49ers Win 3rd straight with Victory over Vikes

Week 12 - On the heels of their first winning streak since opening the season 2-0, the San Francisco 49ers would play host to a Minnesota Vikings team coming off a statement win at home against the rival Green Bay Packers. In a battle between two teams with playoff aspirations and identical 5-5 records, the team that prevailed on Sunday would have one leg up on the other in the fight for the NFC's second Wild Card spot. All things considered, both teams knew that a win wouldn't come easy. With both quarterbacks having played their best ball of the season over the last few weeks entering Sunday, neither QB would steal the show at Levi's Stadium as we saw the good and the ugly from both Kirk Cousins and Jimmy Garoppolo. For San Francisco's Jimmy G, the ugly came rather early.

After the 49ers defense forced a three and out on Minnesota's opening-drive, Kyle Shanahan's offense appeared to have something brewing as they made it to midfield following a big reception in traffic by Jauan Jennings. But another risky pass in traffic just several plays later would prove costly for Garoppolo as his pass was intercepted. Taking advantage of the early turnover, Cousins and company would punch their ticket into the end zone with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Adam Thielen on 4th and goal. It wouldn't be long before the game turned into the Deebo Samuel show on their ensuing possession as San Francisco turned to their biggest playmaker on offense. After a big play by receiver Brandon Aiyuk who turned in a 37-yard gain, Samuel helped the 49ers answer with a 20-yard touchdown run to tie the game up at 7-all. With the touchdown, Deebo Samuel would become just the third receiver in NFL history to score a rushing touchdown in three consecutive games and the first ever to accomplish the feat in the same season since the start of the Super Bowl era. Though his day would be far from over. 

After both teams exchanged punts, the Vikings found the end zone again with Thielen at the forefront. Sneaking past the defense once again, Thielen was left all alone for the 20-yard touchdown, his second of the half, marking the first time in his career with two touchdowns in the first half. Looking to end the first half on a high-note, the 49ers would put together another long Kyle Shanahan patented drive on offense, marching 87-yards on 19-plays and eating up 8-minutes and 20-seconds in the process. The end result being a dart from Garoppolo to Jennings for a 3-yard touchdown to tie the game at 14. With only 18-seconds remaining, the 49er offense would leave little to no time for Cousins to work with as the first half came to a close. Receiving the ball to start the second half, the 49ers would be right back in business thanks to another big play by Deebo. A 49-yard run by San Francisco's Swiss army knife, would set things up inside the red zone. Rewarding Deebo for his efforts, Shanahan would dial up another run play that resulted in his second score of the game, this time a 3-yard touchdown. With their first lead of the day, on top 21-14, San Francisco was poised to tack on more. 

One play into Minnesota's ensuing possession, Cousins would throw a rare interception as his pass intended for Thielen was picked off by Azeez Al-Shaair and nearly taken to the house before he was tripped up at the 2-yardline following a 24-yard return. The Niners would waste no time cashing in on the takeaway and Cousins' third interception on the year, as running back Elijah Mitchell walked it into the end zone on the very next play. After a relatively quiet first half from the Minnesota rushing attack as they finished with 25 or fewer first half rushing yards for second week in a row, Vikings star running back Dalvin Cook began to wake up. A 30-yard run on the first play of Minnesota's ensuing drive, followed by a 24-yard catch and run a few plays later, both by Cook, backup running back Alexander Mattison picked up the pieces with the 6-yard rushing touchdown on the next play. However, the Vikings would come up short on the point-after as kicker Greg Joseph's extra-point attempt sailed wide right. San Francisco would make it a two-possession game with a field goal on their next drive, but again the Vikings came right back with a 99-yard kick return for a touchdown from Kene Nwangwu. With one kick return for a touchdown already under his belt this year, Nwangwu would be the first return man with two on the season, this one inching his team closer. But a failed two-point conversion would leave the Niners with a 31-26 lead. 

After having to punt, the 49ers would get a gift on a Dalvin Cook fumble as the Vikings running back was met in the backfield by San Francisco's Kevin Givens who knocked the ball loose, recovered by the defense. Unfortunately, Cook would need to be carted off the field as he left the game with an upper-body injury. Oddly enough, Deebo Samuel would be injured on the very next play, also in the backfield on a handoff that ended in a 6-yard loss. The air would be sucked out of the home crowd at Levi's Stadium momentarily before Deebo walked to the sideline under his own power where he would watch the rest of the game as a spectator. Adding to their lead with a field goal, San Francisco would go ahead 34-26. Minnesota would have a chance to tie the game as they were knocking on the door of another touchdown, but were stood up at the 3-yard line as Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer gambled for a second time on 4th and goal, but came up short. With a chance to ice the game and take an 11-point advantage, the 49ers marched for 7-minutes and 8-seconds, running 13-plays and traveling 67-yards before a missed field goal by kicker Robbie Gould from 42-yards out. As the kick drifted wide right, the Vikings would have one last chance to pull off the comeback. 

