49ers Right Ship vs Washington, Lock up Top Seed

Week 17 - Looking to bounce back from a blowout loss at home on Christmas night to the Baltimore Ravens, Brock Purdy and the (11-4) San Francisco 49ers set their sights on the (4-11) Washington Commanders in hopes of finishing 2023 by getting back on track with a win. Heading to the nation's capital to face a struggling Commanders team on New Years Eve, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would aim to make Sunday's game their last of the season as members of the road team as a win coupled with a loss from the Philadelphia Eagles would lock up the NFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. But before San Francisco could look ahead to the postseason, the meeting against Washington would be especially important for two current members of the 49ers in left-tackle Trent Williams and defensive-end Chase Young, both of whom are former Washington players. Facing off against their former team, Sunday's bout with Washington marked the first time for Williams at FedEx Field as a visitor and Young for the first time of his career at home or away. 

For others, most notably Niners quarterback Brock Purdy, the game would serve as a chance to bounce back as many around the league have written off San Francisco's signal-caller after his putrid 4-interception performance less than a week earlier on Christmas night. By game's end, Purdy would indeed bounce back in a big way with a 124.7 passer rating, on his way to recording the most passing yards in a single season by a 49ers quarterback with 4,280 in just his first year as the starting QB, eclipsing the previous mark of 4,278 passing yards set in 2000 by Jeff Garcia. With Purdy in a three-way race for the league's MVP Award alongside Baltimore's Lamar Jackson and teammate Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers QB would also witness history being made by McCaffrey and a few other of his teammates on Sunday. 

Opening the game on offense, the 49ers were able to march into Washington territory with a busy first drive from McCaffrey who entered the game leading the league in rushing. Making their way to the red zone rather easily, it was there where the Niner offense fizzled out and was forced to settle for a Jake Moody field goal, giving San Francisco an early 3-0 lead. Forcing a three and out at the other end on defense as Washington held the ball for less than a minute in time of possession, the 49ers had a much more successful drive on their second possession. With more touches to McCaffrey, Purdy was able to distribute the ball to both Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, as the tandem of receivers helped the offense setup shop at the 2-yard line where Purdy flipped a pass to Deebo who was able to score with a walk-in touchdown. Taking a 10-0 first quarter lead, Washington would flip the script as soon as they started quarter no. 2, answering back with a Joey Slye field goal and a 3-yard touchdown pass to receiver Terry McLaurin. Commanders quarterback Sam Howell who was benched earlier in the week by head coach Ron Rivera for backup QB Jacoby Brissett, suddenly found himself at the forefront of a tie game against the NFC's No. 1 team after being reinserted as the starter with Brissett ruled out a day earlier due to a hamstring injury suffered in Thursday's practice. 

Looking to stave off a late season upset against one of the NFC's worst teams, the 49ers were able to march to Washington's goal-line where they struggled to find the end zone on three straight plays from the 1-yard line. Settling for a field goal, San Francisco took a 13-10 lead into the half with work to do. Making the needed adjustments at halftime, the 49ers defense forced a Washington three and out to open the third quarter. Adding to their lead, Brock Purdy and company put together the longest drive of the afternoon for either team with a 14-play, 68-yard drive that chewed up over 7-minutes of clock. Backup running back Elijah Mitchell who has had a roller coaster season with nagging knee injuries, recorded his best game of the season after filling in for McCaffrey who would leave early in the third quarter with a lower leg injury that was later described as a mild calf strain. Toting the rock for seven carries on the drive, Mitchell punched in his first touchdown of the season with a 2-yard score. 

Putting their clamps down on defense, San Francisco forced back-to-back turnovers with interceptions from Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir on consecutive drives. Turning one of those turnovers into points, Purdy was able to find Aiyuk with a pair of big plays, including a 38-yard connection that put the Niners inside the red zone. Several plays later, Purdy would work a bit of his magic by scrambling out of the pocket to avoid a sack and slinging the ball across the field to find Aiyuk all alone on the left side of the end zone. San Francisco would again make their way to the goal-line, but were unable to punch thru on fourth and goal as Elijah Mitchell was denied a second touchdown on the day. After exchanging punts, the 49ers forced a turnover on downs of their own to seal the 27-10 victory. Making their way to the locker room, several members of the 49ers joined members of the media to catch the ending of the Philadelphia Eagles-Arizona Cardinals game where they witnessed a remarkable comeback win by their division rivals which helped lock up the NFC's top seed for San Francisco. 

In the win, Brock Purdy threw for 230 yards and a pair of touchdowns, while also avoiding the turnover bug that plagued him a week earlier. His counterpart Sam Howell was held to just 169 yards passing, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Elijah Mitchell led all rushers with 80 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, followed by 64 yards on 14 carries by McCaffrey before the injury. McCaffrey also added 27 yards on 4 receptions, becoming the first 49ers player with 2,000+ scrimmage yards since 2006 (Frank Gore), while also posting a new career-high in rushing yards with 1,459. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk had another big day at the office, recording his 6th game of the season with over 100 receiving yards, tallying 114 and a receiving touchdown on 7 receptions. Tight-end George Kittle had only 3 receptions for 29 yards receiving in the win, but did surpass 1,000 yards receiving for the third time in his career as the 49ers became the first team in NFL history with a running back, two wide receivers and a tight-end to each have 1,000-plus scrimmage yards in the same season (McCaffrey, Aiyuk, Deebo and Kittle). They're also just the 4th team in NFL history with a 4,000+ yard passer and 4 players with 1,000+ yards from scrimmage in a season. With the 17-point win, the Niners added to their dominance over the NFC Eastern Division, increasing their point differential to +90, the highest of any team versus an opposing division this season. 

Week 18 Preview: Having already clinched the NFC's top seed, (12-4) San Francisco's regular season dominance over the rival (9-4) L.A. Rams could very well finally come to an end in the team's regular-season finale as head coach Kyle Shanahan will likely sit a majority of his starters in a game with little significance. With nine straight regular season wins over Sean McVay and the Rams, the 49ers are on the cusp of hitting double-digits in consecutive wins against their southern California rivals. Other than a slight tune-up leading up to the 49ers' Playoffs Bye Week in the first round of next week's Wild Card round, I'd be very surprised to see San Francisco's starters out on the field longer than the opening quarter, if at all. The Rams who have also clinched a playoff spot as a Wild Card team after a close call on the road against the Giants, coming off a 26-25 win, are also expected to sit a number of starters. Among those sitting out for L.A. will be QB Matthew Stafford who will be benched in favor of Carson Wentz who will face off against Niners backup Sam Darnold. Sunday's game won't be completely meaningless for the Rams who can seal the NFC's No. 6 seed with a win over the Niners, or they could fall to the 7 seed with a loss and a Green Bay Packers win over the Chicago Bears. 

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NFL Releases 2020 Regular Season Schedule for 49ers

Opening the season at home for the first time since 2017, the San Francisco 49ers who were awarded the 4th-toughest strength of schedule and hardest in the NFC based on last season's standings, begin their self-proclaimed, "revenge tour" and quest for Championship number six at Levi's Stadium where they welcome in the division rival Arizona Cardinals in Week 1. After sweeping the season series against the Cards a season ago, despite both games being a dog fight that came down to the wire, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team will likely see one of the most upgraded rosters in 2020 from a season ago in their first of two meetings on the year. 

The Arizona Cardinals finished in last place in arguably the toughest division in the league (NFC West) at 5-10-1.

