49ers Complete Wild Card Upset in Philly, Advance to Face Seattle

NFC Wild Card - After dropping the regular season-finale at home against the rival Seahawks in Week 18, the 49ers were forced to begin their quest to return home to Levi's Stadium, the site of Super Bowl LX, on the road where they would face off against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles. Opening up as 3-point underdogs, head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers would witness those odds increase in favor of the Eagles to 5.5 come gameday. Having already been written off this season more times than fans can count given the plethora of injuries sustained to San Francisco's roster, those odds would mean nothing for a team that has looked adversity in the eye and has continued to prove doubters wrong virtually all season long. By Sunday the list of doubters would increase inside the media as the entire panel of ESPN's NFL Live chose the Eagles to prevail over the 49ers. As for the members of ESPN's Sunday NFL Countdown, only former-49er Alex Smith chose the Niners to win. Finally, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw would be the odd man out on the NFL on FOX as the only one to, "have any guts" as he explained it while picking San Francisco. 

Returning to the field that was a house of horrors for the 49ers during the 2022 NFC Championship when the 49ers were routed 31-7 following an injury to quarterback Brock Purdy on the team's opening-drive, the Niners would look to avenge that playoff loss much like they did in the most recent meeting between these two teams when Purdy and company opened up a can with a 42-19 drubbing of Philly in 2023. With the 49ers and Eagles having combined to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl in 5 of the last 8 years, the two teams would fight for their right to hoist the Lombardi trophy once again, something the Niners have not done since the 1994 season. If they plan on making it that far this year, they'll need to do so with a few unfamiliar faces, notably at the linebacker position after the latest round of injuries claimed Tatum Bethune (torn groin) and Dee Winters (ankle) who were ruled out in the days leading up to game day with Bethune being placed on season-ending IR. Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Luke Gifford was a game-time decision while nursing a quadriceps injury and would be ruled out just before kickoff, leaving the 49ers even thinner at the position and giving way to newcomers Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow, both of whom were not even on the active roster a month ago. 

Entering the bout with a 7-2 record on the road this season, the 49ers would put that mark to the test against Eagles QB Jalen Hurts who entered Sunday's game with a perfect postseason record of 5-0 throughout his career at home. One of the biggest headlines entering the heavyweight matchup would be Kyle Shanahan's offense versus Vic Fangio's defense. Known for being one of the best play-callers in all of football, Shanahan's offense hasn't exactly fared well against Fangio's defenses over the years, with the offense scoring 15-points or fewer in all four meetings. Factor in the wind gusts of up to 35mph expected at kickoff and things would begin to favor the defense once again. But Shanahan and company would have other plans this time around and it showed right out the gates. 

With Philly winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the 49ers would make an early statement on the second play of the game with a 61-yard pass from Purdy to receiver Demarcus Robinson. In his first season with the team, Robinson has had an extremely quiet campaign in San Francisco, but made his presence felt and his first big impact of the season on Sunday. Robinson would be awarded later in the drive as Purdy found him in the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Niners an early 7-0 advantage. The Eagles would be quick to respond, however, as the 49er defense was shredded by the run game much like they were the week prior against Seattle. Running back Saquon Barkley matched San Francisco with a big gain on Philadelphia's second play on offense with a 29-yard run. The big gain would help the Eagles on their march to the end zone as tight-end Dallas Goedert took a handoff on third down from the 1-yard line and punched it in for the score before kicker Jake Elliott missed the game-tying extra-point. From there, the 49ers would be held to back-to-back three-and-out punts and the Eagles would be stopped near mid-field on a 4th and 2 attempt. 

Trailing 7-6 to begin the second quarter, the Eagles would take their first lead of the game on a drive in which they marched 99-yards over 9-minutes as Hurts again found Goedert, this time with a touchdown pass on 4th and 2. San Francisco would cut the 13-7 deficit in half with an Eddy Pineiro field goal and nearly tied the game heading into halftime before a Brock Purdy fumble near the sideline prevented the 49ers from setting up a field goal try as time ran out. Both teams would struggle on offense in the third quarter, combining for three three-and-out punts and an interception from Purdy which allowed the Eagles to add to their lead with a second field goal from Jake Elliott to make it 16-10, Philadelphia. In need of a strong fourth quarter after being held score-less in the third, the 49ers would strike on the first play of the fourth thanks to a bit of trickery that included a touchdown pass from receiver Jauan Jennings to Christian McCaffrey who made an over-the-shoulder catch a la Willie Mays for the go-ahead score. 

With a chance to add to their 17-16 lead, Purdy would again succumb to an interception as Quinyon Mitchell came down with his second pick of the game. The 49er defense would again hold Philadelphia to a field goal, but the Eagles would still manage to take a 19-17 lead with 8-minutes remaining in regulation. Putting together their longest drive of the game in terms of time of possession (5:06), Purdy would cap things off with a touchdown pass on third down, finding McCaffrey inside the end zone as the Niners jumped back ahead 23-19 following a missed extra-point by Pineiro. With just under 3-minutes remaining and all three timeouts, the Eagles would be in a prime position to win the game with a last-minute touchdown, but Robert Saleh's defense would have other plans as Jalen Hurts failed to complete a pass on three consecutive plays from just outside the red zone as Eric Kendricks deflected a pass on 4th and 11 to seal the upset win for the 49ers. 

The 49ers would again lose one of their key players when All-Pro tight-end George Kittle went down midway thru the second quarter with a lower leg injury that required him to be carted off the field and into the visiting locker room where he would be visited by his wife and team owner Jed York. Feared to be something serious, coach Shanahan would confirm in his postgame presser that Kittle suffered a torn Achilles, adding yet another star player to San Francisco's ever-expanding list of injuries that one would have to think will eventually catch up to them. Kittle would hurt himself on his one and only reception of the game, a 6-yard gain. Demarcus Robinson would lead all receivers with a game-high 111 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Brock Purdy threw for 262 yards in the win to go along with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, while Jalen Hurts threw finished with 168 yards and a touchdown for Philly. Saquon Barkley rushed for 106 yards and caught 3 passes for another 25 yards, besting Christian McCaffrey's 48 yards of rushing, but not his 66 yards and 2 touchdown receptions thru the air. 

The 49ers received big time contributions on defense from Eric Kendricks and Garrett Wallow who shored up the linebacker position when they needed it most and combined for a total of 21 tackles on the night. Rookie safety Marques Sigle also stepped up big time when called upon after starter Ji'Ayir Brown went down with a hamstring injury late in the first half. Robert Saleh will likely need this trio and more to step up for the rest of the playoffs and they continue to get banged up. 

SF-SEA Preview:  The 49ers will now head back to the pacific northwest where they will pay a visit to the Emerald City to face off for a third time this season against their rival and top-seeded Seattle Seahawks in the NFC's Divisional Round Playoffs. With both teams claiming victories against each other on the road this season, the Niners will look to keep that trend alive as they try for their fifth consecutive win at Seattle, having turned the tide after going nearly a decade without a single road win in the daunting venue. In a close game that came down to the final possession, the 49ers escaped Lumen Field with a 17-13 win back in Week 1, before coming up short in the regular season-finale at Levi's Stadium less than two weeks ago. In the most recent matchup, a 13-3 loss, the 49ers were unable to muster up any offense and had no answer for Seattle's run game. With All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams back in the fold after missing the Week 18 meeting against the Seahawks with a hamstring injury, the 49ers will look to keep quarterback Brock Purdy on his feet and free of duress, something they failed to do in the second match-up. 

