49ers Pummel Cardinals in Mexico for 1st Place

Week 11 - Hitting the road and traveling south of the border to face the division rival (4-6) Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, the (5-4) San Francisco 49ers made themselves at home in an away game that felt a lot like their own stadium in front of the nearly 80,000 fans in attendance who cheered and roared for a 49ers team that dominated for a majority of the contest. In what was the first NFL game played in Mexico since 2019 and the first for the 49ers since 2005 when they played these Cardinals in the first ever regular season game hosted by the country, San Francisco got solid performances from nearly all of their star players on both sides of the ball. While coach Kyle Shanahan's team would eventually run away with the blowout victory, things got off to a quiet start for the 49er offense before they flipped the switch and could not be stopped. 

With an altitude of 7,280 feet at Mexico's famed Estadio Azteca venue which dwarves that of the Broncos' 5,280ft. Mile High Stadium in Denver, coach Shanahan had his Niners team practice in the week leading up to the game in the high altitude in Colorado Springs. Meanwhile, the Cardinals took a different approach by holding practices while wearing altitude training masks, designed to replicate the extreme conditions caused by the thin air in Mexico City. Whether effected or not by those conditions right out the gates, both teams were also met with rainfall which led to punts by both teams to start the game on four of the first five possessions. Before having their doors blown off, the Cardinals struck first to open the scoring with a field goal on their second possession. In at quarterback for a second consecutive week in place of the injured Kyler Murray who is nursing a hamstring, was Colt McCoy who entered Monday's game with a record of 3-1 with Arizona, including a win against San Francisco a season ago. 

With the first quarter coming to a close, the 49ers opened quarter No. 2 with back to back touchdown-scoring drives. Three consecutive plays of 20, 19 and 20 yards by running back Christian McCaffrey (twice) and receiver Deebo Samuel got the 49ers into the red zone where quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would finish things off by finding wide-out Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone for the first touchdown of the game. After an interception that tipped off the hands of Cardinals running back James Conner and into the arms of a sliding Jimmie Ward on Arizona's ensuing possession, the 49ers again found themselves in business, taking over near midfield. Three plays later, Garoppolo lobbed a pass to his tight-end George Kittle who broke free from a pair of Cardinal defenders and was able to trot into the end zone for the easy score. Redeeming himself for the dropped pass that led to the interception, Conner helped the Cardinals answer right back one possession later with their lone touchdown of the evening with a 2-yard carry that ended in pay dirt. Adding a Robbie Gould field goal just before the half, San Francisco carried a 17-10 lead into halftime. 

Receiving the ball to open the second half, the San Francisco offense continued to score for a fourth consecutive drive thanks to a rushing touchdown from Deebo Samuel who found the end zone after a 39-yard run, the longest rushing touchdown of his career. Following a turnover on downs by the Arizona offense and punts by both teams, Garoppolo again took to the air and found Brandon Aiyuk for a second touchdown reception. Capitalizing on yet another turnover on downs by the Cardinals, Garoppolo and company made quick work of their great field position from the 50, as George Kittle caught a pass and added to his impressive YAC ability by marching 32-yards for the dagger touchdown. For good measure facing Cardinals third-string QB Trace McSorley, the 49er defense ended a late threat by the Arizona offense when rookie cornerback Sammy Womack logged his first career interception with a pick inside the end zone, sealing the dominant 38-10 win. Outscoring their opponent 21-0 in the second half, the San Francisco defense recorded their third consecutive second half shutout and have now combined to outscore opponents 54-0 in the second half of their last three games. 

With the win, the 49ers improved to 6-4 on the season and sit atop the NFC West in first place. Continuing their NFC West dominance, San Francisco improved to a perfect 4-0 record versus division foes this season and have won all four games by double-digits, owning a point differential of +80 after combining to outscore the Rams, Cardinals and Seahawks: 120-40 this season. QB Jimmy Garoppolo tied a career-high with 4 touchdown passes with his first 4 TD performance since Week 14 of the 2019 season. Along with his 4 TD's, Garoppolo completed 20 of 29 pass attempts for 228 yards and was kept on his feet all night long as his offensive-line did not allow a single sack. Running backs Elijah Mitchell (9 carries, 59 yards) and Christian McCaffrey (7 carries, 39 yards) shared ball carrying duties, but it was thru the air where the San Francisco offense did most of their damage. George Kittle finished with four receptions for 84 yards and 2 touchdowns, and McCaffrey added another 67 yards on 7 receptions to go over the century mark for total yards in the game. Receiver Brandon Aiyuk caught only two passes on the night but made them count as they both ended in touchdowns. 

Week 12 Preview: Returning home for the start of a three-game homestand, the 49ers will look to get some home cooking as they welcome in the (4-7) New Orleans Saints on a short week. Coming off a 27-20 win at home over the L.A. Rams, the Saints have proven to be a scrappy bunch in a lot of their games this season, but will head into Levi's Stadium to face a 49ers squad that appears to have found their rhythm, as they are finally turning the corner in the injury department and have now stringed together three wins in a row. Led by quarterback Andy Dalton, the Saints will not only look to spoil San Francisco's win-streak, but also their second half shutout streak on defense which has now hit three consecutive games. 

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49ers come Alive in Second half to pull off Comeback

Week 10 - In the days leading up to their Sunday Night match-up with the (5-3) Los Angeles Chargers, coach Kyle Shanahan's (4-4) San Francisco 49ers were hit with some unfortunate news when they learned about the season-ending injury suffered to one of their players. Few players in the NFL have had luck as bad as Jason Verrett who's career has been plagued by injury since being drafted in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft by the then San Diego Chargers who selected him 25th overall. After suffering a season-ending knee injury in the season-opener last year and nearing a comeback after being activated by the 49ers just two weeks ago, the former Pro Bowl corner was dealt yet another blow after tearing his Achilles during practice on Wednesday. Before the heartbreaking injury which has become commonplace for the Niners franchise since the start of coach Shanahan's tenure, teammates and coaches alike were awaiting Verrett's return as he was expected to be somewhat of a reinforcement after the season-ending injury fellow cornerback Emmanuel Moseley suffered in Week 5. 

A tough pill to swallow, the Niners will now have to find that production elsewhere in hopes of someone else stepping up and filling that void. However, San Francisco would get reinforcements at several other positions on defense in time for Sunday's game as defensive-coordinator DeMeco Ryans saw the return of defensive-lineman Jordan Willis as well as linebackers Dre Greenlaw and Azeez Al-Shaair, although Greenlaw's night would be cut short due to an illegal hit which led to an early disqualification. While the San Francisco defense would ultimately come up big when they were most needed, things got off to a sluggish start out the gates. With the Chargers getting the ball first, quarterback Justin Herbert led the team to a touchdown-scoring drive on their opening possession. Playing with a short-handed receiving corps with both Mike Williams and Keenan Allen sidelined with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively, Herbert hit a wide-open DeAndre Carter for the 32-yard score. Coming off the BYE, the 49ers also opened the game with an effective opening-drive, but were held to a field goal in what wound up being an offensive struggle inside the red zone for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and company. 

San Francisco's second offensive possession lasted only one play after Garoppolo hit his intended target Brandon Aiyuk in stride for a 19 yard gain, before an inadvertent helmet knocked the ball loose as the Niners receiver was tackled. Turning the turnover into a field goal, the Chargers took a 10-3 lead to open the second quarter. Trailing 13-3, the 49ers were able to find the end zone before halftime thanks to a pair of big plays from George Kittle and Ray-Ray McCloud who hauled in receptions of 21 and 33 yards, respectively, on consecutive plays. A few plays later, Garoppolo would take it in himself, plowing forward from the 1-yardline and into the end zone for the touchdown. Looking to capitalize by getting the ball back to start the second half, the 49ers were unable to keep the Chargers off the board in the final two minutes of the first half as a pair of costly penalties, including the one that led to the Greenlaw disqualification, allowed the Chargers to sneak in a field goal just before halftime. 

