Week 7: 49ers trample Titans to win fourth straight.

After a bit of a Super Bowl hangover which saw the 49ers fall to 1-2 after the first three weeks of the season, Jim Harbaugh's club seems to be clicking on all cylinders having won three straight entering Sunday's meeting in Tennessee. But despite San Francisco's resurgence, many have already begun to write off QB Colin Kaepernick. With far less read-option plays called by offensive-coordinator Greg Roman this year, running the ball seems like a forgotten element of the quarterback's game. But on Sunday, we were reminded of Kaepernick's running ability as he found the end zone with his feet for the first time this year. 

Leading 3-0 in the second quarter, Kaepernick kept the ball to himself and ran for a 20-yard touchdown to make it a 10-0 ballgame. It would be the beginning of a trio of rushing touchdowns on the day by the 49ers. Kaepernick ran for a total of 68 yards while throwing for another 199, but was kept out of the end zone through the air. Running back Frank Gore who eclipsed the century mark in last week's win against the Arizona Cardinals but finished the game touchdown-less, made up for it on Sunday by reaching the end zone on a pair of occasions, both from 1-yard out. With their grasp on the scoreboard, Jim Harbaugh's team also won the time of possession battle by handling the rock for 11 minutes longer than Tennessee.

Titans quarterback Jake Locker who had missed his last two starts with a knee and hip injury and wasn't expected back for a few more weeks, toughed it out and still managed to have a decent game under center. Throwing for over 300 yards and a pair of touchdowns including one to former 49ers tight-end Delanie Walker, Locker tried to make a game out of it late in the fourth quarter but costly miscues dug too big of a hole for him and his team to climb out of. Winning the turnover battle has been vital during San Francisco's current winning-streak and this one would be no different as the 49ers continued the trend by forcing two turnovers and committing none of their own. Cornerback Termaine Brock who's filled in quite nicely for the ailing Nnamdi Asomugha came up with his third interception in as many games while the special-teams also delivered when Kassim Osgood recovered a muffed punt by Darius Reynaud inside the end zone.

With one of their best all around performances of the season, the 49ers beat the (3-4) Titans by a final score of 31-17. It would be their fourth straight 30-point performance as they improve their record to 5-2 and their winning-streak to four games, all of which have been won by double-digits. 

Week 8 Preview: With one game over with and another remaining on San Francisco's current road trip, the 49ers get ready to cross the pond for their matchup in London against the win-less Jacksonville Jaguars (0-7). As the 49ers' BYE week looms in Week 9, coach Jim Harbaugh plans to ride into the week off with another win added to their total. But that's not to say he's overlooking his next opponent. Though Jacksonville is arguably the worst team in the league, Harbaugh won't expect anything but the very best from his squad come Sunday. And with pounding the rock being San Francisco's recipe to success over the last four weeks, expect another heavy dose of runs from Frank Gore and company. After all; if it ain't broken, don't fix it. Right? This week should also be a good week for Colin Kaepernick to blow off some steam and get into a groove of his own both through the air and on the ground. 


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San Francisco to host the Freak Show for 2 more years

In a season full of disappointment for the 2013 San Francisco Giants who displayed a bit of a World Series hangover by finishing 76-86 and tied for third in the division, one of the few bright spots came on July 13 when starting pitcher Tim Lincecum threw his first career no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. It would also be the highlight of Lincecum's season as his 2013 campaign ended with the right-hander finishing under .500 for the third consecutive season (10-14) and an ERA north of 4. But none of that stopped us Giants fans or the front-office from expressing how much we'd love to see him return to the orange and black in 2014 and beyond. 

Expected to test the waters of the free-agent market following the conclusion of the World Series, we made signs for Lincecum's final home start of the season that read: 'Don't leave, Tim' and 'San Francisco loves you' as it was unsure whether or not we'd see Timmy in a Giants uniform again. That question was answered much sooner than expected on Monday when news broke regarding both sides reaching a deal pending a physical worth $35 Million over 2-years. The deal includes a full no-trade clause and is $5.5 Million fewer than the 2-year, $40.5 Million contract he signed in 2012. Entering his age 30 season, the former first round pick of the Giants in 2006 owns an overall record of 89-70 and an ERA of 3.46 through seven Major League seasons. Though his fastball velocity isn't quite where it used to be in the 95 mph range, his popularity hasn't lost a beat. Better known around AT&T Park as "The Freak", Lincecum's teammates as well as manager Bruce Bochy will be every bit as happy as the fans are now that the 4-time All-Star and 2-time Cy Young Award winner is staying put.

While there are those who are saying the Giants are overpaying for his services, the market for pitchers heading into the offseason isn't very appealing to start. Bronson Arroyo, Hiroki Kuroda, Matt Garza, Ervin Santana and Ubaldo Jimenez round up this offseason's top pitching free-agents and with the exception of Arroyo, they'll all likely sign for a larger sum than Lincecum. Not to mention they're all older than the Giants right-hander. Other than the Giants, the Seattle Mariners who play just a stones throw away from where Timmy is from in Bellevue, Washington, were likely to offer him a contract had he hit the market. 