San Francisco's offense will also need a more productive game from Christian McCaffrey than what he gave them in Week 18, combining for 57 yards on 8 carries and 6 receptions. Robert Saleh's defense will also need a much stronger performance in the final chapter of this trilogy after allowing a whopping 180-yards on the ground between the running back tandem of Kenneth Walker III and Zach Charbonnet. If they can generate anything resembling a pass rush to rattle Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold and force him to make mistakes, something he has done quite often to the tune of 14 interceptions on the year which ranks third-most in the NFL, that would be a major win for the SF defense. At home this season, Seattle has won 6 of 8 games in their home digs, while the Niners have maintained one of the better road records in the league at 8-2 this season. Oddsmakers, however, have the 49ers as 7.5-point underdogs. With Seattle coming off the first-round bye week, San Francisco on the other hand was screwed out of a full week of rest after playing the late game on Sunday. Instead of scheduling Bears-Rams for Saturday after both teams played the previous Saturday, the greedy and ratings-hungry NFL decided that made too much sense and chose to schedule SF-Seattle for Saturday instead. 

Expected to be a finalist for the Coach of the Year Award, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has at the very least reached the NFC Championship in all four of his team's playoff appearances since joining San Francisco's staff in 2017. With a shot at another NFC Championship on the line, this may be coach Shanahan's most impressive run yet given the multitude of injuries his team has sustained and the odds they continue to overcome. Kickoff is set for 5pm PST Saturday on FOX. 

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49ers Stymied in Season Finale Loss to Seattle, Will Face Eagles in Wild Card Round

Week 18 - After treating us to one of the most entertaining games of the NFL season a week ago when the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers went blow for blow against the Chicago Bears in a back-and-forth melee that included 80 total points scored and came down to the final play of the game, the regular season-finale against the rival (13-3) Seattle Seahawks would be rather uneventful in comparison. With the NFC Western Division title on the line as well as the NFC's No. 1 seed, the 49ers entered Saturday's game liking their chance of securing the division crown and home field advantage throughout the playoffs after having beaten Seattle on the road back in Week 1. However, the 49ers team that took the field on Saturday night would be a far cry from their Week 1 selves given the laundry list of injuries they've sustained since their season-opening win over the Seahawks. And by the time things officially got underway, San Francisco looked outmatched from start to finish, despite both teams entering the meeting riding six-game winning streaks. 

Winning the coin-toss and electing to defer would be about the extent of any winning Kyle Shanahan's team did on Saturday night as they were outclassed in all facets of the game. Sam Darnold and the Seattle offense came out guns blazing with a 13-play drive that ate up 7-minutes and 37-seconds of game time before being stood up inside the red zone at the 4-yard line. With only one play going for double-digit yards on the opening-drive for the Seahawks, the 49ers were able to force an incomplete pass on 4th and 4, resulting in the turnover on downs. The bend but don't break mentality would fire up the 49er sideline as well as the 49er Faithful in attendance, but it would be one of the few positives on the night for Robert Saleh's defense which struggled virtually all game long. The 7:37 time of possession on Seattle's opening-drive would mark their longest without scoring any points since 2018. Taking over on offense pinned back near their own goal line, the 49ers were held to a quick three and out punt which allowed for superb field position on Seattle's ensuing possession that was aided another 15-yards following a face mask penalty against the Niners on the return. 

Taking advantage of the short field, Seattle needed only three plays to find the end zone as running back Zach Charbonnet broke for a 27-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd and 2. With nothing to show for on San Francisco's first offensive possession, drive No. 2 failed to provide better results as Brock Purdy and company was held to their second three and out punt in as many possessions. After punting the ball only twice in the entire month of December, the 49er offense would match that total by the end of the first quarter on Saturday, ending San Francisco's team record of 27 straight quarters with a score. Despite no success whatsoever through the first quarter, Kyle Shanahan's team still found themselves in a prime position after Seattle marched 58-yards on their next possession but failed to connect on Josh Myers' 47-yard field goal that sailed wide-right. After going the whole first quarter without a single first down, the 49er offense was finally able to move the chains to start the second, but things would again spiral quickly as a call to go for it on 4th and 1 near mid-field ended in an incomplete pass from Purdy who again faced pressure and had to hurry his pass. Seattle's kicker would redeem himself on the Seahawks' next drive with a 45-yard field goal to make it a 10-0 ballgame. 

San Francisco would get on the scoreboard before the end of the first half with a 48-yard field goal from kicker Eddy Pineiro. Trailing by just a touchdown, the 49ers would get the ball to open the second half and appeared to be on track to score again, but Seattle's third sack of the night would ultimately lead to another punt as the absence of San Francisco's Pro Bowl left-tackle Trent Williams who sat out of Saturday's game while battling a hamstring injury began to come into focus. After being torched for a season-high 115 rushing yards allowed in the first half, the 49er defense held Seattle in check for the most part in the third quarter before an absolute meltdown on 3rd and 17. Perhaps no two plays would haunt the 49er defense greater than two of the first three plays on Seattle's next drive when Seahawks QB Sam Darnold was stepped on by his own teammate, resulting in a fumble that Niners defender Yetur Gross-Matos failed to come up with, eventually resulting in a 7-yard loss. After an incomplete pass, Seattle handed the ball to running back Kenneth Walker III who rushed 19-yards to pick up the first down, erasing the dreadful 3rd and 17 and prolonging the drive instead of punting the ball over to San Francisco in a one-score game. 

To make matters worse, Seattle would continue to march on the drive before having to settle for another Josh Myers field goal to take a 13-3 lead. Trailing by two-scores again, Purdy and the 49er offense began the fourth quarter by moving the ball with their most successful drive yet, marching 65-yards to give the offense their first trip to the red zone all night. But the 6-yard line would be as far as they'd make it as Purdy would have his pass tipped at the line of scrimmage, resulting in a wobbly ball in and out of the hands of Christian McCaffrey and into the arms of a Seattle defender who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time before stepping out of bounds. The turnover would prove to be crucial as any momentum the Niners thought they had captured went right out the window. Another long drive orchestrated by the Seahawks offense would chew up over 8-minutes of game time as precious time ticked away for a 49ers team hoping to stage a late comeback. Marching 94-yards the other way, Seattle kicker Josh Myers would miss his second field goal of the night when his 26-yard attempt hit the right upright to reinstill hope into the 49ers once again. Unfortunately, that hope would evaporate rather quickly as a quick turnover on downs ended any chance of a last-ditch effort from San Francisco. Making matters worse, Purdy reportedly suffered a "stinger" on the 49ers' final offensive play of the game after taking a hit to his left shoulder while being sandwiched between two Seattle defenders. 