Happy to have Elijah Mitchell back in the backfield for the 49er offense for the first time since suffering an MCL sprain in Week 1, the tandem of Mitchell and Christian McCaffrey helped march the 49ers to a field goal to open the second half and make it a 16-13 ballgame in favor of the Chargers. Playing catch up virtually all night long, San Francisco would take their first lead of the night with 8 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Orchestrating a 16-play, 87-yard drive that culminated with McCaffrey lunging forward for a 2-yard touchdown, the 49ers were able to capture the lead and allow the defense to do the rest. After exchanging punts, San Francisco was able to pin the Chargers deep near their own goal-line, which ultimately resulted in a turnover on downs inside the 10. Unable to punch the ball in for the final dagger, Mitchell would be stood up near the goal line on three straight rushing attempts. Adding another Robbie Gould field goal to improve the 49ers' lead to 22-16, the Chargers would have one last chance to pull off the comeback with less than a minute remaining. Putting an end to that comeback attempt would be Talanoa Hufanga who made a shoestring catch on an errant pass from Herbert to seal the win. 

Stepping up huge in the second half was the San Francisco defense which applied the pressure to Justin Herbert on each of the Chargers' final two possessions which led to a pair of turnovers as the Niners completed the shutout in the second half. Throwing for 240 yards and rushing for a touchdown in the win was Jimmy Garoppolo who's favorite target on the evening was Brandon Aiyuk who hauled in six catches for a game-high 84 yards receiving. The trio of Elijah Mitchell, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel combined for over 150 yards rushing for the 49ers, comparehd to just 51 yards rushing for the Chargers. The San Francisco defense held L.A.'s quarterback Justin Herbert to 196 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. 

Week 11 Preview: Hitting the road and traveling south of the border to face the division rival Arizona Cardinals in Mexico City, the 49ers will look to improve on their perfect record of 3-0 within the division this year as they take on the big stage of Monday Night Football. At 4-6 on the year, the Cardinals have had an up and down season thus far and are coming off a road win against the defending Champion Rams, with both teams having to call on backup quarterbacks. While there's no word just yet on who will be under center for the Cards come game day, the 49ers defense which has logged back to back solid performances, will look to make it three straight regardless of who Arizona head coach Kliff Kingsbury has at quarterback out of Kyler Murray or Colt McCoy. In their first of two head to head match-ups this year, the 49ers will look to bounce back after losing both meetings to Arizona a season ago. 

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Crazy Eight -- 49ers rout Rams for Eighth straight behind Record day from McCaffrey

Week 8 - Coming off a 21-point pummeling at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, the (3-4) San Francisco 49ers returned to their home away from home at Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium, known by many as Levi's Stadium South, looking to regroup against a team they've had major ownage against for the better part of 4 seasons. With seven consecutive wins over the rival Rams during the regular season, coach Kyle Shanahan and company were vying for an 8th straight victory against L.A. and their fourth win of the season. Playing without one of their star players in Deebo Samuel who was ruled out on Friday with a hamstring injury, the 49ers were forced to make do without one of their biggest weapons and biggest Ram-killers, but were also able to show off their newest toy in running back Christian McCaffrey. 

Unlike their Week 4 matchup which started with both teams marching on offense and scoring on their opening-possession, each team would punt the ball away to start this one. After netting -2 yards on their initial possession, the Rams who were coming off a BYE, put together a 20-play, 85-yard drive that lasted 9 minutes and 21 seconds before L.A. quarterback Matt Stafford put an end to a near goal-line stand by the Niners defense by pinballing his way into the end zone on 3rd and 1. Stafford's first rushing touchdown since 2016 would give the Rams a 7-0 lead just before the end of the first quarter. Needing only nine plays to put up similar results, Jimmy Garoppolo and the 49er offense would march right back with a touchdown of their own. With a full weeks practice under his belt for the first time with his new team since being traded from the Carolina Panthers, Christian McCaffrey made his presence felt in more ways than one on Sunday. In what would be a busy day for the newest member of the Niners, McCaffrey logged his first touchdown in the red and gold with a passing touchdown, the second of his career, launching the ball downfield 34-yards and finding a streaking Brandon Aiyuk for the score. In a stadium overran by 49ers red, the crowd would erupt with the game tied at 7. 

The back and forth melee would continue with Stafford finding Cooper Kupp in the end zone for the Rams' second consecutive touchdown. San Francisco would answer back just before halftime, but only with a field goal as L.A. took a 14-10 lead into the half. With both teams again opening the half with punts, it was San Francisco who struck first. Facing a 3rd and 3 from the L.A. 9 yard-line, Garoppolo scanned all options before lofting a pass into the corner of the end zone to a leaping McCaffrey who came down with the spectacular touchdown grab to give the Niners their first lead of the game. Needing just the rushing touchdown to complete the trifecta, McCaffrey would do just that one possession later. After nearly finding the end zone on a 24-yard rush to the 1, coach Shanahan dialed up a run up the middle to allow his new weapon to accomplish the rare feat, as McCaffrey joined some elite company by becoming just the third running back since 1970 to record a passing touchdown, rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown in a single game, and the first since LaDainian Tomlinson in 2005. And some guy named Walter Payton as the only other to do it. 

San Francisco would score touchdowns on three consecutive possessions in the second half when a pair of 49er tight-ends came up with big plays to add to the Rams' misery. Filling in for the injured Kyle Juszczyk who missed Sunday's game with a finger injury, Ross Dwelley picked up blocking and receiving assignments usually given to the Niners' Pro Bowl fullback and delivered on a deep ball from Garoppolo by hauling in a 56-yard reception, the longest of his career. Facing another third down inside the Rams' 10 yard-line, Garoppolo hit his number one tight-end George Kittle inside the end zone for the touchdown. Taking a 31-14 lead that they would hang onto the rest of the way, the 49ers would outscore the Rams 21-0 in the second half and would outgain them 230 to 61 in second half yards on their way to an eighth straight victory over Los Angeles. Passing for 235 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win, Jimmy G completed 21 of 25 passes on the afternoon to give him a 84.0 completion percentage, the highest by a 49ers QB since Hall of Famer Steve Young September 14, 1997. Sunday's game would also mark the first time in Garoppolo's career that he's thrown for 2 TD passes in four straight games. 

Stealing the show on offense, Christian McCaffrey tallied 183 of total offense (94 yards rushing, 55 yards receiving and 34 yards passing) and scored three total touchdowns on his way to becoming the first running back in 49ers team history with a passing and receiving touchdown in the same game. 

Week 10 Preview: Quite possibly the best part about the 49ers' 31-14 victory over the Rams was that coach Shanahan announced after the win that there were no injuries to report, also adding, "That's awkward, but I don't have any to report." While it's a rarity, it's music to the ears of 49er fans as the team enters the Week 9 BYE with a return to .500 and a hope to see several key players return when they take the field next, notably Arik Armstead & Deebo Samuel. With a record of 3-0 now in the division, San Francisco will return home in Week 10 to face another southern California team in the (4-3) Los Angeles Chargers. In what's been an up and down season for the Bolts led by quarterback Justin Herbert, the young gunslinger has not quite been his usual self this season since sustaining an rib injury against the Chiefs back in Week 2. Since then, the Chargers have been off to a rollercoaster of a start and entered their Week 8 BYE last week after dropping a game at home to the Seattle Seahawks, 37-23. One Chargers player who is playing well that the Niners will hope to contain is their do-it-all running back Austin Ekeler. 