Facing opponents from the Eastern Division in both conferences in 2020, Week 2 will see the 49ers take a trip to New Jersey where they'll play the first of back to back away games at MetLife Stadium. The first of which coming against the New York Jets in a reunion with 49ers all-time leading rusher Frank Gore. Number three on the NFL's all-time rushing list, Gore, a future Hall of Famer who did most of his damage in a 49er uniform and will undoubtedly have his number enshrined in Santa Clara one day, has not shied away from publicly expressing his love for the 49ers organization and will have a chance to remind them of his greatness when he takes second-string duties in the backfield behind Le'Veon Bell.

The New York Jets were 7-9 without their starting quarterback for much of the year and finished in third place in the AFC East. 

Week 3 the 49ers wrap up their two week stay in the New York-New Jersey area by facing the Giants who have alternated wins with San Francisco in each of their previous five bouts. After finishing 4-12 a season ago, the Giants are preparing for life after Eli Manning as the newly retired, 2-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback has officially handed over the reigns to second-year QB Daniel Jones whom the G-Men selected with the 6th overall pick in last year's Draft. Having undergone a bit of a makeover, 2020 will mark the Giants' first year under head coach Joe Judge who's the latest member of the Bill Belichick head coaching tree to land a top job in the NFL. 

Finishing third in the NFC East were the New York Giants at 4-12.

The 49ers return home to Levi's Stadium in Week 4 to host the Philadelphia Eagles in their first of five prime time games scheduled in 2020. One of six playoff teams from a season ago that San Francisco is slated to face this year, coach Kyle Shanahan and company will see a familiar face on the other sideline in receiver Marquise Goodwin who was traded to Philly on day 3 of April's Draft. Last year's winners of the NFC East, the Eagles are near the top of the list in terms of easiest strength of schedule for 2020, with a trip to San Francisco figuring to be one of the lone bumps in the road for head coach Doug Peterson's squad.  

Philadelphia is coming off a 9-7 record that was still good enough to top the NFC Eastern Division.

One of the busier teams in bolstering their roster this offseason has been the Miami Dolphins whom the 49ers will welcome to Levi's Stadium for the first time in the stadium's history in Week 5. The trip out west also marks Miami's first road game against the Niners since 2012. The 49ers look to even their record against the 'Fins who currently own a 6-7 overall edge against SF in head-to-head match-ups. One of the newest members of the Dolphins who hopes to spoil those plans for San Francisco is the newly acquired Matt Breida who was dealt on Day 3 of this year's draft after spending three productive seasons with the Niners who signed Breida as an un-drafted free-agent in 2017.

The Miami Dolphins were dead last in the AFC East at 5-11, but began stringing wins together towards the end of the season.

Renewing rivalries with the Rams, the 49ers will square off in a prime time game against Los Angeles for the second consecutive season and the first on Sunday Night Football since 2004. A battle between the last two NFC Champions, the 49ers will look to continue their recent success against head coach Sean McVay's Rams team as the 49ers closeout their three-game homestand in Week 6.

The L.A. Rams followed a first place finish in 2018 with a third place finish a year later in 2019 at 9-7 overall.

Hitting the road again, the 49ers pay their first visit to Foxborough, Massachusetts since 2012 to face Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots in what will be quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo's first crack at his former team. With Tom Brady no longer in the picture, it'll be interesting to see who we see under center for the Pats out of former-49er Brian Hoyer who's entering his third stint with the team and second-year QB Jarrett Stidham. With recent rumors leaked and confirmed by 49ers GM John Lynch that Belichick had countered and offered to trade Tom Brady instead of Garoppolo before the deal that eventually sent Jimmy G to the Bay Area in 2017, it's quite possible that the phone call between the two parties was what sparked the beginning of the end of Brady's time in New England.

The Patriots finished atop the AFC East for the 11th consecutive season in 2019 at 12-4, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Tennessee. 

2019 saw the long awaited snap of an 8-game losing streak at Seattle against the archrival Seahawks on the final week of the regular season which ultimately won the NFC Western Division and secured the No. 1 seed in the conference for San Francisco. Looking to make it two straight wins in the Pacific Northwest, the 49ers who always seem to have their hands full at CenturyLink Field, are hoping things will be much easier in 2020. But as long as Russell Wilson is taking snaps for Seattle, it's unlikely that'll be the case as we should be in store for another bruising battle up north in Week 8.

One of the two Wild Card teams in 2019, the Seattle Seahawks finished second in the NFC Western Division by logging another strong record under head coach Pete Carroll at 11-5.

In their only Thursday Night tilt of the season, the 49ers once again welcome Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the first ever TNF match-up between the two franchises. With San Francisco getting the better half of Green Bay in both meetings last season by way of double-digit beat downs, including a dominant 37-8 win in the NFC Championship game, Rodgers will try to right the ship against the team he grew up rooting for as the 49ers and Packers face off for a third consecutive season for the first time since 1998-2000. And with the Packers drafting Rodgers' likely successor during April's Draft in Utah State QB Jordan Love, expect to see A-Rod playing with a chip on his shoulder in 2020. 

An impressive 13-3 record under rookie head coach Matt LaFleur, the Green Bay Packers were the top dog in the NFC North at 13-3.

Continuing the gauntlet of formidable NFC foes, the 49ers head to the Big Easy in a match-up that will be anything but versus Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints. One of the more exciting games played all of last season when these two teams met in December, it was the 49ers who escaped the Superdome with a 48-46 victory. One player who helped San Francisco come out on top in that thrilling back and forth game, was receiver Emmanuel Sanders who signed a 2-year pact with the Saints. One of the hardest stadiums to come out victorious as a visiting team, the 49ers have won three of the past four meetings in N.O.

Matching the 49ers and Packers for the best record in the NFC, the New Orleans Saints logged a 13-3 record to win the NFC South, but were upset in the first round of the playoffs by Minnesota. 

After a bizarre and very early Week 4 BYE in 2019, the 49ers return to a more familiar Week 11 BYE in 2020, marking their third Week 11 BYE in the last four years for San Francisco.

Closing out their season series against the Rams, the 49ers who are winners in three of four meetings in L.A. since the team's return to southern California in 2016, will try adding another feather in their cap against their long-time rivals, but in a new home as the Rams prepare to open the gates to their nearly $5 billion dollar SoFi Stadium in Inglewood. Rams coach Sean McVay hopes the stadium's inaugural season will be successful one as he hopes to see a rebound year from his team that finished 2019 with a disappointing 9-7 record just a year removed from a Super Bowl appearance of their own.

Returning home, the 49ers look to add to their all-time wins record on Monday Night Football with win no. 50 as they host the Buffalo Bills in San Francisco's one and only appearance on MNF in 2020. With the Bills making their first ever trip to Levi's Stadium, it'll mark the first time since the 2012 season that the Niners will play host to a Buffalo team that enters their 2020 campaign as the AFC East favorites for the first time in over a decade with Tom Brady no longer in the mix.

On the heels of the Patriots for much of 2019, the Buffalo Bills finished second in the AFC East at 10-6. Representing the AFC as a Wild Card team, the Bills once again failed to win their first playoff game since 1995. 

In one of the uglier games played in 2019 which featured a low score, lots of rain, plenty of mud and a ton of defense when the 49ers took a trip to Landover, Maryland to take on the Washington Redskins, it's unlikely we'll see only 9-points scored or similar weather conditions in the 2020 rematch as things shift to San Francisco for Week 14. The game will showcase newly acquired 49er Trent Williams squaring off against his former team following a rocky relationship between player and the team's medical staff which ultimately led to a holdout and eventual trade request granted on day 3 of last month's Draft. It will also be the first season under newly hired head coach Ron Rivera. 