The re-signing of Lincecum comes three weeks after the Giants locked up their biggest offseason priority in outfielder Hunter Pence who GM Brian Sabean inked to a new deal one day prior to the end of the 2013 regular season, preventing him from stepping foot in the free-agent market. Pence who made a spectacular diving catch with 2-outs in the 8th inning to preserve Lincecum's no-hitter, hit a career-high 27 home runs in 2013 and logged a personal-best 22 stolen bases to go with 99 RBI's while starting in all 162 games this season, further demonstrating his durability. Pence has missed just 24 games in six full big league seasons and was an integral part in the team's World Series success last season as he delivered a motivational pre-game speech prior to game 3 of last year's NLDS vs the Cincinnati Reds. The signings of Lincecum and Pence leave only left-handed reliever Javier Lopez as the last name to be marked off of Sabean's list of top priorities for returning players entering 2014.


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Week 6: 49ers Win third straight behind Davis' monster day

With both teams entering Sunday's game at 3-2 respectively and riding a two game winning-streak, the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West showdown with both teams vying for a win to gain sole possession of second place in the division and keep pace with the division-leading Seattle Seahawks. Things couldn't have been drawn up any better for the 49ers to begin the game on defense as they returned two early Carson Palmer interceptions inside the 20-yard line. But where the defense excelled, the offense struggled.

A sluggish start to the game for QB Colin Kaepernick and company enabled Arizona to stick around until late in the fourth quarter as the San Francisco offense failed to take advantage of three early trips to the red zone. The first two trips resulted in field goals by Phil Dawson while the third ended in an interception on a tipped pass intended for fullback Bruce Miller inside the end zone. But Kaepernick would eventually get things going as he began to utilize his best weapon through the air as it soon turned into the Vernon Davis show at Candlestick. The Pro Bowl tight-end would have a career day, hauling in touchdown grabs of 61 and 35 yards, logging a career-high 180 receiving yards total while displaying a flurry of acrobatic catches including one reminiscent of another bay area great by the name of Willie Mays. Davis' personal-best 180 yards receiving would also be the second most by a tight-end in the last 10 years. Despite Davis' spectacular showing, it wasn't enough to keep Arizona from nibbling at San Francisco's heels practically all game long.

Cardinals QB Carson Palmer would show flashes of why he was named to a pair of Pro Bowl's while a member of the Cincinnati Bengals by throwing for a pair of touchdowns and finishing the game with 298 yards passing to keep his team in it. But he would also have his fair share of mistakes as the 49er defense picked him off twice and sacked him in the end zone for a safety. Leading 22-20 in the final minutes of the third quarter, the Niners would get a much needed takeaway when linebacker Patrick Willis made a tackle on Larry Fitzgerald, forcing him to fumble. The fumble would be recovered by rookie safety Eric Reid who also finished with his team-leading third interception on the year in the first quarter before later being joined by Carlos Rogers who picked off Palmer two drives later for his first of the season. San Francisco won the turnover battle and forced a total of four turnovers for the second consecutive week with the help of another rookie in Corey Lemonier who was selected in the third round of April's NFL Draft earlier this year. The first-year player out of Auburn finished the game with his first career sack as well as a forced fumble and a safety while filling in for the absent Aldon Smith.

Back to the offense, Davis wouldn't be the only one who finished the game with a nice stat line as 49ers running back Frank Gore would do what he's done so often against the Cardinals by logging another stellar performance by rushing for 101 yards on Sunday. However, it would be Gore's running mate Kendall Hunter who would put the icing on the cake as Arizona trailed by two with six minutes remaining in regulation before Hunter made his way into the end zone for a late score. Kicker Phil Dawson went 3-for-3 in the field goal department including a 44 yarder to seal the 32-20 victory for the 49ers. 

Week 7 Preview: After two games at the 'Stick, Jim Harbaugh hopes to continue his teams winning ways away from home as the 49ers prepare for their first game of a two-game road trip against the (3-3) Tennessee Titans. Having been without quarterback Jake Locker the past two weeks due to a hip and knee injury, the Titans, losers of two straight, will have their QB back on Sunday much earlier than expected. But with a stout 49er defense in town, I'm not sure giving Locker the nod is a good idea given he won't be at 100%. The meeting will also mean a reunion with Titans tight-end Delanie Walker and his former team as Walker signed with Tennessee as a free-agent during the off-season. With the 49ers having success running the ball in each of their last three games, expect the trend to continue on Sunday.


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Week 5: 49ers Defense grabs Houston by the horns, 34-3.

After getting back on track in Week 4 with a blowout win on the road over the division-rival St. Louis Rams, the 49ers returned home hoping they could translate that performance against the visiting Houston Texans. Having struggled mightily at the quarterback position with Texans starting QB Matt Schaub throwing a pick-six in three consecutive games, Houston head coach Gary Zubiak saw the trend continue on Sunday night. Three plays into the Texans opening-drive, Schaub would have his first pass attempt of the game picked-off and returned 18-yards into the end zone as cornerback Tremaine Brock read the pass intended for wide-out Andre Johnson like a book, logging his first career touchdown and putting San Francisco up early. With the interception returned for a touchdown, Schaub became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw a pick-six in four consecutive games. 