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49ers Spearheaded by Chiefs in Blowout Loss at Home

Week 7 - Returning home to Levi's Stadium to face the (4-2) Kansas City Chiefs in what would be a rematch of Super Bowl 54, the (3-3) San Francisco 49ers would welcome arguably their toughest match-up on the schedule. But even before kickoff between two of the league's heavyweights, the 49ers stole the spotlight heading into another action-packed NFL Sunday when they made a blockbuster trade to acquire All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers less than three days earlier. However, their new offensive weapon wouldn't be the only player Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan would be excited to see on the field come Sunday, as the team also welcomed back a pair of key cogs in left-tackle Trent Williams and defensive-end Nick Bosa, both of whom missed time nursing ankle and groin injuries, respectively. 

With plenty of excitement in the air, the 49ers offense came out guns blazing, receiving the ball to start the game. After a first down pass to George Kittle who had his best game of the season (6 receptions for 98 yards and a touchdown), coincidentally on National Tight-End's Day, the 49ers and their fans got their first look at their newest offensive weapon on the field. Roars from the 49er faithful serenaded McCaffrey who got back to back touches on the opening possession and had carries of 10 and 9 yards right off the bat. It didn't matter if McCaffrey touched the ball or simply checked into the game, the welcoming cheers could be heard consistently each and every time his cleats met the turf on the playing field. Though San Francisco's hot start would eventually fizzle out as they made it inside the red zone and ultimately had to settle for a Robbie Gould field goal, the 49er offense would be right back at it just a few plays later as Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was picked off on his first pass of the afternoon. Young San Francisco standout safety Talanoa Hufanga who seems to come out with a game-changing play on almost a weekly basis, made his presence felt early as he forced the Mahomes interception. While it would be the second straight game with an opening-drive pick for Mahomes, it would be his lone mistake of the ballgame as he was virtually flawless for the rest of the contest. 

Turning the early miscue into points, San Francisco made quick work of the prime field position, scoring just four plays later as 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo rolled to his right and hit Ray-Ray McCloud who made a diving catch to haul in his first-career touchdown reception. While the early trip to the end zone would give the Niners a quick 10-0 advantage, it would also wake up a sleeping giant in the Kansas City offense. Answering back with a touchdown of their own, Chiefs receiver Mecole Hardman got his team on the board with an 8-yard touchdown. Following another Robbie Gould field goal, the Chiefs marched once more on offense with a Hardman again finding the end zone, this time from the ground after a 25-yard touchdown run. With the Chiefs taking a 14-13 lead, a strange and rather sloppy sequence of events would take place, starting with the 49ers who marched their way into field goal range. 

Looking to recapture the lead, a costly false-start penalty on the offense knocked Gould back 5-yards and out of field goal range as they were forced to settle for a punt. Back to receive the punt was Chiefs rookie Skyy Moore who muffed the catch, giving the ball right back to the San Francisco offense. Looking to capitalize on the second-chance opportunity and at least head into halftime with a lead, Garoppolo instead returned the favor and gave the ball right back three plays later as he felt the pressure of a sack and lobbed a ball up to a crowd of players as Kansas City's Joshua Williams came away with the jump-ball interception. Looking to add to their own lead before opening the second half with the ball, Mahomes and the Chiefs offense marched into the red zone until a low-block penalty set them back 15 yards. Those yards would prove to be crucial as Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker's lone field goal attempt on the day sailed wide right from 39 yards out, keeping the score at 14-13 entering the half. 

With San Francisco boasting the league's number two scoring defense entering Sunday, the once formidable unit which has been banged up and riddled with injuries the last few weeks, looked like a shell of themselves in the second half. Opening the half with four consecutive touchdown-scoring drives, the Niners were unable to find an answer for Mahomes and company on defense. Kansas City would be in business to start the second half after a 48-yard kick return by Chiefs rookie Isiah Pacheco and a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty tacked on, added to San Francisco's frustration on special-teams. The Chiefs would find the end zone just three plays later. While the Niners would answer with another field goal, K.C. again fired back with another trip to the end zone. Keeping the game close to start the fourth quarter, Garoppolo and the 49er offense embarked on their best drive yet.

Orchestrating a 13-play, 81-yard drive, Jimmy G hit George Kittle in the end zone for a jump-ball touchdown reception to make it a 28-23 ballgame. Sadly, that would be as close as the Niners would get as the rest of the scoring would come from the Chiefs. After allowing two more touchdowns and a safety, San Francisco's offense went stagnant as their final two possessions ended in a fumble and an interception. With the ballgame getting out of hand for the 49ers on the scoreboard, coach Shanahan would call on rookie quarterback Brock Purdy who was this year's Mr. Irrelevant as the final pick in April's Draft. Two big back-breaking plays for the 49er defense would come on a pair of third and longs as they gave up 34-yards on a screen pass to running back Jerick McKinnon on 3rd and 20, and another 57-yards on a deep pass to receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on 3rd and 11. 

When it was all said and done, the 49ers fell to the Chiefs, 44-23, as San Francisco gave up their most points in a home game since a 45-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons at Candlestick Park on October 11, 2009. With a season-high 423 yards passing for Patrick Mahomes, the K.C. signal-caller also threw for 3 touchdowns and an interception on his way to logging his 56th career win, tying him for the most among quarterbacks in their first 70 starts since 1950. While receiver Mecole Hardman finished behind four other Chiefs in receiving yards on Sunday, he became the first receiver in the Super Bowl era with 2+ rushing touchdowns and 1+ receiving TD in a game. 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo had his most passing yards of the season with 303 to go along with a pair of touchdowns, but he also had a lost fumble and an interception as the 49ers were out-sacked by Kansas City's defense on Sunday: 5 to 1. 

Week 8 Preview: Falling to 3-4 on the year following the lopsided loss, the 49ers find themselves trailing the Seattle Seahawks of all teams in the NFC West standings who are currently in first place at 4-3. A few things San Francisco has had working for them this season is their 2-0 mark against teams within the division, and another is their recent domination of the rival Los Angeles Rams. With seven straight regular season victories over L.A., the 49ers will try to make it eight straight against their rivals when they take a trip down south to SoFi Stadium in Week 8. Looking to avenge their 24-9 loss to the Niners at Levi's Stadium on Monday Night Football in Week 4, the Rams are coming off a BYE and have had plenty of time to prepare for the team that has had their number over the past 3+ seasons. Meanwhile, 49ers new running back Christian McCaffrey who saw limited action on Sunday due to his unfamiliarity with coach Shanahan's playbook, will have some time to get up to speed on the offense in preparation of facing the team that came close to acquiring him before he landed in SF. Other suitors who had reportedly shown interest in trading for CMC were the Broncos, Eagles and Bills. McCaffrey who tallied 38 rushing yards on 8 carries and 24 receiving yards on 2 receptions, should also get more plays on passing downs against the Rams as Niners fullback Kyle Juszczyk will miss a week after suffering a broken finger on Sunday. 

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Overcome with Injuries, Banged up 49ers lose to Falcons

Week 6 - If there's been any theme for the (3-2) San Francisco 49ers so far this season, it's been the string of bad luck in the injury department and losing to teams a Super Bowl contending team has no business losing to. Both of which would continue on Sunday as the Niners visited Mercedes-Benz Stadium to face the (2-3) Atlanta Falcons. Banged up and bruised up and down the roster on both sides of the ball, the 49ers entered Sunday's game missing six of their 11 starters on defense, and have already added 10 players to the Injured Reserve list this season, with defensive-tackle Javon Kinlaw (right knee) and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (torn left ACL) being the latest to fall victim. With that many absences on the roster, the glaring holes would be too much for even the league's top defense to overcome as Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota had his way with the opposition from the onset. 