Aside from Seattle's run game which tallied 180 total yards on the ground, neither team lit up the stat sheet on offense. Kenneth Walker III rushed for 97 yards while Zach Charbonnet added 74 yards and a touchdown, besting San Francisco's 53 total rushing yards. Christian McCaffrey who entered the week with a league-best 108 missed tackles wasn't able to break many tackles on Saturday while dealing with a back ailment and rushed for just 23 yards on 8 carries and another 34 yards receiving on 6 receptions, falling short of his second career 1,000-1,000 season for rushing and passing yards. Jauan Jennings led the 49ers with a team-high 35 yards on 4 receptions, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished with a game-high 84 yards receiving on 6 receptions. Sam Darnold threw for 198 yards compared to just 127 from Brock Purdy. But perhaps the most glaring stat of all came in the time of possession battle which Seattle dominated by producing long drives: 37:48 to just 22:12. 

Wild Card Preview: Following the loss to Seattle, the 49ers not only missed out on securing the NFC's No. 1 seed and home field advantage throughout the playoffs, but they'll now face the daunting task of having to win all of their games on the road if they want to partake in Super Bowl LX being played in their own house of Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara. San Francisco's loss coupled with a win from the L.A. Rams meant the 49ers will enter the playoffs as the NFC's No. 6 seed and will face off against the No. 3 seed and defending champion Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round. With the 49ers opening up as 3.5 point underdogs against an Eagles team that went 11-6 in the regular season, Kyle Shanahan's team will hope to capture the same magic during a 42-19 win at Philly the last time these two teams met on December 2, 2023. San Francisco won handedly and was able to avenge their 31-7 loss in the NFC Championship the year prior after Brock Purdy was injured on the 49ers' first drive of the game. 

Philly's Lincoln Financial Field has become known for being one of the tougher venues to win in on the road during the playoffs, and no bad blood will be lost come gameday. Already facing a thin roster at the linebacker position, Robert Saleh's defense just got lot thinner after an MRI revealed on Monday that second-year linebacker Tatum Bethune will miss the playoffs after suffering a torn groin in Saturday's loss to Seattle. Already without All Pro linebacker Fred Warner who is hoping to make a return in the NFC title game if the 49ers can survive and advance that far, Dee Winters is currently listed as questionable after having to leave Saturday's game early with an ankle injury. The recently signed Eric Kendricks is expected to start and fill in in Bethune's absence. While Philly still boasts one of the best defenses in the NFC, their offense has struggled in the second half of the season despite plenty of weapons for quarterback Jalen Hurts to choose from. If the 49ers can muster up anything close to the type of offense they showcased in the two weeks prior to the season-finale, they should be able to stand a chance in pulling off the upset. And although Philly's offense has been stagnant for much of the second half, San Francisco's defense will need a much better outing than the one they had against Seattle. 

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49ers Handle Eagles in Landslide Win

Week 13 - Looking to continue their winning-streak and gain ground in the race for the NFC's No. 1 seed, the (8-3) San Francisco 49ers would have a date against the (10-1) Philadelphia Eagles, a team 49er fans and players alike have had circled on their calendar since the release of the NFL's regular season schedule. Despite the reputation of Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field for being one of the tougher venues in the NFL to play in for opposing teams and the Eagles being the NFC's top seed, the San Francisco 49ers opened as 3-point favorites on the road in Philly, much to the surprise of many around the football world. But by game's end, some might have been left thinking why only 3-points? After all, the Eagles as good as their record is, have made a habit out of pulling a rabbit out of their hat this season by staging second half comebacks and sneaking by with wins in games they probably should've lost. Sunday's heavyweight bout with the 49ers appeared to be just the latest chapter to that story, but San Francisco's suffocating defense would have other plans once they got settled in, coupled with the Niners offense which was unstoppable once they got things rolling.

There had been a lot of chatter between these two teams dating back to the last time they met 10 months earlier in the NFC Championship which led to a blowout win for Philly after the 49ers were virtually handicapped by losing their third-string quarterback Brock Purdy at the time, one drive into the game. One member of the 49ers who didn't shy away with his comments was none other than receiver Deebo Samuel who had some choice words for a specific Eagles DB, and was also quoted as saying, "If Brock was in, I don't think it would've been close." With QB Brock Purdy indeed healthy and on the field Sunday for the rematch, Deebo's words would prove to ring true in this one, giving even further reason to ask what really would've happened had the 49ers not lost their quarterback in that game? 10 months after tearing his UCL several plays into the biggest game of his career and missing out on a trip to the Super Bowl, Purdy once again stuck it to his critics and bolstered his case for the MVP Award. But not before a pair of ugly drives that left the 49ers with negative yardage on offense through the first quarter. 

With San Francisco winning the coin-toss and electing to differ, the Eagles put together back-to-back impressive drives of 13-plays for 67 yards and 12-plays for 53 yards, respectively, spanning 5:09 and 6:48 of game time, but were held to field goals on both possessions. That bend but don't break mentality by the Niner defense proved to be huge and allowed San Francisco to keep the game within striking distance and prevented things from getting out of hand, while also snapping Philadelphia's streak of 12 straight red zone drives with a touchdown scored, the longest streak of its kind in the NFL entering Sunday. Meanwhile, the 49er offense was held to three and outs on each of their first two possessions. By the end of the first quarter, San Francisco found themselves outgained by Philly: 124 total yards to San Francisco's -6 yards, the fewest in a quarter under coach Kyle Shanahan. But as soon as the second quarter started, it was almost as if someone on the 49ers flipped a switch as the team began to turn things around and never looked back, going back to basics by running the ball and finding success doing so. Embarking on an 11-play, 88-yard drive, San Francisco began their scoring barrage which was setup by a big gain from tight-end George Kittle, capped off with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Purdy to receiver Brandon Aiyuk to take a 7-6 lead. 

Kittle would help setup another 49ers touchdown with another big gain before running back Christian McCaffrey struck pay dirt with a 2-yard rushing touchdown just before the half, giving San Francisco a 14-6 halftime lead. Despite trailing at the half, the Eagles found themselves in familiar territory, boasting an NFL-best 5-0 record when trailing at home this season. However, the 49ers would pick up right where they left off to open the second half as the game soon turned into the Deebo Samuel Show. Following a 33-yard gain on a short pass from Purdy to McCaffrey, Deebo took a handoff 12-yards to the house for a touchdown. The trash-talk and animosity between both teams that ignited after last season's NFC Championship would boil over onto the field during the Eagles' first drive of the second half when 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw got into an altercation along the Philadelphia sideline with the Eagles' director of security. After an unnecessary roughness penalty on Greenlaw for a late hit on Philly receiver DeVonta Smith, the Eagles' team security guard stepped in and attempted to separate the two players, something Greenlaw and his fellow teammates took exception to, with the 49ers linebacker making contact with the staffer's face that ultimately resulted in automatic ejections for both parties. Philly would use the ejection to their advantage, finding the end zone several plays later with a 1-yard touchdown by quarterback Jalen Hurts by way of their famous "Brotherly Shove" play. 

Finding the end zone for the first time of the day, Philadelphia crept up to make it an 8-point game midway thru the third quarter. Just when the Eagles had the 49ers right where they wanted them, Deebo Samuel struck for 48-yard touchdown, breaking a tackle on a quick pass and darting through the middle to find pay dirt. After a three and out punt by the Eagles, San Francisco orchestrated another long drive that lasted nearly 7-minutes on 13-plays for 75-yards and ended with a touchdown pass from Purdy to receiver Jauan Jennings who shook off a tackle and rushed in for an 18-yard score. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts who entered Sunday with 5 straight wins when facing a 10+ point deficit which was tied for the longest streak since 1950 with Joe Montana & Steve Bartkowski, did what he could to keep that streak alive, but San Francisco's offensive firepower was too much for the Eagles defense. Even after Hurts returned from a brief visit to the locker room after being shaken up and marched his offense into the end zone on a 17-play drive that resulted in a touchdown, Deebo Samuel provided the dagger a few plays later with a 46-yard receiving touchdown to put the game out of reach as San Francisco held on for the 42-19 win.