With no timeouts left and just under two-minutes remaining, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins would need to orchestrate a 68-yard, touchdown-scoring drive, as well as a successful two-point conversion attempt to tie the game. And while things would look rather promising after a 23-yard connection to receiver Justin Jefferson, incompletions on three of Cousins' next four passes would spell doom as the 49er defense held on and forced Minnesota to turn the ball over on downs. Kneeling the ball for the last two plays, San Francisco held on for the much needed 34-26 victory to improve their record to 6-5 on the season and into sole possession of the NFC's second Wild Card spot. Stealing the show on offense and breaking more records on Sunday was Deebo Samuel. After becoming the first wide-receiver in 49ers franchise history with 1+ rushing touchdowns in three straight games since at least 1950, Deebo became the first WR in the Super Bowl era with 2 rushing touchdowns in a game. With 5 rushing touchdowns on the season, Deebo Samuel surpassed Tavon Austin's mark of 4 rushing touchdowns in 2015, setting a record for the most rushing touchdowns in a season by a wide receiver in NFL history. But the biggest stat of them all might be his receiving yards. Though he only caught one ball on Sunday for 12-yards, Deebo eclipsed the 1,000 receiving yards plateau, becoming the first WR in NFL history with 1,000 receiving yards, 5 receiving TDs and 5 rushing TDs in a season. Oh, and he also became the first 49ers WR with 1,000+ receiving yards in a season since Anquan Boldin in 2014. 

49ers running back Elijah Mitchell also made an impact in Sunday's game, compiling a career-high in scrimmage yards with 168, including 133 of them on the ground, as he and Deebo combined for 199 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries. With four games of 100+ rush yards on the season now, Mitchell made some history of his own by surpassing Billy Kilmer (1961) for the most games of 100+ rush yards by a 49ers rookie since 1950. Not bad for a guy playing with a fractured finger. As for the quarterbacks, both Jimmy Garoppolo (230 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 interception) and Kirk Cousins (238 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception) finished with similar stat lines in the passing department. San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk led all receivers in receiving yards with 91 on 3 receptions. 

Week 13 Preview: Unfortunately, the 49ers win on Sunday did come at the expense of a few losses as both Deebo Samuel (groin) and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner (hamstring) suffered injuries that will keep them off the field for their Week 13 visit up north to face the division rival Seattle Seahawks (3-8). With Warner out for one game and Samuel possibly out for the next two, the 49ers will need to keep pace in the playoff race and try to avenge their Week 4 loss to Seattle without two of their biggest pieces. Coming off a road loss on Monday Night Football to the Washington Football Team, Pete Carroll's Seahawks are spiraling out of control and have lost six of their last seven games since handing the 49ers a loss at Levi's. With three of those games without QB Russell Wilson under center, Seattle is riding a three-game skid with their leader back on the field. Nothing would help No. 3 get off the schneide more than a win at home against San Francisco. Hopefully, Jimmy G and company can put a stop to that as the Niners eye their fourth straight win and first in Seattle since the goal-line stand that decided the division back in 2019. 

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49ers Rout Jags in 30-10 Beatdown

Week 11 - Coming off a statement win at home against the division-rival Los Angeles Rams, the San Francisco 49ers (4-5) took a trip to the southeast to face the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7) with a chance to get to .500. Though the Niners have looked much better overall on the road this season than they have at home, the atmosphere on Sunday would feel rather homely come kickoff as Jimmy Garoppolo and company were welcomed by a sea of red in the stands at Jacksonville's TIAA Bank Field. And much like the way they kicked things off on offense a week ago on Monday Night against the Rams, tiring the opposition with an 18-play, 93-yard opening-drive that spanned 11-minutes and 3-seconds, head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense picked up right where they left off in this one. Setting the tone with another run-heavy 20-play, 77-yard drive that chewed up 13-minutes and 5-seconds, San Francisco again found themselves in the drivers seat early on, imposing their will, but only managed to walk away with a field goal this time around.

Leading 3-0, the 49er defense forced a three and out on Jacksonville's first possession, allowing for San Francisco's offense to wear the Jags down some more. Needing less plays and time to travel further on their next possession, the 49ers were able to punch it into the end zone with ease on their second drive, thanks to a bit of running from receiver Deebo Samuel. Coming off NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his two-touchdown performance against the Rams a week ago, Deebo again proved to be a problem for the opposition in the running game, taking a handoff 25-yards to the house for a touchdown. Creeping up on 49ers all-time great and Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (9) as the only 49ers receiver since 1950 with more rushing touchdowns than Samuel who now has six, Deebo joined Rice as the only wide-receivers in 49ers franchise history to take home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors multiple times in a single season (Rice did it on three occasions in 1990, 1992, 1994). As if Jacksonville wasn't gassed enough on defense, their offense didn't do them any favors as receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. was stripped of the ball just one play into the Jags' ensuing possession by San Francisco's Josh Norman who added to his total with an NFL-leading fifth forced fumble on the year, recovered by Pro Bowl linebacker Fred Warner. 