At 3-13, the Washington Redskins finished at the bottom of the NFC East with the worst record in the conference. 

Rivalries renew for two of the NFL's most historic franchises when the San Francisco 49ers head to the Lone Star State to take on the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15. Surprisingly, the two are slated for a prime time meeting on Sunday Night Football for the first time since 1990. Under new head coach Mike McCarthy who served as the 49ers' offensive coordinator in 2005, Dallas hopes to have found a guy who can get them into the playoffs and coach them beyond the NFC Divisional Round, something Jason Garrett was unable to accomplish in his 9+ seasons at the helm. One familiar face 49er fans will see on the other sideline is defensive-end Aldon Smith who was a star on San Francisco's defense from 2012-2014 before running into a series of DUI and domestic violence troubles that eventually led his release from the team. Out of NFL action since 2017, Smith signed with the Cowboys this offseason after being reinstated by the league.

Coming down to the final game of the regular season, the Dallas Cowboys just missed out on a playoff berth by finishing behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East at 8-8 which ultimately led to the team not renewing the contract of head coach Jason Garrett who agreed to an offensive coordinator position with the rival Giants. 

After snapping an 8-game losing streak to the Arizona Cardinals in 2019, San Francisco looks to create and add to a winning streak of their own against the redbirds down in the desert in Week 16. Meanwhile, with some new weapons on offense such as DeAndre Hopkins, quarterback Kyler Murray hopes to improve off his impressive rookie campaign in 2019 which won him the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award, opposite of Nick Bosa who was taken one spot behind him in the Draft and took home Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.

For the second straight season, the 49ers will closeout their regular season against the hated Seattle Seahawks, only this time in San Francisco. With the fate of the division crown coming down to the final game of the regular season between these two teams in 2019, Kyle Shanahan and company hope to repeat as division winners, but certainly not in the same fashion, as they'd much rather clinch before their final regular season bout. And with each of their last two meetings at Levi's heading to overtime, who knows what fireworks will ensue this time around.

Having finished the 2019 regular season with a record of 13-3 which was tops in the NFC, not many pundits (hell, none of them really) had expected this young 49ers team to win as many games as they did or make it to the Super Bowl as they had developed and performed ahead of schedule. Now coming off a dominant 2019 campaign and appearance in the final game of the season, teams will be gunning for the reigning NFC Champs who will have a target on their back as the team that everyone in the league will want to beat and one that will certainly get the very best from their opponent come gameday. Even then, coach Shanahan who's entering his fourth season at the helm, has a very young core of talent, especially on the defensive side of things, which will see the return of 10 of 11 starters from a season ago. That said, I'm predicting a repeat total in the win column at 13-3, even in spite of their tough schedule which trails only the (1) Patriots, (2) Jets and (3) Dolphins as the most difficult in terms of strength of schedule for the upcoming season. 

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Vikes Hand Garoppolo, 49ers First Loss

Week 1 - Football season is back! With the NFL's 2018 regular season officially underway following Thursday Night's opener between NFC heavyweights Atlanta Falcons and the the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, the San Francisco 49ers would see their first action on Sunday morning in a road match-up with the Minnesota Vikings. Given the daunting task of opening the season in hostile territory against the league's best defense from a year ago and a team looking to bounce back after being on the receiving end of a 38-7 beat down in their own home in last year's NFC title game, the 49ers would surely have their work cutout for them in Week 1 if they wanted to keep their new starting quarterback's record unblemished. As if defeating a Vikings team at home where they won all but one of their eight regular season games from a season ago wasn't challenging enough, the Niners who entered Sunday with the league's best active regular season winning-streak at five games, have lost each of their last five visits to Minnesota. Of course none of those defeats came with Garoppolo under center who the 49er faithful are hoping can serve as their savior the same way he did down the stretch to closeout 2017 when he led them on that magical five-game journey.

Having allowed a measly 10-points or fewer in five of their last seven regular season games dating back to last season, the stingy Vikings defense would look to carry that streak into 2018 and had other plans for Jimmy G and the streaking 49ers. And though San Francisco would eclipse the 10-point mark, they were unable to end their Minnesota skid as the Vikings defense gave Garoppolo his first taste of defeat as he suffered the first loss of his professional career in a 24-16 final, bringing his record to 7-1 as a starter. The 49ers had plenty of opportunities on offense and even had a chance to march down the field and tie the game in the final minutes, but were ultimately doomed by the myriad of self-inflicted miscues on both sides of the ball made throughout the game. And though his teammates didn't do him any favors either, from his receivers dropping passes to the guys on defense missing tackles, where Garoppolo made mistakes, his counterpart did not. Excited to show off their new toy on offense, the recently acquired Kirk Cousins enjoyed an impressive Vikings debut at QB in which he didn't commit any turnovers and threw for 244 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

With as much talk surrounding Minnesota's defense, their offense is nothing to scoff at either. With the return of Dalvin Cook who took the league by storm a season ago before suffering a torn ACL in Week 4 which ultimately put an end to his rookie campaign, the former Florida State Seminole and Heisman finalist picked up right where he left off before the injury with a handful of big gains in the first half. Minnesota would start the scoring with a field goal in the first quarter before taking a 10-0 lead on Cousins' connection in the end zone with receiver Stefon Diggs, catching 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon off-guard from behind as he failed to locate the ball which allowed Diggs to make the easy grab from 22-yards out. The Niners would answer with a field goal before missing out on a golden opportunity that could've tied the game. After a big run from Cook who broke multiple tackles before being surprised from behind as rookie linebacker Fred Warner punched the ball loose forcing a fumble recovered by Richard Sherman, San Francisco embarked on a 16-play drive that made it all the way to the 1-yard line before Alfred Morris coughed the ball up with a fumble at the 1-yard line. The costly turnover would be one of several stall outs endured in the red zone for San Francisco.

Already without free-agent acquisition Jerick McKinnon who suffered a torn ACL prior to San Francisco's pre-season finale and was acquired to be Kyle Shanahan's No. 1 weapon at the running back position, the 49ers would lose another one of their key cogs on offense. Receiver Marquise Goodwin who was signed to a new three-year extension during the offseason and has proven to be one of Garoppolo's favorite targets, would be forced to leave the game in the first half after banging knees with a member of the Vikings and was diagnosed with what team doctors described as a quad injury, putting an early end to his day and preventing him from contributing on the field. From there, Shanahan and Garoppolo would have to be creative in the passing game as rookie receiver Dante Pettis and fullback Kyle Juszczyk logged the two biggest gains thru the air for the Niners on Sunday, hauling in receptions of 39 and 56 yards respectively.

But the biggest plays for San Francisco's offense were the ones that weren't made as both receiver Pierre Garcon and tight-end George Kittle each had chances to strike pay dirt, but were tagged with drops. Then came one of the bigger back-breakers as Garoppolo had a pass intended for receiver Kendrick Bourne picked off and returned for a pick-six. Bourne admitted after the game to running the wrong route on the costly turnover, a perfect example of the type of mistake you can't make when playing a stingy defense and a talented football team like that of Minnesota's, not to mention in their own home. And while the Niners settled for field goals with kicker Robbie Gould going three-for-three on the day, Cousins was busy connecting for his second touchdown pass of the game, an 11-yard strike to tight-end Kyle Rudolph. The final score of the afternoon for the Vikings would appear to put some fire under the 49er offense as Garoppolo and company finally responded with a trip to the end zone as Jimmy G's first touchdown of the season came with less than a minute remaining the 3rd quarter. After being pressured and bouncing off a defender, Garoppolo rolled out to his left, throwing off-balance to find Pettis in the back of the end zone for the score. Gould's third and final field goal would make it a 24-16 affair before the Niner defense committed without a doubt their biggest miscue of the afternoon.

