More Injury Woes at QB Doom Niners' Super Bowl hopes

Playoffs - Entering Sunday's NFC Championship between the No. 2 seed San Francisco 49ers and No. 1 seed Philadelphia Eagles, many football fans were hoping to see similar fireworks to the 42-41 shootout that took place back in November of 2019 when both team's quarterbacks last faced one another at the collegiate level. Brock Purdy's Iowa State Cyclones nearly upset Jalen Hurts and the heavily-favored Oklahoma Sooners in a wild game that came down to the final play and featured 11 total touchdowns between the two QB's. Fast forward to Championship Sunday, those hopes would come to a screeching halt rather early as we were deprived of what could've been and were left with something that hardly resembled a playoff football game. 

What was expected to be a brawl between two heavyweights that rank at or near the top in almost every major offensive and defensive statistical category, quickly turned into a handicap match just one drive in for the visiting 49ers. Despite entering Sunday's game with a franchise record 12-game winning-streak, many touted San Francisco would have a long day ahead of them, most notably at quarterback with rookie Brock Purdy given the Eagles' stout defense coupled with the hostile environment that is Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, but nothing could've prepared them for the piss-poor luck they would endure at the QB position yet again during Sunday's game. In fact, it would be the exact opposite for Purdy who had his day cut short due to injury. In a classic case of, "anything that can go wrong will go wrong," San Francisco began their day on defense where their defensive captain in 2022 Pro-Bowl and All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner would leave the field with an injury on the third play from scrimmage. Though Warner would eventually reenter the game a few plays later, his brief exit would be a bad omen for things to come for San Francisco. Facing a 4th and 3 near midfield, Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni would show his aggressiveness by dialing up a deep pass along the sideline to receiver DeVonta Smith. 

The play would fetch 29-yards on a catch that wasn't, as replays on TV showed the ball come loose and hit the ground upon further review. But with Philly rushing to hike the ball and insufficient evidence at the time for 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan to risk losing a timeout with an early challenge in the game's opening minutes with only seconds to react, the Eagles successfully got away with one and capitalized just two plays later with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from running back Miles Sanders. Looking to answer with their first possession on offense, the 49ers began moving the ball and converted on a pair of first downs before disaster struck. Facing a 2nd and 6 on San Francisco's sixth play from scrimmage, QB Brock Purdy took a hit to his throwing arm that jarred the ball loose up into the air and nearly intercepted. What was initially ruled an incompletion would wind up being a fumble as Sirianni threw his challenge flag and was awarded the ball on what would be Purdy's first career fumble. But even worse than the turnover and adding insult to injury, Purdy would exit the game with an elbow injury and would have to be attended to by the team's medical staff. Already down to their third-string quarterback, the 49ers' unbelievable luck would turn from bad to worse as they were forced to call upon their fourth-string QB in journeyman Josh Johnson. 

With both teams exchanging punts for the greater part of the first quarter, San Francisco would finally find an answer thanks to a 23-yard touchdown run from Christian McCaffrey who bounced free from one tackle and broke another on his way to the end zone in the second quarter. It would mark the 9th straight game with a touchdown for McCaffrey, the longest streak by a 49er since Terrell Owens in 1998. After benefiting from the phantom catch on their first drive, Philadelphia's ensuing possession would be fueled by a barrage of 49er penalties (four in total) that ended with another touchdown from Miles Sanders who found the end zone for a second time. With the 49ers now trailing 14-7, any hopes of taking some momentum into the locker room at the half went out the window on San Francisco's following possession. With under two-minutes to go and San Francisco set to receive the second half kick-off, the Niners were in prime position to tie the game or at least put a dent in Philadelphia's lead. Instead, Johnson fumbled the snap and was unable to recover the ball, giving Philadelphia a golden opportunity to add to their lead before halftime.  

They often say teams in the NFL will only go as far as their quarterback will take them. San Francisco had rewrote that mantra a few times this season after injuries to both Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo, but with Brock Purdy falling to injury on San Francisco's first drive, the team's luck would finally run out and they would hit a brick wall. Having played for 13 different NFL franchises throughout his professional career, Johnson looked every bit like a quarterback who has had trouble sticking around with one team. Despite lacking that big play ability, all his coach and teammates had asked of Johnson was to keep his team in the game by avoiding the costly mistakes. Something he would fail to do. Unlike the Purdy fumble, the Eagles would cash in on Johnson's gaffe with a third rushing touchdown, this time from running back Boston Scott. Trailing 21-7 to start the second half, the injury bug would strike the 49ers quarterback position yet again as Johnson would also be forced to leave the game due to injury after sustaining a concussion on San Francisco's first possession of the third quarter. 

With Purdy checking back into the game, coach Shanahan had kicked the tires on appointing emergency quarterback duties to running back Christian McCaffrey who was seen shuffling through helmets with the team's equipment staff, before Shanahan elected to summon his starter again. Clearly in pain and limited in what he could do with the football, Purdy toughed it out to finish the ballgame, attempting only two passes the rest of the way, both on short screen-passes that traveled no more than 3-yards each. With the Philadelphia defense stacking the box to stop the run on virtually every down, it was like shooting fish in a barrel against a 49er offense that would be a shell of its former self, relegated to one-dimension and handcuffed for the remainder of the game with no other healthy quarterback options on the active roster. While the Eagles added another touchdown and a field goal, San Francisco's last two possessions ended in a turnover on downs and a Deebo Samuel fumble. Having lost the turnover battle and a pair of quarterbacks to boot, penalties would also add to the team's agony and dig an even bigger hole than they would be able to crawl out of as San Francisco was called for 11 penalties on the afternoon to Philly's 4. Despite falling by a final score of 31-7, San Francisco's defense held the Eagles' No. 1 ranked offense in Yards Per Game to just 269 total yards. 

If you ever wondered what a team that has their soul ripped out in the opening minutes looked like, look no further than San Francisco's first offensive possession when Purdy went down with the injury. Purdy finished with 23 yards passing and 4 for 4 on completions, meanwhile Johnson threw for 74 yards on 7 of 13 passes. Running back Christian McCaffrey would be the lone bright spot for the Niners by tallying 106 yards of total offense and a touchdown in the loss. Eagles QB and MVP candidate Jalen Hurts did not impress by any means, throwing for a modest 121 yards on 15 of 25 attempts, while adding another 39 yards and a rushing touchdown on 11 carries, but managed to play a turnover-free game. On a relatively quiet day for the Eagle offense, no member of the team collected more than 36 yards receiving. For San Francisco who finished with a record of 15-5, the season comes to a bitter end as Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have now lost in back to back NFC Championships and will head into the offseason with even more questions at the quarterback position. With plenty of unknowns surrounding Trey Lance, Jimmy Garoppolo and Brock Purdy who confirmed on Monday that he had suffered a torn UCL in his throwing elbow that will require him to recover for at least the next six months and possibly longer with a decision yet to be made on undergoing surgery, it's shaping up to be a long off-season for the 49er Faithful. Not to mention the void that will need to be filled at defensive-coordinator with DeMeco Ryans a shoo-in to land the Houston Texans head coaching gig. 

Super Bowl LVII: Clinching their fourth Super Bowl appearance in franchise history and first since winning it all in 2017, Philadelphia will head to the desert to face Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs in Glendale, Arizona, seeking just their second Super Bowl trophy. As for K.C. who will be making their third Super Bowl appearance in four years, the team will be vying for a third Super Bowl trophy and second under head coach Andy Reid who will be facing his former team. 