Getting under the skin of Jacksonville's exhausted defense, first-year head coach Urban Meyer would be without his starting safety less than midway through the second quarter as Rayshawn Jenkins was ejected from the game for throwing a punch at San Francisco's Jauan Jennings after a play, resulting in a penalty. It would be one of three penalties against Jacksonville that benefited the Niners on third down in the first half alone. A few plays later, the 49ers would strike pay dirt for a second consecutive drive as Garoppolo found Brandon Aiyuk in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Jaguars quarterback and 2021 first overall pick Trevor Lawrence would get Jacksonville on the board on their next possession with a field goal just after the 2-minute warning, but San Francisco answered with a field goal of their own as Robbie Gould's 48-yarder completed the first half with the Niners on top, 20-3. Putting their first half dominance into perspective, the 49ers ran 39 plays on offense to Jacksonville's 15. 

Opening the second half the same way they did the first, the 49er defense forced a three and out punt on the Jags' first possession following three straight incomplete passes, while also having success on offense. Marching down the field with the ball, Deebo Samuel would again be at the forefront, as the 49ers made it inside the 5-yardline before deciding to go for it on 4th and goal. A gusty gamble by coach Shanahan would pay dividends as Garoppolo connected with tight-end George Kittle in the end zone from a yard out for the easy score. For Kittle it would be his third straight game with a touchdown, the longest streak of his career and the longest such streak by a 49ers tight-end since Vernon Davis' five consecutive games with a touchdown back in 2013. Things would begin to slow down as both teams exchanged a pair of punts, but San Francisco would receive a gift on special-teams as Tavon Austin muffed a fair-catch attempt that was recovered by the 49ers' Trent Sherfield. Taking advantage of the stellar field position, the Niners would add to their lead with a field goal to make it, 30-3. Jacksonville's best possession of the day would come on their final drive of the ballgame as the Jags marched 63-yards on 11-plays, capped off by a 1-yard run by running back James Robinson. With just over three minutes remaining, coach Shanahan would call on rookie QB Trey Lance to run out the clock as he rushed for the game-sealing first down with a 7-yard carry on 3rd and 5. 

Entering Sunday's matchup, Jimmy G would boast a QB Rating of 109.8 over his last three games, the best in the NFL over that span, and certainly looked the part again in the 30-10 victory over Jacksonville. Other than a missed touchdown pass to a wide-open Jeff Wilson Jr. in the end zone on the team's opening-drive, it was another spotless performance by Garoppolo who again didn't try to do too much and got the job done by taking what the opposing defense gave him on his way to completing 16 of 22 passes for 176 yards and 2 touchdowns. Opposite of Garoppolo, Trevor Lawrence threw for 158 yards on 16 of 25 passes, while being sacked three times in total, twice by the Niners' Nick Bosa who now has a career-high 10 sacks on the year. San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk led all receivers with 7 receptions for 85-yards and a score, while Deebo Samuel outgained Jeff Wilson Jr. and Trey Sermon in rushing yards with a game-high 79 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. 

Week 12 Preview: One of the more entertaining games on Sunday in Week 11 was the divisional showdown between the rival Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers. In a wild, back and forth melee between the two bitter rivals, the Vikes walked it off with a last-second, game-winning field goal to improve to 5-5 on the year. Like the 49ers who also improved to 5-5 with their win on Sunday, Minnesota is hoping to at least vie for a Wild Card spot if they're unable to catch the division-leading Packers. Setting up for a big game in Week 12, a win over the other team will do wonders as both squads look to keep pace in the NFC's Wild Card race. Playing some of the best ball of his career, Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins will try to take it to his former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan dating back to their time spent in Washington, who was very high on trying to acquire Cousins prior to the trade with the Patriots that sent Jimmy Garoppolo to the Bay Area. With a number of weapons on offense in receivers Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen and running back Dalvin Cook, the 49ers will need another stout performance on defense like they've gotten in each of their last two games. 

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49ers Run away from Rams in Dominant Monday Night Win

Week 10 - With the San Francisco 49ers (3-5) playing host in front of a national audience on Monday Night Football and seeking their first home win of the season, a meeting with the rival Los Angeles Rams (7-2) would be a welcome sight for Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan who has prevailed in four straight meetings against his friend and former colleague Sean McVay. Looking to shake off an embarrassing loss at home to a short-handed Cardinals team, what better way to bounce back than to take it to another division foe in what would be the 144th all-time meeting between the Rams and 49ers. The match-up would also feature two of the brightest young stars at the receiver position as Los Angeles' Cooper Kupp and San Francisco's Deebo Samuel entered the meeting as the league's No.'s 1 and 2 leading receivers, marking the 18th time in NFL history that the league's top two receivers in receiving yards faced off in a season in Week 10 or later since 1970. 