Facing a pivotal 4th and 1 call with 3 minutes remaining in regulation, Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer sent his offense onto the field for one thing and one thing only -- to draw the defense off-sides. With the play clock down to its final second, the trick would work on second year defensive-end Solomon Thomas who was called for neutral zone infraction which would give Minnesota a new set of downs. Despite the bone-headed penalty which took time off the clock, the Niners would still be given one final chance to tie the game and send it into overtime, but would need to march the ball down the field 89-yards with less than 2 minutes remaining. Instead, Garoppolo who was under heavy pressure, hurried a pass intended for Trent Taylor that was picked off, sealing the win. The interception would be the third of the day for Garoppolo who finished with a game-high 261 passing yards and one touchdown pass as he completed 15 of 33 passes for a QB rating of 45.1. Putting into perspective just how off a day Sunday was for Garoppolo, his previous low in the QBR department was 82.4 as Jimmy G suffered his first loss on a football field since December 13, 2013 when he was still under center for the Eastern Illinois University football program.

Overall, Sunday's loss was a sloppy performance for a Niners team that was without two of their top weapons on offense and a defense that is still trying to establish their identity. While players like rookie linebacker Fred Warner who tallied 12 tackles in his debut to go with the forced fumble and third-year defensive-end DeForest Buckner who logged 2.5 sacks showed flashes of greatness, there's still plenty of areas that need to be cleaned up for this team to click. However, that's nothing out of the ordinary for a team one week into the season. Given communication duties in his first glimpse of meaningful NFL action, Warner resembled a promising young defender who should only get better with Reuben Foster by his side when the two will be allowed to team up come Week 3 after Foster serves his suspension stemming from a series of off-the-field arrests during the off-season. As for Buckner, his 2.5 sacks were the most by a 49er in a single game since Aldon Smith's 5.5 sack performance back on November 19, 2012. San Francisco will need the help of them and others if they plan to get even in the win column in Week 2.

Week 2 Preview - Playing at Levi's Stadium for the first time this season, the 49ers will host the (0-1) Detroit Lions who are coming off a 48-17 shellacking at home at the hands of the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. Quarterback Matt Stafford who was picked off by the Jets defense four times on Monday for the fifth time in his career, will look to shake off one of the worst starts of his career and redeem himself against a San Francisco defense. With Detroit featuring a mediocre run game under first-year head coach Matt Patricia, DeForest Buckner and co. will have their eyes set on Stafford in hopes of making him feel just as uncomfortable as he was against the Jets. As for Garoppolo, facing a defense not nearly as ferocious as Minnesota's, I expect to see San Francisco's offense bounce back in the red zone, somewhere they didn't fair too well in Week 1. Meanwhile on the injury front, aside from receiver Marquise Goodwin who's been listed as day-to-day nursing his quad, the health at left-guard will be one coach Kyle Shanahan will keep an eye on heading into Week 2 as both Mike Person and Joshua Garnett went down with foot injuries against Minnesota, forcing 2018 first round pick Mike McGlinchey to man the position for the first time in his life and doing an exceptional job considering.


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49ers Taste Victory in Emotional Win over Giants

Week 10 - For the first time in 2017, the San Francisco 49ers are in the win column. Though it would take them much longer than they had hoped, the Niners were able to claim their first victory of the season and first win under the John Lynch-Kyle Shanahan regime against a struggling (1-7) New York Giants team. In an emotional game that featured two teams with the fewest amount of wins this late in a season since 1984, the 49ers would ride a season-high in rushing yards (186) on their way to a 31-21 victory. Despite liking their chances of getting win No. 1 of the season entering Sunday's game, San Francisco would still be 3-point underdogs against a team that had been embarrassed at home by a score of 51-17 one week earlier.

With both teams scoring field goals on their opening possessions, the game would quickly jump out to a 3-3 score as the 49ers benefited from a penalty on New York's special-teams which gave San Francisco the ball at their 40-yard line after the opening kickoff failed to reach the end zone and rolled out of bounds. A 28-yard rush by running back Carlos Hyde on the first play from scrimmage and an extra 15-yards tacked on thanks to an unnecessary roughness penalty called on New York would set the table for kicker Robbie Gould before being answered by Giants rookie kicker Aldrick Rosas. San Francisco's second possession appeared to be heading in the same direction before being halted on a failed 4th and 1 attempt at New York's 36-yard line. After another Giants field goal, both teams would exchange fumbles as another promising 49er drive went up in flames as fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled the ball away for the second consecutive week. But the San Francisco defense would respond just three plays later with a forced fumble of their own as second-year defensive-end Ronald Blair's first of two sacks on Giants QB Eli Manning jarred the ball loose, forcing the turnover.

The biggest story of the day for the 49ers, however, would be that of receiver Marquise Goodwin who had received the unfortunate news that he and his wife had lost their unborn child due to pregnancy complications just hours before kickoff. Courageous enough to still hit the field and play on Sunday, albeit with a heavy heart, Goodwin would show up in a big way for his team as he hauled in his first touchdown reception as a 49er on an 83-yard bomb from rookie QB C.J. Beathard. Though it would be his only reception of the game, it would mark the longest pass reception by a 49er since 2005 as Goodwin used his speed coupled with a stiff-arm to break free of the defender as he struck pay dirt before being overcome with emotion as he dropped to his knees and blew a kiss to the sky. Making his 208th consecutive start, Eli Manning would be quick to respond to his 49er counterpart as he connected in the end zone with tight-end Evan Engram. Entering Sunday, San Francisco had led in games for a league-low 29 minutes and 37 seconds before leading in much of this one as Beathard would help the 49ers jump back ahead on their ensuing possession with a lead that they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the afternoon as he found tight-end Garrett Celek for a 47-yard touchdown to give SF a 17-13 lead heading into the half. It would also mark the first time the 49ers would lead heading into halftime this year.

New York would open the second half by marching into field goal range before things went sour after Rosas missed a field goal from 34-yards out. But another 49er turnover would once again put an end to an otherwise nice possession as Beathard was picked off by Olivier Vernon who disrupted a screen pass intended for Matt Breida before tipping it to himself for the interception. It would be the only blemish on the day for Beathard who finally received some protection from his offensive-line as the rookie QB was sack-free all afternoon long, this after taking an absolute beating against the Cardinals a week ago. And on the first play of the fourth quarter, Beathard would rebound from his earlier mishap with an 11-yard touchdown run to make it a 24-13 ballgame for San Francisco's first double-digit lead of the season. That lead would increase one possession later as Breida logged the first rushing touchdown of his career with a 33-yard score to give the Niners a 31-13 advantage. With scoring being a non-factor for the offense on Sunday, San Francisco's punting unit wouldn't be called upon until the 5:46 mark in the 4th quarter.

With the game all but decided, the Giants would get a garbage time touchdown from Manning to receiver Roger Lewis as well as a successful 2-point conversion with just over a minute remaining. But New York's onside-kick attempt would be recovered by the Niners who were able to get into victory formation and milk the clock for the 31-21 win. The victory at home would be San Francisco's first win at Levi's Stadium since their Week 1 shellacking of the Rams over a year ago on Monday Night Football and one that would result in a Gatorade bath inside the 49ers locker room for head coach Kyle Shanahan who was congratulated by his players. Game balls would be given out following the celebration as GM John Lynch personally handed a ball to Goodwin for his courageous efforts and heroics in spite of the family tragedy.