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49ers Send Cowboys Home Again, Face Philly for NFC Title

Playoffs - Dating back to the 1970's, few rivalries in the NFL have been as heated as the rivalry between the San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys. Though the rivalry has lost some of its sizzle since the 1990's, things are beginning to warm up again between the two franchises who have now met in the playoffs for a second consecutive season. After dispatching Dak Prescott and the Cowboys in Dallas in the Wild Card round a season ago, the 49ers looked to repeat the feat of handing Dallas back to back exits from the playoffs on Sunday, this time playing host to the Cowboys at Levi's Stadium in the Divisional round. One step closer to the Super Bowl and with some home cooking, head coach Kyle Shanahan's 49ers were able to do just that in a game that was highlighted by stellar defense. 

With San Francisco's defense ranked number one in the league, Dallas' stout defense answered the call for much of the game as well and came out guns blazing by holding the Niners to a three and out punt on their opening-possession. The Cowboys would show a bit more life on their first drive but were also held to a punt to start the game. Following a second 49er punt, the defense made their presence felt by intercepting a Dak Prescott pass on a third and long. Jumping out in front of Dallas' Michael Gallup was second-year cornerback Deommodore Lenoir who logged his second interception in as many weeks after picking off Seattle's Geno Smith a week ago. While the 49ers would turn the turnover into points, they were held to just a field goal as kicker Robbie Gould began what would be a busy day at the office. With San Francisco striking first and Dallas trailing 3-0, Dak and company would have the 49er defense floundering for the one and only time all game. Orchestrating a 17-play, 79-yard drive that lasted 7:47 of game time, Dak found tight-end Dalton Schultz with a short pass for the 4-yard score. 

Thanks to a blocked extra-point attempt by San Francisco's Samson Ebukam who also logged a sack on the afternoon, the 49ers found themselves trailing 6-3. San Francisco would answer right back with another field goal -- a 47-yarder from Gould to tie the game at 6. With the Cowboys chipping away at the field and trending towards another score, the 49er defense came through once again, this time in the red zone as All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner corralled an interception tipped by safety Jimmie Ward. Looking to put some more points on the board before the half, the 49ers narrowly avoided disaster with some questionable clock-management from both coach Shanahan and rookie quarterback Brock Purdy. Electing to use a timeout after showing little urgency and letting precious seconds tick away was Shanahan before Purdy got rid of the ball just in the nick of time with an out of bounds incompletion that left 1-second remaining on the clock. In came Gould who split the uprights for a third time in the first half to give the Niners a 9-6 lead at halftime. 

In the days leading up to the game, a pair of knuckleheads on a Dallas sports radio station had wished an injury on 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. Instead, they would witness one of their own fall victim to the injury bug in running back Tony Pollard who had to be carted off the field with an ankle injury, forcing him to miss the second half. With Dallas opening the second half with the ball, the 49er defense was able to force the Cowboys offense off the field with a punt, but only for a short period as Dallas was given another chance following a fumbled punt return by Ray-Ray McCloud. Given a second opportunity and with prime field position, Dallas was able to tie the game with a 25-yard field goal from Brett Maher who had missed four of five extra-point attempts the week prior against Tampa Bay. After exchanging punts, the 49ers would string together their best drive of the evening, marching 76-yards in 14 plays that spanned exactly 6-minutes. Capping off the impressive drive that was highlighted by a 30-yard circus catch made by tight-end George Kittle, running back Christian McCaffrey began to finally find holes in the Dallas defense and punched thru for a 2-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. 

Both teams would exchange field goals before a bit of unnecessary drama ensued as San Francisco insisted on making things harder on themselves down the stretch than they needed to be before ultimately avoiding disaster. Receiving a punt with 2:05 remaining in regulation, the 49ers were in need of a first down following the two-minute warning to clinch the win and milk the clock. While they would get the much-needed first down on a 13-yard scamper from running back Elijah Mitchell, the second-year back ran out of bounds, stopping the clock and allowing Dallas to successfully use their timeouts after getting a stop to get the ball back for one final last-ditch attempt. After missing a chance to ice the game with a would-be pick-six interception from linebacker Dre Greenlaw who dropped the ball, San Francisco whiffed again when Arik Armstead collided in the end zone with Prescott who avoided the safety and got rid of the ball with an incompletion. After a pair of short passes and the clock down to 6-seconds, the Cowboys would dial up one final play that was blown up by Jimmie Ward, eliminating any chance at a lateral-type miracle. Pulling off the 19-12 win, the 49ers booked their second straight trip to the NFC Championship and their third trip in four years. Meanwhile, the Cowboys now have 12 straight playoff appearances without playing in a Conference Championship game, the longest streak in NFL history. 

Relying on the defense for much of the game, Niners QB Brock Purdy threw for 214 yards on 19 of 29 pass attempts and was able to avoid the costly turnovers that plagued his counterpart in Dak Prescott. Dak did not finish far behind with 206 yards and a touchdown on 23 of 37 passes, but his two interceptions were costly, and his longest streak in NFL history of 1+ passing TD and 1+ rushing TDin four straight playoff games came to a screeching halt. Tight-end George Kittle proved to be Purdy's favorite target on the evening with five receptions for 95 yards, finishing behind only CeeDee Lamb who caught 10 passes for 117 yards for Dallas. The 49er defense held the Cowboys to only 76 yards rushing, while tallying 113 yards of their own on the ground between Eli Mitchell (14 carries, 51 yards) and Christian McCaffrey (10 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD). Evening the all-time series between these two storied franchises at 19-19-1, Sunday's win marked the Niners' first home win over Dallas since 1997. 

NFC Championship Preview: Having now won 12 straight games, the 49ers will put their winning-streak to the test and try for lucky No. 13 as they prepare to hit the road to face the No. 1 seeded Eagles in Philadelphia with a ticket to the Super Bowl on the line. What will undoubtedly be a showdown between the NFC's top two seeds, the heavyweight match-up will feature the league's best defense in points per game and yards per game (San Francisco) going up against the league's best offense in those same two categories (Philadelphia). But the one match-up that will steal all the headlines is the one between both team's quarterbacks in Brock Purdy and Jalen Hurts. Mr. Irrelevant versus the potential league MVP. And though this will be the first time these two QB's meet to face one another at the pro level, it isn't their first time facing one another on a football field. Purdy will have a chance at redemption after losing in a 42-41 shootout during his days at Iowa State as his Cyclones lost to Hurts and the Oklahoma Sooners back on November 9, 2019. Purdy would throw for 5 touchdowns and rush for another in the wild contest that also saw 5 total TD's from Hurts. Both should be a far cry from what we're likely to see from both quarterbacks on Sunday. 

The media has already begun spinning the narrative for Sunday's game as Brock Purdy the rookie quarterback who is ill-prepared to face a team as daunting as the Eagles in Philadelphia. However, Purdy will enter Sunday's game having already won two career playoff games to Hurts' one. Purdy will also be making history when he steps onto the field at Lincoln Financial as he'll become the first rookie QB to start a Conference Championship game since Mark Sanchez in 2009. With 200 yards passing in both playoff games this season and no turnovers committed, he's the only rookie QB in the Super Bowl era to do that even once in the playoffs. Purdy joined Joe Flacco (2008) and Mark Sanchez (2009) as the only rookie QBs to win two playoff starts. He's looking to become the first to make the Super Bowl after Flacco, Sanchez, Ben Roethlisberger (2004) and Shaun King (1999) all lost in the conference title game. 

The last time these two teams met was Week 2 of the 2021-22 season just a year ago which saw San Francisco edge out a 17-11 win in Philadelphia. Of course a lot of things have changed since then and playoff football is a different type of animal than the second week of the regular season. Opening up as 2-point underdogs on the road, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will hope to use their Conference Championship experience to their benefit over second-year head coach Nick Siranni who has done a superb job at the helm in Philly, but will be in uncharted waters come Sunday against a hungry 49ers team that doesn't mind proving the doubters wrong. 