All the buzz leading into the marquee matchup between the two long standing rivals would revolve around a pair of reinforcements acquired by the Rams just days prior to gameday. After trading for outside-linebacker and former Super Bowl MVP Von Miller from the Denver Broncos, the Rams made a splash by signing 3-time Pro Bowl receiver Odell Beckham Jr. to add to their star-studded roster. But come kickoff, neither player would put their stamp on the game as both guys were virtually nonfactors in a game dominated by the home team. Though Odell would get his feet wet on the Rams' first play from scrimmage, hauling in a 5-yard reception from quarterback Matthew Stafford, he would go relatively quiet the rest of the night (2 receptions, 18 yards). Stafford would attempt a home run pass to his newest weapon just four plays into the game, but overthrew his target on a deep ball that was air-mailed and intercepted by San Francisco's Jimmie Ward. Pinned deep near their own end zone at the 7-yardline, the 49er offense would embark on an 18-play, 93-yard drive that lasted 11-minutes and 3-seconds before ultimately resulting in a touchdown pass from QB Jimmie Garoppolo to tight-end George Kittle. Utilizing a heavy diet of run plays, San Francisco had their way with the Rams, tiring them down before capitalizing with an early trip to the end zone.  

Possession number two wouldn't be much better for Stafford and the Rams as the former No. 1 overall pick was intercepted for a second time in as many drives, again by Jimmie Ward who took this one to the house for a 27-yard pick-six touchdown. With the ball bouncing off of Rams tight-end Tyler Higbee and into the Niners' lap, Jimmie Ward who hadn't recorded an interception since Week 14 of 2016, suddenly found himself with two interceptions in the game's opening quarter. As for the San Francisco defense who entered Monday's game with only two interceptions on the year, the team had doubled their output in a matter of minutes. The third time would be a charm, however, for Stafford and company, as the Rams responded with a touchdown-scoring drive of their own. Redeeming himself for the bobble that resulted in the pick-six, it was Higbee who came down with the 10-yard strike to put L.A. on the board to start the second quarter. But picking up right where they left off would be Jimmy G and the Niner offense, turning in another lengthy drive that ended in success. 

Running it right down the Rams throat once again, Deebo Samuel capped off the 15-play, 91-yard drive that ended in Deebo rushing it into the end zone from 8-yards out. With the Rams marching just before the end of the first half, L.A. would setup for 34-yard field goal, but coach McVay would try to get cute by dialing up a fake that was sniffed out perfectly by San Francisco's D.J. Jones who made the stop. Taking a 21-7 lead into the half, the 49ers would get the ball back to open the second half, but were held to their first punt of the evening. Forcing a Rams three and out on the ensuing possession, the 49ers would add to their lead with a Robbie Gould field goal from 50-yards out. With little to no fireworks from either team in the third quarter, San Francisco kicked things off with a bang to open the fourth. Electing to go for it on 4th and 6, coach Shanahan's gutsy decision paid off as Garoppolo found Deebo Samuel down the middle for a 40-yard touchdown that put the game away for good. The Rams offense would threaten on each of their next two possessions by making it into the red zone both times, but were only able to walk away with three points as a turnover on downs and a field goal was all they had to show for. 

Continuing to have success in the run game, the 49ers were able to milk the clock and cruise to a 31-10 victory. Helping hand the Rams their first road loss of the season, 49ers rookie running back Elijah Mitchell would lead the way with 91 yards on 27 carries, and Jeff Wilson Jr. returned to the field after missing the first eight weeks of the season due knee surgery, adding 28 yards on 10 carries. But the biggest weapon of the night for the Niners would be Deebo Samuel who logged 133 all purpose yards (97 yards receiving, 36 yards rushing) and 2 touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for an efficient 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 15 of 19 pass attempts, being sacked only once and avoiding the costly turnovers that doomed him a week earlier. Meanwhile, Cooper Kupp shined once more for the Rams, hauling in 11 receptions for 122 yards as Matt Stafford's (243 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions) favorite target of the night. With 393 days in between Monday Night's game and their last regular season home win, also against the Rams, the Niners appeared to turn back the clock and enjoy some success similar to that of their run-dominant performance in the 2019 NFC Championship against the Packers which just so happened to be the last win at Levi's Stadium with a live crowd. Though they may trail them in the standings, for the 49ers it's their fifth straight victory over the Rams, making it safe to say that coach Shanahan has McVay's number, at least for now. 

Week 11 Preview: Hoping to build off their first home win of the season, snapping an 8-game home losing streak, the San Francisco 49ers (4-5) will hit the road to visit the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-7). Led by the No. 1 overall pick in April's Draft -- Trevor Lawrence and first-year head coach Urban Meyer, the Jags up to this point have looked a lot like what you'd expect from a team with a rookie QB and rookie head coach, but do have one of the biggest upsets of the season under the belt after a 9-6 win over one of the AFC's heavyweights in the Buffalo Bills back in Week 9. Coming off season-highs in third down conversions and in time of possession, coach Shanahan would love to see more of the same on Sunday. Never a dull moment on the 49ers injury front, it was learned on Tuesday that rookie running back Elijah Mitchell fractured his finger and will undergo a procedure with a chance of him returning to the practice field as early as Wednesday according to coach Shanahan. His status for Sunday's game, however, remains uncertain. 