With Atlanta receiving the ball to start the game, Mariota and company moved the chains with ease on their game opening-drive, converting on three third downs before reaching the end zone to cap off a 13-play, 74-yard touchdown-scoring drive. Finding themselves trailing early, it would be the first touchdown allowed in the first half this season by the San Francisco defense who looked every bit as a team missing more than half of their starters on defense. Unfortunately, the offense would not look any better on their first possession which ended with a three and out punt. While the 49er defense would force punts on each of Atlanta's next two possessions, the offense shot themselves in the foot when a rush attempt on third and 1 from running back Jeff Wilson Jr. backfired as the ball carrier was striped of the ball, making for an easy scoop and score for the Falcons defense. 

In what would be a reunion game for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan who spent two seasons as Atlanta's offensive-coordinator and helped coach the Falcons high-octane offense to a Super Bowl appearance in 2016, things for his current offense couldn't have gotten off to a more lousy start on Sunday. The 14-0 hole in the opening quarter would be the largest deficit faced by San Francisco this season. But with a long ways to go before the end of regulation, the 49ers would have plenty of time to turn things around. And at the start of the second quarter, San Francisco's offense would do just that. With the busiest game of the season thus far for 49ers tight-end George Kittle, QB Jimmy Garoppolo connected with receiver Brandon Aiyuk for touchdown passes on back to back drives to tie the game at 14-all midway through the second quarter. But just when San Francisco appeared to swing all the momentum in their favor, Atlanta stormed back with a touchdown of their own as Mariota took it in himself for an easy score from 3-yards out. Looking to answer just before the half, Garoppolo launched a deep ball down the field to Deebo Samuel, but was picked off for an interception. 

Receiving the ball to start the second half, San Francisco again came out flat on offense to start the half and were held to a three and out punt. Meanwhile, Atlanta came out guns blazing on offense just like they did to start the game. Capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive was second-year tight-end Kyle Pitts who after missing the previous game with a hamstring injury, hauled in his first touchdown reception of the season to put his team ahead 28-14. Rearing its ugly head again would be the injury bug which bit San Francisco two more times as cornerback Charvarius Ward (groin) and right-tackle Mike McGlinchey (calf) each left the game in the first half and did not return. Asked to fill in for the injured McGlinchey was Jake Brendel who had a rough day at the office and was called for three of San Francisco's five penalties on the afternoon, including one on a 39-yard pass from Garoppolo to Aiyuk that was brought back due to a holding call. A pair of drops on deep balls to Ray-Ray McCloud and Charlie Woerner would sum up the day for San Francisco who had their chances but let them slip thru their hands in what would ultimately be a 28-14 loss. 

With only 50-yards of rushing to show for on the day for the 49ers, Atlanta on the other hand had their most productive rushing day yet this season, despite being without their starting running back Cordarrelle Patterson, tallying 168 yards on the ground with 59 of those yards coming from Caleb Huntley, 51 from Tyler Allgeier and another 50 from Mariota. While Mariota would only throw for 129 yards on the afternoon, he took what the defense gave him and showed his accuracy by connecting on 13 of 14 passes for a pair of touchdowns thru the air and another on the ground. Jimmy Garoppolo nearly threw for 300 yards passing before finishing with 296, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, with both George Kittle and Brandon Aiyuk each hauling in eight receptions for 83 yards. 

Week 7 Preview: Returning home to Levi's Stadium to face the (4-2) Kansas City Chiefs in what will be a rematch of 2019's Super Bowl 54, the (3-3) San Francisco 49ers are hoping to get multiple key players back from injury in anticipation of the big game. With the loss on Sunday to Atlanta and wins within the division from both Seattle and Los Angeles, the 49ers are currently in a 3-way tie for first place, but do own the tie-breaker with a 2-0 record against NFC West foes. Looking to stay on track and remain atop the division, coach Shanahan is hoping for some good news on the injury front regarding left-tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and defensive-end Nick Bosa (groin), as well as Mike McGlinchey (calf), Charvarius Ward (groin) and Talanoa Hufanga (concussion) who left Sunday's game vs Atlanta. Meanwhile, the Chiefs are coming off back to back hard fought games after a 1-point win over the rival Raiders on Monday Night Football and a last-minute loss at home on Sunday to the Buffalo Bills. With quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight-end Travis Kelce as dangerous as any at their respective positions, Week 7 will be no easy task for the 49ers who will need every bit of help they can get come kickoff. 

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49ers Pound Panthers in Blowout Win

Week 5 - Looking to put together their first winning-streak of the season, the (2-2) San Francisco 49ers would take a trip to Charlotte to take on the (1-3) Carolina Panthers. During the week leading up to gameday, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo revealed that Carolina was among the top two teams on his list of possible landing destinations. Instead, the Panthers made a deal to acquire QB Baker Mayfield from the Cleveland Browns and Garoppolo restructured his contract to stay in San Francisco days before the start of the preseason. Coincidentally, Jimmy G would have his best game yet in 2022 and Mayfield his worst. 

With 30+ friends and family members in attendance, Sunday's game would serve as a homecoming for 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel. And although Deebo would eventually give his many supporters something to cheer about, it was Samuel's teammate George Kittle who Garoppolo would go to early and often to start the game. Having gotten off to a slow start thus far through two games after missing the first two weeks of the season with a groin injury, the 49ers tight-end had his most productive game of the season. Hauling in the first two passes of the afternoon from Garoppolo and four of the first six, a steady diet of Kittle helped move the San Francisco offense up and down the field in the opening quarter. Two plays after a 20-yard reception from Kittle, 49ers running back Jeff Wilson Jr. broke up the middle for a 41-yard gain, setting up a 9-yard touchdown reception by Tevin Coleman who had himself a nice return to the franchise after signing with the team's practice squad less than three weeks earlier. In his second stint with the team after being released by the Jets during the preseason, Coleman scored twice on the afternoon, both on the ground and through the air. 

Jimmy G would look Kittle's way two more times during their second offensive possession, but the drive would be cut short as Kittle was tackled from behind and striped of the ball near midfield, fumbling for only the second time in his career. Luckily, the turnover would not haunt the Niners as Carolina had demons of their own as Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro's field goal attempt from 41-yards out soared wide left. The missed field goal would snap a streak of 27 consecutive made field goals for Pineiro who was perfect on the day otherwise. The Panthers kicker would redeem himself on Carolina's following possession by making a 43-yarder, but not before the 49ers got a field goal of their own as Robbie Gould split the uprights from 49-yards out. Gould would have an interesting day at the office as he had a field goal blocked two possessions later from 43-yards out, and also had to make a pair of plays on special-teams as he made a tackle on consecutive kickoffs, injuring himself in the process. Gould would have to leave the game in the third quarter with a knee contusion in what would be a rough second half for the Niners in the injury department. 