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49ers pull off Rout of Rival Seahawks in Wild Card Round

Playoffs - Kicking off Super Wild Card Weekend, the San Francisco 49ers played host to the division rival Seattle Seahawks in the first game of a busy playoff weekend that featured three action-packed days of postseason football. After sweeping the season-series against the Seahawks and clinching the NFC Western Division in Seattle in Week 15, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers team went into their first round match-up with plenty of confidence while riding the longest active winning-streak in the NFL with 10 straight wins. But as history has shown, beating any team three times in one season is no easy task. That proved to be true through the first two quarters as Seattle went blow for blow with the Niners in the first half. 

After opening the game on defense and holding Seattle to three and out punts on each of their first two drives, San Francisco got on the board early with a field goal on their opening-drive, followed by a touchdown pass from quarterback Brock Purdy to running back Christian McCaffrey. The Niners running back broke for a big gain on a 68-yard run before being awarded a few plays later with an easy touchdown. Dancing around a pair of rushers, Purdy stepped forward and hit a wide-open McCaffrey to his right for the 3-yard score. Refusing to go away early, Seattle answered right back with a long 16-play, 78-yard drive that lasted nearly 7-minutes and ended with a 7-yard touchdown run from rookie running back Kenneth Walker III. The Niners would add to their lead on their next possession with another Robbie Gould field goal, but back came Seattle with another trip to the end zone. After getting the better of Seahawks receiver D.K. Metcalf in their first two match-ups, 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward was bullied all afternoon long by Metcalf who hauled in a 50-yard touchdown reception to put Seattle ahead, 14-13.

With both teams exchanging punts, the 49ers had thought they would be heading into the locker room with a 16-14 lead after Robbie Gould connected on his third field goal of the first half from 46-yards out with 17-seconds remaining, but a boneheaded play by San Francisco's Jimmie Ward helped gift Seattle an extra 3-points and a 1-point lead at the half. The unnecessary roughness call on Ward for hitting a sliding Geno Smith allowed Seahawks kicker Jason Myers to nail a 56-yard field goal as time expired. Staying alive in the first half by keeping the 49ers at bey in the red zone with only one touchdown in three trips, Seattle's defense was unable to say the same in the second half. Coming out of halftime with a chip on their shoulder, the 49ers' intensity only grew after a dirty play by Seattle defensive-back Johnathan Abram. After a 21-yard reception from receiver Deebo Samuel on the first drive of the second half, Abram made the tackle on Samuel and gave him an extra ankle twist after the play which infuriated both Deebo and his 49er teammates. After a little fisticuffs, the team rallied behind their teammate and punched in the go-ahead score several plays later with quarterback Brock Purdy lunging forward and into the end zone from a yard out. The drive that put the Niners back on top would be their longest scoring-drive of the season at 7-minutes and 45-seconds, spanning 75-yards over 13-plays. 

Seattle appeared to be headed for a score of their own on their ensuing-drive, but their trip inside the red zone would go up in flames after a turnover by the duo of Charles Omenihu and Nick Bosa who got to Geno Smith to force and recovered the fumble. The 49er offense would turn the turnover into points as Brock Purdy hit running back Elijah Mitchell for a 7-yard touchdown and George Kittle on a successful 2-point conversion. San Francisco would get their longest touchdown of the day on their next drive when Purdy hit Deebo Samuel on a 74-yard touchdown. After feeling the frustration following the dirty play, Deebo got the last laugh, tallying 66-yards after the catch on his way to paydirt thanks to a nice block by Brandon Aiyuk. The forced fumble by Geno Smith would open up the floodgates for the 49ers who scored 25 consecutive points. A second turnover would come in the form of a Deommodore Lenoir interception, who jumped in front of a Geno Smith pass for the pick. Following the fourth field goal of the day from Gould to extend the Niners' lead, Seattle did find the end zone again with a garbage time touchdown from Geno Smith to Metcalf, but the game was well over by then as San Francisco walked away with the 41-23 victory. 

With Seattle keeping up through the first 2+ quarters, the two key moments that lit a spark for the 49ers that allowed them to pull away with the 18-point rout was the fumble recovery by Bosa and the dirty play by Seahawks DB Johnathan Abram. Both would take place on consecutive drives and helped breathe life into the 49ers who jumped ahead and never looked back. Making his postseason debut, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy shook off some early jitters and showed that even the big stage of the postseason did not bother him, finishing with 332 passing yards and 3 passing touchdowns while rushing for another. Breaking a few records along the way -- Purdy became the youngest QB all-time (23 years, 18 days) with 2+ passing TD's & 1+ rushing TD's in a playoff game. His 4 total touchdowns vs Seattle would be the most in NFL history for a rookie in a playoff game and his 332 passing yards were the most for a 49ers QB in the postseason since Joe Montana's 357 yards against the Cincinnati Bengals in Super Bowl XXIII. Overall, the San Francisco offense tallied 505 total yards, their most in any single game in the last three seasons. Converting 24 first downs and punting only once, the duo of Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel helped the 49er offense shine. McCaffrey recorded 119 yards on 15 carries and also added a receiving touchdown, whereas Deebo logged a playoff career-high of 133 yards on 6 catches a day before his 27th birthday. 

Playoffs Division Round Preview: Continuing their road to Super Bowl LVII, the 49ers will welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Levi's Stadium. In a playoff rematch of last year's NFC Wild Card round where San Francisco pulled off a 23-17 road win in Dallas as a Wild Card team, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will look to knock off Dak Prescott and company for a second consecutive year, this time as a division-winner. The Cowboys made light work of Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 31-14 win on Monday Night Football in the last of six match-ups over the busy Super Wild Card Weekend, but are coming off short rest, whereas the 49ers got their playoff feet wet rather early in the first game played over the weekend on Saturday afternoon. Coach Shanahan will hope to work the extra two day advantage in his team's favor as the San Francisco defense prepares for the challenge that will be provided by a balanced Cowboys offensive attack with weapons both on the ground and thru the air. With San Francisco's offense clicking on all cylinders as well over their NFL-leading 11 consecutive wins, Dallas' defense is not to be taken lightly led by linebacker and Defensive Player of the Year candidate Micah Parsons who is likely to be the runner-up to the Niners' Nick Bosa. All things considered, the game will likely go one of two ways: a low-scoring defensive struggle with neither team letting up or an all-around shootout with both offenses going blow for blow in a high-scoring affair. Either way, there will be no shortage of star talent and it should be a good one with a ticket to the NFC Championship on the line to face the winner of the Philadelphia Eagles & New York Giants contest. 

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49ers Win 10th Straight in Playoff tune-up vs Arizona

Week 18 - Hosting the division rival (4-12) Arizona Cardinals in the final week of the 2022-23 regular season, the (12-4) San Francisco 49ers entered their regular season finale with their eyes set on the NFC's No. 1 seed, having already clinched their division. But in order to secure that top seed, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers would need both a win on Sunday as well as a loss from the Philadelphia Eagles who played host to the rival New York Giants. Riding a nine-game winning-streak, San Francisco would look to continue their red-hot play with a chance to sweep the NFC Western Division for the first time since 1997. Meanwhile, Arizona would have little to play for with the exception of one of their own calling it a career following Sunday's game as future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt who spent the last two seasons with the Cardinals following 10-years with the Houston Texans, announced earlier in the week that this would be his final season in the NFL. 

After a meltdown on defense a week ago in their overtime win against the Raiders, the 49ers' No. 1 ranked defense got off to a bumpy start again on Sunday when the Cardinals scored two plays into the ballgame. Down to their fourth-string quarterback, Arizona's David Blough launched a deep ball 77-yards to A.J. Green who made the catch and weaved thru two defenders to find the end zone and give the Cardinals an early 6-0 lead. Looking to answer right back would be a San Francisco offense that received a pair of reinforcements returning from injury in running back Elijah Mitchell and wide-receiver Deebo Samuel. But both guys would take a backseat to Christian McCaffrey who got the 49ers on the board with a 21-yard touchdown on a screen-pass. 49ers safety Tashaun Gipson would have himself a day, adding to his team-leading interception total in the second quarter, picking-off Blough on Arizona's first play of the second quarter. 

