Struggles on 4th Down lead to 49ers Downfall in the Desert

Week 5 - Paying a visit to the desert in Week 5, the San Francisco 49ers would look to end their two-game skid against an NFC Western Division foe, but would have their work cutout for them against an undefeated Arizona Cardinals (4-0) team. With quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo out with a calf injury he suffered during the first half of the Week 4 loss to Seattle, rookie QB Trey Lance who was selected third overall in the 2021 NFL Draft just five months earlier, would get the nod in Jimmy G's place. But even before Lance took the field to make his first career start, the young signal-caller received word that he would be thrusted into the lineup without arguably his best target in tight-end George Kittle who was ruled out of Sunday's game and placed on Injured Reserve on Saturday with a calf injury that he sustained in Week 1. With Kittle on the shelf for at least the next three games, coach Kyle Shanahan would need more production from Deebo Samuel who entered Week 5 leading all receivers in receiving yards.  

Receiving the ball to begin the game, the 49er offense appeared to be in good hands after the first two plays as Lance showed his mobility with a 14-yard scramble, followed by a 16-yard strike to fullback Kyle Juszczyk for back-to-back first downs. But just two plays later, the drive would go up in flames as Lance airmailed a pass intended for Travis Benjamin that was intercepted by Cardinals safety Budda Baker. Like San Francisco prior to the turnover, the Arizona offense would have no problem moving the football as they cashed in on the interception with a touchdown on their first possession as running back James Connor rushed into the end zone from a yard out. In an early 7-0 hole, coach Shanahan's offense would face a number of 4th down situations where he elected to go for it, including on their second and third possessions. After failing to convert on a 4th and 2 run by Lance, the offense gave it another go one possession later. Pinned back near their own end zone at the San Francisco 6, the 49er offense would march all the way to the 1-yardline before facing another gutsy 4th down decision which ended in Lance being stood up at the goal line for another turnover on downs. 

After adding a Matt Prater field goal to take a 10-0 lead, the Cardinals would attempt to increase their lead by way of the field goal just before the half with a 61-yard attempt that sailed wide-right. Opening the second half on defense, San Francisco held Arizona to their first set of back to back three and outs of the season to start the third quarter. Seeking their first trip to the end zone, the 49ers would get a big play from receiver Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in a 26-yard grab that turned into a 41-yard gain following an unnecessary roughness penalty against Arizona. Several plays later, the 49ers would finally strike pay dirt on a 13-yard toss to Deebo Samuel. San Francisco would have a chance to take their first lead of the game after forcing another Arizona punt, but another failed attempt on 4th and 1 near midfield would result in their third turnover on downs of the afternoon as Juszczyk took a direct-snap that proved ineffective. The Niners would get another shot at taking the lead when cornerback Dontae Johnson stripped running back Chase Edmonds of the ball on the Cardinals' following possession. But San Francisco's fourth and final turnover on downs would halt those hopes as Lance's pass on 4th and 4 was tipped at the line of scrimmage by Arizona's J.J. Watt. 

Having kept DeAndre Hopkins relatively quiet for most of the afternoon, Cardinals QB Kyler Murray waited until the last half of the fourth quarter to get his best receiver more involved. Hopkins who is among the game's elite at the wide-out position and is without a doubt the best receiver on his team, passed another Cardinals great in Larry Fitzgerald for most receptions (764) by a player prior to their 30th birthday in NFL history. Among those receptions were a pair of grabs on consecutive plays, including a 30 yard catch that setup shop for the back-shoulder toss into the end zone for the touchdown on the very next play, also to Hopkins. Lance and company would show no signs of quitting as they would get a 47-yard field goal from the latest 49ers addition in kicker Joey Slye, making it a one-score game again at 17-10. Unfortunately for the Niners who were in need of a stop on defense with less than five minutes to go, the Cardinals converted on a pair of first downs that allowed Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury to run out the clock and seal the win. 

While it wasn't the end result that San Francisco wanted, there were positives on both sides of the ball to be taken from the loss. To their credit, the 49er defense managed to make Kyler Murray look rather pedestrian after having put up MVP-like numbers through the first four weeks of the season. Holding him to just 240 yards of total offense and one touchdown, San Francisco did have some success applying pressure while sacking him twice. Though it's usually Murray who causes fits and torches opposing defenses on the ground with his legs, the first overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft was outdone in that department by San Francisco's Trey Lance. The 49ers' duel-threat QB rushed for a game-high 89 yards on 16 carries, the fourth-highest total for a QB making his first career start (Lamar Jackson, Jalen Hurts and Randall Cunningham are the others). However, Murray did outgain Lance in passing yards, 239 to 192, respectively. After winning their first two games of the season, both on the road, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have now lost three in a row, dropping to 2-3 on the year. Meanwhile, the Cardinals remain as the last of the NFL's undefeated at 5-0 for the first time since 1974 when they were the St. Louis Cardinals. 

