49ers Pound Panthers in Blowout Win

Week 5 - Looking to put together their first winning-streak of the season, the (2-2) San Francisco 49ers would take a trip to Charlotte to take on the (1-3) Carolina Panthers. During the week leading up to gameday, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo revealed that Carolina was among the top two teams on his list of possible landing destinations. Instead, the Panthers made a deal to acquire QB Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns and Garoppolo restructured his contract to stay in San Francisco days before the start of the preseason. Coincidentally, Jimmy G would have his best game yet in 2022 and Mayfield his worst. 

With 30+ friends and family members in attendance, Sunday's game would serve as a homecoming for 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel. And although Deebo would eventually give his many supporters something to cheer about, it was Samuel's teammate George Kittle who Garoppolo would go to early and often to start the game. Having gotten off to a slow start thus far through two games after missing the first two weeks of the season with a groin injury, the 49ers tight-end had his most productive game of the season. Hauling in the first two passes of the afternoon from Garoppolo and four of the first six, a steady diet of Kittle helped move the San Francisco offense up and down the field in the opening quarter. Two plays after a 20-yard reception from Kittle, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. broke up the middle for a 41-yard gain, setting up a 9-yard touchdown reception by Tevin Coleman who had himself a nice return to the franchise after signing with the team's practice squad less than three weeks earlier. In his second stint with the team after being released by the Jets during the preseason, Coleman scored twice on the afternoon, both on the ground and through the air. 

Jimmy G would look Kittle's way two more times during their second offensive possession, but the drive would be cut short as Kittle was tackled from behind and striped of the ball near midfield, fumbling for only the second time in his career. Luckily, the turnover would not haunt the Niners as Carolina had demons of their own as Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro's field goal attempt from 41-yards out soared wide left. The missed field goal would snap a streak of 27 consecutive made field goals for Pineiro who was perfect on the day otherwise. The Panthers kicker would redeem himself on Carolina's following possession by making a 43-yarder, but not before the 49ers got a field goal of their own as Robbie Gould split the uprights from 49-yards out. Gould would have an interesting day at the office as he had a field goal blocked two possessions later from 43-yards out, and also had to make a pair of plays on special-teams as he made a tackle on consecutive kickoffs, injuring himself in the process. Gould would have to leave the game in the third quarter with a knee contusion in what would be a rough second half for the Niners in the injury department. 

Already playing this week without Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw along the defensive-line as both players were ruled out before kickoff, Gould, Jimmie Ward, Nick Bosa and Emmanuel Moseley would all be lost to injury on Sunday. With Bosa leaving the game due to a tight groin, it would be another tough break for safety Jimmie Ward who was activated from the team's injured-reserve list after missing the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. There's bad luck and then there's whatever Ward has as his season-debut would be cut short as he suffered a broken hand on the opening-kickoff. But the worst injury of all would be that of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley who suffered a left knee injury that immediately had head coach Kyle Shanahan and his medical staff fearing the worst with a possible torn ACL. Before Moseley needed assistance to be helped off the field, he came up with the best play of the day on defense when he intercepted a Baker Mayfield pass and returned it to the end zone for a 41-yard pick-six. It would be a day of high's and low's for Moseley who grew up in nearby Greensboro, North Carolina, and like Deebo, had plenty of supporters rooting him on from the stands. Moseley's interception would give the 49er defense back to back weeks with a pick-six for the first time since 2000, and their eighth pick-six since 2019, tying them for the most in the NFL during that span. 

Carolina would open the second half with their one and only touchdown-scoring drive of the game when their star running back Christian McCaffrey took a handoff on 4th and 1 the distance for a 19-yard score before failing on the two-point conversion. The 49er offense would answer that touchdown with one of their own as a big 32-yard catch and run from receiver Jauan Jennings helped setup a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel. Sandwiched between two more Carolina field goals, Jeff Wilson Jr. would add to his busy day with a rushing touchdown from the 1-yard line. Having filled in quite nicely for the injured Elijah Mitchell, Wilson Jr. finished with 120 rushing yards on 17 carries. San Francisco would add one last touchdown late, capitalizing on a turnover on downs from the Panthers inside their own 10. Putting the icing on the cake would be Tevin Coleman who added to his receiving touchdown earlier in the game with a rushing touchdown from the 5. The injury to Gould would thwart punter Mitch Wishnowsky into kicking duties as he made 1 of 2 PAT's on the afternoon, while sharing a laugh with his teammates. Garoppolo would finish with 253 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in comparison to Mayfield's 215 yards passing and 1 interception. 