Taking over with good field position, the Niner offense would make quick work of the short field as Elijah Mitchell who has missed 12 games this season including the last five, logged his long-awaited first touchdown of the season with a 5-yard score. While the Cardinals would answer with a touchdown of their own on their ensuing drive, they would not have an answer for the 4-yard touchdown from Brock Purdy to George Kittle on San Francisco's next drive. Finding the end zone just before the end of the half, the 49ers would take a 21-13 lead into the locker room. Staying hot on offense, they would open the second half with that same intensity as Mitchell broke for a 37-yard gain to setup another easy score from 6-yards out to give him two touchdowns on the day. Tashaun Gipson would record his second interception of the afternoon and fifth on the season when he picked off a deep pass that the 49er offense would cash in for a Robbie Gould field goal. Adding insult to injury for the Arizona offense, the 49er defense would get a strip-sack on the Cardinals' ensuing-possession when defensive-end Jordan Willis got to the quarterback. 

Entering Sunday's game having already made history by becoming the first rookie QB in NFL history with a win and 2+ TD's in each of his first four career starts, Purdy would add to that record on Sunday, hitting George Kittle in the end zone from a yard out to give the 49ers QB 3 TD's on the day. With his second touchdown reception of afternoon, it would be the seventh touchdown grab in the last four games for Kittle. With Trace McSorley taking over at quarterback to finish the game for the Cardinals, the 49er defense would force another pair of turnovers in the fourth quarter, including an interception from George Odum, his first of the season. The 49ers would walk away with the 38-13 win to claim their first-ever 10th consecutive victory, finishing the regular season with a record of 13-4. Throwing for 178 yards on 15 of 20 pass attempts, Purdy now trails only Jeff Garcia (8 in 2001) and Steve Young (7 in 1998) for the most consecutive games with 2+ pass TD in 49ers franchise history. Brandon Aiyuk becomes just the 13th player (11th wide-receiver) in 49ers franchise history with 1,000+ receiving yards in a single season, eclipsing the 1,000 yard plateau with 4 catches for 59 yards on Sunday to give him 1,015 receiving yards on the season. In his first game back since suffering a leg injury in Week 14, Deebo Samuel hauled in two catches for for 20 yards and one carry for 4 yards. 

Noteworthy: 0 wins by teams in the week following a game vs SF this season (0-15), marking the first time in NFL history with a minimum of 10 games. 

Playoffs Preview: With the Philadelphia Eagles beating the New York Giants 22-16 on Sunday and securing the NFC's No. 1 seed and a 1st round BYE, the 49ers claim the No. 2 seed, setting them up for a Wild Card match-up versus the rival Seattle Seahawks who punched their playoff ticket with an overtime win at home over the Rams and a bit of help from the Detroit Lions who eliminated the Green Bay Packers with a win at Lambeau Field. San Francisco will look to beat Pete Carroll and the Seahawks for a third time this season when they welcome them to Levi's Stadium on Saturday in what will be nothing short of a chippie affair between two teams who have had a recent history of not liking one another. 

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49ers duke it out with Raiders in Overtime Win

Week 17 - Kicking off the New Year in Las Vegas like many party goers that flock to the desert for the big celebration, the (11-4) San Francisco 49ers had other plans in mind than partying. In town to face the (6-9) Las Vegas Raiders, Kyle Shanahan's team entered Sunday's game as heavy favorites having already clinched a playoff berth and their division, against a reeling Raiders team that was on their last leg fighting for their playoff lives. What was expected to be a romp for the 49ers, instead turned into a knock-down-drag-out war that would need overtime to determine a winner. When it was all said and done, the 49ers prevailed, but not before enduring a scare and worrying the pants off of me and the many other Niner fans who were in attendance. 

In the days leading up to their New Years battle, Las Vegas head coach Josh McDaniel announced that 3-time Pro Bowl quarterback Derek Carr would be benched and ultimately shutdown for the remainder of the season in what will likely end his tenure with the Raiders. Taking over under-center for Carr would be QB Jarrett Stidham who was traded from the New England Patriots before the season, reuniting with McDaniel who served as Stidham's offensive coordinator all three seasons in Foxboro before landing his gig with the Raiders in the offseason. Tasked to make his first career start against the league's number one defense, Stidham would have the San Francisco defense on their heels virtually all afternoon long. From their opening drive, Stidham looked calm and in control as he connected on each of his first three passes, including 24-yarder to tight-end Darren Waller to give his team an early 7-0 lead. Answering right back with a touchdown of their own, running back Christian McCaffrey led the 49ers into the red zone with a big 37-yard run before quarterback Brock Purdy hit Brandon Aiyuk in the end zone to tie the game at 7 a piece. 

Knocking on the door at the San Francisco 1-yard line, the Raiders nearly found pay dirt again, but settled for a field goal after failing to reach the end zone. Trailing 10-7, the 49ers took their first lead of the ball game when Purdy hit tight-end George Kittle in the corner of the end zone from 2-yards out, giving the self-proclaimed "People's Tight-End" five touchdown receptions in his last three games. After forcing a turnover on downs that left the Raiders high and dry at the San Francisco goal-line, the 49ers appeared to be heading into halftime with a lead. However, Stidham and company had other plans as the Raiders' back-up QB took advantage of good field position beyond midfield and marched the offense into the red zone. There he would find his top receiver Devante Adams in the corner of the end zone with a 4-yard touchdown grab with 15-seconds remaining. Finding themselves trailing 17-14 at halftime, the 49ers opened the second half flat and were held to a three and out. Getting the ball back with a chance to add to their lead, Jarrett Stidham would do just that. 

Facing a 3rd and 11, the Raiders would convert the first down on a big face mask penalty when 49ers linebacker Fred Warner got tangled up with Las Vegas receiver Hunter Renfrow. Three plays later, Stidham would launch a pass down field to hit a wide-open Devante Adams for a 60-yard score. Looking for a second half jolt, the 49ers began to show life when McCaffrey darted to the end zone from 14 yards out to pull his team within a field goal. After holding the Raiders to a punt on a three and out, the Niners appeared to be headed for another trip to the end zone when Purdy found receiver Jauan Jennings for a 28-yard gain that put them at midfield. However, Purdy's lone mistake on the afternoon would come on the very next play when his deep pass intended for Kittle was underthrown and intercepted by Las Vegas' Amik Robertson who robbed the Niners' tight-end of the ball. In need of a big stop, the 49er defense would come thru with an interception of their own to start the fourth quarter when Kerry Hyder Jr. deflected the ball in the air and into the arms of rookie Drake Jackson who hauled in his first career interception. 

Turning the turnover into a field goal, the 49ers would tie the game at 24-all. Following a Raiders punt, San Francisco would take a 27-24 lead with another Robbie Gould field goal, but Vegas kicker Daniel Carlson would answer right back with a field goal of his own. The last five minutes of the fourth quarter would be a complete whirlwind as both teams went blow for blow, exchanging scores. A pair of big passes to Aiyuk and McCaffrey setup rookie running back Jordan Mason who scored his first career touchdown on a 14-yard dash to the end zone. Needing only 1 minute and 6 seconds, Stidham hit receivers on 21 and 45 yard gains and took advantage of two costly penalties on San Francisco to put the Raiders at the 1-yardline. It would be there where running back Josh Jacobs who departed in the first half with a hip injury, returned to the field to score the game-tying touchdown from 1 yard out. With 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter, Brock Purdy would go to work, connecting with Brandon Aiyuk on four passes to amass 52 yards and put his kicker in position to win the game in regulation. The football gods would have other plans, however, as Gould who had made two field goals earlier in the game, including a 43-yarder, missed wide-right from 41 yards as time expired. 