With his family in attendance, the big stage didn't necessarily appear to be too big for the 21-year old Lance, but he didn't have a whole lot working for him in his first career start either. Even without his first-string tight-end, the receivers Lance did have to throw to on Sunday didn't do him any favors as there were a number of dropped balls, and the many penalties only made things worse. It's more than obvious Lance oozes with raw talent that just needs to be honed before Shanahan can fully release his unrefined specimen, my biggest knock on the rookie is his rifle of an arm. It's both a blessing and a curse as Lance was able to zing a number of passes down the field with ease, but also had a little too much heat on other passes that were over or underthrown. When also factoring in his mobility to go along with his cannon of an arm, Lance reminded me a lot of Colin Kaepernick at times and that's not a bad thing. With his first professional start finally out of the way, Lance will learn from the experience and now has something to expand upon, whether that be again this season or in 2022. 

Week 7 Preview: After a BYE Week in Week 6, the 49ers will return home in Week 7 to face Carson Wentz and the Indianapolis Colts (1-4). Like San Francisco, Indy is off to a start they did not foresee and are coming off a Monday Night loss in which they blew a 19-point lead on the road to Baltimore. In his first season with the Colts, QB Carson Wentz is coming off his best performance of the season after throwing for 402 yards and a pair of touchdowns, despite being out-dueled by the Ravens' Lamar Jackson. Facing former 49ers first round pick DeForest Buckner for the first time since trading him to the Colts for a first round pick a year ago, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan is unsure who his quarterback will be come Week 7 as Garoppolo is working his way back from injury, and Trey Lance reportedly suffered a knee sprain in Sunday's loss to the Cardinals. However, Shanahan has mentioned if Jimmy G is healthy in time for gameday, he will be under center, regardless of Lance's status. While the question at quarterback remains unanswered at this time, there's no denying that the 49ers continue to have unbelievably bad luck with the injury bug. 

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More Injuries and Costly Turnovers spell doom vs Seattle

Week 4 - If there was ever one word to best describe the 49ers season thus far, it would be "injured." Before the game even started on Sunday between the San Francisco 49ers (2-1) and archrival Seattle Seahawks (1-2), the Niners who have already suffered a number of injuries up and down the lineup on both sides of the ball, would learn that they would be without kicker Robbie Gould who injured his groin in pre-game warmups. And his absence would be felt rather early as punter Mitch Wishnowsky would be forced to try his luck at the unfamiliar position. Though things ultimately wouldn't end well for the home team, it wouldn't all be bad at the start as the 49ers looked good both offensively and defensively at the onset. The 49ers had as dominant a start as you could have in the first half without being up by double-digits. 

After forcing a three and out on defense during Seattle's opening-possession, the 49er offense then delivered on their end of the bargain. Following a slow start on offense at home in their previous game against Green Bay, Jimmy Garoppolo and company did the complete opposite on Sunday, moving the ball with ease before a 21-yard touchdown grab in the end zone from tight-end Ross Dwelley. Continuing to share the love on offense, the score by Dwelley would mark the Niners' 12th offensive touchdown scored this season, all of which by 12 different players. Forcing another three and out on defense, San Francisco again appeared to be in business. Instead, their second offensive possession would go up in flames as Jimmy G was intercepted on a pass intended for George Kittle. Again forcing a Seattle three and out, the 49er offense would move the ball into field goal range where Wishnowsky would attempt a 41-yard field goal that sailed wide-left. After forcing another pair of Seattle three and outs to give them five in as many possessions, Russell Wilson and company would get things going before the half. A pair of big plays on passes from Wilson to running back Alex Collins and wide-receiver D.K. Metcalf would setup the game-tying score as both teams headed into the locker room tied up at 7 at the half. 