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Conner, McCoy too much to handle for 49ers

Week 9 - The San Francisco 49ers' (3-4) nightmarish season continued on Sunday when hosting an Arizona Cardinals (7-1) team that was without a number of key starters on offense. Among those who were inactive on Sunday was quarterback Kyler Murray and receiver DeAndre Hopkins, two of the very best in the league at their respective positions. Instead, it would be no Murray no problem for Arizona as the 49ers were unable to take advantage of a makeshift Cardinals offense and had their hands full with Arizona's backup quarterback and a former player of their own in veteran QB Colt McCoy. Thinking they'd have an easy win on Sunday with Murray and Hopkins out, that couldn't be any further from the truth for San Francisco as missed tackles, costly turnovers and bogus penalties all reared their ugly heads once the game got underway. 

Welcoming the return of their All-Pro tight-end George Kittle who had missed the last three games, the 49er offense showed signs of life right out the gates on each of their first two offensive possessions with Kittle at the forefront as he had made receptions of 19 and 18 yards before fumbling on the first play of San Francisco's second drive. While it would be the Niners' first mistake of the game, it certainly wouldn't be their last as Arizona capitalized with a touchdown. After running back Chase Edmonds was hurt on Arizona's first play from scrimmage following just a 3-yard gain, the window of opportunity swung open for James Conner who took the torch and ran with it on Sunday, scoring his first of three touchdowns on the afternoon to give the Cards an early 7-0 lead. With Murray missing the first start of his career, the game would soon turn into the Conner and McCoy show for Arizona's offense as both guys stepped up huge when called upon. Facing a 3rd and 18 from their own 12 yard line, McCoy connected with Conner on a short pass that turned into a 21-yard gain and a first down. The frustration on third and long wouldn't stop there for the San Francisco defense, as Arizona faced a 3rd and 9 near midfield that ended in a 7-yard sack by Arik Armstead. Unfortunately, just when it appeared the Cardinals were forced to punt, Armstead would be called for a facemask penalty that instead gave Arizona an automatic first down. They would turn that costly penalty into another touchdown as Conner ran up the middle from a yard out. 

Trailing 14-0, the 49ers appeared to be on their way to finally scoring as they made their way inside the red zone with a leaping grab from second-year receiver Brandon Aiyuk for 22-yards, but the former Arizona State alum was striped of the ball on his way down, resulting in another gut-wrenching fumble. McCoy would catch the 49ers secondary snoozing just two plays later as he lobbed up a pass that Christian Kirk came down with 50-yards downfield. Arizona would only end up walking away with a field goal this time around, but still increased their lead to 17-0. On that drive, a pair of bizarre penalties were called on both Josh Norman of the Niners for taunting and Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury for unsportsmanlike conduct, as the two exchanged words near the Arizona sideline, turning a would-be 4th and 20 into an automatic 1st and 24. Unlike other penalties in the game, thankfully, this one wouldn't come back to haunt San Francisco, but Norman would be benched for the rest of the game. With four minutes to go before the half and the 49ers in desperate need of a touchdown, George Kittle would make up for his first career fumble in 58 games by hauling in a 6-yard touchdown grab to put his team on the board just before the half. It would be Kittle's first touchdown reception of the season and his first in his last nine games, ending the longest drought of his career since his rookie season in 2017. 

Trailing 17-7 at the half, the 49ers were hoping their touchdown just before halftime would swing the momentum in their favor, but again they returned to the field without an answer for either McCoy or Conner on defense. With 145 yards passing by halftime for Colt McCoy, his most in a first half since 2011, the all-time great with the Texas Longhorns came out of the locker room poised to continue pouring it on and that they did. Needing only four plays to march 72-yards, McCoy dumped a short pass to Conner that he took 45-yards to pay dirt. Following a 49ers three and out, the Cardinals again found the end zone as a 35-yard run by Conner helped setup a bruising 21-yard run by Arizona's third-string running back Eno Benjamin who steamrolled former Cardinal Dre Kirkpatrick on his way to his first career touchdown. Down 31-7, the 49ers again found themselves in desperate need of a score and had those wishes granted after a pair of big gains on consecutive plays by Aiyuk and Kittle. Logging his best game of the season, Aiyuk (6 catches, 89 yards) would be awarded with his second touchdown grab of the season as 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo found him in the end zone for the 11-yard score. 

Making it a 31-17 game at the start of the fourth quarter, the 49er defense forced Arizona to punt to give the San Francisco offense a chance to pull within single-digits, but Garoppolo would have his pass intended for Deebo Samuel picked off for the game-sealing turnover. In his first game back, George Kittle would haul in a game-high 101 yards receiving and a touchdown on six receptions. Jimmy Garoppolo would throw for 326 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception on 28 of 40 pass attempts in the loss, meanwhile, Colt McCoy completed 22 of 26 passes for 249 yards and touchdown as Arizona racked up 437 yards of total offense. Much of that offense would go through running back James Conner who rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, and hauled in another 77 yards and a touchdown on 5 receptions for the first three-touchdown performance of his career. Arizona's Chandler Jones recorded a sack late in the second quarter to become the Cardinals' all-time sacks leader with his 67th sack in an Arizona uniform. With the win, Arizona improved to 8-1 for only the second time since 1950. 

