. The Lions came out the gates swinging and quickly pinned the Niners against a wall as they needed only two plays to make it across midfield and into enemy territory, but a risky 4th and 2 call would blow up in Detroit's face as they turned the ball over on downs, despite being in field goal range. However, San Francisco would see their first possession go up in flames on their first play on offense as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo fumbled the snap, giving the ball right back to the Lions. The Niner defense would bail the offense out by holding Detroit to a field goal attempt which they would go on to miss from 51-yards out. With a chance to redeem themselves on offense, Jimmy G and company would do just that, marching down the field and striking pay dirt. 

Unfortunately, the injury bug which ravaged the Niners a year ago and practically put an end to their season early on, would rear its ugly head once again as San Francisco suffered blows on both sides of the ball. After nice carries of 11 and 9 yards by running back Raheem Mostert on San Francisco's first two plays following the errant snap, the former track star appeared to be headed for a big game on Sunday. Instead, his day would come to an end before the conclusion of the first quarter as Mostert would not be seen on the field again after those two carries. After making it into the red zone and facing a first and goal situation from the Detroit 5-yard line, Shanahan would dial up a play for rookie QB Trey Lance who on the second play of his career, found receiver Trent Sherfield for the touchdown. Inspired by the drive, the Lions would also have success on their next possession, eventually tying the game at 7 on a touchdown pass from QB Jared Goff to his tight-end T.J. Hockenson. With the injury to Mostert and rookie running back Trey Sermon ruled out just before kickoff as a "healthy scratch," the door would be open for another rookie running back in Elijah Mitchell. 

The 2021 sixth round pick out of Louisiana showed up in a big way in his NFL debut, making a number of big plays on Sunday, but perhaps none greater than the one on San Francisco's next possession. After a 29-yard pass from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel who also had a huge game on Sunday, Mitchell took a 38-yard carry to the house for the go-ahead score. After a Detroit field goal made it a 14-10 49er lead, the San Francisco offense picked up right where they left off as another big play by Deebo Samuel setup another running back touchdown, this time by second-year man JaMycal Hasty who punched it in from 3-yards out. Hoping to answer San Francisco's successful drive with one of their own, the Lions would instead suffer a pick-six as Goff felt the pressure and hurried a pass into traffic which was intercepted and returned 39-yards by linebacker Dre Greenlaw. The Niners would increase their lead just before the half thanks to a Robbie Gould field goal to take a 31-10 advantage into the locker room. 

More big plays to start the second half would once again have the Niners in scoring position. A 35-yard reception to tight-end George Kittle would kickoff quarter number three before a missed field goal attempt from 52-yards out by Gould. The biggest play of the game for either team, would come on San Francisco's next possession. After forcing a punt on defense, Jimmy Garoppolo would air the ball out when facing a 3rd and 8 as he threw along the sidelines and found Deebo who did the rest by rumbling for the 79-yard score on his way to a career-high 189 yards on 9 receptions. It would mark the most receiving yards in 49ers history for a player in a Week 1 road game as Samuel would also shatter his previous high of 134 yards receiving set back on Week 11 of the 2019 season against Arizona. A 43-yard catch and run by Lions running back D'Andre Swift would get Detroit on the board in the third quarter, but the game seemed to be put away after San Francisco added another Robbie Gould field goal to start the fourth quarter. They would be sadly mistaken as the rollercoaster ride that was the fourth quarter was just beginning. 

The Lions, under new head coach Dan Campbell, showed some scrappiness when the 49ers eased up and took their foot off the gas pedal, allowing Detroit to fight back and make a game out of it, just when they appeared dead in the water. A pivotal turning-point would occur around the 8-minute mark in the 4th quarter when Niners cornerback Jason Verrett went down on an incomplete pass and had to be helped to the locker room with apparent knee injury. Leading 41-17 with just under two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lions inched closer with a touchdown and successful two-point conversion to make it a 41-25 ballgame. Then came an on-side kick that took a nasty hop and deflected off the facemask of one George Kittle. With Detroit recovering the ball, Jared Goff suddenly couldn't miss as the Lions offense marched with ease, covering 59-yards in 46 seconds and eventually scoring on a touchdown pass to Quintez Cephus, who also came down with the subsequent two-point conversion. Before you could even blink, the Lions had cut the deficit from what was 24-points just moments earlier, to 8-points as 1:10 remained in regulation. 

