Niners Stifle Giants in Thursday Night Win

Week 3 - Entering the (2-0) San Francisco 49ers' home-opener on Thursday Night Football against the (1-1) New York Giants and in front of the Faithful at Levi's Stadium for the first time this season, the all-time head-to-head series between the two franchises stood at an even 17-17 in regular season meetings and 4-4 during the playoffs. Looking to tilt the series in their favor with a win to stay atop the NFC, the 49ers would also seek their first 3-0 start since 2019 when they got off to an 8-0 start on their way to a Super Bowl. Looking to also keep his perfect regular season record of 7-0 in tact would be Niners quarterback Brock Purdy who would be playing without one of his top targets in wide-receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The Giants would be without a playmaker of their own in running back Saquon Barkley who leading up to game day appeared to be in line to make a miracle recovery from an ankle sprain in time for kickoff, before New York head coach Brian Daboll elected to sit his healing star. Despite the absence of Aiyuk who took home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 1 and is nursing a shoulder injury, Brock Purdy would make due with another pair of playmakers in Deebo Samuel and George Kittle, on his way to throwing for a career-high in passing yards. Helping step in for Aiyuk would be a rookie who would make his first career reception a memorable one. 

After both teams exchanged field goals to open the game, followed by a punt from both sides, the 49ers, donning their throwback uniforms, found the end zone first when Purdy connected with rookie receiver Ronnie Bell who's first career reception came in the end zone for a touchdown. Making his NFL-debut, the rookie out of Michigan displayed great awareness by sticking the landing and keeping both feet in bounds for the go-ahead score. One possession later, the San Francisco offense would be right back at it again, striking pay dirt on a 4-yard run up the gut from running back Christian McCaffrey who found the end zone for a 12th consecutive game (including playoffs). Coming off their first comeback win of 20-points or more since 1949 a week ago against Arizona, the Giants would not go down without a fight and stuck around for much of the game after a field goal just before the half made it a 17-6 game in favor of San Francisco. Making things even closer, New York struck first in the second half when a former Niner found the end zone. Filling in for the injured Saquon Barkley at running back was Matt Breida who spent his first three NFL seasons in a 49ers uniform and led the team in rushing in 2018. Throwing it back to his days at Levi's Stadium, Breida scored on an 8-yard carry to bring his team within 5-points after a failed 2-point conversion attempt. Unfortunately for Big Blue, it would be their one and only trip to the end zone on the night. 

Adding another pair of Jake Moody field goals to take a 23-12 lead, the 49ers added the final nail in the coffin when Brock Purdy launched a 27-yard strike into the end zone to Deebo Samuel. Any hopes of a second consecutive comeback attempt by Giants quarterback Daniel Jones was thwarted when a tipped pass ended up in the hands of San Francisco's Talanoa Hufanga for an interception and the game's only turnover. Pulling out the 30-12 victory and helping the 49ers improve to 3-0 on the year, QB Brock Purdy logged a much cleaner outing on Thursday Night Football after missing on a number of deep balls with a chance to put the game out of reach just a week earlier in L.A.. Logging a career-high 310 passing yards and 2 touchdowns through the air, Purdy found favorites in Deebo Samuel who caught 6 balls for 129 yards receiving and a touchdown, and tight-end George Kittle who hauled in a game-high 7 receptions for 90 yards. Meanwhile, the 49er defense held Giants quarterback Daniel Jones to only 137 yards thru the air and kept the New York offense as a whole to just 150 yards in total, compared to San Francisco's 441 yards of total offense. 

Week 4 Preview: The (3-0) San Francisco 49ers will continue their three-game homestand in Week 4 when they welcome in the division rival (1-2) Arizona Cardinals who despite their record, have been scrappy thus far having lost two games by a combined 7-points and are coming off one of the bigger upsets of the season thru the first three weeks over the Dallas Cowboys. What the Niners can ill-afford to do with their next opponent is overlook them as what might've been the case for the Cowboys who came into Arizona hot before being embarrassed in front of a pro-Dallas crowd despite being on the road. Niners head coach Kyle Shanahan knows better than to underestimate a division foe who they'll see twice this season, but Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs who was acquired via trade just a month earlier, has the team playing inspiring football under first-year head coach Jonathan Gannon. Many believed that Arizona would be in full-blown tank mode in favor of Heisman-winning quarterback and consensus first overall pick Caleb Williams out of USC, however, these pesky Cardinals look very much alive so far and look like they could be last season's Detroit Lions in the sense that they surprised everyone by coming out of nowhere and quickly put the league on notice. 