Coach Shanahan's Niners would be the only team in the division that reigned victorious on Sunday, as the rest of the NFC West fell to 2-3 on the season, meaning the 49ers stand alone in first place at 3-2. And helping San Francisco achieve that feat was the defense which stepped up big once again with a six sack performance after tallying 7 sacks the previous week versus the Rams. The 49er offense was also able to match that intensity by producing drives of all types to keep the opposition on their heels. Developments would rock both teams on Monday as Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule following the team's disappointing 1-4 start and team doctors confirmed that 49ers corner Emmanuel Moseley did in fact suffer a torn ACL that will require season-ending surgery. While Moseley's absence in the defense will be detrimental to what's been a stout secondary, the door for his replacement opens wide with eyes on rookie Samuel Womack III, second-year corner Ambry Thomas, veteran Dontae Johnson and the often injured Jason Verrett who will make his season-debut soon from IR. 

Week 6 Preview: Staying out east in preparation of their Week 6 visit to Georgia to face the (2-3) Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers will setup shop at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia as part of their home away from home practice site, instead of flying across the country to the team's practice facility in the Bay Area. With a 21-15 loss on Sunday to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Falcons are just one win better than the Panthers in the standings and if not for a bogus roughing the passer call on a third down sack of Tom Brady during the 4th quarter, the Falcons could very well be coming off a win. Instead, they're coming off a defeat and are likely to be without their top two offensive weapons in tight-end Kyle Pitts and receiver turned running back Cordarrelle Patterson as they nurse a hamstring and knee injury, respectively. For this very reason, the 49ers might be able to get by for a week without defensive star Nick Bosa if Shanahan and company choose to give him a week off to aid his groin injury. Meanwhile, the team will hold a tryout for kickers in the event that Robbie Gould has to miss any time. 

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Seventh Time a Charm for Rams who Knock off 49ers in Bid to Super Bowl

NFC Championship - Facing off on Sunday with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line would be two NFC West foes and longtime rivals in the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams. Also going toe to toe would be two longtime friends and former colleagues in Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, a pair of head coaches who have both helped turn around their franchises and each with a Super Bowl appearance under their belt. Unfortunately, as much as one would like to see the other succeed, only one would move on to the big game, while the other would be sent home to witness the Super Bowl from afar. With one team's dreams of making it to Super Bowl Sunday coming true, the other would see their hopes slip away. And for the 49er Faithful, the hopes and dreams of their team hoisting that elusive sixth Super Bowl title remained just that -- elusive. 

Heading into the matchup, many believed the winner of the game would be determined by which quarterback would commit the fewest amount of mistakes. And for nearly four full quarters, that QB appeared to be San Francisco's Jimmy Garoppolo. That was until the 49ers' final drive of the game when disaster struck. But long before an all around collapse by San Francisco and Jimmy G's costly mistake, coach Shanahan appeared to have the upper hand yet again against his old buddy McVay. Having swept the Rams in the regular season for the third consecutive season and seeking their seventh straight victory over L.A., the 49ers were able to keep the Rams' high-powered offense off the scoreboard in the first quarter as the two teams headed into the second quarter scoreless. After both teams exchanged three and out punts to open the game, the Rams marched their way to the red zone before an interception from quarterback Matt Stafford inside the 5-yardline. Getting a hand on a pass intended for L.A.'s Cooper Kupp was San Francisco's K'Waun Williams who's battled ball fell right into the lap of teammate Jimmie Ward who hauled in his third interception of the season, all against Stafford. 

Though they would miss the opportunity on their first trip to the red zone, Stafford would capitalize on their second chance, finding Kupp all alone in the end zone for the easy touchdown to cap off a 97-yard drive, their longest of the season. Answering with a touchdown of their own, the 49ers setup shop within striking distance after a big play along the sideline from Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk. Several plays later, the Niners' biggest play-maker this season would show up once again when Deebo Samuel caught a screen-pass and took it 44-yards to the house for the score. When the Rams failed to convert on a go-ahead 54-yard field goal from kicker Matt Gay on their ensuing possession, the 49ers' Robbie Gould showed his counterpart just how its done as the Niners got him within range to bang thru a 38-yarder to give San Francisco a 10-7 lead at the half. Gould would extend his perfect mark in the postseason with another field goal to make him 21-for-21, the most makes without a miss in the Super Bowl era. After the 49ers punted away their first possession of the second half, the Rams turned the ball over on downs when a QB sneak attempt from a yard out went awry. Taking advantage of the stop, the 49ers would add to their lead when Garoppolo hit tight-end George Kittle in the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown, the first of Kittle's career in the postseason. 