After a career-high in pass attempts (51) in his last outing, quarterback C.J. Beathard (19 for 25) would out-duel Eli Manning (28 for 37) 288 to 273 in the yards department as both QB's threw for a pair of touchdowns and finished with one turnover each. Giants receiver Sterling Shepard would finish with a game-high 142 yards receiving and 11 receptions and Carlos Hyde would lead all backs on the ground, falling two yards shy of the century mark with 98 yards rushing on 17 carries. On the defensive side, 49ers rookie linebacker Reuben Foster tallied double-digit tackles for the second consecutive week with 10 (6 solo, 4 assisted) to lead all tacklers. As for the Giants who dropped to 1-8 on the season for the first time since 1980, New York has now gone 13 games without scoring at least 24-points, the longest active streak in the NFL. The loss also adds some warmth to head coach Ben McAdoo's hot seat as his status to return next season remains up in the air following the Giants' dreadful 1-8 start.

Week 12 Preview - With the 49ers heading into the BYE on a winning note, Kyle Shanahan will look to get his guys mentally and physically ready for their next opponent as the Niners play host to division rival Seattle in Week 12. Since San Francisco's 3-point loss to Seattle in Week 2, the (6-3) Seahawks are looking much better than the team that barely escaped Century Link Field with a win in the first meeting between these two bitter rivals. But after suffering a loss at home just two weeks ago to the Washington Redskins, the Seahawks are still very beatable if the Niners can stick around at home much like they did in their first meeting while applying pressure to QB Russell Wilson. Carlos Hyde will look to add another busy day against the Seahawks defense as his 124-yard performance on the ground in Week 2 remains the only 100-yard performance for the 49er running back this season. Hosting the reigning NFC Champion Atlanta Falcons this week, Seattle currently trails the (7-2) L.A. Rams by a game in the NFC Western Division standings.


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49ers Fall Short on Final play in Miami

Week 12 - With a trip to Miami in store for Week 12 to take on the red-hot (6-4) Dolphins, winners of five straight, the upset-minded (1-9) 49ers would come out swinging in what would end up being a close game that came down to the wire. Having shown improvement week by week with the exception of last week's rain-filled loss to the Patriots, Niners QB Colin Kaepernick had arguably his best game of the season on Sunday against a dominant Miami defensive-line. Kaepernick would lead both teams in passing and rushing yardage on the day as he finished with 296 yards thru the air and another 113 yards on the ground to go along with 3 touchdown passes including one on San Francisco's opening-drive which put them ahead early on.

After forcing a three and out on Miami's opening possession to start the game, Kaepernick would help march the team down the field before dumping the ball off to Carlos Hyde who found the end zone to score his first receiving touchdown of the year and first touchdown overall since Week 5 vs Arizona. It would be a long time coming for the 49ers running back who started the season with six touchdowns scored in the first five weeks of the season but has since then cooled off while nursing a shoulder injury and sharing the load with fellow backs Shaun Draughn and DuJuan Harris. The early lead would be short-lived however, as San Francisco quickly found themselves trailing 14-7 heading into the half after back-to-back touchdown scoring drives by the Dolphins, the second of which set up by a Garrett Celek fumble which halted a 49ers drive inside enemy territory at the Miami 31 yard-line. It would also be San Francisco's 11th lost fumble of the season (most in the NFL). An equally disastrous start to the second half for the 49ers would put even more points on the board for the opposition as Kaepernick's pass intended for receiver Torrey Smith was intercepted on the first play of the second half which led to a Miami field goal.

Though the interception wasn't necessarily his fault as Smith should've came up with the catch, both Kaepernick and tight-end Garrett Celek who fumbled earlier would get to redeem themselves with a 4-yard touchdown, the first of Celek's career. Kaepernick wasn't the only one who had a fine performance on Sunday though, as Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill logged a solid outing with three touchdown passes of his own, including a 43-yarder late in the third quarter to receiver Kenny Stills and another from 15-yards out to Leonte Carroo to start the fourth quarter. Trailing 31 to 14 in the fourth, the 49ers would march all the way down to the 1-yard line before punching it in on a one-handed touchdown grab by Torrey Smith. In need of some help from the defense, the Niners would get just what the doctor ordered as they forced back-to-back Miami three and outs. Following a Phil Dawson field goal to bring them within a touchdown, San Francisco would be given one last chance to tie it late.

With the game clock a factor and no timeouts remaining, Kaepernick and company would march their way down to the 6-yard line with 5 seconds remaining. After an incomplete pass intended for Torrey Smith inside the end zone, the 49ers would have one final chance to score the game-tying touchdown. In a last-ditch effort and nobody open to throw to, Kaepernick scrambled and was stuffed by the collective effort of Ndamukong Suh and Kiko Alonso at the 2-yard line as time expired. San Francisco's late-game heroics would fall just short as Miami held on for the 31-24 win. With both teams going in complete opposite directions right now following Miami's first six-game win streak since 2005 and San Francisco on their worst losing-streak in their 70-year existence, the game that came down to the final play just goes to show that anything can happen on any given Sunday. While the 49ers secondary was picked apart time and time again by Tannehill, the San Francisco defense managed to stop the run quite well and held Dolphins rusher Jay Ajayi to only 45-yards on 18 carries, but one of those carries wound up being a touchdown. Having allowed a season average of 180 yards rushing which is the worst in the NFL, the 49ers D held Miami to less than a hundred yards rushing and forced their opponent to beat them thru the air which they did.

Week 13 Preview - After becoming the first player in franchise history with 3+ touchdown passes and 80+ rushing yards in the same game, QB Colin Kaepernick will now direct his attention to the (2-9) Chicago Bears as he gets set to face off against his former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Chicago, the only other team in the NFC with fewer than four wins, will hope to avenge the walk-off loss suffered at home to the 49ers in overtime a season ago. And with the 49ers leading the league this season in points allowed off turnovers, Fangio will be dialing up all he can in hopes of throwing Kaepernick off his game as the two were unable to face each other in last year's 49ers-Bears bout as Blaine Gabbert was under center for San Francisco. As for the Bears quarterback situation, Chicago will be without Jay Cutler who was recently placed on injured-reserved and will have surgery on Saturday to repair a torn labrum, thus opening the door for QB Matt Barkley. Barkley, a former QB of Chip Kelly's while with the Eagles, threw for over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns in a six-point loss to Tennessee last week and will try duplicating those numbers against the 49ers and the head coach who drafted him out of USC.


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49ers Squander 14-0 lead to Fall to Dallas

Week 4 - Since a dominant win in Week 1 at home against the Rams to open the season, the 49ers have yet to play again at their home field of Levi's Stadium and have yet to add another victory, entering Sunday's meeting with the (2-1) Cowboys on a two game losing skid at 1-2 on the year. But with rookie QB Dak Prescott and first round running back Ezekiel Elliott learning more and more and adapting quite well to the NFL week after week, these aren't the same exact Dallas Cowboy 49ers head coach Chip Kelly grew accustomed to facing while with the Eagles. With many claiming the Cowboys' season was done for the moment starting quarterback Tony Romo went down with a back injury during the preseason and was ruled out for 6-8 weeks, Dallas' crop of talented rookies have answered the call and have flipped the script to keep their season afloat.