Keeping Detroit from recovering a second consecutive onside-kick, all the Niners needed to do was convert a first down to seal the win. Facing a 3rd & 13, the 49er offense appeared to secure their game-sealing first down when Garoppolo stepped up to find Deebo Samuel who was racing towards the first down marker, but was stripped of the ball by Detroit's Trey Flowers. The critical takeaway would give Goff and the Lions one last-ditch effort to try and pull off the remarkable comeback. And with the drive starting with more of the same as Goff found receivers for gains of 20 and 25 yards, that luck eventually ran out. Facing a 4th & 9 on San Francisco's 24 yard-line with 17-seconds on the clock, the 49ers brought the heat and forced Goff to hurry a pass that went incomplete. Surviving the scare, Jimmy G tallied 314 yards passing and a touchdown on 17 of 25 pass attempts to have himself a game. Goff would also have an impressive game, completing 38 of 57 attempts for 338 passing yards to go along with three touchdowns and an interception. 49ers rookie Eli Mitchell would lead all running backs with 104 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. 

Week 2 Preview: Continuing their season on the road, the 49ers will pay a visit to the city of brotherly love in Week 2 to face the (1-0) Philadelphia Eagles who handled Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons on the road in Week 1 by a final score of 32-6. As if San Francisco won't already have their hands full with mobile quarterbacks when they face division foes Arizona and Seattle twice this year, they'll have another duel-threat signal-caller to prepare for in Philly's Jalen Hurts. Coming off a three touchdown performance in which he threw for 264 yards and rushed for another 62 yards, the 49er defense will need to do a much better job at containing the quarterback in Week 2 if they want to head home with an undefeated record. Pending the injury news to Raheem Mostert and Jason Verrett, the 49ers should be getting reinforcements at both the running back and cornerback positions in Week 2 with Trey Sermon and Josh Norman, respectively. The Niners will also try to keep the winning going as all four teams in the daunting NFC West won in Week 1 and the 49ers don't want to be the first team this season to fall to defeat. 

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Niners End Skid with Big Win over rival Rams

Week 6 - A week after being embarrassed at home by the rebuilding Miami Dolphins and suffering a pair of bad losses to inferior teams, the San Francisco 49ers (2-3) entered their Sunday Night meeting with the rival Los Angeles Rams (3-1) as 3-point underdogs, despite being the home team. The game would also feature a pair of friends and former colleagues turned rival head coaches between Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, two of the brightest young play-callers in the league and two guys from the Bill Walsh coaching tree. Seeking their first home win of 2020 at Levi's Stadium after a disappointing 0-3 start, Shanahan's 49ers would turn back the clock both in the win column and in their wardrobe as they donned their throwback all-white uniforms which paid homage to the magical 1994 Super Bowl-winning season. And after a very sluggish start on both sides of the ball in their previous game, San Francisco got things going right out the gates thanks to one Deebo Samuel whom the Rams defense saw a steady diet of on the Niners' opening-possession. 

After gaining 35-yards on a heads-up play by one of their most dynamic weapons on offense just two plays into the game, coach Shanahan dialed up the perfect play to award him for his efforts as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo pitched the ball to Deebo who found the end zone from 6-yards out. Needing only six plays to march 76-yards down the field, the 49er offense had already looked leaps and bounds better than they did just a week earlier following their first possession. One player in particular who also looked a lot better would be Garoppolo who's been nursing a high-ankle sprain, but showed little to no ill-effects under the bright lights of Sunday Night Football. Following a trio of punts, the Niners offense would open the second quarter much like they did first, as Jimmy G found his Pro-Bowl tight-end George Kittle streaking to the end zone for a 44-yard score on fourth down. The Niners' second touchdown would awaken the Rams offense, at least momentarily as Jared Goff found his favorite target Robert Woods in the end zone for a touchdown on third and goal. After a blocked point-after by San Francisco's Dion Jordan, the 49ers found themselves leading 14-6 and wanting more with Los Angeles set to receive the ball to open the second half. 

