Week 8 - Entering Sunday's meeting versus rival St. Louis, the 49ers were hoping to claim their first division win of the season against a Rams team that had already beaten division foes Arizona and Seattle this year. Not only would San Francisco fail to hand the Rams their first loss within the division, but they would fail to sniff the end zone for the second straight week. While the Niner offense sputtered and barely made it off the plane to show up for the game, the San Francisco defense which displayed poor tackling, allowed touchdowns of 71 and 66 yards en route to an ugly 27-6 loss.
Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley who's been a handful for the opposition since busting onto the NFL scene just three weeks ago, was a thorn in the side of his opponent once again. Gurley rushed for 133 yards on 20 carries while breaking for a 71-yard touchdown in which the 49er defense failed to land a single finger on the explosive back who shined at the collegiate level as a Georgia Bulldog. With his stellar performance, Gurley became the first rookie in NFL history to begin his career with four straight games of over 100 yards rushing. Donning their throwback blue uniforms, the St. Louis defense was also stout on Sunday, keeping their opponent out of the end zone and forcing a safety. While the Rams haven't allowed a touchdown in their last two games, the 49ers haven't scored one in their last two as QB Colin Kaepernick once again played a turnover-free ballgame, but failed to pass for 200 yards. The Niner run game was equally as ineffective as Kaepernick led the team with 28 rushing yards on an afternoon they only managed 38 in total.
San Francisco thought they had recorded their first touchdown in seven quarters when linebacker Ahmad Brooks recovered a Benny Cunningham fumble which he returned 41-yards to the end zone. The score would be negated, however, as Brooks was called for a facemasking penalty. The flag would prove to be costly as a pair of Phil Dawson field goals were all the 49ers had to show for in the team's second straight loss to the Rams. Before Sunday, San Francisco hadn't lost back to back games versus St. Louis since 2004. The two teams will meet again to close out the 2015 regular season in Week 17 @ San Francisco. With a winning record (4-3) this late in the season for the first time since 2006, St. Louis is hoping to continue their winning ways as the team hasn't accomplished a winning season since '03.
In what would ultimately be his final game in a 49ers uniform, tight-end Vernon Davis caught a game-high 6 passes for 24 yards. After spending ten seasons with the organization, it was announced on Monday that Davis, a former 1st round pick in 2006 (6th overall), was traded to the Denver Broncos along with a 7th round draft pick in exchange for two 6th rounders (2016 & 2017). Remarkably, the trade of Vernon Davis wouldn't even be the biggest news of the week for the 49ers, as that would belong to Colin Kaepernick as it was announced the same day that he would be benched for backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert, a decision made by head coach Jim Tomsula. A move that has raised quite a few eyebrows around the league as 2015 continues to be a nightmare for 49er fans.
Injury News - For whatever reason, the NFL has yet to do something about the concrete behind the sidelines in these indoor stadiums which caused Reggie Bush to slip and fall like many before him and injuring his ACL in the process. Bush, who was carted off the field Sunday, has seen limited action with the 49ers after suffering a leg injury in Week 1 and will now be out for the season after an MRI revealed damage to Bush's left knee. Joining Bush for at least this week is rookie running back Mike Davis who will undergo surgery on his hand. Also ruled out this week on offense is Carlos Hyde (foot) and receiver Anquan Boldin who's been hampered by an ailing hamstring for a second straight week. With multiple injuries in the running back department and Jarryd Hayne assigned to the practice squad after initially being released, the 49ers signed a pair of players to man the backfield in Shaun Draughn and Pierre Thomas. Draughn has bounced around numerous teams since being drafted in 2011, most recently with the Cleveland Browns. Meanwhile, Pierre Thomas who helped the Saints to a Super Bowl victory in 2009, provides a threat in the passing game.
