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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Week 3 - With the 49ers and Seahawks both 1-1 on the year and coming off of their first loss of the season, Sunday saw the two division foes renew rivalries in Seattle where San Francisco hasn't had any luck since Alex Smith was the quarterback. But with Seattle entering the game having scored only one touchdown through their first two games, you would've thought Chip Kelly's team had a chance to steal one from the struggling Seahawks, right? Wrong. Instead, a return home to host one of their most hated rivals would awaken Seattle from their offensive slumber, scoring a touchdown just three plays into the game.
For the past six years, the 49er defense has had their hands full with trying to contain Marshawn Lynch who would almost always reek havoc against them before deciding to retire this past offseason. But even with Lynch no longer on the field to give San Francisco a headache, the Niner defense couldn't seem to find an answer for the Seattle run game as Christine Michael found hole after hole in the first half and collected his first two career touchdowns before finishing the game with a career-high 106 yards rushing. With both of his touchdowns coming in each of Seattle's first two drives, the 49ers allowed Michael to become the first Seahawks running back to tally a pair of first quarter touchdowns since Shaun Alexander in 2005. With the 49ers offense being no stranger to the three & out this year, they would add to their league-lead with five more on Sunday. Unable to generate any offense of their own in the first half, a field goal would be all San Francisco would have to show for thanks to Pro-Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman who forced a Jimmy Graham fumble to put kicker Phil Dawson in business. Unfortunately, Graham would redeem himself on Seattle's following drive.
With Seattle QB Russell Wilson playing through an ankle injury suffered in Week 1, the 49ers secondary was still unable to find a solution for the Seahawks' passing attack as Doug Baldwin hauled in a 59-yard reception in the second quarter followed by an 18-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Graham on the very next play. Though it would be all the points they would need, they would add a Steven Hauschka field goal before the half to take a 24-3 lead into the locker room. Wilson would torch the Niners thru the air for 243 yards before getting hurt in the third quarter when second-year linebacker Eli Harold sacked Wilson and landed awkwardly on Wilson's left ankle. And though he would only sit out for a play before returning to prove he was alright, Pete Carroll chose not to risk further injury to his franchise quarterback and elected to bring in the backup. Rookie Trevone Boykin would keep the route going by throwing for his first career touchdown just a few drives later when he connected with Baldwin for a 16-yard TD who went on to rack up a career-best 164 yards receiving. With his first career touchdown under his belt, Boykin would also be greeted with his first career interception as Niners linebacker Nick Bellore stepped in front of a pass to come up with the easy pick which would also be his first.
As for the 49ers, QB Blaine Gabbert would have another forget performance passing for only 119 yards and an interception to give the Seattle defense their first takeaway of the year. Carlos Hyde would be the lone bright spot on the day for the 49ers as he turned a would-be mediocre performance into a career day thanks to a strong fourth quarter. With only his second career 100 yard performance, Hyde became the first running back to rush for over 100 yards against the Seattle defense since Kansas City's Jamaal Charles did so on November 16, 2014. And though both of his touchdowns would both come during garbage-time in the fourth quarter with the game well out of reach, they would both come against Seattle's first-string defense as Carroll elected not to dump his starters for the bench late in the game. Hyde's late-game heroics would make the game look a lot closer on the scoreboard than it actually was as Seattle pulled off the 37-18 victory.
Week 4: With (1-2) San Francisco returning home to host the (2-1) Dallas Cowboys, Chip Kelly and company is hoping a return to Levi's Stadium will help ignite the defense which kept the opposition from scoring in their Week 1 win at home. But with Rookie QB Dak Prescott playing turnover-free football thru the first three games of his career, it'll be an intriguing match-up if the 49er defense can play anywhere near as dominant as they did in the Monday night opener. Coming off back-to-back wins following a season-opening loss to the Giants, the Cowboys appear to have struck gold with Prescott filling in quite nicely under center for the injury-riddled Tony Romo. Prescott isn't the only Cowboy the 49ers will have to keep a close eye on as Rookie RB and first round draft pick Ezekiel Elliott is coming off his first career 100 yard performance (140 yards on 30 carries) and is looking more and more like the dominant back we saw at Ohio State week after week. Having been torched in consecutive weeks, the 49er secondary could catch a huge break if Pro-Bowl wide-out Dez Bryant who is currently awaiting the results of an MRI for his knee, isn't able to play on Sunday.