Continuing the never ending trend of injuries, the 49ers would open the second half with a new quarterback under center as Jimmy Garoppolo was listed as questionable to return with a calf injury. He would not see the field for the remainder of the game as rookie Trey Lance took over the QB duties. After exchanging punts to open the second half, Seattle would take a 14-7 lead on a QB scramble by Wilson who dove across the goal-line for the go-ahead score. Unfortunately, San Francisco's offense wouldn't even get a chance to answer as their costly mistakes made their way to the special-teams side when 49ers return man Trenton Cannon who was praised for giving San Francisco a jolt when they needed it most a week ago against the Packers, muffed and fumbled the ensuing kick. Giving Seattle the ball back inside the red zone, the Seahawks would need only two plays to capitalize on the costly turnover. Just when the 49er defense appeared to have Wilson dead to rights for a sack to bring up a third and long, the shifty QB squirmed free before lobbing up a pass into the end zone for a touchdown to receiver Freddie Swain. 

With Russell Wilson and the Seahawks coming off back to back losses, the 8-time Pro Bowl QB has never lost three straight games in his career and he wouldn't fall victim to his first three-game skid on Sunday, especially against a 49ers team he's owned throughout his career (15-4 record against SF including playoffs entering Sunday). Like Wilson who seemingly plays his best against San Francisco, 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel has also enjoyed his most success when facing Seattle. With only six career games of at least 100+ receiving yards, three of those games have come against the Seahawks. After being up by a touchdown to trailing by two scores, the 49er offense would find an answer on their ensuing drive when Trey Lance dropped a pass over the top and into the lap of Samuel who ran up the sidelines untouched for a 76-yard score. Sadly, their kicking woes would continue as Wishnowsky missed the point-after. With defensive pass-interference on third down being a hot-topic for the Niners following a trio of pivotal calls in their loss to Aaron Rodgers and the Packers the week before, another P.I. call on third and 10 would hurt the defense and give new life to the opposition as 49ers newcomer Dre Kirkpatrick was flagged for a 23-yard penalty and automatic first down. Two plays later, Alex Collins would run up the middle for another Seattle touchdown. 

Trailing 28-13 with under five minutes to go in the fourth quarter, San Francisco would pull within a touchdown as Trey Lance again found Deebo Samuel for the touchdown, but an unsuccessful onside-kick attempt would put an end to any chance of pulling off the comeback as Seattle milked the clock to a 28-21 final. Rookie running back Trey Sermon had his best game yet on the ground, rushing for 89 yards on 19 carries, but Deebo Samuel would lead the way on offense, hauling in game-highs with eight receptions for 156 yards and two touchdowns to join Jerry Rice and Dwight Clark as the only SF players since 1950 with 90+ receiving yards in three of the team's first four games of a season. Garoppolo finished with 165 yards, one touchdown and one interception on 14 of 23 pass attempts, while Lance threw for 157 yards and two touchdowns on 9 of 18 attempts. Seattle's Russell Wilson threw for 149 yards and two touchdowns on 16 of 23 passes. 

Week 5 Preview: Continuing their gauntlet of facing formidable foes in the NFC West, the 49ers will attempt to bounce back from their current two-game skid while also continuing their winning ways on the road where they're 2-0 this year, with a trip to the desert up next to face the undefeated Arizona Cardinals (4-0). Sitting atop the division in first place after winning on the road and handing the L.A. Rams their first loss of the season, Cards QB Kyler Murray looks like an early favorite for the MVP Award. With Jimmy G scheduled for an MRI in the coming days to determine the severity of his calf injury, it's almost certain Trey Lance will make his first career start in Week 5. Hopefully he'll have his running backs and kicker back as San Francisco will need all the help they can get if they want to stop the bleeding and prevent themselves from falling below .500 on the season. 

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49ers suffer Loss as Defense crumbles in waning seconds

Week 3 - For the first time in 325 days, a game would be played at Levi's Stadium in front of a live crowd. The last 49ers home game that took place in front of actual fans you ask? A 37-20 blowout victory over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship, a game that punched San Francisco's ticket to Super Bowl 54. But any hopes of a repeat result from that dominant victory two seasons ago, would go right out the window in the opening quarter. While the Niners run game is undoubtedly a shell of what it was in comparison to their rushing attack from 2019, with Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty all sidelined with injuries, the Niners were forced to rely on rookie running back Trey Sermon. But it's the defense, albeit in shambles, that would be the biggest example of why this 49er team is so different from that of their Super Bowl run in 2019. Case in point: the final 37-seconds of Sunday night's game.   