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49ers Continue Dominance over Rival Rams

Week 2 - In what's known as one of the longest standing rivalries out west in the NFL, things have been rather one-sided over the last 4+ years now between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams, with the exception of their lone playoff meeting in January of 2022. With the 49ers having beaten up on their rivals from southern California in eight straight regular-season games entering Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan's Niners team looked to make it nine straight wins over the Rams and a dozen consecutive regular season wins overall. Making only his 7th career start, 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy would face off against the Rams for the first time in his young NFL journey. Opposite of Purdy would be former No.1 overall pick and future Hall of Fame quarterback Matthew Stafford, marking the first time in NFL history a QB drafted 1st overall faced a QB drafted last. 

Coming off the worst-ever record in NFL history by a defending Super Bowl champion a season ago (5-12), Sean McVay's Rams have already looked better this season after pulling off a Week 1 upset win on the road in Seattle, despite being without one of their best players in receiver Cooper Kupp. With Stafford back under center after missing the team's final seven games with a spinal injury last season, L.A. would put up quite the fight against the Niners on Sunday and even provide a scare for much of the game. With a majority of the crowd at SoFi Stadium draped in 49er red as fans turned the venue into Levi's Stadium South like they so often do, the San Francisco offense got off to a quick start after receiving the opening kickoff. 49ers wide-receiver Brandon Aiyuk who received NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors in Week 1 for his two touchdown, 129 yard performance, appeared to be in line for another big day after catching a pair of passes for 25 yards on the opening-drive, but he would need medical attention just a few plays in after a neck injury. Aiyuk would eventually reenter the game, but was visibly bothered throughout the rest of the contest. Capping a 13-play, 75-yard drive would be 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey who put an exclamation mark on the initial drive with a 14 yard touchdown to give San Francisco an early 7-0 lead. 

With the Rams offense entering the game having scored on five consecutive drives to finish out Week 1, they were right back at it on Sunday, scoring on all three of their first half possessions. After tying the game at 10-all, the Rams even took a 17-10 lead late in the second quarter following a pair of touchdowns from running back Kyren Williams who got the start in place of last week's starter Cam Akers and made the most of it. Just hours before kickoff, Akers; the subject of trade rumors, was ruled out as a healthy scratch. The Rams' rushing attack would do just fine without him. Refusing to head into the locker room at the half trailing, Brock Purdy and company needed only four plays to make it into the red zone. Setting up shop at the 1-yard line, time quickly became a factor for the 49ers who were knocking on the door of a game-tying touchdown, but had only 1-second remaining on the clock. Instead of electing to go for the much safer chip-shot field goal, coach Shanahan dialed up a Brock Purdy QB-sneak which proved successful and paid dividends, tying the game at 17-all at the half. 

With both teams exchanging punts to open the second half, the 49ers struck first on defense by forcing the game's first turnover when Niners newcomer Isaiah Oliver tallied his first interception in a 49ers uniform, corralling a pass that was thrown behind the receiver and tipped into the air. The 49ers would turn the turnover into points as rookie kicker Jake Moody split the uprights with a booming 57-yard field goal to retake the lead. One possession later, San Francisco would add to their lead after Purdy connected thru the air on a 31-yard deep ball to receiver Jauaun Jennings to open the fourth quarter. The big gain would setup Deebo Samuel who would make his presence felt several plays later, breaking a pair of tackles before rumbling into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown. Trailing by two scores, the Rams would inch closer with a Brett Maher field goal and had a chance to tie things up after forcing a three and out punt, but a second Matt Stafford interception would deal a blow to their comeback attempt. Jumping out in front of a Stafford pass intended for Van Jefferson, was San Francisco cornerback Deommodore Lenoir. Cashing the turnover in for another Jake Moody field goal, the 10-point lead and dwindling game clock would be too much to overcome for the Stafford and the Rams.