Entering the fourth quarter trailing by 10, the Rams would answer with a touchdown of their own when Stafford connected with Cooper Kupp in the end zone for a second time. Bringing his team within a field goal, Kupp who won the triple-crown this year among NFL wide-outs, became the first receiver in league history to have three games of 100+ receiving yards against a single opponent in a single season as the 49ers' secondary continued to struggle and failed to find an answer for the 2022 All-Pro. And just when the Rams began to finally show a late surge of offense, San Francisco suddenly couldn't find any of their own as the offense punted on each of their first two possessions of the fourth quarter, and both times, the Rams would add a field goal. But before the field goal that ultimately tied the game at 17-all, the biggest play of the game for San Francisco would be the one that never happened when safety Jaquiski Tartt failed to come up with a gimme interception that would've came up clutch and put San Francisco in prime position to add to their lead late with under 10 minutes remaining. Reminding us all why he's a defensive-back and not a receiver, Tartt fell to the ground in disbelief when he bobbled what should've been an easy pick.

Instead of adding to their lead, the 49ers quickly found themselves trailing by a field goal with just under two minutes remaining after a second field goal from Matt Gay. In desperate need of a score to either tie the game or take the lead, things began to sputter and the offensive-line started shuffling at the worse possible time. Facing a 3rd and 13, pressure would be applied to Garoppolo from Aaron Donald who had been quiet up to that point, forcing the Niners signal-caller to get off an errant shovel pass that tipped off the hands of his target in JaMycal Hasty and into the hands of a Rams defender to seal the game, 20-17, Rams. Sadly for the 49ers, a 10-point fourth quarter lead and a stadium invasion as red-clad Niner fans took over L.A.'s SoFi Stadium yet again, proved to not be enough when it was all said and done. 

In what's likely to be the final game of QB Jimmy Garoppolo's career in San Francisco, the Niners signal-caller finished with 232 passing yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. As for his counterpart, Matthew Stafford threw for 337 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Neither team would do a whole lot on the ground, making way for big games through the air from San Francisco's Deebo Samuel and the Rams' tandem of Cooper Kupp and Odell Beckham Jr. Finishing with 4 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, Deebo also added another 26 yards on 7 carries to give him 2,061 scrimmage yards on the year, the most by a WR in a single season in 49ers history (including playoffs), surpassing Hall of Famer Jerry Rice's mark of 2,006 scrimmage yards in 1995. As for L.A.'s dynamic duo, Kupp finished with 11 receptions for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns, becoming only the third Ram ever to haul in 2+ touchdowns in a playoff game. Meanwhile, Beckham had his most productive outing since Week 6 of 2019, catching nine balls for 113 yards to snap a drought of 33 straight games without 100+ receiving yards. 

Another noteworthy performance was that of San Francisco's Nick Bosa. Only three years into his young career and two trips to the playoffs, Bosa tallied another 1.5 sacks on Sunday, passing Hall of Famer Charles Haley (7.5) for the most postseason sacks by a 49ers player since sacks became an official stat in 1982. After missing virtually all of last season after blowing out his knee, Bosa has 0.5+ sacks in each of his six career playoff games, the second longest streak since sacks became official. With a record of 15-6 when leading by 10+ points at any point in the game since 2020 (including playoffs), San Francisco's six losses are the most losses by any team in the NFL in that span. As for the Rams who are 2-23 when trailing by 10+ points in the second half under coach McVay, at least his team knows how to pick them as both wins have come in the NFC Championship game. Adding salt to the wound for Niner fans everywhere, the Rams overcame a fourth quarter deficit of 10+ points to win a game for the first time since Week 1 of the 2013 season (vs Arizona), this after 49 straight losses in such situations. 