Kyle Shanahan's 49ers found themselves trailing from the first possession of the game and though they would take a lead late, it would be one they were only able to keep for a matter of seconds and were unable to hang onto when the clock struck 0:00. Coming into Sunday night's game, all eyes were on Green Bay's banged up offensive-line that was forced to start their third-stringer at left-tackle. But it wouldn't matter who was out their protecting for quarterback Aaron Rodgers as he and head coach Matt LaFleur came in with a game plan to fire the ball out of the pocket, giving little chance for any pressure San Francisco's defense could create. The quick trigger helped Rodgers and company jump out to a 17-0 lead before the 49ers were even able to scratch the scoreboard with a score of their own. Taking advantage of an impressive 68-yard kick return from Trenton Cannon who was acquired off waivers from the Baltimore Ravens less than two weeks earlier, the 49er offense was able to march with less than a minute to go before running into some speedbumps along the way in the red zone. Knocking on the door inside the Green Bay 10, the San Francisco offense would take six plays to finally punch it in as Shanahan called on rookie quarterback Trey Lance who ran the ball in himself for the touchdown. 

Getting on the board just before the half would do wonders for San Francisco's momentum as they continued to move the ball at the start of the third quarter. Short passes from Garoppolo to Deebo Samuel would allow the Niners to setup shop inside the red zone before receiver Brandon Aiyuk hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season on an 8-yard grab to pull his team within a field goal. After exchanging three-and-out punts, both teams would exchange touchdowns to start the fourth quarter. Having already suffered multiple injuries in the secondary through the first two weeks, San Francisco would be dealt more bad luck in this one as both K'Waun Williams (calf) and Josh Norman (chest) would depart the game with injuries. But regardless of who was out there for the 49er defense, Aaron Rodgers knew he could rely on a good 'ole defensive pass-interference as he was bailed out on three separate occasions when facing third down, including twice on drives that resulted in a Green Bay touchdown. 

Following the first career touchdown by Trey Sermon, a 1-yard score that again pulled the Niners within a field goal, the San Francisco defense forced a punt on a three-and-out, giving Garoppolo and company their first shot at a lead. With the help of a bogus "roughing the passer" call, the 49ers would make it across midfield, but a fumble on a backwards pass by Garoppolo would put an end to the drive as Green Bay took over. Cashing in on the turnover with a Mason Crosby field goal, Green Bay extended their lead to six with just over two minutes remaining. Facing third and 10 after consecutive incomplete passes by Garoppolo, the Niners offense finally showed some life after a 39-yard reception from tight-end George Kittle. After converting on another third and 10 this time to Deebo, Garoppolo hit Kittle and Kyle Juszczyk on back to back plays, the latter being a touchdown as the fullback helped give San Francisco their first lead of the game with 37 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the lead would be short-lived as even those 37 seconds would be too much time left on the clock for Rodgers. Without any timeouts remaining, Rodgers chucked the ball downfield to connect with his All-Pro receiver Davante Adams for gains of 25 and 17 yards before clocking the ball at 4 seconds. Packers kicker Mason Crosby would do the rest, splitting the uprights for the game-winning field goal from 51-yards out as time expired. 

The 30-28 loss for San Francisco dropped them to 2-1 on the year, but more importantly, dropped them to second place in the NFC Western Division as two of the remaining five undefeated teams in the league hail out of the division in Arizona and Los Angeles. Needing one final stop on defense, the 49ers makeshift secondary folded, leaving open the one guy you'd think they'd account for in Adams. Making his 200th career start, Rodgers didn't blow anyone away with his numbers, completing 23 of 33 passes for 261 yards and 2 touchdowns, but he stayed calm, cool and collective and drove his team down the field and into field goal range when the game was on the line for his 26th career game-winning drive. As for his counterpart, Jimmy Garoppolo took too long to get things going on offense and committed two turnovers to Rodgers' zero, finishing with 257 yards and 2 touchdowns on 25 of 40 pass attempts. Green Bay's Aaron Jones continued his hot start and led all rushers with 82 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries. Meanwhile, 49ers rookie Trey Sermon tallied only 31 yards rushing and a touchdown on 10 attempts. San Francisco's defense had no answer for Davante Adams who hauled in game-highs in both receptions (12) and receiving yards (132), to go along with his touchdown grab. A late reception by George Kittle helped him reach a team-high 92 yards receiving on seven receptions. 