Returning to the same field he was injured on 10 months earlier, quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 314 yards and 4 touchdowns and was named the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week. Meanwhile, Deebo was awarded NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his 3 touchdown performance, finishing with 22 yards rushing on 3 attempts and 116 yards receiving on 4 receptions. Running back Christian McCaffrey again topped 100 scrimmage yards on his way to becoming the first 49ers rusher to top the 1,000 yard rushing mark since Frank Gore in 2014. With his single-season franchise record 12th rushing touchdown on the season, McCaffrey also joined Marshall Faulk and Lenny Moore as the only players in NFL history with at least 50 rushing touchdowns and 25 touchdown receptions in their career. In the loss, Eagles QB Jalen Hurts tallied 298 yards, 1 rushing touchdown and 1 passing touchdown, snapping his streak of 14 straight wins versus teams with a winning record, the longest such streak since 1950 as the 49er defense got to him for three sacks on the day. After a slow start, the San Francisco offense torched Philly for 456 total yards of offense compared to the Eagles' 333 yards, this after -6 total yards thru the first quarter for the 49ers. 

Week 14 Preview: The (9-3) 49ers will return to their home digs of Levis Stadium in Week 14 to host the rival Seattle Seahawks whom they'll face off against for the second time in three weeks. Looking to add to their lead in the NFC Western Division standings which currently sits at 3 games above the Seahawks and L.A. Rams who both sit at 6-6 on the year, Seattle comes in riding a 3-game losing streak after suffering losses to the aforementioned Rams, Niners and Dallas Cowboys. The 49ers can deal a another blow to Seattle's playoff hopes as Geno Smith and company will need to right the ship fast if they plan to vie for an NFC wild card spot. The 49ers meanwhile will look to win their fifth straight game of the season and their fifth straight over Seattle. With 8 games of 30+ points scored for the 49ers offense this season, quarterback Brock Purdy is now the new MVP favorite in Vegas at +300, owning a slight edge over Jalen Hurts of the Eagles and Dak Prescott of the Cowboys, with both at +350. 

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49ers Feast on Seahawks in Thanksgiving Win

Week 12 - Facing off with their hated rivals from the pacific northwest for the first time this season, the (7-3) San Francisco 49ers would look to continue their recent success against the (6-4) Seattle Seahawks in a Thursday night showdown on Thanksgiving. Rallying around the gridiron together instead of the dinner table, there would be no such thing as sharing between these two bitter foes come kickoff. Looking to distance themselves from Seattle in the NFC Western Division standings, San Francisco, donning their throwback white uniforms, would try to make it four straight wins over Pete Carroll's Seahawks following a sweep in all three meetings a season ago, including a playoff win in the NFC's Wild Card round. 

Things would get off to a great start for quarterback Brock Purdy, the reigning NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his Week 11 performance against Tampa Bay, and the 49ers who opened the game with the ball and marched it 71-yards on 11-plays, ending in a 2-yard touchdown run by Deebo Samuel. Although the Seahawks would answer on their ensuing possession with a field goal thanks to a 64-yard kick return by D'Wayne Eskridge, the Seattle offense was virtually shutout by the 49er defense throughout the first half. San Francisco jumped out to a 14-3 lead to start the second quarter when running back and scoring machine Christian McCaffrey punched in a 1-yard rushing touchdown, kickstarting a busy night for the all-time record holder for the most consecutive games with a touchdown. The San Francisco defense would put their first stamp on the game by forcing the first turnover of the night when cornerback Ambry Thomas jumped in front of Geno Smith's pass intended for receiver Tyler Lockett. The 49ers would not be able to do anything with the takeaway and were instead held to a three and out punt, but they would redeem themselves one possession later. 

McCaffrey would continue to make history and etch his name into the record books, this time setting a 49ers franchise single-season record with his 11th rushing touchdown on the season after an 8-yard score. Previously, six players shared the team record of 10 rushing touchdowns in a season: Frank Gore (2009), Derek Loville (1995), Ricky Waters (1993), Billy Kilmer (1961), J.D. Smith (1959) and Joe Perry (1953). McCaffrey's second touchdown of the night would also give him 16 total TD's on the year, the most by a running back in a single season in franchise history. The 49ers would add to their lead again with a Jake Moody field goal thanks to another Seattle turnover, this time forced by San Francisco's special-teams unit, capitalizing on a muffed punt that resulted in a fumble recovery by the Niners and special-teams stud Oren Burks. Unfortunately, Burks who would be injured on the play with what was later confirmed to be a torn biceps that will require surgery and likely cause him to miss the rest of the season. Seattle would attempt to inch closer before the end of the half with a 53-yard field goal attempt by kicker Jason Myers who missed wide right as time expired. 

In no way did the 49ers play a perfect game in any facet, but the defense came pretty darn close as Seattle's offense was held out of the end zone all night long. The Seahawks did receive a sliver of hope early in the second half when their defense forced a turnover. Following a punt by Seattle on the opening-drive to start the second half, Purdy and the 49ers found themselves pinned deep inside their own territory at the 4 yard line. After an incomplete pass on first down, Purdy was picked off for his first career pick-six after an errant pass skipped off the hands of McCaffrey and into a defender as linebacker Jordyn Brooks recorded his first career interception and took it in for an easy score. Appearing to take their foot off the gas pedal, the 49ers were forced to punt on each of their next two possessions, but Seattle would only manage a field goal out of it, cutting San Francisco's lead to 24-13. Allowing Seattle to hang around until midway into the fourth quarter, the 49ers would end any chance of a rally by the Seahawks as Purdy barreled down and put the game out of reach with an absolute dime of a touchdown pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk who made the grab in between four defenders for the 28-yard score. 

Trailing 31-13 with under 8-minutes remaining, Seattle's last-ditch effort at a comeback would end on a turnover on downs as the Niners shutdown the Seahawks offense on three consecutive plays when they needed only 1-yard. From there, San Francisco was able to milk the clock on a pair of big first down plays by backup running back Elijah Mitchell and receiver Ray-Ray McCloud who sealed the win with a dagger 23-yard reception on 3rd and 3 after the two-minute warning, as the 49ers celebrated at midfield with a Thanksgiving feast supplied by the NBC crew. San Francisco's defense tallied a season-high six sacks on the night, creating pressure virtually all night long and making things difficult for Seattle QB Geno Smith who was questionable throughout the week to even start in Thursday's game with a bruised triceps suffered in the Seahawks' Week 11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams a week earlier. 49ers QB Brock Purdy won't be taking home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for a second consecutive week, but he did manage to record a solid road outing under the bright lights in a hostile environment, completing 21 of 30 passes for 209 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception, compared to Geno Smith's 180 yards passing, 0 touchdowns and 1 interception on 18 of 27 passes. 