Week 10 Preview: Still in search of their first home win of the season, the San Francisco 49ers (3-5) will welcome in the Los Angeles Rams (7-2) for a division rival showdown on Monday Night Football. Coming off an upset loss at home on Sunday Night Football to the Tennessee Titans who were without their star running back in Derrick Henry, the Rams will look to get back in the win column as they 've fallen a game behind Arizona for first place in the NFC West. As for San Francisco who has won the last four meetings against the Rams, but has yet to win a home game this season (0-4), the 49ers will be in full blown panic mode if they fall to 3-6 on the year. The 49ers are already in a sticky situation as they've fallen to last place in the division and have a rookie quarterback waiting in the wings and in need of as many reps under center as he can get, making for an unenviable decision by coach Kyle Shanahan. Fans have already grown unhappy given the circumstances, and things continue to get worse on the injury front as both defensive-tackle Javon Kinlaw (knee) and offensive-tackle Mike McGlinchey (torn quadriceps) will be lost for the year after sustaining season-ending injuries. 

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Garoppolo Shines in Homecoming Win vs Chicago

Week 8 - Hitting the road in search of their third win of the season and first since Week 2, the San Francisco 49ers (2-4) would pay a visit to the windy city to face the Chicago Bears (3-4). In what would be a homecoming game for quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo who was born in Arlington Heights and went to college at nearby Eastern Illinois, the Niners signal-caller would feel right at home on Sunday in a game that was as close to a must-win as it gets in Week 8. And while things wouldn't exactly start like you'd hope for San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan, the end result would be all that mattered when it was all said and done. 

After their turnover-filled loss at home in stormy weather just a week earlier, the entire 49ers team was happy to see nothing but clear skies at Chicago's Soldier Field come kickoff. But even without the rain and wind that caused problems in Week 7 against the Colts, things would go awry on San Francisco's opening possession. Marching into field goal range to start the game, 49ers kicker Joey Slye would attempt a 48-yard field goal to give his team an early lead, but instead missed wide right as the game remained scoreless. That was until Chicago who was without head coach Matt Nagy due to Covid, converted on a 39-yard field goal attempt by kicker Cairo Santos on their first possession of the ballgame. And while Slye would redeem himself one possession later by splitting the uprights from 48-yards out to tie the game, the Bears would aim for bigger and better things on their next possession. Hitting a trio of different receivers, Chicago's rookie QB Justin Fields showed poise early on and didn't try to overdo or force things as he eventually marched the offense into the end zone, hitting tight-end Jesse James for an 8-yard score.  

With both teams exchanging field goals on their next possessions, the 49ers got the ball back with 1:16 remaining in the first half. And at the 25-second mark, it appeared that Chicago would take a seven-point lead with them into the locker room. Instead, Jimmy Garoppolo went for the home run pass and connected with receiver Deebo Samuel for a 50-yard completion before being brought down on the doorstep of the end zone at the Chicago 4-yardline. Spiking the ball with 8-second remaining, the Niners tried their luck with one shot at the end zone, but were unsuccessful as they settled for the field goal to bring them within four at 13-9. Opening the second half with another field goal, Chicago brought their lead back up to seven. Meanwhile, whatever pep talk coach Shanahan gave during halftime, seemed to resonate for the 49er offense as Garoppolo and co. came out swinging to begin the second half. Facing a 3rd and 19, Jimmy G and Deebo Samuel engaged in a simple game of pitch and catch as the receiver caught the short pass and took it 83-yards before being tripped up at the 1-yardline. Garoppolo would do the rest, finding the end zone for the touchdown. But after a missed PAT by Slye, Chicago would hang onto a 16-15 lead. 

Following the first punt of the day by either team on Chicago's ensuing possession, the 49ers again struck pay dirt, this time by rookie running back Elijah Mitchell who received a little help from the offensive-line, pushing him over the goal-line and into the end zone for the score. A pass from Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk would result in a successful two-point conversion attempt that gave the 49ers their first lead of the day at 23-16 to start the fourth quarter. Chicago would answer with a touchdown of their own with arguably their best possession of the game, capped off with the most impressive play from their rookie quarterback. Facing a 4th and 1 at the San Francisco 22 yard-line, Justin Fields appeared to be going down for a sack as the 49er defense had him dead to rights and in their sights before he sprinted free and broke loose for a highlight-worthy run that ended with him finding the end zone. Unfortunately for him, his kicker would miss the game-tying extra-point. Fields' dazzling play would be the last time that Chicago found the end zone on Sunday. 

With no Khalil Mack to worry about along the Bears' defense for Jimmy Garoppolo who was kept upright on his feet all day without taking a single sack, San Francisco received big plays from running backs Elijah Mitchell and JaMycal Hasty before Garoppolo plowed into the end zone for the second time of the day. After Joey Slye's fourth and final field goal on the game, the San Francisco defense sealed the 33-22 win with a tip-drill interception by Josh Norman. San Francisco became just the second team to not turn the ball over or punt the ball all game long against Chicago since 1940. Prior to Sunday, only the archrival Green Bay Packers in Week 4 of the 2014 season went the entire game without a turnover or punt versus the Bears. And on the four year anniversary of the trade that sent Garoppolo from New England to the Niners, Jimmy G would have his best game of the season statistically.