Held to a turnover on downs to start their last-ditch effort at a comeback attempt, the Rams eventually got the ball back and scored on a last-second field goal as time expired, making it a 30-23 win for the 49ers and ruining quite a few bets in the process with San Francisco failing to cover the -8 1/2 point spread. For the Niners, the win marked their 9th straight regular season victory over the Rams and their 12th consecutive regular season win overall, the second longest streak in franchise history. It would also be the fifth straight game with at least 30 points scored for SF. Leading the way on the ground was another impressive showing by 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey who led all rushers with 116 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, highlighted by a big 51-yard rush on the final play of the first quarter. L.A.'s rookie receiver Puka Nacua who was quite the story after an impressive stat line in Week 1, continued his torid pace with another 15 receptions for 147 receiving yards in the loss, becoming the first player in NFL history with 10+ catches & 100+ receiving yards in each of his first 2 career games. Also making franchise history for the 49ers was tight-end George Kittle who recorded career reception No. 400, becoming the fastest 49er to reach the feat and needing only 84 career games to do so, one game fewer than two franchise greats in Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, both of whom needed 85 games. 

Brock Purdy threw for 206 yards in the win and avoided making any costly turnovers, but he missed on several deep balls to wide-open receivers that would've put the game out of reach for the Niners. While there's no reason to panic just yet given Purdy has been solid overall and is only two games removed from major elbow surgery, you'd like to see him make those plays as they could be the type of plays that can make a difference in a close game. Meanwhile, Matt Stafford threw for 307 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions in the loss. 

Week 3 Preview: (2-0) San Francisco will make their home debut on Thursday Night Football when they welcome Daniel Jones and the (1-1) New York Giants into Levi's Stadium in Week 3. Avoiding disaster of falling to 0-2 on the season, the Giants erased a 20-0 first half deficit in Arizona to knock off the Cardinals by a field goal, 31-28. Scoring 24 unanswered-points to close out the win, the Giants did receive some unfortunate news regarding star running back Saquon Barkley who needed to be helped off the field in the second half with an injury. Described as an ankle sprain, early indications had Barkley listed as week to week, but now it appears he's listed as questionable for game day and will be a game-time decision. With the quick Thursday night turnaround, I would bank on the Giants taking a much safer approach and sitting Barkley in favor of backup running back Matt Breida who will get a crack at his former team. On the 49ers front, receiver Brandon Aiyuk will also sit out of Thursday's game due to his shoulder injury. Still seeking his first QB sack of the season, I’m expecting a big game for Niners defensive-end and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa. Prediction: Bosa will record 2.5 sacks along the way to helping the 49ers improve to 3-0. 

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49ers Close Curtain on Steelers in Season-Opener

Week 1 - Opening the season on the road in the Steel City, the San Francisco 49ers entered Sunday as 2-point favorites. With Super Bowl aspirations and high expectations following a disappointing finish to their 2022 campaign a season ago which came to a screeching halt due to injuries, the lone question mark regarding Kyle Shanahan's 2023-24 49ers remains at the quarterback position. With second-year man Brock Purdy needing off-season surgery to repair a torn UCL in his throwing arm in last January's NFC title game against the Eagles, the newly appointed captain of the offense looked a lot like his normal self in Sunday's opener. In a matchup between the first quarterback taken in last year's Draft in Kenny Pickett and the last QB and player taken in Mr. Irrelevant -- Brock Purdy, the two players looked like polar opposites out on the field by games end. 

Like San Francisco, the Steelers also entered the regular-season opener with high hopes after a bigger than normal fuss was made following noticeable strides shown by Pickett and the Pittsburgh offense in the preseason which saw them score on every drive led by the starters. However, Tomlin's team would learn rather quickly that the preseason and regular season are two totally different things as San Francisco had their way and dominated from the onset on both sides of the ball. After forcing a three and out on defense to start the game, the 49er offense came out guns blazing on a nine-play, 54-yard scoring-drive that ended with Purdy finding Brandon Aiyuk wide-open in the end zone after putting his defender Patrick Peterson on skates with a juke move. Drive number two would end even worse for the Steelers as Pickett had a deep pass intercepted by San Francisco's Charvarius Ward. The 49ers would only get three points out of it, but the 41-yard field goal would do wonders for the confidence of rookie kicker Jake Moody who had a less than ideal preseason with multiple missed field goals and even an injury, after the 49ers made him the highest drafted kicker since Roberto Aguayo in 2016, selecting him in the third round of April's Draft. 