With the game heading into overtime, the fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium which consisted of about 2/3 in favor of the 49ers, would be treated to another roller coaster of emotions. Winning the coin toss and electing to receive, the Raiders rushed the ball on three straight plays before a deep pass flipped the game for the 49ers. What was a quiet day for San Francisco defensive-end Nick Bosa, turned into a pivotal play as the defensive stalwart applied pressure by bull rushing his man into the quarterback who lofted a wobbly pass that was intercepted by Tashaun Gipson who returned the pick 56 yards. Giving kicker Robbie Gould a chance to redeem himself, the 18-year veteran would do just that, splitting the uprights from 23-yards out to send his team home with their NFL-best ninth straight victory. The ninth straight win would mark the franchise's longest winning-streak since 1997. Throwing for 284 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception, Brock Purdy became just the fifth rookie all-time to win his first four career starts and the first to do so since 2004 (Ben Roethlisberger). Brandon Aiyuk (9 rec, 101 yds, 1 TD) and Devante Adams (7 rec, 153 yds, 2 TD) led their respective teams in receiving yards, combining for 16 receptions, 254 receiving yards and 3 receiving touchdowns. Christian McCaffrey combined for 193 total yards and a touchdown to eclipse the 1,000 rushing yards plateau for the third time in his career. With the loss, the Raiders would be officially eliminated from playoff contention. 

Week 18 Preview: Improving to 12-4 on the year, the 49ers will look to closeout the regular season with a tenth consecutive victory when they play host to the last-place (4-12) Arizona Cardinals. After losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings, San Francisco now finds themselves in the No. 2 seed with a chance at securing the NFC's top seed and a first round BYE if they get a win against Arizona, coupled with a loss from Philly who hosts the division rival New York Giants who are also vying for a playoff spot. Slated to be a wild final week of the NFL's regular season schedule, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers will look to ride their current winning-streak into the postseason and have a chance to complete a clean sweep of the NFC Western Division as the Cardinals are the last team standing in their way of perfection. The 49ers won their previous match-up against the Cardinals earlier this season back in Week 10 which saw San Francisco pull off a 38-10 victory in Mexico City. As scary as their close call with the Raiders was, this type of come-from-behind victory should do wonders for Brock Purdy and his development, as well as serve as a much needed wake-up call for the 49er defense which allowed 500 total yards in the win. 

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49ers Deliver Holiday Cheer with Win over Washington

Week 16 - With the NFL's schedule dwindling down to the final three games of the regular season, the NFC playoff picture slowly comes into focus. While the (10-4) San Francisco 49ers are among just a handful of teams to have clinched a playoff spot entering Week 16, the (7-6-1) Washington Commanders are one of the hopeful teams vying for a Wild Card position. Looking to celebrate Christmas eve with an eighth straight victory, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would face his toughest challenge yet in the form of an impressive Washington defense. Stealing the show early on for both teams would be the defense as neither team scored in the first quarter. Instead, both defenses had big stops in their respective red zone as coaches Kyle Shanahan and "Riverboat" Ron Rivera gambled on offense to no avail. 

After San Francisco marched 50-yards on nine plays on their first possession of the game before making it to the red zone and failing to convert on a 4th and 1 from the Washington 15-yard line, their defense returned the favor to do the Commanders one better. Embarking on an 18-play drive that went 79 yards and spanned nearly 11-minutes long, Washington's ground attack could not break thru from the 1-yard line as they were stuffed at the goal-line. Taking over at their own 1, Purdy and company was able to get some space with their own rushing attack before a big play from receiver Ray-Ray McCloud. Filling in for the injured Deebo Samuel, McCloud showed shades of his dynamic teammate when he went in motion to take a handoff and darted free for a 71-yard touchdown run to give his team a 7-0 lead. The play would mark the 49ers' longest play of the season and the first rushing touchdown of McCloud's career. Fittingly enough, Deebo would be one of the first members on the 49ers sideline to congratulate McCloud for his big play. But the festivities on the San Francisco sidelined would be short lived as their next possession went up in flames in a hurry.

Looking to tack on and add to their lead before the half, Brock Purdy would have his first down pass intercepted when Juaun Jennings bobbled the ball and batted it into the air which allowed a Washington defender to make an easy grab. Capitalizing on the turnover, Commanders QB Tyler Heinicke found rookie receiver Jahan Dotson in the back of the end zone for the game-tying touchdown. With the game all knotted up at 7 at the half and Purdy completing less than 50% of his passes thru the first two quarters, coach Shanahan made a much needed offensive adjustment. Receiving the second half kickoff, San Francisco's offense put up points for the 9th time in 15 games this season to open the second half when Purdy connected with tight-end George Kittle on a 34-yard touchdown. After forcing another Washington turnover on downs, Purdy found Kittle again for a 33-yard score, this time allowing Kittle to do what he's best at by piling on yards after the catch. The touchdown connection from Purdy to Kittle would be their second of the game and fourth in the last two weeks. However, Washington would again make things interesting after a 51-yard bomb to Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin set up a short touchdown pass from Heinicke to McLaurin just two plays later. 

After answering with a Robbie Gould field goal, the San Francisco defense would put their stamp on the game with back to back turnovers forced on a strip-sack fumble by Nick Bosa and a Jimmie Ward interception which led to another pair of field goals. After seeing enough of Heinicke who seemed to be rattled following the big hit from Bosa, Ron Rivera called on Carson Wentz to finish the game at quarterback. And while Wentz would march Washington down the field for a touchdown capped off by a 20-yard strike to receiver Curtis Samuel, San Francisco would ice the game with one final touchdown-scoring drive of their own as Christian McCaffrey scored from a yard out to land the final blow. Pulling off the 37-20 victory, the 49ers won their eighth straight game to improve to 11-4 on the year. Throwing for 234 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception in the win, Brock Purdy became the only QB in 49ers franchise history to win his first three NFL starts. Tight-end George Kittle led all receivers with 120 yards and 2 touchdowns on six receptions. San Francisco's Ray-Ray McCloud had only one carry on the afternoon and made it count as he led all rushers with 71-yards and a touchdown. Meanwhile, Nick Bosa added two more sacks to his NFL-leading season total of 17.5, furthering his campaign for this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. Bosa is also creeping up on the franchise-record for the most sacks in a single-season held by Aldon Smith (19.5). 

Week 17 Preview: Making a trip to Sin City to face the (6-9) Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium for the first time since their relocation from Oakland, the (11-4) 49ers will look to log their ninth consecutive win when they face off against their former Bay Area rival on New Year's Day. Turning the page on 2022, the Niners hope to see continued success in the new year, only with a twist in the continued Quest For Six. Under first-year head coach Josh McDaniel, the Raiders have been one of the bigger disappointments in the NFL this season, despite having fought back a bit from a 2-7 record thru the first 10 weeks of the season. Coming off a 13-10 loss on the road in Pittsburgh on Christmas eve in which the Raiders let a 10-6 lead slip away in the final minute and were intercepted in a last-ditch effort of their own, Vegas is hanging on for dear life with their playoff hopes slowly fading away. They'll need to turn things around fast and hope for a handful of other scenarios to take place as their playoff chances dropped from 7% to just 1% following their loss to Pittsburgh. 

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49ers Clinch the West with Sweep of Seattle

Week 15 - With the (9-4) San Francisco 49ers on the road to face the rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks on Thursday Night Football with a chance to clinch a playoff spot and the division, the team would again turn to their rookie third-string quarterback. After passing the test in Week 14 by beating Tom Brady and the Bucs in his first career start, Brock Purdy would be tested yet again by playing in the hostile environment that is Seattle's Lumen Field for the first road start of his career. Known for being one of the more intimidating venues to play in in the entire NFL due to the high volume of the raucous crowd, Mr. Irrelevant again proved to be, well, relevant. Entering the match-up as rare road favorites in Seattle despite being winless in their last two trips to the Emerald City. 