Already playing this week without Arik Armstead and Javon Kinlaw along the defensive-line as both players were ruled out before kickoff, Gould, Jimmie Ward, Nick Bosa and Emmanuel Moseley would all be lost to injury on Sunday. With Bosa leaving the game due to a tight groin, it would be another tough break for safety Jimmie Ward who was activated from the team's injured-reserve list after missing the first four games of the season with a hamstring injury. There's bad luck and then there's whatever Ward has as his season-debut would be cut short as he suffered a broken hand on the opening-kickoff. But the worst injury of all would be that of cornerback Emmanuel Moseley who suffered a left knee injury that immediately had head coach Kyle Shanahan and his medical staff fearing the worst with a possible torn ACL. Before Moseley needed assistance to be helped off the field, he came up with the best play of the day on defense when he intercepted a Baker Mayfield pass and returned it to the end zone for a 41-yard pick-six. It would be a day of high's and low's for Moseley who grew up in nearby Greensboro, North Carolina, and like Deebo, had plenty of supporters rooting him on from the stands. Moseley's interception would give the 49er defense back to back weeks with a pick-six for the first time since 2000, and their eighth pick-six since 2019, tying them for the most in the NFL during that span. 

Carolina would open the second half with their one and only touchdown-scoring drive of the game when their star running back Christian McCaffrey took a handoff on 4th and 1 the distance for a 19-yard score before failing on the two-point conversion. The 49er offense would answer that touchdown with one of their own as a big 32-yard catch and run from receiver Jauan Jennings helped setup a touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel. Sandwiched between two more Carolina field goals, Jeff Wilson Jr. would add to his busy day with a rushing touchdown from the 1-yard line. Having filled in quite nicely for the injured Elijah Mitchell, Wilson Jr. finished with 120 rushing yards on 17 carries. San Francisco would add one last touchdown late, capitalizing on a turnover on downs from the Panthers inside their own 10. Putting the icing on the cake would be Tevin Coleman who added to his receiving touchdown earlier in the game with a rushing touchdown from the 5. The injury to Gould would thwart punter Mitch Wishnowsky into kicking duties as he made 1 of 2 PAT's on the afternoon, while sharing a laugh with his teammates. Garoppolo would finish with 253 yards passing and 2 touchdowns in comparison to Mayfield's 215 yards passing and 1 interception. 

Coach Shanahan's Niners would be the only team in the division that reigned victorious on Sunday, as the rest of the NFC West fell to 2-3 on the season, meaning the 49ers stand alone in first place at 3-2. And helping San Francisco achieve that feat was the defense which stepped up big once again with a six sack performance after tallying 7 sacks the previous week versus the Rams. The 49er offense was also able to match that intensity by producing drives of all types to keep the opposition on their heels. Developments would rock both teams on Monday as Carolina fired head coach Matt Rhule following the team's disappointing 1-4 start and team doctors confirmed that 49ers corner Emmanuel Moseley did in fact suffer a torn ACL that will require season-ending surgery. While Moseley's absence in the defense will be detrimental to what's been a stout secondary, the door for his replacement opens wide with eyes on rookie Samuel Womack III, second-year corner Ambry Thomas, veteran Dontae Johnson and the often injured Jason Verrett who will make his season-debut soon from IR. 

Week 6 Preview: Staying out east in preparation of their Week 6 visit to Georgia to face the (2-3) Atlanta Falcons, the 49ers will setup shop at the Greenbrier Resort in West Virginia as part of their home away from home practice site, instead of flying across the country to the team's practice facility in the Bay Area. With a 21-15 loss on Sunday to the division rival Tampa Bay Buccaneers, quarterback Marcus Mariota and the Falcons are just one win better than the Panthers in the standings and if not for a bogus roughing the passer call on a third down sack of Tom Brady during the 4th quarter, the Falcons could very well be coming off a win. Instead, they're coming off a defeat and are likely to be without their top two offensive weapons in tight-end Kyle Pitts and receiver turned running back Cordarrelle Patterson as they nurse a hamstring and knee injury, respectively. For this very reason, the 49ers might be able to get by for a week without defensive star Nick Bosa if Shanahan and company choose to give him a week off to aid his groin injury. Meanwhile, the team will hold a tryout for kickers in the event that Robbie Gould has to miss any time. 

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49ers Continue regular-season Domination of rival Rams

Week 4 - Returning home in hopes of shaking off the ugly loss in Week 3 to the Denver Broncos, the (1-2) San Francisco 49ers would have a chance to redeem themselves under the spotlight and on the national stage in a Monday night meeting with the division rival and defending Super Bowl champion (2-1) Los Angeles Rams. Vying for their seventh straight regular-season victory over the Rams, 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo would put his perfect 6-0 record against L.A. on the line, hoping to continue his success against the Niners' long-standing rival, while also rebounding from a tough outing the week before. After a dismal showing on offense a week earlier on the road in Denver, the 49ers offense found their rhythm right out of the gates on Monday night, scoring a touchdown with ease on their opening-drive. 

Marching 75-yards on 10-plays, Niners running back Jeff Wilson started things off by dashing to the end zone for a 32-yard score to give San Francisco a 7-3 advantage and a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the evening. Boasting one of the league's best defenses thru the first month of the NFL season, the 49ers struggled to slow the Rams down during their game-opening drive which lasted 16-plays, before eventually holding L.A. to a field goal. That bend but don't break mentality would hold true throughout the entirety of the game. Both teams would exchange a pair of punts before the Rams got on the scoreboard again with another Matt Gay field goal to make it a 7-6 game. Both times the Rams scored with a field goal, the Niners answered with a touchdown. Approaching midfield, the 49ers would turn a near-disaster into one of the top highlight plays of the season thus far as receiver Deebo Samuel logged the longest play of the season for San Francisco. 

On a pass from Garoppolo that was nearly intercepted, Deebo leaped into the air and came down with the reception before taking it 57-yards to the house, turning on the jets and breaking several tackles before finding the end zone. It would be Deebo's first receiving touchdown of the season and his sixth career touchdown against L.A. With San Francisco leading 14-6 at the half, both teams would exchange field goals before an interesting turn of events highlighted the fourth quarter. Leading by 8-points with under 9-minutes remaining in regulation, the 49ers would give kicker Robbie Gould a chance to make it a two-score game, but his 42-yard field goal try would soar wide left, giving the Rams new life and a chance to tie the game late. Just when L.A. appeared to be turning the tide and gaining some momentum, one of the youngest players on the 49ers' star-studded defense and one of their biggest standouts through the first three weeks of the season stepped up with yet another big play to seal the victory. 

Second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga who has already made a name for himself in the San Francisco secondary as a ballhawk and tackle machine, read a play perfectly when he jumped a screen and intercepted Matt Stafford's pass intended for receiver Cooper Kupp. Hufanga juggled the ball before making the catch and racing his way to the end zone untouched for the game-sealing pick-six. Oddly enough, the masterful play by Hufanga would give San Francisco their fourth pick-six against the Rams in as many years as they've returned one to the house in four consecutive seasons against L.A. dating back to the 2019 season. The interception would also put Stafford in dubious company as it marked his 28th career pick-six, tying him with Hall of Famer Joe Namath for the third-most since 1950. The game would also mark the second consecutive game in which he failed to throw a touchdown pass, the first time he's done so in consecutive weeks since Weeks 15 and 16 of the 2016 season. 

Adding insult to injury, the San Francisco defense would also force a late fumble on a quarterback sack by former Ram Samson Ebukam. Facing a banged up Rams offensive-line, San Francisco's defensive front had a field day with QB Matt Stafford, bringing him down for seven sacks on the evening, including two each from Nick Bosa and the aforementioned Ebukam. Meanwhile, the 49ers were able to keep Garoppolo on his feet all night long despite o-line issues of their own and being without All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams who is expected to be out for 4 to 6 weeks while nursing a high-ankle sprain. Unfortunately, they would also lose Williams' replacement in Colton McKivitz who suffered an MCL sprain in this one, that will likely keep him out for up to two months. 