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49ers Bring Back Armstead, Deal Buckner

Amid the craziness that is the Coronavirus pandemic that has taken the globe by storm and halted the sports world as we know in its tracks, Monday served as the first busy day of the NFL's 2020-21 calendar year. Just 24 hours after players and league owners came to terms on a new collective bargaining agreement that will improve the number of playoff teams from 12 to 14, as well as ensure 10 more years of labor peace (at least for now) among many other things, the free-agent frenzy and a number of blockbuster trades, allowed for us to take a quick breather from the more serious matters at hand. With the NCAA's March Madness officially cancelled, both the NBA and NHL seasons in a standstill and Major League Baseball not expected to begin their season until at least mid-May, it was the NFL that once again reigned supreme in a nation that absolutely loves its football and is currently starving for any sort of sports entertainment.

Just two days before the official start of NFL free agency, things began to take shape when a pair of major moves were made out west as one of the league's toughest divisions in the NFC West appears to have gotten even tougher. Following the groundbreaking news of the Houston Texans sending superstar receiver DeAndre Hopkins to the Arizona Cardinals to catch balls from last year's No. 1 overall pick and Offensive Rookie of the Year -- Kyler Murray, the archrival 49ers made a splash of their own in hopes of maintaining a stranglehold on the division for years to come. With a number of play-makers on San Francisco's star-studded defensive-line, the reigning NFC Champion 49ers were forced to pick and choose between a pair of good friends and former college teammates dating back to their days at the University of Oregon. After selecting Arik Armstead and DeForest Buckner in consecutive drafts with their first round picks in 2015 and 2016 respectively, the 49ers made the two former Oregon Ducks teammates once again, helping them assemble the most devastating defensive front in all of football last season which led the way to the team making a Super Bowl appearance under defensive coordinator Robert Saleh. But like all good things that must come to an end, the team would not be able to afford paying everyone after shelling out over $87 Million last offseason to defensive-end Dee Ford and drafting rookie sensation Nick Bosa who took home the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Year Award after being selected with the No. 2 overall pick.

With Armstead becoming a free-agent and Buckner entering the final year of his contract this coming season, 49ers brass would be forced to choose from one or the other. Not only would GM John Lynch and company go with the much cheaper option in Armstead, but they also went with the option that made the most sense long-term. With Buckner being the odd man out, San Francisco sent their former No. 7 overall pick and arguably the centerpiece to their defense to the Indianapolis Colts in exchange for the No. 13 pick in next month's draft. In need of a defensive lineman to compliment their superstar linebacker in Darius Leonard, Indy quickly made Buckner the second-highest paid defensive player in the league by inking him to a multi-year deal that will pay him $21 Million per, trailing only L.A.'s Aaron Donald in annual salary. In his four seasons in the league with the 49ers, Buckner tallied 28.5 sacks while earning Pro Bowl honors in 2018. While Buckner is clearly the more superior pass rusher here and has the more impressive track record, his asking price was going to be too expensive for the Niners' taste and therefore it made all the sense in the world to deal him now and at least get something in return, opposed to letting him walk after next season. Not to mention how needy the 49ers are for draft capital as they did not receive any compensatory draft picks this year and are without a single pick in rounds 2 thru 4 which have proven to be the rounds Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan have built this team on in their 3+ seasons at the helm.

Having mainly underwhelmed in his previous four seasons with the team, Armstead had a career year in 2019-20 and benefited from having the perfect cast around him which allowed him to propel on the field and helped him accomplish a career-high 10 sacks on the year. Thriving in what was a memorable season for San Francisco's defense, Armstead just got a lot richer as the team signed him to a new five-year, $85 Million dollar deal with $48.5 Million in guarantees. Whether or not the 49ers intend to use one of their now two first round picks at No. 13 and 31 to find Buckner's replacement is anyone's guess at this point, as D.J. Jones who impressed last season before being bit by the injury bug, is also a viable option. Then again Lynch could always revert to using one of the picks as trade bait to land even more picks like he's done so often in his brief but impressive career as a general manager. By jettisoning Buckner's contract from their payroll, the team was able to clear up the salary flexibility to make moves such as re-signing free-safety Jimmie Ward to a 3-year deal worth $28.5 Million. The move to bring back the often injury-prone Ward who the 49ers made their 30th pick in the 2014 Draft, enjoyed his best and most healthy season in 2019 and was San Francisco's second top priority among their own free-agents, behind only Armstead, which now guarantees the return of 10 of 11 defensive starters from last year.