Week 4 Preview: The 49ers will have little time to sulk in the loss as they'll play host to the rival Seattle Seahawks (1-2) in Week 4. Coming off back to back losses in which they failed to show up in the second half, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks always seem to cause trouble for the 49ers, especially when Russell Wilson is under center. That said, Seattle is not to be taken lightly, regardless of their record. After going 2-0 on the road through the first two weeks, the 49ers can ill-afford falling to 2-2 in a red-hot division as they will attempt to log their first home win of the season and will need to flush the funk from the disappointing loss in the home-opener. And after Russell suffered his first career loss to the Vikings in eight tries (including playoffs) in Week 3, it's likely the Niners defense will be facing a quarterback with a chip on his shoulder come Sunday. 

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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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Surprising Giants Win Season-Series over Rival Dodgers

The wonder boys of San Francisco have done it again, this time reclaiming sole possession of first place in the National League West after taking two of three from the archrival Los Angeles Dodgers and besting their hated foes to claim the season series: 10 games to 9. Let's face it, the Giants weren't even supposed to be here heading into the season, especially this late into the year, not to mention against the All-Star cast of talent that is the defending champion Dodgers. And yet, Gabe Kapler's ragtag Giants team has found a way to do it again, this time taking the rubber-match at San Francisco's Oracle Park, while handing Cy Young contender Walker Buehler his first career loss to the Giants in 10 career starts and his worst outing of the season in which he allowed a season-high six earned runs over a season-low three innings pitched. All while the Giants were forced to play their second consecutive bullpen game in as many days. 

As good as Buehler had been this season while boasting a record of 13-2 and an MLB-best earned run average of 2.05 entering Sunday's outing, he's been even better when facing the Giants. Prior to Sunday's game which was televised on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball, Buehler had absolutely owned the Giants this season to the tune of a 0.79 ERA in 34 innings against them over five starts. With a perfect record of 7-0 against San Francisco in 12 career games, including 10 starts, Buehler has especially enjoyed pitching at Oracle Park where he's won all six of his starts there since being called up to the Majors in 2017. However, with first place on the line, the Giants were finally able to breakthrough against Buehler, attacking him early and often in the count. After a solo home run from Brandon Belt opened things up in the first inning, the recently recalled Steven Duggar who was called up from Triple-A Sacramento and plugged into the lineup just hours before first-pitch, delivered a 2-run triple before eventually scoring on a single from Darin Ruf. Brandon Crawford and Curt Casali continued the surge with an RBI double and RBI single, respectively, ending Buehler's night after only three innings pitched. The Dodgers were aided a run on a controversial ball-four call that drew a bases-loaded walk in the fifth and got a pair of runs late in the 9th inning off of a pinch-hit homer from Albert Pujols, but were unable to complete the rally before falling by a final score of 6-4. 

Despite their struggles hitting with runners in scoring position in the first two games of the series (a combined 4-for-30), those struggles were nonexistent in the finale for the G-Men (4-for-10) when facing one of baseball's best. After surrendering sole possession of first-place in the NL West for the first time since April 25, the Giants reclaimed their throne with the thrilling victory in the series-finale to their epic season-long battle which could very well witness another chapter, but in postseason-form. Dating back to their days in New York, the Giants and Dodgers have never met in the postseason up to this point, and could very well see that come to an end this year if whichever team is forced to play in the one-game Wild Card playoff, is able to win their game and advance to the National League Division Series. As if the rivalry needed anymore drama added into the mix. Since dropping their first four games of the season to L.A., the Giants have gone on to win 10 of the last 15 versus Dave Roberts' Dodgers club. With just a 1-game lead in the division following a win from both teams on Labor Day, the Giants currently own the best record in all of baseball at 88-50 and will try to keep their distance over Los Angeles in the standings with only 24 games remaining in the regular season. 

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The Forgotten 500

Last week, Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera did something that only 27 Major League ballplayers had done before him when he became the latest member of baseball's 500 Home Run Club. Becoming the first member of the exclusive club since Boston's David Ortiz joined in 2015, etching his name into the record books is something Miggy had been doing long before his historic blast off of Toronto Blue Jays pitcher Steven Matz traveled 400-feet to tie the game at 1 in the sixth inning. In what ended up being a 5-3 win for the Tigers in 11-innings, Cabrera received both a standing ovation and a curtain call from the opposing fans at Toronto's Rogers Centre, knowing they just witnessed history from one of the game's all-time greats. Unlike those who've accomplished the feat before him, Cabrera is the first Venezuelan-born player to join the 500 Home Run Club and the first player to do so in a Tigers uniform. At 65-74 and 15 games back in the division behind the first place White Sox in the AL Central, the 2021 season will end with Detroit once again missing the postseason for the eighth consecutive year, so its likely this will be the highlight of their season. 