Filling in for the injured Nnamdi Asomugha who missed his second consecutive game nursing a knee-injury, Brock would receive plenty of hugs and high-fives from his 49er teammates by games end as he picked-off Schaub for a second time in the second quarter. And though Schaub would be intercepted for a third time in the third quarter this time by defensive-lineman Tony Jerod-Eddie and later be replaced, Houston's struggles would go far beyond those at the quarterback position. With a lost fumble by backup running back Ben Tate and a turnover on downs in the fourth quarter to add to Houston's woeful night, the Texans would be unable to find an answer for the 49ers Frank Gore. After compiling over 150 yards in week 4, Gore followed up that performance with another solid outing by rushing the ball for 81 yards and a touchdown. 

Aside from Gore, the 49ers would be relatively quiet on the offensive side of the ball. For the second consecutive week, QB Colin Kaepernick failed to put up eye-popping numbers through the air nor did he have to. The third-year player out of Nevada had an Alex Smith-like performance in the sense that he played smart, mistake-free football. Kaepernick completed only 6 of his 15 pass attempts for 113 yards to three different receivers, but one of those passes would go for a 64-yard connection to tight-end Vernon Davis who beat man to man coverage and ran down the sidelines for the easy score, putting to rest any doubt regarding his sore hamstring that caused him to miss week 3. Davis would lead all receivers with 88 yards on a trio of receptions. 

Houston would eventually get on the board in the third quarter via a Randy Bullock field goal after hooking and missing an earlier attempt in the first quarter wide-left but it wouldn't be nearly enough as San Francisco got another solid performance from the defense despite the absence of several key defensive players. Niners kicker Phil Dawson put an exclamation mark on the game by splitting the uprights from 24 yards out late in the fourth quarter to seal the 34-3 win. With the win and a Seahawks loss, the 49ers gain a game in the NFC West standings over Seattle (4-1) who San Francisco (3-2) now trails by a game. 

Week 6 Preview:  Heading into Week 6, Jim Harbaugh's 49ers are riding their first winning-streak of the season and are coming off of back-to-back blowout wins as they get set to host the division-rival Arizona Cardinals (3-2) who have a two game winning-streak of their own. With a stingy secondary led by Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson who Colin Kaepernick will have to steer clear of considering he's amassed 3 interceptions against the Niners in his last two games, we'll likely see another average performance through the air where as a majority of the 49ers offense will come on the ground. Expect a healthy diet of Frank Gore who's rushed for 13 touchdowns in his last 13 meetings against the Cardinals as well as another stout performance by the San Francisco defense who will create plenty of problems for Arizona QB Carson Palmer who will be returning to the bay area after spending the last two seasons under center in Oakland. 

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Week 4: 49ers get back on track with blowout Win over St. Louis

The San Francisco 49ers entered Thursday night's game against the division-rival St. Louis Rams under .500 for the first time under head coach Jim Harbaugh who also endured his first set of back-to-back losses at the helm in weeks 2 and 3. Having been blown out in each of their last two outings, the 49ers were in dire need of a win to get back on track and prove to the league that last year's Super Bowl appearance was no fluke. And though Colin Kaepernick and company would eventually light up the scoreboard, something they've been unable to do since week 1, their double-digit win against the Rams was anything but flawless to start. 

One of the lone areas the 49ers struggled at in 2012 was at the kicker position. David Akers who set numerous records in his first year with the team in 2011 followed that up with a forgetful season in 2012 which resulted in the 49ers moving on from Akers and acquiring Browns Pro-Bowl kicker Phil Dawson. But so far in 2013 Dawson has had the look of anything but a Pro-Bowl kicker, missing 3 of 6 field goal tries to begin the year, begging the question if the 49ers are simply cursed at the kicker position. In the fist half it definitely appeared so as Dawson missed a 53 yard try on San Francisco's first drive on offense before later attempting and missing a 71-yard free-kick, something that's become a rarity in today's game. The last of which was successful in 1976 by Ray Wersching. The Rams would strike first on a 40 yard field goal off the foot of Greg Zuerlein who got some help from the right post, ending St. Louis' scoreless first quarter drought at 10 games. Unfortunately for Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, those would be the only points his team would score until late in the fourth quarter. 

The 49ers who've prided themselves on rushing defense over the last few years have been exceptionally bad in that category this season, allowing a league high 6 rushing touchdowns through the first three games. Also not indicative of the Niner defense is the 350+ rushing yards surrendered. And though they haven't looked like themselves out of the games in 2013, the San Francisco defense got back to their true identity on Thursday by holding the Rams to only 18 yards rushing on 19 carries despite being without Pro Bowlers Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith. Rams QB Sam Bradford was also given a hard time, throwing an interception and losing a fumble after constantly being pressured throughout the game. But the 49ers dominance on the ground attack wasn't limited to the defensive side of the ball. Running back Frank Gore who entered the game without a 100-yard performance through the first 3 weeks, surpassed the century mark in the first half alone by rushing for 107 yards by halftime before finishing the game with 153 yards and a touchdown, the 14th TD of his career against the Rams. 