The 49ers would get their wish and answer the Rams' touchdown-scoring drive with one of their own. Thanks to a healthy dose of running back Raheem Mostert, coupled with a pair of big receptions by receiver Kendrick Bourne, the Niners once again found themselves in the red zone. With their backs against the wall, the Rams gave up a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk on third and goal as San Francisco jumped out to a 21-6 lead which they would carry into the locker room at the half after forcing an L.A. three and out on the other end. Bouncing back from his forgetful performance just a week earlier, Jimmy Garoppolo became the first 49er QB with 200+ passing yards and 3+ touchdowns in a first half since Jeff Garcia in Week 14 of the 2003 season. However, Garoppolo and company would not be nearly as effective in the second half as they were kept out of the end zone the rest of the way. As for the Rams who were forced to play catch-up virtually all game long, L.A. did get a field goal to open the second half, but hit a major speedbump during their next trip to the red zone. Having been taken advantage of just one week earlier as the 49ers defense was without four of their top five cornerbacks in the secondary, Sunday night served as the coming out party for San Francisco's Jason Verrett. 

Plagued by a myriad of injuries throughout his career after a very promising campaign during his second-year in 2015 which berthed a Pro Bowl appearance with the Chargers, the former first-round pick looked a lot like his Pro Bowl-self against the Rams. Deciding to go for it on 4th and goal from the 2-yardline, Verrett intercepted a pass from Goff to end the threat and force the game's only turnover. For Verrett, the pick would be a long time coming as it was his first interception since 2016 and just the sixth of his career. While the turnover did hit the reset button on the Rams' attempt at pulling off a second-half comeback, they would eventually inch closer with a long touchdown pass from Goff to Josh Reynolds in the 4th quarter, but not before a Robbie Gould field goal to give the Niners a 15-point advantage. With the ballgame coming down to the final possession, the Rams suddenly found themselves in a battle against the clock as San Francisco possessed the ball at the two-minute warning. Without a timeout remaining and needing a stop on defense, Deebo Samuel spoiled the party and provided the final blow with a strong 11-yard gain to convert the game-sealing first down which allowed his team to milk the clock for the win. 

Improving to 3-3 on the year, Garoppolo is now 4-0 in his career against the Rams and has yet to lose two games in a row in his career. Rebounding from the ugly loss just a week ago which saw him benched in the second half due to his poor performance, Jimmy G has now gone 29 straight games to begin a career without consecutive losses, the fourth longest streak in NFL history behind Otto Graham (47), Dan Marino (33) and Andrew Luck (33). Garoppolo registered his best performance of the season by throwing for 268 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers, compared to Goff's 198 yards, 2 touchdown and 1 interception performance. George Kittle led all targets with seven receptions and 109 receiving yards to go along with his touchdown. After sustaining an injury in the second half which ended Raheem Mostert's night at 65 rushing yards on 17 carries, the 49ers received some tough yardage from undrafted rookie running back JaMycal Hasty who tallied 37 fourth quarter yards on nine carries. The Rams' Darrell Henderson logged a solid 14 rush attempts for a game-high 88-yards on the ground. 

Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Niners' win, however, was how they were able to fend off the best defensive player in the league in Aaron Donald. If there was ever any one man in the NFL today that is capable of single-handedly dismantling a team's game plan on offense and required the undivided attention of an offensive-line, it would undoubtedly be the Rams' 2-time Defensive Player of the Year and 6-time Pro Bowler. With Donald coming off a four-sack outing in Week 5, the 49ers offensive-line which had struggled mightily as of late, was able to step up to the plate and keep the usual game-wrecker at bey in the 100th game of his career. Oddly enough, neither team recorded a single sack in the game. 