With Brandon Aiyuk quickly becoming a favorite target of Purdy's, the two connected again just one drive later for another touchdown, this time from 19-yards out. With San Francisco jumping out to a 20-0 lead in the first half following another Jake Moody field goal, Pittsburgh struggled to get much of anything going early on as they were held to five consecutive three and outs to open the game on offense. The Steelers would finally get their first 1st down of the game at the 1:16 mark of the second quarter, and at one point were outgained 199 yards of offense to just 1. Closing the first half strong, Pittsburgh would follow up their first forced punt of the game with a touchdown just before the half to make it a 20-7 affair heading into halftime. But with San Francisco opening the second half in possession of the ball, any momentum Pittsburgh thought they had would be short-lived. Just two plays into the second half, San Francisco running back Christian McCaffrey broke for a 65-yard touchdown to give his team a 27-7 lead. McCaffrey would have both his longest rush and his biggest day on the ground as a member of the Niners on Sunday, finishing with 152 yards rushing, his most since 2019. It would also mark McCaffrey's 10th straight game with a touchdown (including the postseason). 

The lone silver lining all afternoon for the Steelers came from 2021 Defensive Player of the Year T.J. Watt who leads the league with 79.5 sacks since making his NFL debut in 2017, and was a force to be reckoned with again on Sunday, finishing with three sacks and two forced fumbles on the afternoon. However, he would be matched by an unlikely candidate in second-year defensive-end Drake Jackson who finished his rookie campaign with the Niners a season ago with 3 total sacks, matching that total in Sunday's game alone. After turning another Kenny Pickett interception into a third Jake Moody field goal, the 49ers took a commanding 30-7 lead that would hold up and serve as the worst home loss for Pittsburgh in the Mike Tomlin era which began in 2007. With the loss, Tomlin's record dropped to 10-6-1 in regular-season openers, while Kyle Shanahan's improved to 3-4. In the win, Brock Purdy threw for 220 yards and 2 touchdowns on 19 of 29 attempts, becoming the first QB in NFL history to win each of his first six career regular-season starts and throw 2+ TD passes in each start, 129 of those yards and both touchdowns going to receiver Brandon Aiyuk. The 49ers absolutely dominated the time of possession battle: 37:23 to 22:37, and held the Steelers to just 41 yards rushing, compared to 188 total rushing yards by San Francisco, fueled by McCaffrey's best rushing output in four years. Kerry Hyder Jr. and Javon Hargrave each added a QB-sack to give the busy 49er defense five total sacks on the day.

Week 2 Preview: The (1-0) 49ers will continue their season on the road in Week 2 when they travel west and pay a visit to Levi's South to take on the division rival (1-0) Rams at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Coming off an upset win on the road to NFC West foe Seattle where Sean McVay's Rams handled the Seahawks in all facets, most notably outgaining them in total yards: 426 to 180 and nearly doubling their time of possession output: 39:23 to 20:37. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford also looked like his former self by throwing for 334 yards on offense, something he was unable to accomplish a season ago before needing to be shutdown by Week 12 with a spinal cord injury. Despite being without their All-Pro receiver Cooper Kupp, the Rams had two receivers finish with a career-high 119 receiving yards on Sunday as Tutu Atwell and Puka Nacua had big games thru the air. The 49ers will try to put a stop to their long-time rivals' hot-start in hopes of improving to 2-0 for sole possession of first place before their home-opener at Levi's Stadium. 

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Giants Limp into All-Star Break with Up and Down First Half

Having reached the MLB's All-Star break, fans of the San Francisco Giants have seen a little bit of everything from their team in baseball's unofficial first half of the season. Currently sitting in a good spot at 49-41 on the year, 2.5 games out of first place in the National League West behind the rival Dodgers and Diamondbacks who are separated by mere percentage points, the Giants are hoping to benefit from a much needed break after leaking oil down the stretch, while trying to lick their wounds following a number of key injuries. With Wilmer Flores, Mike Yastrzemski, Michael Conforto, Mitch Haniger, Thairo Estrada and Anthony DeSclafani, among others all having served time on the dreaded Injured List, the snake-bitten Giants have had to find contributions from a plethora of other players, including some rookies who have made the most of their time in the Majors and appear here to stay. 