After kickoff it was the home team who dominated most of the first half, as the 49ers jumped out to an early lead once Dallas' opening-drive resulted in a missed field goal by kicker Dan Bailey. The field goal attempt which went wide-left would mark the first time this season that Dallas failed to score on their opening-drive. For a team that's been terrible on third downs this year, the 49ers bucked the trend on their first offensive possession by scoring on a 33-yard touchdown on 3rd & 7 when QB Blaine Gabbert found a wide-open Jeremy Kerley who scored the easy touchdown and his first with the team to put San Francisco ahead early. After going 0-for-10 on third downs last week in Seattle, the Niners got off to a blazing start by going 6-for-6 on third downs in this one, including a touchdown ran in on 3rd & 1 by running back Carlos Hyde in the second quarter. But even with Chip Kelly's offense scoring touchdowns on each of their first two offensive possessions and Dallas facing their largest deficit of the season, the tables would be turned before the half as the Cowboys offense mustered up a pair of unanswered touchdowns of their own to tie the game at 14. With the 49ers winning an earlier challenge for Dallas having their foot on the goal line when recovering a punt that would've pinned the 49ers inside the 1-yard line, coach Kelly's decision not to challenge a punt return when Cowboys return man Lucky Whitehead's knee touched the ground after breaking a tackle, would haunt him for 11 costly yards. Then came a horrendous penalty call on the 49ers which would change the entire complexion of the game.

Facing a 3rd & 6 near midfield and yet to sniff the end zone, the San Francisco defense would come up with another stop to force a sack. What should've been a Dallas punt, turned into a momentum-swining first down as 49ers safety Jaquiski Tartt was called for "unnecessary roughness" for a baby push on Prescott while he was wrapped up. The 15-yard penalty and automatic first down would breathe new life back into the drive and allowed the Cowboys to score their first touchdown just three plays later as Prescott found receiver Terrance Williams streaking down the right sideline for a 20-yard touchdown. Making matters worse, a shanked punt on San Francisco's following drive would put Dallas in position to tie the game just before the half as the Cowboys rookie QB utilized his future Hall of Fame tight-end and the sideline to perfection in the 2 minute offense with a 1:50 remaining in the half. And with just 16 seconds to go, Prescott capitalized by connected with Brice Butler in the end zone for the game-tying touchdown.

With San Francisco's lead gone with the wind, the 49ers were in need of a jolt on offense and appeared destined for an equally fast start to begin the second half when Carlos Hyde rumbled for a 32-yard carry on the first play of the third quarter. Gabbert would follow that up with possibly the best placed pass of his career as he connected with tight-end Garrett Celek who hauled in a one-hander for a 29-yard gain on a throw that only the receiver could've caught. Unfortunately, it would be the last offensive highlight of the day for the Niners who had to settle for a Phil Dawson field goal which helped them retake the lead at 17-14. From there on the game would turn into the 'Zeke show as Elliott rushed for 50 yards on 7 carries on Dallas' following drive before finishing with 96 yards in the second half alone, capped off with a 1-yard touchdown to give the Cowboys their first lead of the game. After forcing Dallas to punt on their following drive and setting up shop near midfield thanks to a nice return from Kerley, the Niners gave the ball right back to their opponent as Gabbert went for the home run pass to Torrey Smith on first down and under-threw him as Dallas' Morris Claiborne came up with the easy interception. They would turn the turnover into three points as Bailey banged in a field goal to give Dallas a 7-point lead.

Facing four down territory, the 49ers would have one final chance as they faced a 4th and 6 call in which they would come up short as Gabbert threw shy of the first down marker and gaining only 3 yards on a pass to Smith. The game would then be iced on a 47-yard catch and go to Cole Beasley as Dallas came out on top, 24-17. Though he would have a close call during Dallas' opening-drive which almost saw 49ers Pro-Bowl safety Eric Reid come up with the first thrown interception of Prescott's career, the talented rookie saw his record streak of consecutive pass attempts without an interception to begin a career continue thru his first 131 career pass attempts as he threw for 245 yards and a pair of touchdowns without his star receiver Dez Bryant who missed the game with a knee injury. Elliott added a career-best 138-yards on the ground to best his former Ohio State teammate Carlos Hyde who rushed for 74-yards as the two met at midfield after the game to swap jerseys. With the loss, San Francisco fell to 1-3 on the year, but an even bigger blow than the loss itself would be the injury to Pro-Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman who left the game midway thru the 3rd quarter on a non-contact play. Bowman would be carted off the field with what later revealed to be a ruptured Achilles tendon which would rule Bowman out for the remainder of the season. While the injury opened the flood gates for Elliott to roam free through the middle in the second half, the bigger picture is that the 49ers will be without their emotional leader on defense going forward.

Week 5 Preview - Entering Week 4 with 8 takeaways thru the first three weeks (tied for 3rd most in the NFL), the 49ers failed to add a single takeaway in their loss to the Cowboys. They'll need to get back on track in the takeaway department if they plan to win on a short week when they host the (1-3) Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. After dominating their way to a division crown just a season ago, the Cardinals have resembled anything but a division champion this season while struggling to the tone of back-to-back losses to the Bills and Rams. Still seeking their first road win of the year, the Cardinals will be without QB Carson Palmer who suffered a concussion in Week 4 as backup Drew Stanton gets the start. As for the 49ers who had little luck against Arizona in both meetings a season ago, the Cardinals are one of the teams who have struggled just as much as they have to begin 2016 and might have a chance to come up with their second win of the year. The 49ers will also be helped out a bit on the defensive front with Aaron Lynch returning from a 4-game suspension served for violating the league's substance abuse policy. If the offense struggles, expect an appearance from 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick.

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San Francisco 49ers 2016 Draft Recap

"With the seventh pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select... DeForest Buckner, defensive-end, Oregon." Those were the words of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell when it came time for the 49ers to announce their first pick in last week's Draft. In need of a player that can apply pressure on the defensive side of the ball, San Francisco addressed the need with the 6-foot, 7-inch defensive-end that was named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2015. Drawing comparisons to 2-time Pro Bowl DE Calais Campbell of the Arizona Cardinals, the 291-pound Buckner tallied 18 career sacks in his collegiate career with the Oregon Ducks and will now be reunited in San Francisco with his good friend Arik Armstead who the 49ers selected out of Oregon in the first round of last year's Draft and coach Chip Kelly who recruited him out of college to play for the Ducks. As if the familiar faces weren't enough to make him fit right at home, he also fits the Niners' system as a five-technique player.

Adding a player with the strength and measurables like that of Buckner figures to improve a 49ers defensive attack that ranked 29th a season ago. Looking to fill the void left by the tandem of Justin Smith who retired before last season and Aldon Smith who the Niners cut ties with after numerous off the field incidents, GM Trent Baalke is hoping the duo of Armstead and Buckner can evolve into an even younger version of the tag-team simply nicknamed, the "Smith brothers." One of the bigger surprises on day 1 of the Draft would come at pick 28 when Trent Baalke and company made a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs, trading back into the first round and acquiring the 28th overall pick which the Niners would use to select Stanford Guard Joshua Garnett. San Francisco would also acquire the 249th overall pick in the trade, while dealing their 37th, 105th and 187th overall picks to K.C. With offensive-line being one of if not the biggest areas of concern for San Francisco heading into next season, they went out and grabbed the best guard in the class according to some analysts who also labeled him the best interior run-blocker, with 2015 first-team all Pac-12 and 2015 first-team AP All-American honors to show for it.