While reaching the 500 home run mark is barely a blip on the radar of sports fans these days, the accomplishment is one that does not garner nearly as much attention as it should or that it deserves, simply due to the explosion of players that joined the club in the early 2000's, fueled by baseball's famed and often frowned upon, "steroid era." Then again it probably doesn't help much that home runs is all guys focus on and try to do in today's game. With this sudden fixation on "launch angle", strikeout numbers are skyrocketing and batting averages are plummeting. Hell, guys barely even know how to bunt nowadays. Just his 13th homer of the season, the now 38-year old Cabrera is the 12th player to reach 500 career home runs since the start of the millennium. This after only 16 players reached 500 home runs in the 70 years between Babe Ruth becoming the very first to reach the mark in 1929 and the year 2000. 

While the celebration of the monumental number isn't what it once was, those of us who keep the game near and dear to our hearts, know the significance of the milestone. Although he had slowed down a bit over the past few seasons on his way to No. 500 with both injuries and age being a factor, Cabrera is one that seemed almost destined to reach the feat given his blazing hot start in the Majors which included a walk-off home run in his MLB debut at the age of 20 while playing for the then Florida Marlins.

After being sent to the Motor City before the 2008 season in an eight-player trade, Miggy did not skip a beat upon joining the American League and instead added to his resume. Among the many accolades and accomplishments of Cabrera's illustrious and future Hall of Fame career, he has 11 All-Star appearances, seven Silver Slugger Awards, two MVP Awards, a World Series ring and an AL Triple-Crown to boot. One of only nine players with at least 500 homers and a .300+ batting average, Miggy will join even more rarified air when he reaches the 3,000 hit plateau as he currently sits 36 hits shy of that mark. The elite company of players he would join with 500 homers and 3,000 hits include Hank Aaron, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Albert Pujols, Rafael Palmeiro and Eddie Murray. 

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Beginner's Luck: Arizona's Gilbert twirls unlikely No-No

In what's been a dismal season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, there hasn't been a whole lot to cheer for in the desert this year. Sitting in the cellar of the National League Western Division at 38-81 and 38.5 games behind the first-place San Francisco Giants, positivity and all around good vibes have been at a minimum for the D-Backs who own the worst record in all of baseball. However, the was one magical moment that took place on Saturday with the snakes in the limelight as 27-year old pitcher Tyler Gilbert threw a no-hitter in his first career big league start. With his family in attendance at Arizona's Chase Field, Gilbert blanked the high-powered San Diego Padres, albeit without their best player in Fernando Tatis Jr., to become the fourth pitcher in Major League history to toss a no-no in his first career start and the first since 1953. Making things even more improbable, Gilbert who had bounced around with the Phillies before being traded to the Dodgers and ultimately released and picked up by Arizona, had never logged a complete-game at any level in his professional baseball career. That was until his historic night. 

Having just made his Major League debut nine days earlier in a relief appearance against San Francisco in which Gilbert gave up a hit and a walk while striking out one in 2/3 innings pitched, followed by two shutout frames (1 hit, 1 walk, 2 strikeouts) against San Diego two days later, the D-Backs' southpaw has lived up to the adage, "one man's trash is another man's treasure." Or in this case one team's trash is another team's treasure, even if only for this one spectacular history-making evening. After all, it's stories like this that make us fall in love with baseball time and time again. Before being mobbed by his teammates as out No. 27 was caught in center-field on a line-drive off the bat of Tommy Pham, Gilbert walked three batters and struck out five Padre hitters on 102-pitches (64 strikes). And while he didn't have the type of stuff that was blowing guys away as he barely sniffed the low-90's with his fastball, he did enough to throw guys off and keep the ball in the park. Something that's easier said than done at Arizona's hitter-friendly ballpark. Oddly enough, Joe Musgrove who pitched the first no-hitter of 2021 back on April 9 against the Texas Rangers, was the opposing pitcher on Saturday. 

The first Diamondbacks no-hitter since Edwin Jackson's no-no in 2010 and just the third in D-Backs franchise history (Hall of Famer Randy Johnson the other), unless you count Madison Bumgarner's 7 no-hit frames in the second game of a 7-inning doubleheader back on April 25, it's the eighth no-hitter tossed this season which ties the record for the most in a single season set back in 1884. Quite the story and an unforgettable night for a guy who even if we never hear from him again, etched his name into the record books and will forever have a story to tell, especially considering he was working with his father as an electrician less than a year ago following the cancellation of the 2020 Minor League Baseball season due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Learning the trade just in case he never received that call to the bigs. 