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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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Heading into Sunday's game to face the Arizona Cardinals (10-5), the 49ers who had already clinched a playoff berth, had plans of leaving the desert with a win in hopes of improving their seeding. As for the Cardinals, Carson Palmer and company needed a win against their division-rivals and a loss from the Saints in order to punch their ticket to the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they would get neither. Winners of three in a row and four of their last five, Arizona would run into a brick wall that is the San Francisco 49ers who have beaten the Cardinals in nine of their last 10 meetings. But after squandering a 17-point lead in the first quarter, it appeared San Francisco's reign over their division foe was in danger.
After opening the game with 17 unanswered-points in the opening period by way of a Phil Dawson field goal and a pair of touchdown passes from quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers would find themselves struggling to score again until late in the fourth quarter. But in San Francisco's dominant first quarter, Arizona would get a heavy dose of former Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin early on. Boldin who starred in three Pro Bowls over seven seasons with the Cardinals where he set numerous records (most of which he still holds to this day) before being dealt to the Ravens in 2010, would remind Cardinal fans of his talent. In his first game in Arizona as a member of the opposing-team, Boldin hauled in nine passes for 149 yards, including 109 of them on six grabs in the first quarter alone. Boldin would also be the recipient of Kaepernick's first touchdown pass on the day, a 4-yard TD setup by NaVorro Bowman who during Arizona's second drive, jumped out in front of a pass intended for Larry Fitzgerald for his second interception in as many games.
Boldin would strike again on San Francisco's following drive, catching a pass and taking it 63-yards, setting up Kaepernick who found a wide-open Vernon Davis in the end zone. Trailing by double-digits, Arizona's frustration would build as their only promising drive in the first quarter ended with the first of two missed field goals on the day by Jay Feely who's first miss went wide right from 37-yards out. The Cardinals would eventually put some points up on the board before the half, however, as Carson Palmer connected with tight-end Jake Ballard from a yard out to make it a 17-7 game. Niners kicker Phil Dawson who had made a franchise record -- 27 consecutive field goals, had a chance to improve on that mark and add to his team's lead before the half. Instead, he missed a chip-shot from 27-yards out but would later redeem himself. Arizona would open the second half much like they did the first -- sloppy, as Cardinals running back Rashard Mendenhall fumbled the ball just four plays in, recovered by NaVorro Bowman who also forced the fumble and added a sack to his stellar day.
The Cardinals would eventually bounce back and tie the game as Feely split a pair of field goal tries in the fourth quarter followed by a 34-yard touchdown pass from Palmer to wide-out Andre Roberts who made a spectacular grab to make it 17-even. The 49ers would break that tie as Phil Dawson tied a personal-best with a 56-yard field goal to pull ahead with 1:50 remaining. Palmer would march his team all the way to the 25 yard line where Feely would once again tie the game at 20-20. With 34 seconds remaining and overtime on the horizon, the 49ers were in need of a hero if they planned on winning in regulation. In this case, they would get two. On the ensuing kick, LaMichael James ran the ball back 45 yards to set up the 49ers with great field position near midfield. After an 18-yard completion to Boldin, Kaepernick would connect with one of the most unlikeliest of heroes in Quinton Patton.
The rookie wide-out out of Louisiana Tech has had little to cheer about in 2013 having battled injury all season and had only one catch to his name coming into Sunday's game. But with 18 seconds on the clock, Patton would come up with the biggest play of the day as he made a leaping 22-yard grab along the sideline to put San Francisco in field goal range. Phil Dawson would do the rest as his 40-yard field goal split the uprights as time expired, sending the 49ers who improved to 11-4 on the year into the playoffs as a 5 seed with the 23-20 victory. With San Francisco's run game virtually nonexistent, the 49ers offense was forced to go through QB Colin Kaepernick who threw for 310 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 21 of 34 pass attempts. Meanwhile, Carson Palmer threw for 407 yards to go along with 2 touchdown passes and an interception, becoming the first player in NFL history to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season with three different teams (Bengals, Raiders and Cardinals).