Unlike the NFC title game when the Rams rallied late from being down 10-points in the fourth quarter to top the Niners, L.A. had no answer late on Monday and has now been outscored 44-3 in the fourth quarter this season. Improving his perfect record to 7-0 in his regular-season career against the Rams, 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo now trails only Tom Brady's flawless 9-0 mark against the Falcons and Patrick Mahomes unblemished 9-0 record against the Broncos for the best record for an active QB vs a single opponent. As for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, he now owns the longest active win streak vs a single head coach with 7-straight victories in the regular season over Rams head coach Sean McVay. Finishing with 239 yards passing and 1 touchdown for Jimmy G, 115 of those yards would come from Deebo Samuel who logged his 10th career game with over 100 yards receiving. Jeff Wilson led all rushers with 74 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, while the San Francisco defense shutdown L.A.'s run game entirely as no Ram rushed for more than 27 yards. Matt Stafford threw for 254 yards and an interception, but had a hard time feeding anyone not named Cooper Kupp or Tyler Higbee as the two finished with 122 and 73 yards, respectively. 

Week 5 Preview: Hitting the road again for their first of two consecutive games against NFC South opponents, the 49ers will look to record their first winning-streak of the season when they pay a visit to Carolina to face the 1-3 Panthers. Under first-year quarterback Baker Mayfield, things have not been good for the Panthers who were greeted with boos from the home crowd and are coming off a 26-16 loss at home to the Arizona Cardinals. Having had success against stopping the run so far this season, the San Francisco defense will try to keep things rolling against the versatile Christian McCaffrey who is coming off his third straight game with over 100 total yards of offense. 

With all four NFC Western Division foes at 2-2 on the year, the 49ers are the only team in the division with both of their wins coming against NFC West foes. While winning within the division is always nice, logging that first win against a team outside the division will be a nice start for San Francisco who has a tough stretch of games down the line on their schedule, and Carolina is a team the 49ers should certainly take advantage of and beat. 

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Key Safety the Difference in 49ers Loss to Denver

Week 3 - In what was expected to be a game highlighted by stellar defense, it was the sluggish offense that stole the show for both the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) and Denver Broncos (1-1), and not in a good way. With both teams coming off their first wins of the season in Week 2, fans of both teams had hoped for another step in the right direction for the offense in Week 3, despite going up against a pair of good defenses. Unfortunately for all who sat thru the Sunday Night tilt, that was not the case as boo's were heard in Denver and were echoed from 49er fans on Twitter from fans frustrated with the offense of both teams. Even with quarterback Russell Wilson no longer in the NFC Western division where he tormented the 49ers for 10 long years with the rival Seahawks, San Francisco was not able to dodge the QB who has owned them throughout his entire career, boasting a 16-4 record against them. And while he was hardly a factor in this one, Wilson again reigned victorious over the Niners, this time with Denver.  

Coming out swinging was the 49er defense who forced a three and out punt on Denver's first possession, before the San Francisco offense followed suit with a 7-play, 75-yard touchdown-scoring drive on their second possession of the game. After a deep pass to receiver Brandon Aiyuk and a big run from running back Jeff Wilson, the 49ers smelled blood and capitalized with an early trip to the end zone as quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo found Aiyuk for the easy score from a few yards out. Other than a Brandon McManus field goal to start the second quarter for Denver, there wasn't much to highlight in the first half for either team as the punters were on full display for much of the evening. Both teams would combine for 10 punts in the first half alone, the most in the first half of any game this season thru the first three weeks. Even worse, the game would feature nine three and outs by the Denver offense, the most of Russell Wilson's career. 

Looking to come out swinging in the second half the same way they opened the first, the 49ers were able to accomplish that feat on defense, but the offense failed to deliver their end of the bargain as Garoppolo fumbled the snap at mid-field, turning the ball over and giving Denver their best field possession yet. Luckily for them, the Broncos offense would fail to do anything with it as the San Francisco defense again came thru when it was needed. In what quickly turned into a game of field position as both teams took turns pinning each other back deep in their own territory, the 49ers ultimately lost that battle as a crucial mistake took place that would prove to be the difference on the scoreboard. Pinned all the way back at their own 2 yard-line, Garoppolo took the snap and backpedaled into the end zone, feeling the pressure and eventually stepping out of bounds for what would end up being a safety to make it a 7-5 game. Eying their first lead of the game, Denver would march across midfield for a 53-yard field goal that was missed wide-right by McManus. 

Exchanging punts on the next two possessions, the 49ers would increase their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal from 51 yards out to bring the score to 10-5, San Francisco. After another pair of punts, Wilson and the Broncos would embark on their best drive yet and their only touchdown-scoring drive of the evening, marching 80-yards on 13-plays. Capping the drive and giving Denver their first lead of the game in the fourth quarter, running back Melvin Gordon III rushed forward from a yard out. The key play of the drive came on a crucial 3rd and 10, as Wilson connected with Kendall Hinton for 27-yards and a first down, only after the Broncos QB escaped the pocket and dodged a sack like he's done so often against San Francisco throughout his career. Failing to convert on the two-point conversion, the 49ers found themselves trailing, 11-10 with just over four minutes remaining in regulation. 

In need of a score any way they could get it, San Francisco's next two possessions would go up in flames in the worst way, starting off with an interception as Garoppolo threw into traffic attempting to force the ball to Deebo Samuel as the ball was deflected and landed in the lap of a defender. With just over two minutes remaining, the Niner offense would get another chance after the defense forced another Denver three and out, but a 12-yard sack would again pin the offense back near their own end zone before a dump off pass from Jimmy G to Jeff Wilson ended in disaster as the 49er running back was tackled from behind, fumbling the ball in the process. With Denver recovering the football, San Francisco's late-game heroics would fall short. Despite having held the lead for more than three quarters and edging Denver in total yards 267 to 261, the 49ers were doomed by two fumbles, an interception and a safety, and while the defense played great, they were unable to force any turnovers of their own. 

Under defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero, Denver had a good game plan on defense in not letting two guys in particular beat them in Deebo Samuel and George Kittle. That strategy would pan out as Deebo was a non-factor on the ground after being held to only 6 rushing yards on 5 carries, and Kittle who torched the Broncos for a career-best 210 receiving yards the only other time he faced them back in 2018, setting a franchise record for the most receiving yards in a game by a 49ers tight-end, was held to 28 yards receiving on four receptions. Although Deebo did have a team-high 73 yards receiving on 5 receptions as the main target of Jimmy Garoppolo who threw for 211 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception on 18 of 29 passes. Russell Wilson was held to just 184 yards passing and finished the game touchdown-less in the win for Denver. 

Week 4 Preview: The 49ers (1-2) will return home for another primetime battle against a division foe as they welcome in the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams (2-1) for a Monday Night showdown. Having owned the Rams for the better part of 3 seasons now with six straight regular season wins over their division rival, the 49ers will look to avenge their loss in last year's NFC Championship when they blew a 10-point lead on the road in L.A. After dropping the season-opener on Thursday Night Football to the Buffalo Bills, the Rams have stringed together back to back wins against Atlanta and Arizona, and are the only team in the division at 2-1. In need of all the help they can get along the offensive-line as they go up against Aaron Donald and company, the 49ers will be without their All-Pro left-tackle Trent Williams who left Sunday Night's game in Denver during the second half. 