On short rest following the quick turnaround from last Sunday's game at home against Tampa Bay, Purdy would get the nod at quarterback despite oblique and rib injuries that kept him limited in practice all week. Unfazed by it all, Purdy would continue to perform in a way that seems fit for a Hollywood script. After punting on their first possession of offense, the 49ers struck first on a brilliant play-call as Purdy faked a pair of screens before rifling a pass down the middle to a wide-open George Kittle who broke for the 28-yard touchdown. Keeping the game close, the Seahawks would get on the scoreboard with a field goal in the second quarter and threatened to take a lead before the half, but a big time hit on Seattle's Travis Homer from Niners linebacker Dre Greenlaw would result in a fumble that San Francisco would turn into a touchdown just two plays later. Scoring with under a minute remaining in the half, Christian McCaffrey would spring forward for the easy score to give the 49ers a 14-3 lead at halftime. 

It would be an interesting turn of events as Seattle nearly picked off Purdy on the other end prior to Homer's fumble. Instead for Seattle, the only team with a turnover in every game this season, that stat would continue to haunt them following their latest miscue. With 11 straight games scoring 10+ points in the first half, the longest streak in one season in 49ers team history, San Francisco wouldn't score nearly as many points as they should've in the second half, but the defense would more than make up for that. Before you could even blink after the second half kickoff, the San Francisco offense found the end zone two plays into the half when a wide-open George Kittle leaked out towards the sideline and caught a deep ball that he would take 54-yards to the house, juking a pair of Seattle defenders on his way to the end zone. Now leading 21-3, the 49ers nearly added to their double-digit lead when Seattle quarterback Geno Smith was facing pressure and launched a deep pass that was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Instead, 49ers defensive stalwart Nick Bosa would be flagged for a bogus roughing the passer call that wiped the San Francisco touchdown off the board. Seattle would take advantage of the second-chance by adding a second field goal.  

After exchanging a pair of punts, the 49ers had looked to add to their lead just before the 5-minute mark of the fourth quarter, but a 43-yard field goal attempt by 49ers kicker Robbie Gould would sail wide right, keeping the score at 21-6. Making matters worse, Seattle would march 67 yards on eight plays, while chewing up only 1 minute and 25 seconds of game time. Inching closer by making it a 21-13 ballgame, Seattle would score their first offensive touchdown in nearly two whole games versus San Francisco this season, scoring at the 3:35 mark of the fourth quarter to pull within a single score. Looking to close out the game, the 49ers offense would take to the ground and do just that, taking advantage of a poor Seattle run defense which ranks 31st overall against the run. Having allowed 160 rush yards per game, Seattle had surrendered 838 rushing yards over their last four games prior to Thursday. The duo of Christian McCaffrey (26 carries, 108 rush yards) and Jordan Mason (4 carries, 64 yards) would add 170 more rushing yards for San Francisco, including 55 yards on a dash up the middle by the undrafted rookie, as Mason sealed the game-clinching first down before leaking oil and being stopped at the 3-yardline where they would let the clock run out. 

Becoming only the second team in the league to wrap up a playoff berth after Philadelphia, the 49ers on the other hand are the first to secure a division title, with their first NFC West crown since 2019. Sweeping the season series from Seattle for the first time since 2011, the 49ers currently have the longest active winning-streak in the NFL with seven consecutive victories, trailing them are the Cincinnati Bengals who are next with five. Niners QB Brock Purdy registered a turnover-free game, completing 17 of 26 pass attempts, including his first 11, and threw for 217 yards and 2 scores. Purdy's 11 consecutive completed passes to begin a game is the longest such streak by a rookie QB this season. Purdy is also the first rookie QB to win his first two starts vs a Super Bowl-winning QB in Tampa Bay's Tom Brady and a Super Bowl-winning head coach in Seattle's Pete Carroll, while also leading all rookie QB's this season with 6 passing touchdowns. Purdy did equally as well at the podium at his postgame press conference, deflecting all credibility to fellow Niner QB's Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy's favorite target on the night -- tight-end George Kittle, had his best game of the season, hauling in four catches for 93 yards and 2 touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 49er defense held Geno Smith to 238 yards and a touchdown. 

Week 16 Preview: Returning to Levi's Stadium on Christmas eve, the (10-4) 49ers will look to gift themselves an eighth straight win when they take on a (7-5-1) Washington Commanders team vying for an NFC Wild Card spot. With San Francisco having already clinched a playoff berth, the Commanders are not to be taken lightly as they will have plenty on the line to fight for, not to mention they are the only team thus far to hand the (12-1) Philadelphia Eagles a loss this season, albeit they are division rivals. If the Niners can continue to win and the Minnesota Vikings continue to fall, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers have a chance to soar into the NFC's No. 2 seed, and while the chances of them catching Philly are possible, they remain slim. But most importantly, San Francisco will hope to avoid the injury bug during the regular season's homestretch. 

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49ers Dismantle Brady's Bucs in Purdy's First Career Start

Week 14 - Heading into Week 14's match-up between the (8-5) San Francisco 49ers and (6-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers, all the chatter revolved around Mr. Irrelevant Brock Purdy versus the GOAT Tom Brady. Two guys nobody gave much of a chance after being drafted in the seventh and sixth round, respectively, the two QB's would square off with both of their teams looking to stay atop their respective divisions. Featured as FOX's "Game of the Week," the highlighted match-up would turn into a rout by halftime and would force the network to switch to the more competitive game between the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks with 9:44 remaining in the third quarter. 

Playing 25 miles outside of his hometown for only the second time in his career against the team he grew up rooting for, Bucs quarterback Tom Brady who was seen taking it all in before and after the game, had purchased tickets for over 100 friends and family members who were in attendance on Sunday. Unfortunately for him, his supporters would have little to cheer for in the lopsided affair. Niners quarterback Brock Purdy would also have his family in attendance as his parents were able to witness their son make his first career NFL start. And as if the juices weren't flowing already after player introductions, he would be awoken with a helmet to helmet hit that resulted in a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on the first play of the game. From that point on, it would be a remarkable day at the office for Purdy who helped lead the 49ers on a touchdown-scoring drive on their first possession. Receiver Deebo Samuel would put San Francisco ahead early with a 13-yard touchdown run. 

Looking to answer, the Bucs would cross midfield and attempt a 55-yard field goal which kicker Ryan Succop would miss terribly. San Francisco would find the end zone again two possessions later when Purdy struck pay dirt with a touchdown run from two yards out for his first career rushing touchdown. One drive later, Purdy would launch a 27-yard touchdown to running back Christian McCaffrey to take a three-score lead which led the Levi's Stadium faithful to begin chants of "Purdy". With the touchdown pass, Purdy would become just the third QB in 49ers franchise history to record a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown in his first career start (Shaun Hill & Jeff Garcia). With the 49er offense rolling to a 21-0 advantage, Purdy and company would lose one of their most dynamic weapons in the second quarter when Deebo Samuel was tackled awkwardly and fumbled the ball. Grabbing at his lower leg as he went down, he would need to be carted off the field. Noticeably upset and in tears, not one player on the 49ers team went without padding Deebo on the back or going to a knee as he was being attended to by the team's medical staff. 