By throwing for a season-high 322 yards and rushing for a pair of touchdowns in a single game for the first time of his career, Garoppolo joined some elite company on Sunday by becoming one of only three 49er QB's since 1950 with 300+ passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, something only Steve Young and Jeff Garcia had accomplished before him. He would also pass both Colin Kaepernick and John Brodie for the 4th-most games with 300+ passing yards among San Francisco QB's since 1950, as San Francisco is 7-0 in games when Garoppolo has over 300 yards passing. Garoppolo's counterpart Justin Fields also had his best game yet on Sunday and was just as dangerous with his feet as he was with his arm, becoming the first Bears QB with 175+ passing yards and 100+ rushing yards in a game since at least 1950, to go along with his rushing and passing touchdowns. The quarterback's weren't the only ones breaking and setting records as 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel who has already set a career-high in receiving yards this year with 10 regular season games remaining, joined Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (1986, 1996) and Dwight Clark (1982) as the only 49er receivers with 50+ receiving yards in each of the team's first seven games. Samuel's 819 receiving yards are the most in 49ers franchise history through the first seven games of a season, surpassing Rice's record of 781 yards set in 1986. 

Running back Elijah Mitchell also had himself a game to remember, becoming just the second 49ers rookie with two straight 100+ yard games in team history (Billy Kilmer). After a career-high 107 yards rushing a week ago, Mitchell set a new personal-best with 137 yards rushing on 18 carries. His 433 yards on the ground are also the most rushing yards by a 49ers running back through their first five career games since at least 1970, surpassing Ricky Watters' mark of 397 yards set in 1992. 

Week 9: The 49ers (3-4) return home to host the Arizona Cardinals (7-1) in Week 9. Coming off their first loss of the season which came at the hands of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football, Arizona hopes to receive a bounce back performance from quarterback Kyler Murray whom Green Bay's defense made look rather pedestrian after an MVP-caliber start through their first seven games to begin the season. With the winning-streak ending on a game-sealing interception thrown by Murray in the end zone, the last standing undefeated team has finally fallen and will look to get back on track against their division rival. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and company has other plans as they look to both return to .500 on the year as well as gain some ground in the NFC Western Division standings. This time with Garoppolo under-center, hopefully San Francisco can receive better play from the quarterback position than what Trey Lance was able to provide in his first career start on the road in Arizona back in Week 5 when he was held touchdown-less and threw an interception. Expected to get a few players back from injured-reserve including George Kittle, the Niners will welcome all the help they can get. One player who will not be on the field to help his team in Week 9 or any other week this season for that matter, is 49ers second-year defensive-lineman Javon Kinlaw who underwent season-ending knee surgery over the weekend. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

49ers Slip and Slide in Loss to Colts

Week 7 - On tap for the San Francisco 49ers (2-3) in Week 7 coming off the BYE would be a meeting on Sunday Night Football with the Indianapolis Colts (2-4). With both teams under .500 and in desperate need of a win, San Francisco could ill-afford dropping another game in the NFC Western Division standings as they and the rest of the conference plays catchup behind the last of the unbeatens in the Arizona Cardinals (7-0) who won again on Sunday. But with a 100% chance of rain and wind gusts reaching up to 40 mph, inclement weather would very much be a factor heading into Sunday night's game as the conditions were damp and ugly all night long. Expected to be a run-heavy night for both teams, 49ers rookie running back Elijah Mitchell did not disappoint and wasted little time to get things going after kickoff as the game plan quickly turned to feed Mitchell and feed him often as he amassed 57 yards on five carries to begin the game. In comparison, the Rajin' Cajun alum finished with only 43 yards on 9 carries in his previous game versus Arizona.

After the first five plays of the opening-drive netted a pair of 49er first downs, Mitchell broke free on three consecutive carries of 20, 14 and 14 yards, the last of which going for a touchdown to put his team up early. Following a missed point-after by the newly acquired Joey Slye, the 49ers kicker would have a chance to redeem himself just a few moments later. After a touchback on the ensuing kick, the 49er defense who have been on the wrong side of early turnovers so far this season, finally had a bone thrown their way, forcing a turnover on Indy's first play from scrimmage as cornerback Josh Norman punched the ball free from Colts running back Jonathan Taylor for a fumble after a short gain. In business again, San Francisco cashed in on the early turnover with a 34-yard field goal from Slye to take a 9-0 advantage. Taylor's early mistake would be an indication of how things would play out the rest of the way. As the weather conditions worsened, so did both team's ability to hang onto the ball. With nothing going for the Colts offense on their first three plays -- fumble, 1-yard loss and incompletion, QB Carson Wentz took a page out of Aaron Rodgers' book on Indy's second possession, throwing up a pass downfield on third and long and hoping for a pass-interference penalty which he would get as San Francisco's Josh Norman was draped all over Michael Pittman who came down with the reception anyway for a 57-yard gain. Three plays later, the Colts would answer with a touchdown pass from Wentz to receiver Mo Allie-Cox. 