Expected to miss 4 to 6 weeks with what head coach Kyle Shanahan described as a high-ankle sprain, the absence of Williams was immediately felt in the third quarter of Sunday's game as the flood gates opened and Garoppolo was constantly under pressure from the moment he left the game. Hopefully an extra day before their Week 4 bout will allow for some additional preparation heading into the big game. Also on the injury front, the team will be without linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair for up to 8 weeks with an MCL sprain, similar to the one suffered by RB Elijah Mitchell back in Week 1. If not for bad luck, the 49ers would have no luck at all it seems as Shanahan and company can not catch a break when it comes to the injury bug as they've already lost several key players in a matter of weeks to open the 2022 season. 

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49ers Dominate Seattle in first Win of the Season

Week 2 - With the start of a new era in Seattle for the Seahawks as former quarterback Russell Wilson has moved on after being traded to the Denver Broncos, no team in the NFL is more relieved of Wilson departing the Emerald City than the San Francisco 49ers. In his 10 seasons in the NFC West, the Wilson-led Seahawks tormented the rival 49ers to the tune of 16-4 record since drafting Wilson in the 3rd round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Also relieved of Wilson's departure is Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan who has witnessed his team lose 8 of 10 meetings against the Seahawks with Wilson under center. With Wilson now gone and a new-look Seattle team to focus on, the 49ers welcomed in their division rival with payback on their minds for all the years Seattle had their number and their sights set on getting in the win column for the first time this season. 

After taking it to their former franchise quarterback a week ago on Monday Night Football, the Seahawks appeared to be in good hands with Geno Smith taking the reigns, but the suffocating San Francisco defense proved to be too much for Seattle's signal-caller on Sunday. Greeted by more inclement weather in their home-opener as rain fell for most of the afternoon, the conditions weren't nearly as bad as they were a week ago in Chicago when the 49ers were upset by an inferior Bears team, but they were again less than ideal for a team looking to put a stamp on the 2022 season. Getting back on track in every way imaginable were the 49ers who looked like their normal selves at Levi's Stadium on Sunday, pitching a shutout on defense and playing a much cleaner game after being ravaged by penalties in the season-opening loss. But before the final whistle would blow on Sunday, plenty of drama would transpire, most notably at the quarterback position. 

From the onset of the offseason to the final snap of the preseason, the 49ers' quarterback controversy between Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo would hit a fever pitch in the days leading up to the regular season when the team failed to deal Jimmy G and instead announced the his return as both sides agreed to restructure his contract and bring him back for the final year of his five-year deal signed back in 2018. Keeping Garoppolo around in the event of a monumental collapse under Lance or even worse a major injury, coach Shanahan would be forced to make the switch much sooner than anyone expected, including the pundits who've been calling for Lance's downfall from the moment he was named the team's starter during training camp. After getting off to a hot start on both sides of the ball as the Niners opened the game with a field goal and got a stop on defense, the San Francisco offense was knocking on the door again when the Niners' young QB would require medical attention. 

On a designed-run, Lance rushed up the middle for a 2-yard gain on 2nd and 8, when his right lower-leg was rolled up on underneath him. With Lance laying in pain, his teammates immediately called for help as the team's medical staff quickly rushed onto the field where they would provide assistance. With his leg in an air cast, Lance would be carted off the field as a somber mix of whistles and cheers serenaded the 22-year old quarterback who was carried thru the tunnel. Once play resumed, Garoppolo would take over under-center as the offense again settled for a Robbie Gould field goal. After forcing another Seattle punt, the 49ers would finally find the end zone when Garoppolo hit a wide-open Ross Dwelley along the left side-line for a 38-yard touchdown. Filling in at tight-end for the injured George Kittle who missed his second consecutive game to start the season due to a groin injury, Dwelley caught only one pass on Sunday, but made the most of his lone opportunity as the sounds of fog horns rang throughout the raucous Levi's Stadium crowd. 

The 49er defense would get in on the fun when they forced back to back interceptions, with the first on a deflected ball off the hands of Niners safety Talanoa Hufanga and into the bread basket of Tashaun Gipson. Hufanga was everywhere on Sunday and played like a man possessed, making play after play along the defense. They would follow up that takeaway with another when a bit of trickery backfired on the Seattle offense. Threatening to score their first touchdown of the afternoon, the first career pass attempt from running back DeeJay Dallas was one he would regret throwing as Chavarius Ward who was San Francisco's big free-agent grab during the offseason, came up with the big turnover. The 49ers would again fail to turn the turnover into points, but they would get the ball back right away when a pair of Seahawks ran into one another on the ensuing punt. Recovering the ball and capitalizing on superb field position, the 49ers would cash in at the goal-line with a run up the gut from fullback Kyle Juszczyk to give his team a 20-0 lead at the half. 

Coming out of the locker room at halftime with more of the same dominance on both sides of the ball, the 49ers forced a Seattle punt on their first possession of the half before setting up for a 20-yard field goal. What appeared to be a chip-shot for Gould, ended in a blocked field goal, generating the lone highlight of the day for Seattle as the ball was recovered and returned to the house for a special-teams touchdown. It would mark Seattle's first blocked field goal for a touchdown since December 23, 2012 vs SF, ending a span of 147 games without. While the touchdown appeared to give Seattle new life, especially after forcing a punt on San Francisco's following possession, the 49er defense continued to show no mercy against the Seahawks offense as they forced a pair of punts of their own before Jimmy Garoppolo and company embarked on a 16-play drive that chewed up over seven minutes of the fourth quarter. Making it all the way to the 1-yard line and facing fourth and goal, Jimmy G put an exclamation mark on the game as he plowed up the middle for the game-sealing touchdown before being helped to his feet and embraced in the end zone by his teammates. 

Treating the Niner Faithful to some home-cookin, San Francisco claimed their first win over Seattle since December 29, 2019 to snap a 4-game losing-streak, doing so in front of the home fans by a final score of 27-7. Filling in nicely for the injured Elijah Mitchell, backup running back Jeff Wilson carried the ball 18 times for 84 yards, with wide-back Deebo Samuel adding another 53 yards on the ground on four carries, plus another 44 yards on five receptions. Garoppolo connected on 13 of 21 pass attempts for 154 yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Geno Smith threw for 197 yards and an interception for Seattle, with Tyler Lockett hauling in 107 of those yards receiving, and Rashaad Penny finished as the team's leading rusher with only 15 yards on six carries. With only two sacks recorded in the game, both would come from San Francisco's Nick Bosa to give him 3 QB sacks on the year. With wins on Sunday from the 49ers, Rams and Cardinals, all four teams in the NFC West sit at 1-1 thru the first two weeks. 

Week 3 Preview: Paying a visit to the Mile High City, the 49ers and Broncos will face off on Sunday Night Football against an old foe in Russell Wilson. One of the more impressive showings by the San Francisco defense in their dominant win over Seattle on Sunday was their ability to stop the run, which is something they will hope to carry into their meeting with the Broncos in Week 3, specifically against Wilson who has made a living out of hurting the 49er defense with his feet. In easily the biggest trade of the offseason, the acquisition of Russell Wilson which was followed by a hefty payday (5-years, $245 Million) has not yet panned out for Denver who after losing their season-opener to Seattle, needed some late-game heroics to sneak by the rebuilding Houston Texans, 16-9 at home. Not to mention first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett has looked every bit as a rookie head coach thru his first two games at the helm. With Denver off to a sluggish 0-for-6 start in red zone opportunities to start the season, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers are making the trip to Colorado just in time before the Broncos figure things out this year, if they figure things out at all. 