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Giants cap off Wild Trade Deadline with Acquisition of All-Star Bryant

Major League Baseball had one of its crazier trade deadlines in recent memory on Friday, if not the craziest of all-time. By the 1pm cutoff time, 4pm if you're on the east coast, baseball fans who are less than three weeks removed from watching the MLB All-Star Game played in Denver, saw a record ten All-Stars who played in that Mid-Summer Classic, dealt by the time things were all said and done. With such names as sluggers Joey Gallo of the Texas Rangers and Anthony Rizzo of the Chicago Cubs being dealt to the Bronx from their respectively clubs as the Yankees try to chase down the Tampa Bay Rays and Boston Red Sox in the American League East, as well as Kyle Schwarber heading to Bean Town from our nation's capital, the list of notable names that changed clubhouses goes on and on. But perhaps the biggest blockbuster that caught everyone by surprise, was that of the Los Angeles Dodgers who pulled a Houdini move by snaking a pair of All-Star studs from the nose of the division rival Padres. 

By mid-day Thursday, it appeared that the Padres had gained a tremendous boost in their efforts to overthrow the Dodgers and first-place San Francisco Giants in the National League Western Division when reports swirled that they were close to finalizing a deal that would land them a 4-time Cy Young Award-winner in Max Scherzer. Instead, the pitcher-needy Friars were upended by the rival Dodgers who pulled off a sneak-attack by stealing Scherzer from their grasp, while also adding All-Star shortstop Trea Turner in the process. While the deal did cost a pair of L.A.'s top prospects in return, they added another unbelievable duo to their already star-studded roster, as well as prevent a pair of rivals from adding a dominant arm to their starting rotation, as the Giants were also rumored to be in on Scherzer. After landing All-Star second baseman Adam Frazier from the Pittsburgh Pirates in the days leading up to Friday's deadline, the only additions the Padres had to show for on deadline day were a pair of underwhelming names in relief pitcher Daniel Hudson and outfielder Jake Marisnick who were acquired from the Nationals and Cubs, respectively. 

Just when it appeared that Farhan Zaidi -- general manger of the San Francisco Giants, was going to stay pat at the deadline, the team with the best record in all of baseball waited until the 11th hour before getting in on the action and acquiring Cubs All-Star third baseman/outfielder Kris Bryant. Not long after news broke that the Cubbies were shipping two-time All-Star infielder Javy Baez to Queens to join the New York Mets, the north siders ended their fire sale by sending Bryant out west to the city by the bay to join the Giants. It was a nerve-racking hour or so for Giants fans as reports were unclear on who Zaidi had given up for what could very well be a rental player considering Bryant will be a free-agent at the end of the season, but when it was all said and done, San Francisco got the guy they wanted all along and didn't trade an arm and a leg to get him. In return for Bryant, a former NL MVP and four-time All-Star who says he grew up a fan of Barry Bonds and the Giants, San Francisco gave up a pair of Minor Leaguers in outfielder Alexander Canario and right-handed pitcher Caleb Kilian, their No. 9 and No. 30 prospects, respectively, which was much more calming and somewhat of a relief to hear than their top prospect in catcher Joey Bart and first baseman LaMonte Wade Jr. which was initially rumored. The Giants ended their deadline pursuit by bringing back lefty reliever Tony Watson from the Los Angeles Angels to bolster the bullpen. Watson spent three seasons with the Giants from 2018-20. 

As teams jockey for position in the home stretch of the MLB regular season in preparation of the Postseason, the Giants at 65-39, currently own a 3-game lead over the Dodgers in the division and a 6.5 game advantage over San Diego. The Giants are hopeful that the acquisition of Bryant will help them maintain a stranglehold in the division over both the Dodgers and Padres, two teams that were supposed to be lightyears ahead of the Giants heading into the season. Hitting .267 on the year with 18 home runs and 51 RBI, the Giants will welcome Bryant's versatility with open arms as he's played seven different positions in 2021, while also looking forward to his bat as he's enjoyed success at San Francisco's Oracle Park, boasting a .324 batting average, 5 HR, 3 doubles, a triple and 15 RBI in 17 career games. Speaking to fellow All-Star and now teammate Brandon Crawford, Bryant knew at the All-Star break that there was a possibility he could be dealt, and all that he asked of Cubs President of Baseball Operations Jed Hoyer was that he would be traded to a team contending for a playoff berth like San Francisco. It's safe to say the 29-year old Vegas-native got his wish, as the core three of Bryant, Rizzo and Baez from the curse-breaking 2016 World Series champion Cubs team are all gone. 