Despite the loss, the Cardinals who fell to 10-6 on the year, have nothing to pout about under first-year head coach Bruce Arians who could very well hear his name be called for Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season. In the NFL's most competitive division this year, Arians who with the help of a stout defense and an improvement at quarterback, turned the franchise from 5-11 just a year ago into a 10-win team in his first season at the helm. Only the third 10-win season for the Cardinals since the franchise relocated from St. Louis in 1988.
Playoff Preview: Currently riding a six-game win-streak into the playoffs, the longest active streak of any team in the league, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers now focus their attention on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field where they'll get set to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday who sneaked into the playoffs at 8-7-1. Having won three straight against the reigning NFC North champs, including a 34-28 victory in the season-opener, Sunday's meeting will be a rematch of last year's NFC Division Round match up which San Francisco won by a final of 45-31. But neither of those games were played in the elements both teams will be forced to face on Sunday. With temperatures that will rival that of the 1967 Ice Bowl between the Cowboys and Packers at Lambeau (-13), the forecast for Sunday's game is expected to be below freezing with a high of -3 and a low of -19 at the time of kickoff. Not to mention wind chills close to -30 degrees. I'm no weather man but if those temperatures stick, Sunday's NFC Wild Card game will go down as the coldest playoff game in NFL history, surpassing the previous record of -13 in the aforementioned Ice Bowl.
With freezing temperatures that could shrink the pigskin among other things, we could be in store for a very sloppy, low-scoring game. Then again we could also be in store for a high-scoring, back and forth melee highlighted by poor tackling depending on which way you look at it. How it plays out, we just don't know. One thing we do know, however, is that high emotions will be brewing. Colin Kaepernick who was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up a fan of both the 49ers and Packers will once again face off against Aaron Rodgers who was born and raised in northern California where he grew up a die-hard Niners fan. And though we probably won't see another record-setting performance on the ground from Colin Kaepernick who torched the Packers defense for 181 rushing yards in last year's Division round match up, we might see somewhat of a revival from the read-option which hasn't been seen too often by the 49ers this year opposed to last season. As for San Francisco, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and company will have his their hands full with Aaron Rodgers who will be seeking revenge for his team's blowout loss in last year's playoffs.
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Prior to Monday night's meeting between the (10-4) San Francisco 49ers and the (4-10) Atlanta Falcons, you couldn't have scripted a better ending to take place than the one that played out in front of a sellout crowd on national television with a playoff berth on the line. Playing host to a record 36th Monday Night Football game in the same building that saw NFL greats such as Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice etch their name into the record books over the 40+ years the 49ers called Candlestick Park home, a few of the game's brightest young stars would put their own finishing touches on the stadium's rich history on Monday night. On an evening in which the 49ers franchise and their fans reflected on some of the game's greatest memories of all time, the team made sure to add a few more in this one. With Joe Montana's game-winning touchdown pass to Dwight Clark in 1982 simply known as "The Catch," NaVorro Bowman's game-sealing pick-six interception might be better described as, "The Pick."
With San Francisco greats such as Rice, Young, Willie Mays and Willie McCovey all on hand to soak in the final regular season game and quite possibly the last game ever played at the 'Stick, 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh knew a loss wouldn't be acceptable, especially given it was his 50th Birthday. And though his team would eventually award him with the best Birthday gift possible -- a win, the Atlanta Falcons nearly crashed the party. Seeking revenge for their 28-24 loss to the 49ers in the NFC Championship last January that prevented the Falcons from advancing to the Super Bowl, Atlanta would give San Francisco all that they bargained for, leaving the 49er faithful on the edge of their seats up until the final minutes of the game. After opening the game with a successful drive that San Francisco kicker Phil Dawson finished by converting on a 49 yard field goal, Colin Kaepernick and the 49er offense would hit a dry spell, failing to score again in the first half as it was Atlanta who would take a 10-3 lead with them into the half after benefiting from a bogus penalty on Niners cornerback Donte Whitner who was penalized on a clean hit to Falcons running back Steven Jackson. Jackson would punch it into the end zone from two yards out on the following play.