Like Gore, another 49er that has made a living off torturing the Rams defense is receiver Anquan Boldin who hauled in 90 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions. Dating back to his time spent in Arizona as a member of the Cardinals, Boldin has logged over 1,200 receiving yards against St. Louis. The duo of Gore & Boldin combined for more yards than the entire Rams offense by games end. 

As for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who's been under heavy scrutiny for his poor play the past two weeks, Kaepernick threw for a pair of touchdowns on Thursday after failing to reach the end zone in each of his last two games. He didn't exactly have the type of awe-inspiring performance that would cause you to pick your jaw up from off the floor but he managed to play a clean game and didn't throw a single interception after throwing four in his last two outings. After trailing early, Kaepernick and the 49ers put up a barrage of scoring-drives, tallying 28 unanswered-points in route to a 35-11 victory. The second of Kaepernick's two touchdown passes went to tight-end Vernon Davis and the running back tandem of Kendall Hunter and Anthony Dixon each finished with a touchdown run of their own. With a combined 10 points following losses in weeks 2 & 3, the San Francisco offense mustered 14 points by halftime and from there on it was smooth sailing, ending coach Harbaugh's longest losing streak at two games. The Rams who were a thorn in coach Harbaugh's foot last season, handing the 49ers a tie at Candlestick and a loss in St. Louis, were finally put in their place. 

Week 5 Preview - Having been knocked around in each of their last two games, it was nice to see the 49ers return the favor and do some bullying of their own in week 4. But a repeat of that dominance is unlikely in week 5 as the 49ers prepare to host a Houston Texans team coming off a heart-wrenching loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks in which they squandered a 20-3 lead at the half and lost 23-20. Like San Francisco, Houston was picked by many to contend for a Super Bowl title this season but have had their fair share of struggles and sit at 2-2. It's no secret that the 49ers have been at their best under coach Harbaugh when establishing the run game and feeding Frank Gore. And with a stout passing defense in town like Houston's, the 49ers will be best off doing just that, feeding Frank the Tank the ball. But like the Texans, the 49ers will also have a tall order ahead of them as Houston hopes to run the ball down San Francisco's throat with a two-headed monster of their own at running back with Arian Foster and Ben Tate. Who comes out victorious in this one is anyone's guess but one thing that's certain is that it should be a good one!

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Week 3: Lack of Offense leads to 49ers scratching their head

This past Sunday the 49ers returned home after a blowout loss on the road in Seattle for what they thought would be a way to get back on track. Instead, the team's struggles followed them to the bay area where they would show side-effects that carried over from the beat down received by the Seahawks. Hosting the Andrew Luck led Indianapolis Colts who 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh mentored at the University of Stanford, the reunion between college coach and former player eventually turned into a player teaching his former coach a lesson as San Francisco lost consecutive games for the first time under their third year head coach.

Penalties which have haunted the 49ers defense through the first few weeks continued to plague the team on Sunday including on the first two plays from scrimmage on the Colts opening drive which set up Indianapolis near mid-field. From there Andrew Luck would carve up the 49ers secondary before handing the ball off to the newest Colt Trent Richardson who was acquired in a trade with the Browns earlier in the week. Richardson took little time to fit right in, plowing into the end zone from 1-yard out on his first carry with his new club to put them ahead, 7-0. After failing to put together a single touchdown drive in Seattle in week 2, San Francisco's offense appeared to have shaken off the cobwebs on their second possession of the game, as the 49ers were able to establish the run game early on, something they've perfected under coach Harbaugh but were unable to accomplish in weeks 1 and 2. QB Colin Kaepernick orchestrated a nine play, 91-yard touchdown drive highlighted by a 13-yard TD run by running back Kendall Hunter, tying the game at 7. However, it would be the only time coach Harbaugh's team would pay the end zone a visit. 

As if the 49ers receiving corps wasn't banged up enough to start the year, the team was without their best target on offense in Pro-Bowl tight-end Vernon Davis. Hampered by a hamstring injury suffered in the loss at Seattle, Davis watched his quarterback struggle all afternoon in what would eventually be Kaepernick's first loss at Candlestick Park since being promoted the starting QB in week 11 last season. Completing 13 of 27 passes for 150 yards with a fumble and an interception, Kaepernick followed up the worst outing of his NFL career with another sub-par performance. As for Andrew Luck, last year's first overall pick in the 2012 Draft didn't have one of his brightest performances either, throwing for only 159 yards on 17 of 26 completions, but he came up big when needed and put the game away for good in the fourth quarter with a 6-yard touchdown run he capitalized with an emphatic spiking of the ball. Indy added salt to the wound with another late touchdown by running back Ahmad Bradshaw as the Colts routed the 49ers by a final of 27-7.