Catcher Patrick Bailey, infielder Casey Schmitt, outfielder Luis Matos, and pitchers Tristan Beck and Keaton Winn all got the call to the Big Leagues to make their debuts in the first half, with Bailey and Schmitt producing right out of the gates for the Giants. While Schmitt has come down to earth a bit after a blazing hot start at the plate, Bailey on the other hand has relished in his role behind home, throwing guys out on the base paths at an alarming rate (38%) and also producing with his bat (.293 avg, 5 HR's and 26 RBIs in 40 games). Not long after Bailey made his MLB debut in May, San Francisco became one of the hottest teams in the league after stringing together their first 10-game winning-streak since 2004. Amid that winning streak, the Giants saw a few firsts, including their first time sweeping three straight series on the road since 1952, and just their fifth undefeated road trip of 6 or more games in franchise history. One of those sweeps came at Dodger Stadium which saw San Francisco clean house with their first 3-game sweep in L.A. since 2012, and a whopping 29 runs scored in the series, an SF-record for a 3-game series at Dodger Stadium. The second game of the series also saw the Giants pull off a 15-0 drubbing of the Dodgers, the team's worst home shutout loss since 1898. 

Having played as well as 11 games above .500 back on June 24 to pull within 1.5 games behind first place Arizona, the Giants have since hit a bit of a speedbump towards the end on their way to the All-Star break, dropping 7 of their last 11 games. Luckily, they managed to avoid hitting complete rock bottom by taking the final two of three games from the lowly Colorado Rockies in their last series before the All-Star festivities. In their last game, a 1-0 win at home, Giants ace Logan Webb twirled his first career complete-game shutout. Striking out the side in the ninth inning to end the game in dominant fashion, Webb tallied 10 K's and walked none as he hit a Major League-leading 126 innings pitched on the season. After a rocky start to the season, the 26-year old Webb has again begun to resemble the ace that Giants brass envision him being for years to come after signing a 5-year, $90 Million extension back in April. But as good as Webb has been over the last few weeks, dropping his ERA back down to 3.14, he did not make the National League All-Star team. However, a few fellow members of his pitching staff did. 

Representing for the Giants in Tuesday's MLB All-Star Game was fellow starting pitcher Alex Cobb (6-2 record, 2.91 ERA) and closer Camilo Doval (2.63 ERA) who is tied for the league lead with 26 saves. The pair helped contribute to the NL's first victory since 2012, each pitching a shutout inning, with Doval earning the win. Coincidentally, former Giants ace Matt Cain also earned the win in 2012 when the Senior Circuit last defeated the American League. 

Kicking off an 11-game, four-city road trip out of the All-Star break to begin the unofficial second half of the season, the Giants will try to get back to resembling the red-hot team that blazed through most of June as one of the best teams in baseball, before a daunting challenge in August when Gabe Kapler's squad faces five first place teams, including the D-Backs, Texas Rangers, Tampa Bay Rays, Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds. By then we should get a better gauge on what this Giants team, which is currently sitting in the third and final NL Wild Card spot, really has in them when they hit the dog days of summer. With injuries and inconsistencies hindering the Giants' starting pitching rotation outside of Webb and Cobb, look for them to possibly add a starting pitcher or two before the August 1 trade deadline as the team ramps up for a playoff push. 

MLB Draft - While teams begin lining up their chips for current Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani who may or may not be on the trading block but is a forgone conclusion to sign the most lucrative contract of all-time this offseason, other teams are hoping to find the next Ohtani in the MLB Draft. A year after selecting two-way talent Reggie Crawford out of UConn with the 30th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2022 MLB Draft, the Giants followed suit by taking another two-way player with the 16th overall pick in the first round of last week's Draft, this time from the High School ranks. Earning high praise for having one of the most solid draft classes overall, the Giants opted to select Virginia prep Bryce Eldridge who at 6ft, 7in. has dazzled both as a pitcher and at first base on his way to be named the 2022-23 Gatorade Virginia Baseball Player of the Year. Among others, the Giants also selected High School shortstop Walker Martin No. 52 overall who was also named 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year in Colorado, left-handed pitcher Joe Whitman taken at No. 69 overall out of Kent State, and Tennessee shortstop Maui Ahuna taken No. 117 overall. With Eldridge, Martin, Whitman and Ahuna all ranked in the Top 50 of MLB Pipeline's Draft rankings, San Francisco is the only team to make out with four players on the list. 

Noteworthy - Shortstop Brandon Crawford moved into 13th place on the Giants all-time franchise RBI list, surpassing future Hall of Fame catcher and former teammate Buster Posey with 730 RBI. 

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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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