Niners running back Christian McCaffrey was once again the team's bell cow on offense, rushing for 114 yards and 2 TD's on 19 carries to go along with another 25 yards receiving on 5 receptions. Deebo Samuel led all receivers with 7 receptions for a game-high 79 receiving yards and a rushing touchdown. Right behind him was Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in two receptions for 50 yards and a score, giving him 5 touchdowns on the season, making him the first 49ers receiver to achieve 5+ TDs in each of his first four NFL seasons. Aiyuk joined Hall of Famers Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens as the only 49ers wide receivers in the past 40 seasons to have five or more receiving TDs in four straight seasons. Back to the defense, defensive-end Nick Bosa recorded another pair of sacks in the win, giving him three straight games with 1.5+ sacks, the longest streak for a 49er since 2012 (Aldon Smith, 4). Enjoying their latest acquisition, the San Francisco defense has now feasted on the opposing quarterbacks to the tune of 15 sacks in their last 3 games since acquiring defensive-end Chase Young at the trade deadline from Washington. The 49ers have now won four straight against their rivals from up north dating back to last season, outscoring them by a combined score of 120-56. 

Week 13 Preview: Pulling 2 full games ahead of Seattle in the division standings and into the NFC's No. 2 spot after their win coupled with a Detroit loss earlier on Thanksgiving morning to open the busy slate of games, the 49ers will have a chance to pull closer to the NFC's top seed in their next bout. With a few extra days of rest following the Thursday night game and the holiday, the (8-3) 49ers will now direct their attention to the (10-1) Philadelphia Eagles in one of the most highly anticipated match-ups on the NFL's 2023 calendar. In what will be a rematch of last year's NFC Championship, the meeting will signify a chance at redemption for one Brock Purdy, as the 49ers QB suffered a complete tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing arm on San Francisco's first drive, kicking him out of the game and into a six month recovery that required surgery. The 49ers eventually lost 31-7 to the Eagles who punched their ticket to the Super Bowl where they would go on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, 38-35. Proving to be a force again this year and likely to be in the thick of it again come playoff time, the Eagles exacted revenge against the Chiefs just a week ago on the road at Arrowhead, and are coming off a thrilling 37-34 overtime win against the Buffalo Bills at home in the rain. Philly QB Jalen Hurts threw for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win, adding another 65 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground, including the walk-off score in OT. Hopefully both the football and weather gods are on the side of San Francisco this time around in what should be a tough blow for blow match-up between NFC heavyweights. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

More Injury Woes at QB Doom Niners' Super Bowl hopes

Playoffs - Entering Sunday's NFC Championship between the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles, many football fans were hoping to see similar fireworks to the 42-41 shootout that took place back in November of 2019 when both team's quarterbacks last faced one another at the collegiate level. Brock Purdy's Iowa State Cyclones nearly upset Jalen Hurts and the heavily-favored Oklahoma Sooners in a wild game that came down to the final play and featured 11 total touchdowns between the two QB's. Fast forward to Championship Sunday, those hopes would come to a screeching halt rather early as we were deprived of what could've been and were left with something that hardly resembled a playoff football game. 

What was expected to be a brawl between two heavyweights that rank at or near the top in almost every major offensive and defensive statistical category, quickly turned into a handicap match just one drive in for the visiting 49ers. Despite entering Sunday's game with a franchise record 12-game winning-streak, many touted San Francisco would have a long day ahead of them, most notably at quarterback with rookie Brock Purdy given the Eagles' stout defense coupled with the hostile environment that is Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, but nothing could've prepared them for the piss-poor luck they would endure at the QB position yet again during Sunday's game. In fact, it would be the exact opposite for Purdy who had his day cut short due to injury. In a classic case of, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," San Francisco began their day on defense where their defensive captain in 2022 Pro-Bowl and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner would leave the field with an injury on the third play from scrimmage. Though Warner would eventually reenter the game a few plays later, his brief exit would be a bad omen for things to come for San Francisco. Facing a 4th and 3 near midfield, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would show his aggressiveness by dialing up a deep pass along the sideline to receiver DeVonta Smith. 

The play would fetch 29-yards on a catch that wasn't, as replays on TV showed the ball come loose and hit the ground upon further review. But with Philly rushing to hike the ball and insufficient evidence at the time for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to risk losing a timeout with an early challenge in the game's opening minutes with only seconds to react, the Eagles successfully got away with one and capitalized just two plays later with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from running back Miles Sanders. Looking to answer with their first possession on offense, the 49ers began moving the ball and converted on a pair of first downs before disaster struck. Facing a 2nd and 6 on San Francisco's sixth play from scrimmage, QB Brock Purdy took a hit to his throwing arm that jarred the ball loose up into the air and nearly intercepted. What was initially ruled an incompletion would wind up being a fumble as Sirianni threw his challenge flag and was awarded the ball on what would be Purdy's first career fumble. But even worse than the turnover and adding insult to injury, Purdy would exit the game with an elbow injury and would have to be attended to by the team's medical staff. Already down to their third-string quarterback, the 49ers' unbelievable luck would turn from bad to worse as they were forced to call upon their fourth-string QB in journeyman Josh Johnson. 

With both teams exchanging punts for the greater part of the first quarter, San Francisco would finally find an answer thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey who bounced free from one tackle and broke another on his way to the end zone in the second quarter. It would mark the 9th straight game with a touchdown for McCaffrey, the longest streak by a 49er since Terrell Owens in 1998. After benefiting from the phantom catch on their first drive, Philadelphia's ensuing possession would be fueled by a barrage of 49er penalties (four in total) that ended with another touchdown from Miles Sanders who found the end zone for a second time. With the 49ers now trailing 14-7, any hopes of taking some momentum into the locker room at the half went out the window on San Francisco's following possession. With under two-minutes to go and San Francisco set to receive the second half kick-off, the Niners were in prime position to tie the game or at least put a dent in Philadelphia's lead. Instead, Johnson fumbled the snap and was unable to recover the ball, giving Philadelphia a golden opportunity to add to their lead before halftime.  

They often say teams in the NFL will only go as far as their quarterback will take them. San Francisco had rewrote that mantra a few times this season after injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but with Brock Purdy falling to injury on San Francisco's first drive, the team's luck would finally run out and they would hit a brick wall. Having played for 13 different NFL franchises throughout his professional career, Johnson looked every bit like a quarterback who has had trouble sticking around with one team. Despite lacking that big play ability, all his coach and teammates had asked of Johnson was to keep his team in the game by avoiding the costly mistakes. Something he would fail to do. Unlike the Purdy fumble, the Eagles would cash in on Johnson's gaffe with a third rushing touchdown, this time from running back Boston Scott. Trailing 21-7 to start the second half, the injury bug would strike the 49ers quarterback position yet again as Johnson would also be forced to leave the game due to injury after sustaining a concussion on San Francisco's first possession of the third quarter. 