The next two picks on the 49ers board would be used to take a pair of cornerbacks as San Francisco ranked 27th in pass defense a season ago. With no picks in the second round following the trade with the Chiefs, the Niners had to wait until round number three to hear their name called again as they used the 68th overall pick to take Will Redmond, CB out of Mississippi State who could've gone as early as a late first-rounder had it not been for a torn ACL he suffered in practice. He would be the first of three corners taken by the Niners with Rashard Robinson of LSU (4th round, 133rd overall) and Prince Charles Iworah of Western Kentucky (7th round, 249th overall) being the others. Robinson, who's been touted as being one of the best press corners in the draft, shined in the little playing time he received during his career at LSU due to a suspension. Without those off the field issues, scouts say he could've gone in the first two rounds. Instead, the Niners snagged him in round 4, 133rd overall as a great value pick. Another pick that was praised by NFL analysts for the value was that of Appalachian State defensive-end Ronald Blair who was named 2015 Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year in 2015 and was made a Niner with a 5th round pick, 142nd overall. ESPN had him rated on their top 100 list and as a potential third-rounder.

With QB protection being a major problem for the 49ers a season ago, Kelly and Baalke took a pair of offensive-tackles in the 5th round and were criticized by fans on social media for not addressing the need much earlier, nabbing Georgia Bulldog John Theus (145th overall) and Fahn Cooper out of Ole Miss (174th overall). Theus, who was named first-team all-conference, started three of his four years at Georgia including his freshman year as the starting right tackle which is quite the feat given he comes from an SEC school and has played against some of the toughest talent the collegiate level has to offer. With the pair of picks to join Garnett, the 49ers selected three offensive linemen in the same draft for the first time since 1998. Three of San Francisco's final four picks would be used to draft a quarterback, running back and receiver, all of which taken in the 6th round. First on the list would be Louisiana Tech QB Jeff Driskel who was taken 207th overall. A former top-rated QB coming out of high school, Driskel transferred to Lou Tech after his successful stint with the Florida Gators was cut short after suffering a broken leg and later benched. The athletic QB with dual threat ability isn't expected to compete for a starting job anytime soon, but if anybody could turn him into a serviceable signal caller for the future, it's Chip Kelly. For what it's worth, Driskel recorded the fastest time in the 40-yard dash among QB's, clocking in at 4.56 seconds.

Kelvin Taylor, son of former Jacksonville Jaguars running back Fred Taylor, would be next on the list. 6th round pick, selected 211th overall, Taylor was a former teammate of Driskel's at the University of Florida where he starred as the Gators' go-to back his junior year in 2015, rushing for 13 touchdowns and over a thousand yards while never fumbling in his 486 carries and 510 touches. With Carlos Hyde expected to bounce back this season from an injury-plagued 2015, Taylor could be Hyde's backup come Week 1 as a nice change of pace speedster to compliment the much tougher running style of Hyde. And last is wide-receiver Aaron Burbridge, selected 213th overall out of Michigan State. Named Big Ten Receiver of the Year in 2015 as well as first-team all-conference for the Spartans, Burbridge had himself a breakout season his senior year and served as Spartans QB Connor Cook's go-to target, leading the Big Ten in both catches (85) and receiving yards (1,258). With Anquan Boldin now a free-agent, Burbridge might be the one called upon to fill in for Boldin assuming the team has moved on from their top receiver of the past three seasons.

Something else this draft tells us is that coach Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke aren't exactly ready to throw in the towel on quarterback Colin Kaepernick just yet considering they didn't seem to be in a rush to draft a quarterback in the earlier rounds like many had predicted. Instead, they seem just fine with their current quarterback situation which is expected to be fought for between Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert. While there's still speculation that he could be released before the start of season, I'll put my money on him still being on the team come kickoff. Trade talks were more than talked about between the 49ers and Denver Broncos, but Kaepernick's unwillingness to take a paycut ultimately deterred Broncos vice-president John Elway and the reigning Super Bowl champions from finalizing a move as they traded up in the draft to take their quarterback of the future in Memphis' Paxton Miller instead. As for the position of need that the 49ers didn't address in the draft, Baalke elected not to select a single linebacker. We'll see if that decision comes back to haunt him.

Like every year, it's always fun keeping an eye on those players drafted heading into their first year, especially those taken in the later rounds as their journey to NFL begins or if they make the team at all. It's also a time for those struggling teams (like the 49ers) to help dig themselves out of the hole and build to help better their future. There's no denying that this was the most significant draft in years for San Francisco as the franchise is still looking to recover from a handful of unexpected retirements and an ugly fallout with one of the game's premier coaches. Now in a new regime under head coach Chip Kelly, the 49ers are in need of a spark to help the franchise's rise back to prominence and regain its rich winning history.


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New-look 49ers just fine in season-opener

After a long wait from 49er fans ready to put the tumultuous offseason behind them, football finally made its return on Monday night as San Francisco hosted the Minnesota Vikings. With the story heading into the game swirling around the return of two of the game's best at their respective position -- All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman and future Hall of Fame running back Adrian Peterson, only one would come out victorious. Bowman, who saw his first regular season action since sustaining a left knee injury during the 2014 NFC Championship over a year and a half ago, looked like a man possessed with no cobwebs at all. As for Peterson, who hasn't played in over a year after serving a suspension stemming from a child-abuse case filed against him, the former NFL MVP looked rather rusty.

With all eyes on Peterson in the run game, it would be San Francisco's running back who stole the show. Making his first career start, second-year running back Carlos Hyde would make his starting debut a memorable one by putting up career-highs in almost every category. Hyde led the way for the 49ers offense, shouldering the load left by the franchises all-time leading rusher Frank Gore who departed during the offseason for Indianapolis. In it's first game without the future Hall of Famer Gore, San Francisco's run-game didn't skip a beat as Hyde rushed for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns on 26 carries, spinning and diving his way into the end zone on one carry, reminiscent of a Madden juke move. But before Hyde found the end zone to put his team on the board, the 49ers endured a special-teams nightmare in the first quarter. On their opening-drive, QB Colin Kaepernick and Hyde led the offense on a promising drive that sputtered near the red zone and went up in flames as kicker Phil Dawson had his field goal attempt blocked and nearly taken to the house. Luckily, Minnesota would fail to capitalize as Vikings kicker Blair Walsh shanked a field goal wide right from 44-yards out. The 49er special teams would later shoot themselves in the foot once again when former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne fumbled his first career touch when called on to return a punt.

With a 7-0 lead heading into the half following the first of Hyde's two rushing touchdowns, rookie head coach Jim Tomsula addressed his team's sloppy play as the team played a much more fluid game during the second half, not committing nearly as many penalties as they did in quarters 1 and 2. 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick didn't overwhelm anyone with his numbers, but logged a clean sheet while managing to play a turnover-free game. In many ways, Kaepernick registered an Alex Smith-like performance, playing it safe and not forcing anything as he completed 17 of 26 passes for 165 yards while gaining 41 yards on the ground. On the other side, Minnesota's Teddy Bridgewater who many are expecting to take a huge leap forward this year, had arguably his worst night as a pro yet. Bridgewater threw for 231 yards and was picked off once by Tremaine Brock on a night where he was sacked 5 times as Minnesota's only points came via a field goal. 