Other notable names that changed ballclubs at the deadline include: All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel who the Cubs shipped to the southside of town to join the White Sox and Eduardo Escobar who landed in Milwaukee after being the lone representative in the 2021 All-Star Game for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Like the Cubbies, the Nationals also cleaned house by shipping out a number of big names in addition to Turner and Scherzer, such as Kyle Schwarber who was sent from D.C. to the Red Sox, Yan Gomes and Josh Harison who joined the playoff hopeful Oakland Athletics and 5-time All-Star Jon Lester who joined Wild Card contenders St. Louis. The Minnesota Twins also dealt a pair of All-Stars in pitcher Jose Berrios who landed in Toronto with the Blue Jays and Nelson Cruz who was dealt a few days earlier to the reigning American League Champion Tampa Bay Rays. It's unlikely we'll ever witness a trade deadline quite like this one after seeing 32 different trades which included more than 80 players dealt in total.  

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Giants continue to Roll behind Crawford, Gausman

Now 61 games into the Major League Baseball regular season and the San Francisco Giants are still sitting pretty atop the National League Western Division, and quite frankly atop all of baseball as they currently own a league-best record of 38-23 and .623 winning percentage. Expected by most pundits around the game of baseball to have fizzled out by now after their red-hot start in April and May, the Giants have instead managed to turn things up a notch and have actually gotten better as the season has progressed. Even after suffering a walk-off loss on the road at the hands of the Texas Rangers in 11-innings on Wednesday, the Giants still claimed the season-series over the Rangers, three games to 1 and departed the lone star state with a split in a short two-game series, as the G-Men continue to embark on their 6-game road trip with a visit to the nation's capital for a four-game set against the Nats next on their itinerary. 

With a 2-game lead in the division over the archrival Dodgers and a 2.5-game lead over third place San Diego, the Giants have enjoyed their time at the top, but do not plan on relinquishing their position atop that mountain just yet. With a legitimate ace leading their pitching staff in Kevin Gausman, the 30-year old righty who is in his 9th year in the bigs, has proven that last year's surprising success wasn't a fluke as he's done himself one better in 2021. Named NL Pitcher of the Month for May, Gausman is a leading candidate to start the All-Star Game and has made a name for himself as a serious Cy Young contender. Sporting an ERA of 0.62 in 58 innings pitched, 75 strikeouts to just 11 walks and a record of 7-0 in his last 9 starts, the Giants ace ranks among the top 10 in all of baseball in ERA (2nd), Opponents slugging percentage (4th), WHIP (5th), home runs allowed per 9 innings (6th) and Opponents batting average (7th). Another Giant who is enjoying success this year and has made history is Giants longtime shortstop Brandon Crawford. 

The bay area native who grew up rooting for the Giants, now holds his place in Giants lore after passing Hall of Famer Travis Jackson for the most games played at shortstop in franchise history (1,326). On the night of his record-setting feat, Crawford cranked two home runs in San Francisco's 9-4 win over the Rangers on Tuesday, and has already matched his home run numbers from the past five seasons with a team-leading 14 HR on the year, and is currently on pace to surpass his career-high of 21 long balls hit back in 2015. With Crawford's help, the Giants have slugged the third most team home runs in Giants history through 60 games with 88, falling just one shy of their 2001 mark and five short of the 93 home runs in 2000. After being humbled by the Dodgers in their first meeting of the season which saw L.A. take a broom to the orange and black with a three-game sweep at Oracle Park, the G-Men virtually returned the favor by taking three of four and winning three straight at Dodger Stadium. Even more impressive, the Giants have managed to not only stay afloat, but remain at the top with a league-leading 16 players on the Injured List, three more than the next closest team (Seattle Mariners). Even if injuries were to get the best of skipper Gabe Kapler's team and they were unable to maintain a stranglehold on the division over the much more talented rosters of the Padres and Dodgers, there's no reason the Giants shouldn't contend for an NL Wild Card spot at the very least, which would again surpass the expectations of this ball club coming into Spring Training. 

That said, the question on the tip of everyone's tongue becomes whether or not Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi makes the team buyers at the trade deadline. 

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