The 34 points San Francisco scored in their week 1 win against Green Bay now looks like an anomaly as Kaepernick and company has scored a whooping 10 total points in their last two games. Is it a coincidence that the 49ers haven't been able to muster much success on offense while coach Harbaugh has elected to drift away from the read-option some? The 49ers have also utilized very little play-action plays, another area in which Kaepernick has excelled in. Regardless, Kaepernick's poor performances over the past two weeks which I believe he'll bounce back from, have already ignited a 'bring back Alex Smith' type of crowd on Twitter. Numerous users of the social media website sent Kaepernick tweets with stuff you'd expect from a 12 year old problem child. Everything from "You suck" to "Kaepernick is garbage" was sent to the 49ers quarterback and guess who favorited each and every tweet -- none other than Colin himself. If anybody wants Colin Kaepernick to bounce back from his recent struggles, it's Colin Kaepernick. And these negative tweets from so called "fans" should only add to his hunger.

Rome wasn't built overnight so for anyone that's been a Niners fan prior to the Harbaugh era knows the hardships this franchise has been through over the last decade or so. So to see panic of this magnitude from the fan base three weeks into the season is laughable. 


Week 4 Preview: With blowout losses in back-to-back games for the 49ers, coach Harbaugh will have little time to prepare his team for their next opponent as San Francisco has a Thursday night meeting in St. Louis to face the division-rival Rams on short rest. Like the 49ers, the Rams are 1-2 and are hoping to rebound from a double-digit loss suffered in week 3. Losing 31-7 on the road in Dallas last week, St. Louis allowed nearly 200 yards on the ground alone and three touchdowns through the air. But by no means will Thursday night's game in St. Louis be an easy task for the 49ers who almost always have a hard time against the Rams, but it might be good for Kaepernick and company to play with their backs against the wall. Having opened the season as one of the few Super Bowl favorites, the 49ers have already taken a hit in many of the NFL's power rankings. So much so that pundits are prematurely declaring the 49ers season over if they lose and fall to 1-3. In their two meetings last season, coach Harbaugh was unable to solve Rams coach Jeff Fisher who handed Harbaugh both a loss and a tie in 2012. Entering Thursday's game, the all-time series between the 49ers and Rams is tied, 62-62-1.


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Week 2: Seahawks Defense leaves 49ers Sleepless in Seattle

No rivalry in the NFL has been as heated in the last few seasons as the one out west between NFC heavyweights San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks. And on Sunday night, those two teams renewed their rivalry as a record crowd of 68,388 fans attended CenturyLink Field for what was regarded as one of the most highly anticipated games on the NFL's regular season schedule between two young stud quarterbacks and a pair of stout defenses. But what began as a back and forth slop fest, eventually turned into a lopsided beat down. During the game's early going you would've thought you were watching a Seattle Mariners vs San Francisco Giants baseball game not only because of the hour-long weather delay due to lightning but also because of the low-scoring affair that took place in the first half.

While power outages have worked in San Francisco's favor in the past, weather delays would prove to be another story for the reigning NFC champs who found themselves trailing 5-0 at the half following a safety and a field goal. Though it would be a forgetful day for both young QB's who made a bet prior to the game that the loser had to shave an eyebrow in promotion of the new Madden 14 video game, 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick would be on the short end of the stick when it was all said and done. Kaepernick who put up a career-high 412 passing yards in Week 1, would follow up arguably his best NFL performance with his worst, throwing for only 127 yards. With 3 interceptions in all of last season, Kaepernick matched that total in this game alone, receiving little help from his receiving corps who were held in check by Seattle's stellar secondary. Receiver Anquan Boldin who stole the headlines in his 49ers debut last week by compiling over 200 yards receiving to go along with a touchdown, was virtually a ghost in this one, hauling in just one grab for 7 yards after being blanketed in the first half by Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman.

San Francisco failed to establish the run game for the second straight week as Frank Gore was basically a non-factor, tallying just 16 yards on 9 carries. However, the same couldn't be said for the team on the other sideline. Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch has been a thorn in the side of the 49ers defense in the past and this game was no different, rushing the ball for 98 yards and 2 touchdowns. Before the game had ended the Pro-Bowl running back received enough Skittles to feed the entire coaching staff as he also added a 7-yard touchdown reception, scoring all three of Seattle's TD's. Like his 49ers counterpart, Russell Wilson would also have a hard time making plays as he and Kaepernick threw for a combined 58 yards in the first half. Only his line would be slightly better at the game's end, completing under 50% of his passes (8-for-19) for 142 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception. But where Wilson struggled, his defense more than made up for it, giving head coach Pete Carroll a 29-3 victory over the team he grew up rooting for and once upon a time served as the defensive coordinator for on his 62nd Birthday.

With coach Carroll handing Jim Harbaugh the worst loss in his NFL coaching career the last time these two teams met, a 42-13 win in Seattle last December, Sunday night's meeting wasn't an improvement by any stretch despite the score being slightly closer. After being held scoreless in the first half, San Francisco's only points would come in the third quarter as kicker Phil Dawson put the Niners on the board with a third quarter field goal. But the scoreboard wouldn't be the only place coach Harbaugh saw his team receive a beating as they also took a hit in the injury department. Though rookie safety Eric Reid would log his second career interception in as many games this season, he would have to be helped off the field in the second quarter after suffering a concussion, forcing him to leave the game.