With more deals expected to come, other key free-agents on the Niners include: WR Kendrick Bourne, RB Matt Breida and WR Emmanuel Sanders.


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Gabbert's late Heroics Propels 49er past Bears

Week 13 - With the 49ers in Chicago to face off with the (5-6) Bears, San Francisco head coach Jim Tomsula found himself going up against a former colleague -- Vic Fangio who served four seasons as the Niners defensive coordinator before landing the same job title in the windy city during the offseason, as well as Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase whom Tomsula beat out for the head coaching job. In what would be a struggle offensively for most of the game by both teams, the game would have to be decided in overtime. 

After three and outs in each of San Francisco's first two possessions, the Bears took an early 6-0 lead on a pair of Robbie Gould field goals. Celebrating his 34th birthday, the rest of the day would be one to forget for the longtime Chicago kicker. Seeking their first 1st quarter touchdown of the season, the Niners would strike pay dirt in the form of a Jimmie Ward interception he took to the house. Playing in Chicago for the first time not far from Northern Illinois University where he played collegiately before being selected in the first round of last year's Draft, the interception marked the first of Ward's career, helping put his team on the board and end a first quarter touchdown-less drought that had reached 11 games. Kicker Phil Dawson would fail to tack on the ensuing PAT, however, as the 49ers suffered their first missed extra-point since 2003. With the game tied at 6, both teams would exchange rushing touchdowns as Matt Forte scored for Chicago, only to be matched by San Francisco's Shaun Draughn who scored his first touchdown in a Niner uniform.

The game would remain tied at 13 heading into the 4th quarter. It would be there where the Bears and 49ers would once again exchange rushing touchdowns, this time by a pair of unlikely recipients as both Ka'Deem Carey and Blaine Gabbert logged the first rushing touchdowns of their career, both capping six-play drives in the 4th quarter. Carey's would come first as he found the end zone from 4-yards out, followed by the longest rush of the season by a 49er -- a 44-yard scramble up the middle by Gabbert who showed athleticism on the play that nobody knew he had as San Francisco once again tied the game at 20 apiece. But Gabbert's late-game heroics were nearly erased on the ensuing kick as the 49ers special teams surrendered a 74-yard return to Deonte Thompson with under two minutes remaining. The return would put Chicago in position to win as Bears head coach John Fox called on Gould to kick his team to victory. But after missing his previous attempt in the third quarter, nothing was promised. And from 36-yards out, the Bears' Pro Bowl kicker shanked the kick wide left, spoiling his birthday and sending the game into overtime. It would mark the first game of Gould's career in which he missed a pair of field goals 41-yards or fewer.

With both teams going three and out on their first possession in overtime, Gabbert wasted little time on San Francisco's second drive as he aired it out along the left sideline where he found Torrey Smith all alone for the 71-yard walk-off touchdown. Prior to his game-winning reception which led to his 49er teammates mobbing him in the end zone, Smith had one catch for five yards. Gabbert threw for 196 yards on the day and led the team in rushing with another 75 yards as the 49ers pulled off the 26-20 overtime victory. Chicago's Jay Cutler threw for 202 yards in a losing effort as San Francisco claimed their first road win of the season and first of Tomsula's career. Niners receiver Anquan Boldin caught five passes for 37 yards, helping him reach 13,000 career receiving yards in what's been a stalwart career in the NFL and one that could very well result in a Hall of Fame induction one day. 

Week 14 Preview - At 4-8 on the year, the 49ers will look to build their first winning-streak of the season when they pay a visit to Cleveland to take on the 2-10 Browns. Coming off a 37-3 shellacking by their inner-state rivals the Cincinnati Bengals, the Browns are looking to bounce back at Home. Having endured quarterback trouble of their own this season, Cleveland has decided to name Johnny Manziel their starting QB heading into Sunday's game. While Manziel gives the Browns their best chance of winning games over fellow QB's Josh McCown who's now injured and Austin Davis, the former Heisman Trophy winner is coming off a 2-game absence as Cleveland coach Mike Pettine decided to discipline his young QB after videos of Manziel partying in his native Texas surfaced over the internet. The Niner defense will look to keep the duel threat quarterback at bey with another stellar showing on defense and build on their first road victory of the season. 


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