After a turnover on downs by the Bucs on the other end, the 49ers were able to add another touchdown just before the half. Nearly suffering their second consecutive turnover, San Francisco caught a break when a Brock Purdy interception was negated thanks to a holding call by the Tampa Bay defense. One play later, Purdy found receiver Brandon Aiyuk on a deep pass for a 32-yard touchdown. Taking a 28-0 lead into the half, San Francisco's number one defense would hold Tom Brady and the Bucs offense to their third shutout of the first half this season. Opening the second half with more sloppiness from the Tampa Bay offense, the 49er defense would intercept Brady on back to back possessions in the third quarter as Tashaun Gipson and Dre Greenlaw picked off the Bucs QB. Adding one final touchdown, McCaffrey broke for a 38-yard touchdown run, stiff-arming his way to the end zone to put the Niners ahead, 35-0. Becoming only the fourth player in NFL history with 30+ rushing touchdowns and 20+ receiving touchdowns in his first six seasons, McCaffrey would log his 11th career game with 1+ rushing TD and 1+ receiving TD, tying him with the great Jim Brown for 4th most all-time. 

The Buccaneers would finally break thru with a score of their own with just under three minutes remaining in the third quarter when receiver Russell Gage caught a fluky touchdown pass after being in the right place at the right time. With Brady's pass nearly intercepted, the ball was deflected before finding Gage who made a shoestring grab for the lucky score. Brock Purdy would depart the game in the fourth quarter with an oblique and rib injury and did not play the final 13 minutes, allowing the recently acquired Josh Johnson to enter and closeout the game. Adding one more turnover with a fumble on defense, the 49ers milked the clock to a 35-7 victory. Despite not recording a single sack for the first time this season, the San Francisco defense still managed three takeaways with two interceptions and a fumble. Brock Purdy completed 16 of 21 passes for 185 yards and 2 touchdowns, outdueling Tom Brady who threw for 253 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions on 34 of 55 pass attempts. With the win, Purdy also became the first QB to defeat Tom Brady in his first career start. McCaffrey led all players with 2 touchdowns and 162 all purpose yards with 119 on the ground and another 34 yards thru the air, logging his 41st game with 100+ scrimmage yards since 2017 which is the most in the NFL in that span and 9th this season. He's also the only player in the league this season with 700+ rushing yards & 500+ receiving yards thru Week 13. 

Week 15 Preview: Taking the stage for their one and only Thursday Night Football game of the season, the (9-4) 49ers will take a trip to the Pacific Northwest to face the division rival (7-6) Seattle Seahawks with a chance to clinch the NFC Western Division on the line. Coming off a loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, Pete Carroll's Seahawks who have been leading the 49ers or on their heels in the standings, have now lost three of their last five games which has given San Francisco some breathing room as the 49ers have also won six straight. Unfortunately, Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan will have a decision to make before kickoff as Brock Purdy may not be ready in time for Thursday's game on short rest as he's dealing with oblique and rib soreness. Purdy who had the highest passer rating among QB's in Week 14 with a 134.0 QBR, will be ruled a game-time decision. If Purdy is unable to start, QB Josh Johnson will be next in line for the start in what is his fourth stint with the Niners. Johnson completed 1 of 2 passes for 10 yards to closeout Sunday's win over the Bucs. Hopefully San Francisco's dominant defense will do enough of the heavy lifting on Thursday to the point that it won't matter who is under center for San Francisco come kickoff. 

San Francisco also dodged a bullet with the Deebo injury as it was revealed that the 49ers' receiver did suffer knee and ankle sprains but avoided a major injury as he's expected to return to the field this season. 

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49ers lose Garoppolo, Rally behind Mr. Irrelevant to down Dolphins

Week 13 - One of the more anticipated games to highlight another busy week in the NFL was Week 13's meeting between the (7-4) San Francisco 49ers and the visiting (8-3) Miami Dolphins in what would be a match-up of teacher and student between Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan and 'Fins skipper Mike McDaniel who faced off for the first time after having spent 14 seasons coaching together. As if the two high-flying offenses wasn't enough to look forward to, the game would also feature a number of 49er players now on the Dolphins, including Miami's running back tandem of Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. who had some choice words come up in a recent interview regarding their former team which led to several Niners taking to social media to respond. But no response would be louder than the one that took place on the field when the final whistle blew on Sunday.

Facing the league's number one defense, Miami's offense which had scored 30+ points in four consecutive games entering Sunday's tilt and has produced some of their best offensive statistics since the Dan Marino-led Dolphins in 1986, came out guns blazing on the first play of the game. After pitching a shutout a week ago at home against the Saints, the 49ers saw their hopes of logging back to back shutouts evaporate almost immediately after kickoff and before many fans could even find their seats. Dolphins receiver Trent Sherfield who tallied a total of 87 yards and a touchdown last season with the 49ers, nearly topped that mark on one play when he caught the first pass of the game on the first play from scrimmage and took it 75-yards to the house for the game-opening touchdown and ending the Niners' streak of six consecutive shutout quarters on defense. But as expected when you poke a sleeping giant, Miami's big play would only anger San Francisco's defense which woke up following the early score. Equally as troubling for the offense, the 49ers would see quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo hauled to the locker room with a lower leg injury following San Francisco's first possession on offense, thrusting rookie QB Brock Purdy into the spotlight. 

Purdy, taken with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, this year's Mr. Irrelevant was anything but on Sunday when called upon to take over for the injured Garoppolo who went down on the final play of the Niners' first drive before having to settle for a Robbie Gould field goal. With the defense settling down and recovering from the gut-punch on the opening-play, Purdy came into the game and marched the offense to the end zone for his first career touchdown pass as he hit fullback Kyle Juszczyk for the 3-yard score. After Miami tied the game at 10 with a field goal of their own, Purdy again led the offense down the field and into the red zone where he found Christian McCaffrey for the short touchdown strike from 3-yards out in the final seconds of the half. Going into the locker room with a 17-10 lead, the 49ers' late first half touchdown meant San Francisco had now scored in the final two minutes of the first half in each of their last five games (all wins). Meanwhile, at the time of Garoppolo's injury, the extent of the injury was still very much unknown. As it turned out, Garoppolo would be ruled out for the game at the half and it was learned following the game from coach Shanahan that his quarterback had suffered a broken foot that would require season-ending surgery. 

Down to their third-string quarterback, the former standout QB who started nearly all four years at Iowa State and went on to set a number of school records with the Cyclones, over 30 to be exact, including winningest QB in program history, most passing yards, most completions, highest completion percentage and most touchdowns, Purdy looked very comfortable under center given the circumstances. Other than the fluky 75-yard touchdown scored on Miami's first play of the game, the San Francisco defense held their own in the first half, allowing just 82 yards on their next 24 plays. That defense would start the second half red hot by intercepting Tua not only on consecutive possessions, but on consecutive passes to open the half. Ending Tua's streak of 193 straight passes without an interception, the longest active streak in NFL, was 49ers safety Jimmie Ward who took advantage of a Dolphins receiver who lost his footing on the play and corner Deommodore Lenoir who secured an errant pass off the hands of Tyreke Hill. The 49ers would turn both picks into field goals, adding to their lead. 

But like the saying goes, "all good things must come to an end," the same would be said for San Francisco's second-half shutout streak as a deep pass from Tua to Hill ended in a 45-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter. The 0 points allowed in the second half of four straight games for San Francisco's defense would tie the longest streak since 1939 and spanned an impressive 22 opponent possessions. But after having to punt on their ensuing possession, the 49ers suddenly found themselves in a vulnerable position, giving the ball back to their opponent and clinging to just a six-point lead. A key overturned catch on 4th and 2 for the Dolphins that would've resulted in a first down, was instead reversed to an incomplete pass thanks to a nice play by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who upon further review got a hand on the ball just enough to disrupt the catch. Cashing in on another field goal, the San Francisco defense would put a dagger in the heart of the Dolphins offense when Nick Bosa forced a strip-sack that resulted in a scoop and score fumble return for the aforementioned Greenlaw. It would be the final stamp of the day for the 49er defense and Bosa who had a monstrous afternoon, tallying 3 total sacks on the day. 