Week 9 Preview - At 2-6 on the season, the 49ers look to head into their Week 10 BYE with a victory as they host the (6-2) Atlanta Falcons. Having served as one of the biggest surprises this season under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, the Falcons hope to come out of the Bay Area with a win to keep pace with the undefeated Carolina Panthers who own first place in the NFC South. While Atlanta features a much improved defense from a season ago which coach Quinn is well known for, they also have arguably the best receiver in the league in Julio Jones. The Niner defense will have to keep close tabs on the fifth year wide-out out of Alabama who caught 12 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown in a 23-20 upset loss to the Buccaneers. The 49ers will also have to establish the run game early on if they plan to make a game out of it, something they failed to do in each of their last two losses. And with a number of new faces in the backfield to kick the tires with, this'll be the perfect time to see what they have in their ground attack as Blaine Gabbert looks to revive his career at the QB position.
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What started as a nightmare of an offseason for the San Francisco 49ers with the firing of head coach Jim Harbaugh, has now gone from bad to worse with the news of not one but two of the team's star linebackers announcing their early retirement from the game of football less than a week between one another. After learning just days ago that the 49ers would be without All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis who has been the heartbeat of the San Francisco defense since being drafted eight years ago, news broke that the team's brightest young star on defense -- Chris Borland, is also walking away from the sport just one year into his professional career. While Willis, 30, admitted it was past injuries that led to his decision, most notably those to his feet which he explained have bothered him for years during his press conference, the 24-year old Borland cited the dangers of what could happen rather than what did as his reason to hang 'em up.
It's no secret that the game of football is as dangerous as any with what we know today regarding the studies of repeated head trauma that occur during tackles and after doing his research, Borland is among those well aware of the safety concerns and long-term effects it could have on ones life. But it does come as a shocker with Borland announcing his decision so early on in his career. Selected out of the University of Wisconsin in the third round of last year's NFL Draft, Borland shined and was a tackling-machine for the 49er defense after getting the starting nod in Week 7 when asked to fill in for the injured Patrick Willis. From his Week 7 start until Week 15 when he suffered an injury of his own, the rookie linebacker led the league in tackles with 98, eight more than the next closest player during that span and was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Month for the month of November. Borland led the 49ers with 108 total tackles while averaging a tackle per every 4.5 snaps played which was the best in the league. In the wake of Willis announcing his retirement plans, the expectations for Borland next season were sure to skyrocket following his impressive rookie campaign. Instead, the team will now be left searching for an alternative replacement who's unlikely to step up in the way Borland was capable of while also holding their fingers crossed that Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman can return to full strength after missing all of last season with ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.
As if the 49ers weren't already expected to showcase a completely different team defensively in 2015 under a new regime with former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio departing for the Chicago Bears, the franchise will virtually feature an entirely new roster with both Willis and Borland gone as well as fellow linebacker Dan Skuta, cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox all signing elsewhere for bigger paydays. The defense isn't the only area that was dealt a blow in the early goings of the offseason, however, as the Niners' o-line saw their 3-time Pro-Bowl guard Mike Iupati sign with the rival Arizona Cardinals. Another name that will soon follow is Michael Crabtree who's a free-agent and isn't expected to return with the team that drafted him in 2009. And then there's the franchise's all-time leading rusher in Frank Gore who inked a contract with the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend after 10 memorable seasons in San Francisco. The busy free-agent frenzy wasn't all about losing players, though, as the 49ers also made a number of acquisitions by signing 3-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle/defensive end Darnell Dockett who the team is quite familiar with having played his entire 11-year career in Arizona. Other signings include cornerback Shareece Wright formerly of the San Diego Chargers, running back Reggie Bush who gives the Niners another dimension in the running game after spending the last two seasons with Detroit and former Ravens wide-out Torrey Smith who provides the 49er offense with a deep threat they've so desperately needed.
As for the linebacker position, the unexpected retirement of two of their top three players at the position has to throw off the team's initial plans heading into next month's NFL Draft, but it's better to have happened now rather than after the draft. It would be hard not to see the Niners address the position come Draft day, however, unless they plan to hang onto Michael Wilhoite who was recently placed on the trading block or decide to possibly kick the tires on LB Nick Moody who saw limited action on the field a season ago.
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