With Purdy checking back into the game, coach Shanahan had kicked the tires on appointing emergency quarterback duties to running back Christian McCaffrey who was seen shuffling through helmets with the team's equipment staff, before Shanahan elected to summon his starter again. Clearly in pain and limited in what he could do with the football, Purdy toughed it out to finish the ballgame, attempting only two passes the rest of the way, both on short screen-passes that traveled no more than 3-yards each. With the Philadelphia defense stacking the box to stop the run on virtually every down, it was like shooting fish in a barrel against a 49er offense that would be a shell of its former self, relegated to one-dimension and handcuffed for the remainder of the game with no other healthy quarterback options on the active roster. While the Eagles added another touchdown and a field goal, San Francisco's last two possessions ended in a turnover on downs and a Deebo Samuel fumble. Having lost the turnover battle and a pair of quarterbacks to boot, penalties would also add to the team's agony and dig an even bigger hole than they would be able to crawl out of as San Francisco was called for 11 penalties on the afternoon to Philly's 4. Despite falling by a final score of 31-7, San Francisco's defense held the Eagles' No. 1 ranked offense in Yards Per Game to just 269 total yards. 

If you ever wondered what a team that has their soul ripped out in the opening minutes looked like, look no further than San Francisco's first offensive possession when Purdy went down with the injury. Purdy finished with 23 yards passing and 4 for 4 on completions, meanwhile Johnson threw for 74 yards on 7 of 13 passes. Running back Christian McCaffrey would be the lone bright spot for the Niners by tallying 106 yards of total offense and a touchdown in the loss. Eagles QB and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts did not impress by any means, throwing for a modest 121 yards on 15 of 25 attempts, while adding another 39 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries, but managed to play a turnover-free game. On a relatively quiet day for the Eagle offense, no member of the team collected more than 36 yards receiving. For San Francisco who finished with a record of 15-5, the season comes to a bitter end as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have now lost in back to back NFC Championships and will head into the offseason with even more questions at the quarterback position. With plenty of unknowns surrounding Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy who confirmed on Monday that he had suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that will require him to recover for at least the next six months and possibly longer with a decision yet to be made on undergoing surgery, it's shaping up to be a long off-season for the 49er Faithful. Not to mention the void that will need to be filled at defensive-coordinator with DeMeco Ryans a shoo-in to land the Houston Texans head coaching gig. 

Super Bowl LVII: Clinching their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and first since winning it all in 2017, Philadelphia will head to the desert to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, seeking just their second Super Bowl trophy. As for K.C. who will be making their third Super Bowl appearance in four years, the team will be vying for a third Super Bowl trophy and second under head coach Andy Reid who will be facing his former team. 

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49ers Send Cowboys Home Again, Face Philly for NFC Title

Playoffs - Dating back to the 1970's, few rivalries in the NFL have been as heated as the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Though the rivalry has lost some of its sizzle since the 1990's, things are beginning to warm up again between the two franchises who have now met in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. After dispatching Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in Dallas in the Wild Card round a season ago, the 49ers looked to repeat the feat of handing Dallas back to back exits from the playoffs on Sunday, this time playing host to the Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in the Divisional round. One step closer to the Super Bowl and with some home cooking, head coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers were able to do just that in a game that was highlighted by stellar defense. 

With San Francisco's defense ranked number one in the league, Dallas' stout defense answered the call for much of the game as well and came out guns blazing by holding the Niners to a three and out punt on their opening-possession. The Cowboys would show a bit more life on their first drive but were also held to a punt to start the game. Following a second 49er punt, the defense made their presence felt by intercepting a Dak Prescott pass on a third and long. Jumping out in front of Dallas' Michael Gallup was second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir who logged his second interception in as many weeks after picking off Seattle's Geno Smith a week ago. While the 49ers would turn the turnover into points, they were held to just a field goal as kicker Robbie Gould began what would be a busy day at the office. With San Francisco striking first and Dallas trailing 3-0, Dak and company would have the 49er defense floundering for the one and only time all game. Orchestrating a 17-play, 79-yard drive that lasted 7:47 of game time, Dak found tight-end Dalton Schultz with a short pass for the 4-yard score. 

Thanks to a blocked extra-point attempt by San Francisco's Samson Ebukam who also logged a sack on the afternoon, the 49ers found themselves trailing 6-3. San Francisco would answer right back with another field goal -- a 47-yarder from Gould to tie the game at 6. With the Cowboys chipping away at the field and trending towards another score, the 49er defense came through once again, this time in the red zone as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner corralled an interception tipped by safety Jimmie Ward. Looking to put some more points on the board before the half, the 49ers narrowly avoided disaster with some questionable clock-management from both coach Shanahan and rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. Electing to use a timeout after showing little urgency and letting precious seconds tick away was Shanahan before Purdy got rid of the ball just in the nick of time with an out of bounds incompletion that left 1-second remaining on the clock. In came Gould who split the uprights for a third time in the first half to give the Niners a 9-6 lead at halftime. 

In the days leading up to the game, a pair of knuckleheads on a Dallas sports radio station had wished an injury on 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Instead, they would witness one of their own fall victim to the injury bug in running back Tony Pollard who had to be carted off the field with an ankle injury, forcing him to miss the second half. With Dallas opening the second half with the ball, the 49er defense was able to force the Cowboys offense off the field with a punt, but only for a short period as Dallas was given another chance following a fumbled punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud. Given a second opportunity and with prime field position, Dallas was able to tie the game with a 25-yard field goal from Brett Maher who had missed four of five extra-point attempts the week prior against Tampa Bay. After exchanging punts, the 49ers would string together their best drive of the evening, marching 76-yards in 14 plays that spanned exactly 6-minutes. Capping off the impressive drive that was highlighted by a 30-yard circus catch made by tight-end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey began to finally find holes in the Dallas defense and punched thru for a 2-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. 

Both teams would exchange field goals before a bit of unnecessary drama ensued as San Francisco insisted on making things harder on themselves down the stretch than they needed to be before ultimately avoiding disaster. Receiving a punt with 2:05 remaining in regulation, the 49ers were in need of a first down following the two-minute warning to clinch the win and milk the clock. While they would get the much-needed first down on a 13-yard scamper from running back Elijah Mitchell, the second-year back ran out of bounds, stopping the clock and allowing Dallas to successfully use their timeouts after getting a stop to get the ball back for one final last-ditch attempt. After missing a chance to ice the game with a would-be pick-six interception from linebacker Dre Greenlaw who dropped the ball, San Francisco whiffed again when Arik Armstead collided in the end zone with Prescott who avoided the safety and got rid of the ball with an incompletion. After a pair of short passes and the clock down to 6-seconds, the Cowboys would dial up one final play that was blown up by Jimmie Ward, eliminating any chance at a lateral-type miracle. Pulling off the 19-12 win, the 49ers booked their second straight trip to the NFC Championship and their third trip in four years. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now have 12 straight playoff appearances without playing in a Conference Championship game, the longest streak in NFL history. 

Relying on the defense for much of the game, Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 214 yards on 19 of 29 pass attempts and was able to avoid the costly turnovers that plagued his counterpart in Dak Prescott. Dak did not finish far behind with 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 37 passes, but his two interceptions were costly, and his longest streak in NFL history of 1+ passing TD and 1+ rushing TDin four straight playoff games came to a screeching halt. Tight-end George Kittle proved to be Purdy's favorite target on the evening with five receptions for 95 yards, finishing behind only CeeDee Lamb who caught 10 passes for 117 yards for Dallas. The 49er defense held the Cowboys to only 76 yards rushing, while tallying 113 yards of their own on the ground between Eli Mitchell (14 carries, 51 yards) and Christian McCaffrey (10 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD). Evening the all-time series between these two storied franchises at 19-19-1, Sunday's win marked the Niners' first home win over Dallas since 1997. 