Adding insult to injury, Tua would be replaced one possession later by QB Skylar Thompson who's one and only pass resulted in a Fred Warner interception to ice the game and send the Niners off with the 33-17 victory. Whether or not it was the 49ers defense making Tua uncomfortable, there would be an awful lot of misfires and overthrows for the league's most accurate passer on downfield passes virtually all afternoon long as he entered Sunday's game with a QB rating of 115.7 to lead the NFL. With another dominant second half, San Francisco has now outscored opponents 70-7 in the second half of their last five games. They have also allowed 17 points or fewer in five straight games, their longest streak since 1997. As for the man of the match, quarterback Brock Purdy threw for 210 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception while becoming the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game. Tagovailoa threw for 295 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in the loss. Christian McCaffrey (8 receptions, 80 yards and 1 touchdown) and Tyreek Hill (9 receptions, 146 yards and 1 touchdown) each led their teams in receiving. McCaffrey and rookie running back Jordan Mason also combined for 66 and 51 yards rushing, respectively, while former Niners Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. were held to a combined 33 yards rushing for Miami. 

Week 14 Preview: One of only six QB's taken with the final pick in NFL Draft, Purdy who has already made NFL history by being the first Mr. Irrelevant to throw a touchdown pass in a regular season game, will now become the first with that title to start a game at quarterback when he gets the call under center next week against Tom Brady and the (6-6) Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Concluding their three-game homestand at Levi's Stadium, the vaunted 49er defense will look to continue their recent onslaught against a Buccaneers team that has not looked nearly as good as they had in the previous two seasons with Brady at the helm. But after erasing a 13-point deficit with less than 5 mins remaining on Monday Night Football to steal a game against the rival Saints, the lowly Bucs are not to be taken lightly despite their record. The 49ers will also need to continue their winning ways to keep their distance from second-place Seattle. 

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49ers Defense pitches Shutout vs Saints

Week 12 - Known to have one of the more talented offenses and one of the best offensive play-callers in all of football, the offense of the (6-4) San Francisco 49ers would take a backseat on Sunday as their game versus the (4-7) New Orleans Saints was all about the defense. Entering Sunday's game boasting the NFL's best defense and ranking No. 1 in both yards and points allowed, San Francisco's stout defensive attack did not disappoint in their return to Levi's Stadium. With shutouts on defense in the second half of their last three games, defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans' bunch turned things up a notch by pitching a shutout for the entire game as the defense stood on their head in a 13-0 win for the 49ers. 

With an NFL-leading 19 turnovers on offense prior to Sunday's game, the Saints kicked things off with more of the same right out of the gates when their first offensive possession went up in flames after San Francisco's Fred Warner forced a fumble on New Orleans running back Alvin Kamara. The 49ers would take advantage of the stellar field position by getting on the scoreboard, but were only able to walk away with a field goal. As good as San Francisco's defense was on Sunday, the Saints defense also held their own by making things hard for a star-studded 49er offense virtually all afternoon long. Knocking on the door of their first touchdown of the game, Jimmy Garoppolo and company were denied on each of their first two trips to the red zone, including a goal-line stand on a quarterback scramble that kept a lunging Jimmy G just short of the end zone. However, the 49ers would redeem themselves on their next possession as Garoppolo's pass found the arms of receiver Jauan Jennings who showed great concentration on a tip-drill in the back of the end zone. The right place at the right time situation would give San Francisco a 10-0 lead just before the half with 0:19 remaining. 

Receiving the ball to open the second half, the 49ers would catch a break when a Jimmy Garoppolo interception was called back on an illegal-contact penalty against the New Orleans defense. While the offense didn't register another visit to the end zone like they had hoped, they did get another field goal on a 46-yarder from Robbie Gould to increase the lead to 13-0. San Francisco's second half shutout-streak nearly came to an end on the Saints' next possession, but that was until a 48-yard field goal attempt by Wil Lutz sailed wide left. The Saints would also threaten on each of their next two possessions by making it to the red zone, but that's where the vaunted San Francisco defense turned up the heat and stepped up their game. With the ball at the San Francisco 6 yard-line, Saints quarterback Andy Dalton checked down a pass to Kamara who made it to the 1 before being met by 49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw who fought off the Saints' Pro-Bowl running back just enough to allow Talanoa Hufanga to break up the play and force a fumble as he shot thru like a missile, knocking the ball loose with his helmet. Squirting the ball up into the air, the 49er defense was able to recover and prevent the Saints' hope for a score. 

One possession later and the Saints were right back at it, knocking on the door of a potential touchdown. Making it to the 4 yard-line with a first down, the San Francisco defense held their ground on four consecutive downs by forcing three straight incomplete passes before a Nick Bosa sack, the Niners' lone sack on the afternoon, sealed the win and forced the turnover on downs inside the red zone. The 49ers were able to ice the game with a series of first downs which allowed them to cruise to a 13-0 victory and complete the shutout. With four straight second half shutouts (all wins), the 49ers have now shutout their opponents in six straight quarters and have not allowed a team to score in the second half since Kansas City's 30-point outburst in the second half of San Francisco's last defeat over a month ago back on October 23. Perhaps even more impressive is the scoreless streak that San Francisco put an end to as the Saints were held scoreless for the first time in 333 consecutive games, the longest active streak in the NFL. Sunday's defeat for the Saints would be their first without scoring since Week 17 of the 2001 season which also happened to come against the 49ers. In fact, the last four times the Saints have been shutout has come at the hands of the 49ers: Week 9 1997, Week 6 1998, Week 17 2001 and Sunday. 

Nobody on either team finished with impressive numbers on offense as both quarterbacks had pedestrian games with Garoppolo throwing for 222 yards and a touchdown and Dalton passing for 204 yards. Neither team had a running back rush for more than 35 yards and San Francisco's Brandon Aiyuk finished with a game-high 65 yards receiving on 5 receptions. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan would receive some unfortunate news following the win regarding running back Elijah Mitchell who left Sunday's game with a knee injury in the second half and is expected to be out 6-8 weeks. Mitchell who led all 49er running backs with 35 yards on 7 carries, missed seven of the team's first eight games this year after suffering a sprained MCL in the season-opener at Chicago. After Christian McCaffrey, the void at running back will likely be filled by a combination of rookies Jordan Mason and Tyrion Davis-Price or a promotion from the practice squad for veteran Tevin Coleman. With the win on Sunday, the 49ers improved to 7-4 on the year and moved into sole possession of first place in the NFC West as the Seahawks, Rams and Cardinals all suffered losses in Week 12.

Week 13 Preview: Continuing their three-game homestand, the 49ers will turn to a more formidable opponent in the (8-3) Miami Dolphins. Tied atop the AFC East with the Buffalo Bills for first place, the Dolphins will pay a visit to Levi's Stadium with a familiar play-caller leading the way in rookie head coach Mike McDaniel who spent the last five seasons in San Francisco under coach Shanahan, including last year as the team's offensive coordinator. McDaniel has struck lightning in a bottle in his first season at the helm in Miami, coaching quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins' high-octane offense to five straight wins after coming off a 30-15 victory at home over the Houston Texans. Having scored 30-points in four consecutive games and having held opponents to 17-points or fewer in three of their last five, Miami will certainly put San Francisco's defense to the test. 

In what is becoming a highly anticipated match-up, both teams have added some fuel to the fire after current Dolphin and former 49ers running back Raheem Mostert had some choice words in a recent interview, criticizing his former team for not having his best interest in mind and attempted to rush him back from injury after sustaining a knee injury in the season-opener. The injury would put an end to Mostert's season and ultimately his career with the Niners. Fellow running back Jeff Wilson who is now Mostert's teammate in South Beach, will also get a crack at his former team after being traded from San Francisco on November 1 following the 49ers' acquisition of Christian McCaffrey. Deebo Samuel has since replied to Mostert's comments via Twitter, tweeting, "Raheem be real with yourself." Safe to say, it should be a fun one on Sunday. 

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