With another field goal on San Francisco's next possession, the 49er offense would register scoring drives on each of their first three possessions of the game as Joey Slye split the uprights from 56-yards out, the 49ers' longest made field goal since 2013 (Phil Dawson) to put them ahead, 12-7 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, from that moment on, the Niner offense would embark on a struggle-filled second and third quarter which featured four punts and two fumbles before their next trip to the end zone. Facing another third and long, the 49er defense was again called for pass-interference on a deep ball, this time a 40-yarder with K'Waun Williams as the guilty party. A 33-yard carry from Taylor before being tripped up inside the 5-yardline appeared to have the San Francisco defense on their heels, but Kentavius Street would turn up the heat two plays later, getting a hand on Wentz and forcing him to bobble the ball in the air and into the lap of a 49ers defender for the turnover. The Niners would be unable to do anything with the takeaway as both teams exchanged three punts each before the next mistake was made. 

After a fumble snap that 49ers QB Jimmy Garoppolo picked up and ran forward for a positive gain, receiver Deebo Samuel wouldn't be as lucky two plays later as his 10-yard reception went up in flames as he had the ball jarred loose for a fumble. The Colts knew just what to do with it: throw it up into the air and rely on the inability of San Francisco's secondary who just can't avoid the defensive pass-interference as Emmanuel Moseley was dinged for another 19-yarder. Facing a 3rd and goal from the 1, Carson Wentz would do things himself, rushing into the end zone for the go-ahead score. Electing to go for two, the Colts would come up short but found themselves leading, 13-12 heading into the half. Capping off an ugly half of play by both teams, it would be the first NFL game of the season where both teams entered the locker room at the half having completed less than 50% of their passes. 

Opening the second half just as bad as they finished the first on offense, the 49ers would fumble the ball away yet again, this time on a strip-sack as Garoppolo had nowhere to go, dodging one defender before being gobbled up by another. The Colts would again capitalize on San Francisco's costly miscues, but not before another pass interference penalty awarded Indy 38-yards as Pittman was held by Jaquiski Tartt. A few plays later, Jonathan Taylor would strike pay dirt to make it a 20-12 Indianapolis advantage. In need of response, the 49ers would finally find the end zone again to begin the fourth quarter when Garoppolo and company marched 70-yards in three plays which took only 1:11, capped off by Jimmy G finding Deebo Samuel for the touchdown. Looking to tie things up at 20-all, a failed two-point conversion attempt allowed the Colts to hang onto a 20-18 lead. 

Following a Colts field goal, San Francisco had a chance to take a fourth quarter lead, but a pass in traffic to Samuel popped out of the hands of the receiver and into the hands of the defender as Indy's Xavier Rhodes came away with the interception. Cashing the turnover in for points, Wentz, with the 49ers secondary wrapped around his finger, lobbed a pass 28-yards out to Pittman who came down with the ball and bullied his way into the end zone. Adding insult to injury, Garoppolo would be picked off again on their next possession when a deep pass intended for Jauan Jennings squirted away from the quarterback and into heavy traffic for the easy pick. Fittingly enough, the game would ultimately end on a quarterback sack registered by former 49er DeForest Buckner who brought down his former teammate Jimmy G to seal the Colts' 30-18 victory. 

Carrying a bulk of the load for their respective teams, running backs Elijah Mitchell and Jonathan Taylor mirrored one another by finishing with 107 yards rushing and a touchdown on 18 carries. Both Deebo Samuel of the Niners and Michael Pittman of the Colts finished with 100 yards receiving and a touchdown, but it all came down to the play of the quarterbacks as Garoppolo outgained Wentz 181 yards passing to 150, but Wentz threw for two touchdowns to Garoppolo's one, while also committing far less turnovers -- three to one. The two teams would combine to make history, marking the first time that both teams had a 100-yard rusher and a 100-yard receiver, but neither team had 300+ total yards. As much as I'd like to complain about how flat and unprepared this 49ers team looked coming off the BYE week, the weather was just too much of a factor as Indianapolis just had a few more slips and falls go their way.  

Week 8 Preview: With the 49ers dropping to 2-4 on the year and 0-3 at home this season, San Francisco will be glad to leave their own digs of Levi's Stadium where they're just 1-6 over the last two seasons and winless in three tries this season. Instead, they'll take a trip to the Windy City to face rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears (3-4) at Solider Field. Coming off a forgetful game of his own, the rookie Fields will also look to rebound after a three interception, two fumble performance in Chicago's blowout loss to the reigning Super Bowl champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the 49ers being one of the teams that showed the most interest in Fields prior to selecting QB Trey Lance 3rd overall at April's Draft, Fields will likely have a chip on his shoulder come Sunday and will have some added motivation in wanting to take it to Kyle Shanahan and company for passing on him. The 49ers on the other hand will look to get back in the win column and spoil the party for Bears head coach Matt Nagy who's on the hot seat and could be fired by seasons end if Chicago fails to turn things around. 

Follow me on Twitter: @FraserKnowsBest 

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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