NFC Championship Preview: Having now won 12 straight games, the 49ers will put their winning-streak to the test and try for lucky No. 13 as they prepare to hit the road to face the No. 1 seeded Eagles in Philadelphia with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line. What will undoubtedly be a showdown between the NFC's top two seeds, the heavyweight match-up will feature the league's best defense in points per game and yards per game (San Francisco) going up against the league's best offense in those same two categories (Philadelphia). But the one match-up that will steal all the headlines is the one between both team's quarterbacks in Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. Mr. Irrelevant versus the potential league MVP. And though this will be the first time these two QB's meet to face one another at the pro level, it isn't their first time facing one another on a football field. Purdy will have a chance at redemption after losing in a 42-41 shootout during his days at Iowa State as his Cyclones lost to Hurts and the Oklahoma Sooners back on November 9, 2019. Purdy would throw for 5 touchdowns and rush for another in the wild contest that also saw 5 total TD's from Hurts. Both should be a far cry from what we're likely to see from both quarterbacks on Sunday. 

The media has already begun spinning the narrative for Sunday's game as Brock Purdy the rookie quarterback who is ill-prepared to face a team as daunting as the Eagles in Philadelphia. However, Purdy will enter Sunday's game having already won two career playoff games to Hurts' one. Purdy will also be making history when he steps onto the field at Lincoln Financial as he'll become the first rookie QB to start a Conference Championship game since Mark Sanchez in 2009. With 200 yards passing in both playoff games this season and no turnovers committed, he's the only rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to do that even once in the playoffs. Purdy joined Joe Flacco (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009) as the only rookie QBs to win two playoff starts. He's looking to become the first to make the Super Bowl after Flacco, Sanchez, Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Shaun King (1999) all lost in the conference title game. 

The last time these two teams met was Week 2 of the 2021-22 season just a year ago which saw San Francisco edge out a 17-11 win in Philadelphia. Of course a lot of things have changed since then and playoff football is a different type of animal than the second week of the regular season. Opening up as 2-point underdogs on the road, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will hope to use their Conference Championship experience to their benefit over second-year head coach Nick Siranni who has done a superb job at the helm in Philly, but will be in uncharted waters come Sunday against a hungry 49ers team that doesn't mind proving the doubters wrong. 

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49ers Fly Home with Win over Eagles

Week 2 - If you went into Week 2's matchup between the San Francisco 49ers (1-0) and Philadelphia Eagles (1-0) thinking you'd see another high-scoring affair like the one that took place in Detroit last week, you'd be sadly mistaken. The 41-33 barnburner from Week 1 would be a far cry come Week 2 in Philly as the 49ers and Eagles locked horns in a defensive struggle for much of the game. And for a second consecutive week, the 49ers offense got off to a slow start. While it wasn't a turnover that doomed San Francisco's first drive like the fumble on the very first play from scrimmage a week ago, Jimmy G and the 49er offense instead struggled to get anything going with three and outs on each of their first three offensive possessions. Thankfully, the defense would hold its own and keep the game within reach as the Eagles offense was held at bey with the exception of an early field goal. 

Leading 3-0 entering the second quarter, the Eagles would attempt to add to their lead with a second Jake Elliott field goal, but were denied as second-year man Javon Kinlaw got a hand on the kick and was credited with a blocked field goal. After being held without a first down in the first quarter for the first time since Week 10 of the 2016 season, the 49er offense would finally get things going. But it wouldn't be until their next possession that would find them striking pay dirt. Philadelphia would nearly find the end zone on a 91-yard pass when quarterback Jalen Hurts found receiver Quez Watkins streaking down the sideline on their first play of the drive from their own 3 yard line, but that drive would go up in flames as the San Francisco defense came up big yet again. Inside the red zone with a first and goal from the 6 yard line, the Eagles would get as close to the 1, but were stood up at the doorstep before a failed Philly special call on fourth down as the 49er defense sniffed out the trickery to force a turnover on downs. 

Needing to go 97 yards, Garoppolo and company would chip away with run plays and dink and dunk passes before a big gainer to Deebo Samuel on a 40-yard catch-and-run that would set things up inside the red zone. San Francisco would make quick work of that red zone trip as Garoppolo found Jauan Jennings who hauled in the first reception and touchdown of his career to put his team ahead. Feeling like they could've easily been down by double-digits, the 49ers instead found themselves leading at the half, 7-3. San Francisco's offense wouldn't need nearly as much time to put up points in the second half, scoring on just their second possession after forcing a pair of Philadelphia punts. Eating up 8-minutes and 59-seconds, the 49ers would embark on a 16-play drive and marched 92-yards down the field before Garoppolo did things himself with a QB-sneak for the touchdown, marking the first time since 1994 that a 49er team would have multiple 90+ yard touchdown-scoring drives in the same game. Following another Eagles punt, coach Kyle Shanahan would call on kicker Robbie Gould to make it a 17-3 49er advantage. Unfortunately on that drive, the 49ers would lose rookie running back Trey Sermon who came in for one play and was injured on a play that resulted in an unnecessary roughness call as Sermon was hit above the shoulders and came down hard on his head, ending the rookie's NFL-debut rather quickly. 

But as we've learned from the onset in Week 1, things are far from over in the NFL, even if a team is staring down a double-digit deficit with minutes to go in the fourth quarter. As was the case in Detroit a week ago, San Francisco again found themselves leading by multiple scores with just over five minutes remaining in regulation. Needing to pull off some late-game heroics to steal a win, Hurts would take advantage of his speed and a questionable unnecessary roughness call against San Francisco's Jimmie Ward that gifted Philly an extra 15 yards. Hurts would go up the middle two plays later for the touchdown to pull within striking distance. A successful two-point conversion call by first-year head coach Nick Sirianni would make it a 6-point game, leaving things up to the 49er offense who could seal the win with a first down. In the same exact position a week ago which saw the Niners cough up the ball on a Deebo Samuel fumble, Shanahan took a much different approach, electing to go for a QB-sneak on a do or die third and 1 play that Garoppolo converted with ease. With no timeouts remaining for Philly, Jimmy G and company was able to milk the clock to seal the 17-11 victory. 

Neither team's QB wowed on offense, but both Jimmy Garoppolo and Jalen Hurts played clean games in terms of turnovers, while having nearly identical stat lines. Garopplo threw for 189 yards and a touchdown on 22 of 30 pass attempts and also rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown, while Hurts threw for 190 yards on a much less efficient 12 of 23 pass attempts, adding another 82 yards on the ground to go along with his rushing touchdown. Hurts led all rushers as San Francisco's tandem of Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty rushed for 42 and 38 yards, respectively. Deebo Samuel hauled in another team-high in receiving yards with 93 yards on six receptions, but trailed Philly's Quez Watkins who caught two passes for 117 yards receiving. After making a difference in Week 1 with a sack in his first game back since suffering a devastating knee injury that ended his season in just the second week a year ago, San Francisco's Nick Bosa tallied a pair of sacks on Sunday, the only sacks recorded in the game for either team. 