After a sluggish first half, Kaepernick and company made the needed adjustment on offense as 49ers wide-out Michael Crabtree hauled in passes of 47 and 19 yards, setting up Anquan Boldin's sixth touchdown reception of the season to tie the game at 10. San Francisco would take the lead one drive later as Phil Dawson split the uprights for his 26th consecutive made field goal attempt. Kaepernick would then find the end zone with his feet, striking pay dirt from 4 yards out as the 49ers put up 17 unanswered-points and found themselves ahead, 20-10. But Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan would refuse to just lie down as he connected with his favorite target on the night in receiver Roddy White from 39 yards out for the touchdown. Having torched the 49ers for big gains in the past, White would ultimately finish the game with 141 yards on 12 receptions. San Francisco's running back tandem of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter would then make their presence felt as Hunter followed up a handful of Gore runs with a 45-yard gain that setup his team inside the 5 yard line and in position to score yet again.
They would do just that two plays later as Gore plowed into the end zone, making it a 27-17 ballgame. With just over 5 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Atlanta would make a surge as another stellar offensive drive orchestrated by Matt Ryan ended with another trip to the end zone, this time to future Hall of Fame tight-end Tony Gonzalez. Trailing by a field goal, Atlanta attempted and recovered an onside kick that just squeaked past Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman, giving Ryan the ball back with tremendous field position and a chance to take the lead and pull off the upset with just two minutes left on the clock. With Matt Ryan and the Falcons offense staring down the end zone with the game on the line in the winding minutes much like they were in the NFC title game last season, Atlanta would once again be stopped in their tracks. NaVorro Bowman who had a chance to recover the onside kick and put the game away just minutes earlier would eventually redeem himself with the biggest play of his career since the one that forced an Atlanta turnover on downs in last year's NFC Championship.
Ryan's pass intended for receiver Harry Douglas was knocked free by corner back Tremaine Brock and into the hands of Bowman who with nothing but real estate ahead, ran it back 89-yards, sealing the win and sending Candlestick Park into a frenzy as San Francisco punched their ticket to the playoffs for the third consecutive year. Kaepernick logged another turnover-free performance by throwing for 197 yards and a touchdown on 13 of 21 pass attempts in the 34-24 win. Kaepernick also contributed on 51 of San Francisco's 199 total yards rushing on the evening. Frank Gore led the way with 97 rushing yards and Kendall Hunter added 51 of his own. Anquan Boldin caught six passes for 72 yards and a touchdown, helping him eclipse the 1,000 yard mark for the sixth time in his career and the first since 2009. Vernon Davis failed to log a single reception for the first time this season, meanwhile Michael Crabtree surpassed the century mark for the first time in 2013 with 102 yards receiving on five receptions. While it's not yet known if Candlestick has seen its final game ever given a playoff game is still possible, if this was the 'Stick's last game, it sure was a classic and is one Niner fans will have stashed away in their memory for quite some time. Since 1950, no team has won as many games in their home stadium as the 49ers have in Candlestick Park (205).
Week 17 Preview: With San Francisco now 11-4 on the year and officially in the playoffs, Sunday's regular season finale in Arizona to face the Cardinals is no longer a must win game but a win could definitely improve their seeding. With the NFC's number one seed still a possibility if both Seattle and Carolina lose on Sunday and San Francisco wins, coach Harbaugh's squad will undoubtedly head into battle with a 'win or go home' mentality. The same could be said in regards to the NFC Western Division crown which is still up for grabs. But Sunday's foe will be playing for more than just a number, they'll be playing for their playoff livelihood. Currently standing at 10-5 on the year, the Arizona Cardinals are playing as well as anybody right now having won three in a row and four out of their last five. A 49ers win on Monday was especially important because the Cardinals are playing with as much confidence as anybody after doing what no team has done since 2011 when they went into Seattle and came out victorious. With the eyes of Arizona's head coach Bruce Arians set on a playoff berth in his first year at the helm, a win would also do wonders for his chances of taking home Coach of the Year honors. Expect a physical game dominated by defense that could very well come down to the final possession.
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