And while Reid has reportedly passed every NFL-mandated test since his injury and should be good to go come week 3, the news regarding nose tackle Ian Williams who departed Sunday's loss with a foot injury wouldn't be anything but pleasant as it was learned that he'll be out for the remainder of the season with a broken ankle. Former first round pick Glenn Dorsey who was acquired during the off-season will fill the void left by Williams. Vernon Davis also left Seattle banged up with a hamstring injury, causing the Pro-Bowl tight-end to miss practice all week and is questionable to play in Sunday's game.

As seen in this one, home-field advantage made all the difference in the world. After pulling out a sloppy victory from the skin of their teeth on the road in Carolina in Week 1, a game in which Seattle easily could have lost and most likely would have had it not been for DeAngelo Williams' careless late fourth quarter fumble, the Seahawks took it to their division foes much like they did last December in the same building. With both teams not scheduled to meet again until week 14 in San Francisco, Harbaugh and company has plenty of time to work out the kinks in preparation of their next bout. Whether a wager will be on the line between the two QB's in the rematch is unknown but it's only fair Kaepernick and Russell make a second bet when the two teams meet again this time on Kaepernick's home field. Check out the video of Kaepernick owning up to the bet and shaving off his eyebrow down below:


Week 3 Preview: San Francisco looks to bounce back from their ugly loss with a meeting against the Indianapolis Colts at Candlestick. Having already seen a pair of talented QB's in each of their first two games this season in Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, the 49ers will now turn their attention to another standout passer in Andrew Luck who coach Harbaugh knows quite a few things about dating back to their time spent together at the University of Stanford. But as excited as coach Harbaugh will be to see his former star quarterback, their reunion will be the last thing on their minds once the whistle blows as both teams look to get back into the win column. Indy is coming off a 24-20 loss at home to the 2-0 Miami Dolphins and is primed to get back on track. Luck won't be the only one the Niners defense will have to keep an eye on as running back Trent Richardson will be looking to make a first impression with his new team after being dealt from the Cleveland Browns on Wednesday in one of the more bizarre trades we've seen two weeks into the season. Richardson who was drafted third overall in last year's draft was traded for a first-round pick in next year's draft. And as much as I like the move for the Colts, I just wish it had happened after week 3 so the 49ers wouldn't have to face him...


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Week 1: 49ers Pack a Punch vs the Pack, 34-28.

Eight months after watching San Francisco's Colin Kaepenick torch the Packers' defense for an NFL-record 181 yards rushing, the most ever by a QB, Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy and his defensive personnel were itching for revenge against the multi-talented quarterback who led the 49ers to a 45-31 win over the Pack in last year's NFC Divisional round meeting. Being left with many sleepless nights and nightmares ending with the 49ers QB sprinting to the end zone kissing his bicep, Green Bay spent the entire offseason studying film, trying to get a beat on Kaepernick and the read-option. And though they kept him at bey on the ground on Sunday, they were unable to find an answer for him through the air. Having already showcased his running ability, this time Kaepernick utilized his weapons through the passing game, throwing for a career-high 412 yards, eclipsing both the 300 and 400 yard mark for the first time in his young career.

Making his 49ers debut, Anquan Boldin stole the show by nabbing 13 grabs for 208 yards and a touchdown. Looked upon by head coach Jim Harbaugh to be the fill-in for the injured Michael Crabtree, Boldin impressed his new team just like he did when they faced him in the Super Bowl in February. With Boldin being by far the number one target of the day, Kaepernick also showed plenty of love to his tight-end Vernon Davis. The chemistry issues that Kaepernick seemed to have with Davis last year prior to the Super Bowl were nonexistent on Sunday as the two connected six times for 98-yards and a pair of touchdowns. With arguably the best quarterback in the game today on the other sideline in Aaron Rodgers, the former league MVP also logged a nice outing of his own, throwing for 333 yards and a trio of touchdowns as wide-outs Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb each eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards and hauled in a touchdown respectively. But unlike San Francisco's offense which was flawless in the turnover department, the Packers were unable to play mistake-free football as they suffered both an Eddie Lacy fumble and an Aaron Rodgers interception in the first half.

Rookie safety Eric Reid dazzled in his NFL debut and made it obvious why the 49ers traded up to snag him with their first round pick in April's Draft. The kid out of LSU recorded six tackles to go along with the only interception of the game, a heads up play on a tipped pass intended for Jermichael Finley that came within inches of touching the ground. During a dry-spell in which the 49ers defense had a hard time making tackles, the 21-year old Reid made it look rather easy and had no trouble adapting to the starting role. Aside from poor tackling, the only other issue the 49ers seemed to have in their season-opener was play clock management as Kaepernick had to blow a handful of timeouts at times they could've done without. But given it's only week 1, there's plenty of time for adjustments to be made.