Week 3 Preview: Heading to Levi's Stadium to play their long awaited home-opener, the 49ers will kick things off by welcoming the Green Bay Packers (1-1) under the bright lights on Sunday Night Football. Boasting a 2-0 record for the first time since 2019, San Francisco hopes to see similar results against the Packers like the two times they faced them at Levi's during that magical 2019 Super Bowl run which resulted in double-digit victories. But after being embarrassed in Week 1 against the Saints, Aaron Rodgers, the league's reigning MVP, will try to get the Pack back on track in what many are speculating could be his last season in a Green Bay uniform. Hopefully by kickoff next Sunday, the 49ers will have a running back healthy in time to play as all three of Eli Mitchell (shoulder), JaMycal Hasty (ankle) and Trey Sermon (concussion) all suffered injuries following Sunday's win over Philadelphia. This after Raheem Mostert was lost for the season with a knee injury following Week 1. Like the Niners, the Packers also have injury concerns and will feature a banged up offensive-line that is down to their third-string at left-tackle which could spell a big game for San Francisco's Nick Bosa. Jimmy G and company will try to keep their winning streak alive as both the Rams (2-0) and Cardinals (2-0) won on Sunday to make it a three-way tie atop the NFC West standings, as only the Seahawks (1-1) suffered a loss in the division in Week 2. 

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Niners tame Lions to avoid upset

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Niners come up short in Upset Loss to Eagles

Week 4 - With the San Francisco 49ers (2-1) riding a two-game winning streak and returning home to play at Levi's Stadium where they'd host the winless Philadelphia Eagles (0-2-1), Kyle Shanahan's team was high in spirits as they welcomed back two key components to the offense in tight-end George Kittle and receiver Deebo Samuel. One player they wouldn't see on the field, however, was quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Still recovering from a high ankle sprain, Jimmy G would remain sidelined, making way for backup QB Nick Mullens to take the stage and make the start in San Francisco's first primetime game of the season on Sunday Night Football. Coming off a solid performance against the Giants in Week 3, Mullens failed to show the same poise against Philly that allowed him to breeze by New York just a week ago. 

After winning the coin-toss and electing to defer the ball to start the game, the 49ers blew a golden opportunity right out the gates when a shaky Nick Mullens overthrew a wide-open Kyle Juszczyk on the second play of the game before having to exchange punts with their opponent. The defense on the other hand would get off to a hot start by coming up with an interception by Azeez Al-Shaair on a tipped-pass by Arik Armstead. With San Francisco failing to do anything with the takeaway, it was Philly who opened up the scoring as quarterback Carson Wentz made things happen with his legs, finding the end zone for an 11-yard rushing touchdown and a successful two-point conversion to give his team an 8-0 lead. Following suit, San Francisco would score on their ensuing possession thanks to a brilliant play by rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk who took a handoff 38-yards to the house for a 49ers touchdown. Upon bouncing off a defender and hurdling another on his way to the end zone, Aiyuk became the first wide-receiver since the 1970 merger to score two rushing touchdowns in his first three NFL games. Unfortunately, the rookie's big play would prove to be the only highlight of the half for the Niners as their only other promising drive into enemy territory ended in a red zone turnover as Mullens felt the pressure of the Philadelphia defense and threw up a desperation pass into traffic that was intercepted.

Coming out of the half with the Eagles clinging onto an 8-7 lead, the 49ers offense embarked on a 12-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a 5-yard touchdown pass from Mullens to Kittle to give the Niners their first lead of the evening. The Eagles would answer with a field goal to make it a 14-11 game, setting up another nail-biting fourth quarter at home for Kyle Shanahan's squad. Having been able to steer clear of the costly turnovers through the first three weeks of the season, the 49ers offense was unable to say the same on Sunday night as they committed a pair of mishaps in the fourth quarter. The first of which would come on a Mullens sack-fumble that Philly would turn into a 42-yard touchdown pass from Wentz to receiver Travis Fulgham who the Eagles recently promoted from the practice squad just a day earlier. And another on a bad pick-six interception by Mullens on San Francisco's very next play which proved to be the back-breaker as San Francisco found themselves in a 25-14 hole with just six minutes remaining in regulation. Having seen enough out of his backup quarterback, coach Shanahan benched Mullens after his blatant error and called upon C.J. Beathard who was able to breath some life back into the offense in hopes of pulling off the late comeback. 

Marching the team 70-yards in 12 plays, Beathard utilized a number of dink and dunk passes before handing the ball off to running back Jerick McKinnon who did the rest from a yard out. After a failed two-point attempt, the 49ers found themselves right back in it and in need of a stop, trailing 25-20 with 2:06 left in regulation and all three timeouts remaining. Thanks to a big sack on defense, the 49ers would force the much-needed punt on a three and out. Pinned all the way back at their own 7-yardline, Beathard would try to work his magic as the Niners offense marched their way beyond midfield and to the Eagles' 33-yardline. However, four straight incompletions including a last-ditch attempt at the end zone, would result in a turnover on downs as the 49ers comeback attempt came up just short as the clock hit double-zero. 

Finishing the game with 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions and 200 yards passing on 18-of-26 attempts for Nick Mullens, C.J. Beathard nearly surpassed him in passing yards as he tallied 138 yards on 14-of-19 attempts in a fraction of the plays he saw under center. Thrusted back into the spotlight and in his first game back since missing the last two weeks, George Kittle had a bounce back performance, finishing with a game-high 15 receptions on 15 targets and a 183 yards receiving to go along with his first touchdown reception of the year. Despite the loss, with fellow tight-end Jordan Reed out 6 to 8 weeks with a knee sprain suffered against the Giants, Kittle's big game was a welcoming sight for the Niner offense that hopes to get Jimmy Garoppolo and Raheem Mostert back soon. Receiver Deebo Samuel who also returned on Sunday night, didn't have as big an impact in his first game back since suffering a broken foot in training camp, but did finish with three catches and 35 yards receiving as well as 10 yards rushing. A dismal performance by the 49ers offensive-line played a major role in the loss as it prevented Mullens from getting comfortable virtually all night and kept the running game from becoming a major factor as Jerick McKinnon led all 49er rushers with 54-yards and 1 touchdown on 14 carries. In comparison, Carson Wentz finished with 193 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception thru the air as well as another 37 yards and a touchdown on the ground on 7 rushing attempts. 

Week 5 Preview - The San Francisco 49ers will try improving from their .500 record and attempt to log their first home win of the season in Week 5 when they host the Miami Dolphins (1-3). Having shown vast improvements from a season ago despite the poor record, the Dolphins have fought hard in the early part of the season and are coming off a 31-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in which they kicked four field goals. A familiar face set to take the field when the two teams meet will be Matt Breida who was traded from the 49ers to Miami during the offseason after spending his first three years as a pro in San Francisco. A rebuilding team looking to stir things up and pull off the upset, Ryan Fitzpatrick will likely be opposite of Nick Mullens or C.J. Beathard as coach Shanahan has not yet said who he favors heading into Week 5 or whether or not Jimmy Garoppolo will be healthy in time to play. Ravaged by injuries all season long, the 49ers caught another tough break as the recently signed Ziggy Ansah suffered a torn biceps and will miss the rest of the season. Ansah was acquired by the Niners just days after both Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas were lost for the year in Week 3, in hopes of him helping fill the void on the Niners' defensive-line. Instead, they'll have yet another hole to fill after only two weeks of Ansah's services. 

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