After losing Elijah Mitchell for up to eight weeks with an MCL sprain, the 49ers will be without another running back in rookie Tyrion Davis-Price who suffered a high ankle sprain on Sunday that will cause him to miss at least a few weeks. The injury to two running backs in as many weeks is alarming given how many games are left, but also opens the door for fellow rookie running back Jordan Mason who was signed as an undrafted free-agent and Marlon Mack who was signed just last week to the practice squad after the injury to Mitchell. Also, it was reported on Monday that Trey Lance underwent successful surgery to repair two injuries to his right ankle and is expected to make a full recovery in time for the start of the 2023 season. The injury is unfortunate as it stunts the growth of a young player very much in need of all the reps he can get and further delays the development of the inexperienced Lance who will now have to wait quite some time before he's able to hit the gridiron again. 

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A Perfect Storm -- 49ers Drop Opener in slippery Chicago

Week 1 - Heading into the 2022 NFL season, plenty has been said about what teams are expected to be good this year in the NFC and what teams aren't. The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears would be on completely different spectrums in the expectations department with the Niners coming off a dropped interception away from making it to the Super Bowl last year and chosen by many to again compete for an NFC title, and the rebuilding Bears transitioning under a rookie head coach. But regardless of how much better one team's roster is over the other, the difference in talent can easily be made up if you add in some torrential downpours to even the playing field like the ones that shook the windy city and flooded Soldier Field. 

Even before the 49ers took the field in what resembled a marshland more than it did a football field, they were met with the unfortunate news that first-year starter Trey Lance would be playing QB without one of his key weapons in All-Pro tight-end George Kittle. Nursing a groin injury suffered in Monday's practice, Kittle was a game-time decision before being ruled out just before kickoff. Once the game started, things began to look up for San Francisco as the 49er defense forced a three and out on Chicago's opening-drive. The offense would start things off at midfield before marching into enemy territory and making it as far as the Bears' 12-yard line when disaster struck. Getting his first carry of the season after a big payday in the offseason, Deebo Samuel was stripped of the ball, fumbling away a chance at taking an early lead as the drive went up in flames. Helping the Niners get the ball back moments later would be second-year safety Talanoa Hufanga who had himself a day tallying a career-high 11 tackles and recorded his first career interception on Chicago's second possession. 

After both teams exchanged a pair of punts, the 49ers finally got on the board in the second quarter when Deebo made up for his early mistake by taking a handoff from 6 yards out into the end zone for a touchdown. It would be one of the game's few bright spots for San Francisco and the lone score of the first half as the score remained 7-0 at halftime. Chicago nearly got on the board just before the half when they setup for a field goal attempt before being penalized as kicker Cairo Santos used a towel to dry the field prior to the kick. In what will likely be one of the more bizarre penalties you'll see called this year, the 49ers caught a break for a brief moment as the penalty knocked the Bears out of field goal range. While the 49ers managed to dominate the box score in the first half, they could've easily been up by three scores if not for a QB-sack that knocked them out of field goal range and an overthrown pass on a deep ball to a wide-open Tyler Kroft for a would-be touchdown. Instead, the game would be a tale of two halves. 

After San Francisco took a 10-0 lead following the first possession of the second half, the Bears would steal all momentum and never look back as the 49ers began to shoot themselves in the foot with self-inflicted miscues and penalties that quickly began to mount. While the Niners didn't exactly have everything working for them in the first half, the handful of things that were, began to slow following their first possession of the third quarter. After tallying two quarterback sacks in the opening quarter, the 49er defense would not record another the rest of the way. Also, second-year running back Elijah Mitchell who led the team in rushing a season ago and was expected to be the team's bell cow this year, was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with an apparent knee injury and did not return for the second half. Also not returning in the second half was San Francisco's run game as they rushed for 115 yards in the first half, compared to just 61 in the second. Before departing Sunday's game, Mitchell who finished with 41 yards rushing on 6 carries, eclipsed the 1,000 career yards total to become the fastest player in franchise history to reach the century mark, needing only 12 games to do so. 

Appearing to have the Bears on the ropes with a would-be punt following a no-gain on a rushing attempt on third and 4, Chicago was gifted a first down on a 15-yard face-mask penalty on linebacker Dre Greenlaw who wasn't even needed on the play as Chicago's David Montgomery was gang-tackled. Three plays later, the 49er defense appeared to have Bears quarterback Justin Fields dead to rights in the backfield for a sack, but instead allowed him to escape and launch a deep ball down the sideline to a wide-open receiver in former 49er Dante Pettis who scored on a 51-yard touchdown. The Bears suddenly found themselves back in the game and trailing 10-7. This after San Francisco's defense held Fields to just 19 net passing yards in the first half, the fewest they've allowed since 2019, as well as a passer rating of 2.8 in the first half, the lowest registered by an opposing quarterback in a first half against the 49ers since 1973 when passer rating became an official statistic. 

Following a San Francisco punt, the Bears got the ball back and benefited from another pair of bad penalties on third down, including one on 3rd and 9 that prolonged the drive that eventually gave the Bears a lead they would not relinquish. After jumping out to a 10-0 lead, the 49ers allowed Chicago to score 19 unanswered-points on touchdowns scored on each of their first three possessions of the second half, the last of which setup by a Trey Lance interception. Any chance of a comeback would disappear for San Francisco as the penalties loomed costly and often, not to mention the field conditions which only grew worse the later the game went as visibility or lack thereof quickly became a factor. Playing catchup and needing to air out the ball, mother nature couldn't have cared less as back to back drives ending in a turnover on downs spelled doom for the Niners who fell, 19-10. 

While nobody on either sideline played great, San Francisco's miscues far outweighed those of Chicago's, most notably in the penalty department. Proving to be the more sloppy of the two teams, the 49ers were tagged with 12 penalties for a total of 99 yards, including three on third downs on consecutive drives that led to Chicago's first two touchdowns, compared to just 3 penalties for 24 yards on Chicago. Despite the final score, San Francisco had Chicago's number in numerous statistical categories that usually translate to wins, but not in this one. The 49ers ran 11 more plays on offense than the Bears, while gaining 127 more yards of offense and possessing the ball nearly 7 minutes longer. Hopefully Kyle Shanahan and company can steer clear of monsoon weather the rest of the way this season. 

Week 2 Preview - As much as everyone wants to blame the loss on the young quarterback who didn't receive any favors from his offensive-line on Sunday as Lance was constantly under pressure despite little to no blitzing from Chicago's defense, the Week 1 loss was not a fair assessment of Lance's quarterbacking abilities given the elements. Kicking off the home-opener and facing the Seattle Seahawks at Levi's Stadium, 49ers QB Trey Lance should have a much dryer field to play on and a second chance at making a first impression as the team's starting quarterback. Coming off a Week 1 victory at home over the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, the Seahawks were the only team in the NFC West to come out victorious thru the first week as the Niners, Rams and Cardinals all suffered losses. In an emotional rollercoaster that provided plenty of ups and downs and lots of drama late, Seattle outlasted their former quarterback Russell Wilson with a 17-16 win. Handing the Seahawks' all-time leader in wins and the greatest player in franchise history a Week 1 loss was Seattle QB Geno Smith who outplayed Wilson in many ways despite finishing with over 100 fewer yards, especially in the first half. 

Hoping to get George Kittle back in time for the first divisional game of the season, the 49ers will have to look elsewhere in the backfield as running back Elijah Mitchell will miss 8 weeks with an MCL sprain. While the first-year starter who was drafted in the sixth-round in last year's Draft out of Louisiana will not need surgery, Mitchell's absence will deal a huge blow to coach Shanahan's offense as big things were expected from team's leading rusher from a season ago. And just like last season with Raheem Mostert who was lost for the season in Detroit, also with a knee injury, the 49ers are forced to go in a different direction with their starting running back less than one full game in. Backup running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is expected to get the bulk of the team's carries, with rookies Tyrion Davis-Price and Jordan Mason fighting for seconds behind him. 

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