The one topic everyone seemed to talk about following the game however, was the late-hit that Packers linebacker Clay Matthews put on Colin Kaepernick during the second quarter. Matthews who was in the news earlier this week for publicly saying he and the Green Bay D were targeting the 49ers QB, made a lunging tackle on Kaepernick who was several yards out of bounds after scrambling and coming up short on a 3rd and 6 play. Penalty flags were thrown for the late hit before a fracas ensued as 49ers left tackle Joe Staley ran to his QB's aid and confronted Matthews, leading to both teams coming to blows as Staley was hit with a foul for unsportsmanlike conduct. Both penalties offset one another but instead of losing a down, the officials mistakenly rewarded San Francisco another down. The hit did anything but startle the third year Quarterback out of Nevada and in fact fueled the Niners offense who scored on the very next play on a 10-yard touchdown connection to Anquan Boldin. Though the call didn't necessarily cost Green Bay the game, it definitely changed the complexion of it.

With the 49ers leading for most of the ballgame, the Packers took their only lead of the day in the fourth quarter on a 2-yard run in by Eddie Lacy, putting Green Bay up, 28-24. But less than three minutes later, Kaepernick and company would respond and retake the lead after a five play drive was capped off by a 1-yard touchdown run from running back Frank Gore. Gore's late touchdown coupled with kicker Phil Dawson's second field goal in three tries would put San Francisco up for good as the 49ers kicked off their farewell season to the historic Candlestick Park in winning fashion with the 34-28 victory, their third straight over the cheese-heads. Kaepernick's dominant 412 yard performance gave him the most passing yards in a 49ers season opener and made him just the fifth QB in the Super Bowl era to log 400 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and 0 interceptions in the first game of the season. With the win, coach Jim Harbaugh became the first head coach in 49ers franchise history to win his first three season openers.

Noteworthy: The 49ers won the time of possession battle vs the Packers: 38:35 to 21:25. Defensive-end Aldon Smith who set a franchise-record with 19.5 sacks last season, got to Rodgers twice on Sunday. Boldin single-handedly matched what the WR's on his former team did in their season opener: Ravens WR's: 15 catches, 215 yards, 1 TD.

Week 2 Preview: With the game against the Packers in San Francisco's rear-view mirror, Jim Harbaugh and company looks to prepare for their Sunday Night showdown with the division-rival Seattle Seahawks. Predicted by many to dethrone the 49ers for the NFC West title this season, the Seahawks got off to a shaky start in week 1. Seattle who won their season-opener on the road against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers, looked like anything but a playoff team in the 12-7 win squeaked out with the thanks of a late 4th Quarter fumble by Carolina running back DeAngelo Williams on the 8-yard line. But coach Harbaugh knows that if anything can wake a sleeping giant, it's the raucous crowd better known as the -- 12th Man at Seattle's CenturyLink Field. You can expect nothing short of a hard-hitting, trash-talking affair in the hostile environment on Sunday night which just so happens to be Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll's Birthday. A Birthday the 49ers hope to spoil by sending the Birthday boy home with a Seattle loss.


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The Magnificent Seven

Thursday evening saw the NFL kickoff the 2013 season in historic fashion as the defending Super Bowl Champion Baltimore Ravens began their title defense on the road against another AFC heavyweight in the Denver Broncos in a much-anticipated rematch of last year's AFC Divisional round match-up. Chosen by many (including myself) as the favorites in the AFC, the Broncos opened the season with a bang. With the game delayed more than 30 minutes due to lightning, there would be no power outage on the field as Peyton Manning and company brought plenty of electricity on offense. But by the looks of things at the half which saw Baltimore take a 17-14 lead into the locker room, the game seemed like just another day at the office for Peyton who had a pair of touchdown passes by halftime. However, the game would be anything but ordinary for the future Hall of Fame quarterback as he would go on to register a performance for the ages.

Seeking revenge against the team that put an end to Denver's Super Bowl hopes last year in an overtime thriller, Peyton Manning set out to dismantle the Ravens defense. He would do just that by leading his team to a 49-27 trouncing of the defending champs, completing 27-of-42 passes for 462 yards and tying an NFL record with seven touchdown passes, becoming only the sixth player in league history to do so and only the second player to accomplish the feat without throwing a single interception. Prior to Manning who logged an unheard of QB rating of 141.1, the last player to throw for seven touchdowns in a game was Joe Kapp of the Minnesota Vikings who reached the mark in 1969. Already regarded as one of the all-time greats to man the quarterback position, the 37-year old Peyton has once again defined greatness with what many are calling his best performance ever. Adding to his already decorated resume, Manning's stellar season-opener also gave him 23 career games with at least 4 touchdown passes which ties Brett Favre for the all-time mark as well as his seventh career game with at least 5 TD tosses, tying him with Drew Brees for the most ever.

Manning distributed his TD passes pretty evenly with pinpoint precision, connecting twice in the endzone with the newly added Wes Welker, Demaryius Thomas and tight-end Julius Thomas who stole the show in the first half with Andre Caldwell being the odd man out with only one score. To put Peyton's remarkable 7-touchdown performance into perspective a tad bit easier, the Kansas City Chiefs threw for a total of 8 touchdown passes all of last year. Hall of Fame QB John Elway who is now the executive vice president of football operations for the Broncos, threw for a measly 7 touchdown passes his entire rookie season in 1983. Not to discredit Peyton in anyway but though there's been more praise of the Broncos offense, it could be as much a story on the criticism of the Ravens defense. Baltimore who didn't allow their seventh passing touchdown until week 10 last season, has already seen that total reached in their first game of the year which can't bode well for a team that's predominately known for their defense. 