Seeking his first 100-yard performance in a season-opener since 2009, Adrian Peterson entered Monday night's game having struggled against the 49ers throughout his career. With only 51.3 yards per game and 0 touchdowns in 4 games vs San Francisco, Peterson saw much of the same as the 49er defense shut him down and held him to only 31 yards rushing on 10 carries. Credit first year defensive coordinator Eric Mangini who drew up the perfect game plan on the ground for Peterson and through the air for Bridgewater as neither looked comfortable all night. On a night where the 49ers debuted their new black and red uniforms, the first ever alternate jersey in franchise history, San Francisco pulled off the 20-3 victory. And despite Carlos Hyde's 168 yard performance which marked the most rushing yards by a Niner since 2011 (Gore) and was the second-most yards by a 49er running back in a season opener behind only Garrison Hearst's 187 in 1998, the game ball was awarded to coach Jimmy T in the locker room after the game with Kaepernick doing the honors. It would be the 7th consecutive win for SF on Monday Night Football, the second-longest active streak behind only the hated Seahawks who have won nine straight. 

Week 2 Preview: Even after his team won in his first career game as head coach, Jim Tomsula made it known that there was little time to celebrate and that it was on to Pittsburgh where the (0-1) Steelers will look to bounce back from a 28-21 loss to the defending champion Patriots in the season-opener. Though the (1-0) 49er defense looked stout in the win against Minnesota, they'll be given the tough task of having to face Big Ben Roethlisberger at home in the Steelers' home-opener. The Niners will look to spoil Pittsburgh's homecoming and make it 2-0 as defensive coordinator Eric Mangini renews his rivalry with the Steelers, a team he's grown to know quite well spending time in the AFC as head coach of the Cleveland Browns and New York Jets. 

Injury News: 49ers RB Reggie Bush was the only reported injury after Week 1's win as he sustained a calf strain in the first quarter which forced him to leave the game. Bush has been listed as week-to-week which opens the door for rookie Jarryd Hayne who should see his reps at running back increase come Week 2.


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Niners Magical Season comes to an early End

Since the start of the Super Bowl era, no team has ever won road games in four consecutive weeks and on Sunday, the defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers had a chance to become the first. Having prided themselves as the league's best road team over the last month, Jim Harbaugh and company took a stroll to the one place he's had the least success -- Seattle's CenturyLink Field where they'd face off with the division rival Seahawks for the NFC crown. And though Seattle is known as the home of the '12th Man', the crowd was virtually sucked out of the game for much of the first half and was caught by surprise on the first play of the game. From hard hits to poor officiating, big plays to drama and everything in between, this game would have it all and would be everything one could possibly ask for in a championship game. With the 49ers winning the coin toss and electing to defer, Seattle took over on offense to start the game. Or at least they would try as Aldon Smith got to Seahawks QB Russell Wilson on the opening play, forcing and recovering a fumble.

With the intensity the 49er defense opened the game with, you would've thought San Francisco was the home team to start. But like Seattle's offense that was shaky to start, the crowd would eventually make their presence felt as the 49ers were only able to turn Wilson's early miscue into a field goal. Two drives later, however, San Francisco would put together the drive they've been longing for and were unable to accomplish in their earlier meeting in Seattle this season. With running back Frank Gore virtually a non-factor and Kaepernick's options through the air on lock down virtually all game long by Seattle's top-ranked defense, the speedy QB was forced to take matters into his own hands on a number of occasions with his feet. A 58-yard run by Kaepernick to start the second quarter would put him over the 100-yard mark, making him the first player since Thurman Thomas (1994) to compile 100+ rush yards in the first half of a championship game. It would be the longest rush by a QB in NFL postseason history as well as the longest rush allowed by Seattle all season.

The big gain would set up Anthony Dixon who on fourth down leaped over the defense and into the end zone from a yard out to give San Francisco a 10-0 lead. It would cost them, however, as Pro Bowl guard Mike Iupati would leave the game with a broken fibula on the play. His loss would be detrimental as Kaepernick and the 49ers deserted the run game in the second half. The Seahawks would respond by finally getting on the board before the end of the first half as Russell Wilson scrambled in and out of the pocket before firing a 51-yard pass to receiver Doug Baldwin, setting up Steven Hauschka for the 32-yard field goal to cut the deficit. While it was the 49ers who opened the game as the aggressor, it would be Seattle who would strike first in the second half as Marshawn Lynch better known as "Best Mode" would get his first dose of Skittles as he torched the 49er defense for a 40-yard touchdown run, tying the game at 10. Similar to Seattle who allowed their biggest run of the season earlier in the game to Kaepernick, the 40-yard run by Lynch would be the longest rush allowed by the 49ers since the start of the Harbaugh era in 2011.

That wouldn't prevent the 49er offense from answering right back as Kaepernick aired out one of the more impressive passes of the season when he made a leaping toss into the end zone where he found Anquan Boldin from 26 yards out for the touchdown. But poor execution on the ensuing kick by the 49er special-teams which had been stellar all day up to that point, would allow a 69-yard return to Seahawks kick returner Doug Baldwin as Seattle walked away with another Haushka field goal to make it a 17-13 ballgame. After a 49er three and out, Seattle would benefit from a blown call late in the third quarter when San Francisco kicker Andy Lee was hit on his plant leg while punting. What should have been a 15 yard roughing the kicker penalty that would've gave San Francisco the first down, was instead called a 5 yard running into the kicker penalty. A call that would prove to be costly as Seattle scored the go-ahead touchdown just moments later. On fourth and seven, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll would elect to go for it, a gutsy decision that would pay off as Russell Wilson capitalized on an offsides penalty by Aldon Smith, turning a free-play into the go-ahead touchdown as Jermaine Kearse made a leaping grab in traffic from 35 yards out.

What was an ugly fourth quarter for the 49ers to start would only get worse as Kaepernick was sacked and stripped of the ball by Seattle's Cliff Avril on their ensuing possession, recovered by the Seahawks. The first of three straight fourth quarter possessions plagued by turnover. A crucial delay of game penalty would turn a third and one opportunity into third and six which would've most likely prevented the fumble. With Seattle threatening to score starring down the end zone inside the 10, the 49ers would witness their star linebacker in NaVorro Bowman sustain a gruesome injury to his left knee after stripping the ball away from Kearse. Despite clearly gaining full possession of the ball, Seattle was awarded the ball back as the play was non-reviewable. Bowman would have to be carted off the field where a handful of fans showered him with popcorn on his way to the locker room. Having to play without their best player on defense, the 49ers would catch a break on the following play as a botched hand-off attempt from Wilson to Lynch would result in a turnover on downs. 

The 49ers would give it right back, however, as Kaepernick's pass intended for Boldin was picked off by Kam Chancellor which Seattle turned into another field goal. Trailing 23-17 with 3:37 remaining and all three timeouts left, the fate of San Francisco's season would lie in the hands of their starting quarterback and one final drive. Starting at their own 22 yard line, the 49ers would march all the way down to the Seattle 18. But with 30 seconds remaining and the clock still ticking despite coach Harbaugh having two timeouts to play with, Kaepernick's late game heroics would come to a screeching halt as a would-be game-winning touchdown pass intended for Michael Crabtree was tipped by Seahawks corner Richard Sherman and intercepted by Malcolm Smith, sealing the win and sending Seattle to only their second Super Bowl in franchise history. Kaepernick who took blame for the loss during his postgame interview, threw for 153 yards and a touchdown and added another 130 yards on the ground, but combined for three turnovers on the day, all coming in the last 11 minutes of the fourth quarter as San Francisco lost its second NFC Championship in three years and first game in over two months. 

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