Week 7 Preview - For the first time this season, the 49ers will hit the road to take on a team not in the New York-New Jersey area as San Francisco makes a stop in New England to take on the Patriots (2-3). The meeting will showcase Jimmy G taking on his former team for the first time since they traded him to the Bay Area a little less than 3 years ago. With future Hall of Famer Tom Brady playing elsewhere, the 49ers will duel with Cam Newton under center. Even more bizarre than seeing someone other than Brady playing quarterback for New England, the Patriots find themselves with a losing record through their first five games of a season for the first time since 2001 and are coming off an ugly loss at home to the Denver Broncos in which they didn't allow a single touchdown on defense. While Newton might not be what he once was in the passing game and also lacks weapons on offense, he's still as dangerous as any with his legs, something that is always a cause for concern for the 49er defense when facing mobile QB's. The Niners will also need to do a much better job of pressuring the quarterback than they did in Week 6. As great a coach as there's ever been, one 49er received some very high praise when the Patriots' focus was shifted from the Broncos to the Niners during Monday's press-conference. Pats head coach Bill Belichick had some good things to say about San Francisco tight-end George Kittle whom the future Hall of Fame coach called, "as good as anyone I've ever coached." That's some very elite company considering Belichick has coached some of the best the game has ever seen in Brady, Randy Moss and even one of the most dangerous tight-ends in Rob Gronkowski. 

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49ers Look to Rebound following Draft, Free Agency

San Francisco 49er fans are excited for the 2019 NFL season, and rightfully so after the deals their team dished out in free-agency and the picks they made in this year's Draft. The glaring weakness the Niners faced entering the offseason was at defensive-end as San Francisco's defense saw very little production overall in 2018, most notably at the edge position. Aside from a few bright spots in defensive stalwart DeForest Buckner, newcomer Richard Sherman and rookie linebacker Fred Warner, there wasn't a whole lot to cheer for on a lackluster 49er defense during last year's 4-12 campaign. And after a season in which their team finished in the bottom third of the league in generated sacks (37), general manager John Lynch & head coach Kyle Shanahan who are entering their third year at the helm of the franchise, made pass rush their biggest point of emphasis during the offseason.

Following a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs to acquire Pro Bowl defensive-end Dee Ford who led the league with 8 forced fumble sacks, three more than San Francisco's entire defensive unit last season, and 13 total sacks, the 49er brain trust knew they weren't finished bolstering the position, especially when Ohio State's Nick Bosa was still on the board at pick No. 2. Regarded as the best overall player entering the draft, Bosa was passed on by division rivals Arizona who possessed the first overall pick and chose to go in a different direction by selecting a quarterback. The decision to select Bosa was an easy one for the 49er front-office as he was the guy they had coveted all along, but were afraid wouldn't be available beyond pick No. 1. It just so happened that Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury's love for Oklahoma QB Kyler Murray worked out perfectly for San Francisco and allowed Bosa to fall into their lap. Having missed nearly all of his Junior year while battling injury and undergoing core muscle surgery, the Niners will depend on Bosa to stay healthy in order for their new-look defense to produce to its full potential. If the Niners can steer clear of the injury bug in 2019, their first two picks of this year's draft should make as big an immediate impact as any in the league.

Another department of need entering the offseason was at the receiver position and the 49ers made sure to add to their receiving corps with back to back picks in the second and third rounds during day 2 of the NFL Draft, selecting Deebo Samuel, second round, 36th overall out of South Carolina and Jalen Hurd, third round, 67th overall out of Baylor. Samuel, who's known for his play-making ability both in and out of the slot as well as returning kicks, was one of the top receivers in the draft after tallying an 11-touchdown, 62-reception season last year for the Gamecocks and made an instant fan out of coach Shanahan during the Senior Bowl which was partly coached by the 49ers staff. The two became quite familiar with one another and look to build on that relationship in the pros. But like most players the 49ers have acquired since the end of last season, Samuel has also had his fair share of injuries in the past, which seemed to be a theme for many of their additions this offseason. And while Samuel doesn't resemble the big bodied receiver that the Niners have been seeking for quite some time now, their third round selection certainly fits the bill. Hurd, a former running back at the University of Tennessee, stands at 6-foot-5 with 226 pounds and is an interesting specimen who provides plenty of versatility, but will likely be a project for Shanahan considering his raw talent. Either way, I don't think there's a receiver that Shanahan has drafted in his three years with the team that he hasn't liked in the NFL.