While the team was somewhat expected to take a step back on defense this season following the departures of Ed Reed, Paul Kruger and the retirement of Ray Lewis, nobody expected a performance or lack there of of this magnitude. After all, no Ravens team has ever allowed 49-points in their 18-year existence. But before we start dubbing the 2013 Baltimore Ravens as the worst defense ever, let's let the dust settle and see how they bounce back at home where Thursday night's game should have been played all along. After failing to strike a deal with the Baltimore Orioles who the Ravens share a parking lot with, John Harbaugh's team was forced to open the season on the road, a rarity for defending Super Bowl champion teams and the first to do it since the 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But back to the man of the hour, Mr. Peyton Manning. I wish I had said this before the start of the season but I'm gonna go ahead and pick Peyton to win the MVP this year. After last night's performance, how could you not? Though the MVP voting polls aren't open just yet, the award is pretty much Peyton's to lose as he's an early favorite to win it.

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Throwback Thursday x Ichiro

While the 2013 New York Yankees have looked more like the second installment of the Bronx Zoo with all that has gone on with Alex Rodriguez who has once again found himself in hot water regarding PED's, there has been some highlights in a season that'll most likely see the Yankees miss the postseason, unfamiliar territory to baseball's most storied franchise. In the Bronx for game two of a three game set with the division-rival Blue Jays, Yankees outfielder Ichiro Suzuki stepped up to the plate on Wednesday needing one hit to give him 4,000 total hits in an illustrious career that started overseas. The Japanese star would waste little time to etch his name into the record books by slapping a single to left in the first inning against Toronto's R.A. Dickey who served as a teammate of Ichiro's in 2008 with the Seattle Mariners. The hit also helped him surpass Lou Gehrig on the all-time hits list.

After play stopped for a few moments while the Yankee dugout poured onto the field as each player hugged and congratulated Ichiro individually followed by a standing ovation from the 36,000+ fans in attendance to which Ichiro took a bow and waved his helmet in appreciation, play resumed but not before baseball added the legendary Ichiro to its list of all-time greats. Standing at 5'11" and weighing in at 170 lbs, Ichiro is small in size but has been anything but at the plate, having hit his way into the record books and pave his way to Cooperstown when it's all said and done. Beginning his professional career at the age of 18 for the Orix Blue Wave of the Japanese Pacific League, Ichiro Suzuki embarked on his journey as an unlikely candidate to reach one of baseball's most prestigious class of hitters. In 2001, the first Japanese-born non-pitcher to sign a Major League deal was introduced to the United States with lofty expectations, arriving to the show with 3 MVP Awards and 7 consecutive batting titles to his name while in Japan. How would he translate that success to the American scene? -- By hitting .350 with 242 hits and swiping 56 stolen bases on his way to winning both the Rookie of the Year Award and the MVP Award in his first season, becoming only the second player in MLB history to win both in the same year.

It didn't stop there, in fact the legend only grew as Ichiro went on to set an MLB-record by amassing 10 consecutive 200-hit seasons from 2001-2010 as well as set the single-season mark for hits in 2004 when his 262 hits broke George Sisler's record of 257 which stood since 1920. While Wednesday's first-inning single may have looked like just any other hit, it was more than that. The now 39-year old Ichiro who will celebrate his 40th Birthday in October, joined the elite class of Pete Rose and Ty Cobb as the only other players with 4,000 hits during a professional career. Though Ichiro's hits total is split from both leagues with only 2,722 of them coming in a big league uniform and the rest in Japan, 4,000 hits is a lot of hits no matter where they're from. While there are those that argue that the level of skill in Japan's baseball league isn't quite up to par with that of the Major Leagues, former Major League player and coach Bobby Valentine who spent six seasons managing in Japan's Pacific League, said when describing the talent in Japan that every player in Japan is good enough to make a big league roster. In fact, Japan has been every bit as good as the U.S. at baseball if not better as Team Japan won each of the first two ever World Baseball Classic's. Japan's passion for the game of baseball has even been felt throughout the Little League level as Japan knocked off Chula Vista, California to claim the Little League World Series earlier this week, the countries ninth LLWS title.

But back to the man of the hour -- Ichiro, who has 1 more year remaining on his contract, has been the benchmark of a professional wherever he's played regardless of continent or team. Having taken a backseat to all the buzz and media attention that Yankee teammate Alex Rodriguez has garnered as of late, Ichiro's milestone is undoubtedly one worth mentioning and celebrating. A lifetime .330 hitter between both Japan where he hit .353 and the Majors where he's compiled a .320 bating average, Ichiro has seen his numbers regress over the last few seasons but his fan base remains among the top of the list in the history of the sport and rightfully so. He's also as cool as the other side of the pillow off the field. Watch this vintage interview he did some years back with Bob Costas, it's one of my all-time favorites.



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