One of the more questionable picks in the draft, was who the Niners took in the 4th round, 110th overall. Needing a punter with Bradley Pinion now a member of the Buccaneers, Lynch & Shanahan got themselves a good one in Utah's Mitch Wishnowsky, but seemed to have reached for him considering the round they took him in. Recipient of the Ray Guy Award during his sophomore year in 2016, an award given to the best punter in college, the Aussie native will try to make pundits forget about his draft position and duplicate the success the 49ers had on special-teams when Andy Lee was punching his ticket to the Pro Bowl every other year. Hoping to strike gold at the linebacker position like they did with Warner in last year's draft, San Francisco selected Dre Greenlaw 148th overall out of Arkansas in the 5th round. With a trio of picks in round 6, Kaden Smith (176th), tight-end out of Stanford, Justin Skule (183rd), offensive-tackle out of Vanderbilt, and Tim Harris (198th), cornerback from Virginia, rounded out the 49ers' 2019 Draft class. Considering how needy San Francisco was for a defensive back, holding off until their final pick in the draft to select one came as a surprise to many.

Like Bosa and Samuel, Hurd, Greenlaw and Harris have all had a history of injuries during their collegiate careers, but the fun doesn't stop there. Free-agent acquisitions Kwon Alexander, a linebacker formerly with Tampa Bay and Jason Verrett a former Charger, are both coming off of season-ending injuries. Alexander who agreed to a hefty four-year, $54 Million deal, suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 with the Bucs last year and Verrett who signed a one-year contract for a modest $3.6 Million, was plagued with a torn Achilles tendon on the first day of training camp last year to go along with the myriad of other injuries he's had since entering the league as a 1st round pick in 2014. With both players having made the Pro Bowl -- Alexander in 2017 and Verrett in 2015, staying on the field would pay dividends for their new team, but will be a huge challenge, especially for Verrett who missed 43 of the last 48 games while a member of the Chargers with just about every injury under the sun. However, the signing remains a low-risk, high-reward deal for San Francisco hence the one year offer and figures of the contract.

Another piece the 49ers added this offseason via free-agency and a guy who was drafted by coach Shanahan during his time in Atlanta, is former Falcons running back Tevin Coleman who agreed to a 2-year deal worth $10 Million. Formerly one half of the 1-2 punch the Falcons featured at running back alongside Devonta Freeman, Coleman brings his familiarity with Shanahan's system to the Bay Area and also adds depth to the position that also includes running backs Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson and the return of Jerick McKinnon who missed all of last season with a knee injury. Wide receiver Jordan Matthews was also signed to strengthen the wide-out position and looks to find the spark he had during his first two seasons in Philadelphia when he tallied a combined 16 touchdowns and was on the doorstep of the 1,000 yards receiving plateau in his sophomore season when he fell just three yards shy. While the Niners decided to bring back a pair of former first round picks in free safety Jimmie Ward and defensive end Arik Armstead, some weren't as lucky as the team would bid farewells to OT Garry Gilliam, DE Cassius Marsh and LB Brock Coyle who were all released.

Having missed the playoffs for the past five seasons, 2019 will be a season in which the Niners will need to see major improvements on the field and in the win column before the seats of Shanahan & Lynch potentially begin to heat up, whether fair or not. A victim of overseeing a depleted roster due to countless injuries a season ago, coach Shanahan will be depending on a much healthier roster this upcoming season, most importantly at the quarterback position. And if QB Jimmy Garoppolo can make a full recovery and bounce back like all signs appear to indicate, then year three should be Shanahan's best yet at the helm of the 49ers. Though the hole at quarterback was a major concern a season ago with Jimmy G. out, it wasn't the only one as the woeful defense forced only seven takeaways in 2018, the fewest by a team in NFL history by a total, four fewer than the previous mark of 11 by the 1982 Baltimore Colts. San Francisco's new-look defense plans to throw that dubious record book out the window as they now feature one of the better pass rushing attacks in the league on paper with the additions of Bosa and Ford. The tandem should be a day and night difference from what they had a season ago alongside Pro Bowler DeForest Buckner.

With 49ers rookie mini-camp underway this week, full team training camp is slated to begin on July 25 for both rookies and veterans alike and will showcase plenty for us to keep an eye on as competitions are formed, guys get cut and roster spots are earned. The 49ers open the 2019 NFL regular season on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


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