Author: joelami

Can Mullens Do It Again? Previewing the QB’s Second Start

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @NBCS49ers

By: Joe Lami

There are two uncertainties heading into San Francisco’s Monday Night’s contest against the New York Giants.

The first is the location of the game. On Saturday night, a report came out that the game could be moved from poor air quality due to the devastating Camp Fire. The league has said that the game can be relocated to Arizona or another NFL stadium that has the right infrastructure. There’s also a possibility that the game gets moved to Tuesday.

The other uncertainty is how quarterback, Nick Mullens will perform in his second straight NFL start. He impressed everyone in last Thursday’s pummeling of the Oakland Raiders, but a question remains if the Raiders were serious competition.

Mullens made 49ers’ history in his debut throwing 16 of 22 for 262 yards, three touchdowns equaling a 151.9 QB rating. He was effective by getting the ball out fast and quickly progressing through his reads.

Shanahan will likely again gameplan Mullens to throw quick, intermediate passes that are set up by a strong run game. If Mullens can once again quickly progress through his reads and accurately pass the ball, he should have no difficulty shredding through a mediocre Giants’ defense.

The 1-8 Giants’ main downfall has been their offense. Even with Odell Beckham Jr., quarterback, Eli Manning has been bad, throwing just eight touchdowns on the season. His offensive line hasn’t helped either, allowing 31 sacks on the season.

The lone bright spot on offense has been rookie running back, Saquon Barkley. The former Heisman winner has rushed for 519 yards and five touchdowns so far making him the front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Luckily for the Niners, Matt Breida is outrushing Barkley, giving no reason why they shouldn’t destroy the second worst team in the NFL when game time comes.

Prediction:
San Francisco 24
New York 10

Mullens, 49ers Embarrass Raiders 34-3 on Thursday Night Football

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: sportingnews.com

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–The Nick Mullens era has arrived in San Francisco. In his first NFL start, the 49ers’ third-string quarterback torched the Raiders en route to a 34-3 shellacking on Thursday Night Football.

Brett Favre, Southern Mississippi’s most famous product, called the school’s record holder after the game to congratulate him on the instant success.

Mullens started en fuego, scoring on his very first drive. He never looked back, completing 16 of 22 for 262 yards and three touchdowns for a 151.9 QB rating.

Most impressively, he was able to connect with eight different receivers in the first half alone, which may have secured the starting job for the rest of the season.

“He did an awesome job today. The guys played well around him. There’s a lot on his plate coming in, and with it being his first time in a real NFL game, he started off real well, was poised and did a hell of a job,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan.

San Francisco was heading into the half with a 17-3 lead

George Kittle led the way with four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown, including an incredible 71-yard one-handed catch and run to start the third quarter with a bang.

The passing attack was beautifully set-up by Shanahan and the ability to balance with the run. Raheem Mostert ran for 86 yards and a touchdown on seven carries before he exited the game with a broken arm, ending his 2018 campaign.

Matt Breida was once again the workhorse, carrying 12 times for a bruising 44 yards.

The offensive line, which has looked shaky for most of the year, didn’t allow a sack and only surrendered two QB hits. Though, much of it seems to be due to great play-calling by Shanahan to get the ball out of Mullens’ hand quickly, but also due to the fact Mullens gets the ball out quickly and doesn’t hang onto it for too long.

The defense also had a huge game, holding the Oakland offense to 242 total yards, while not allowing a point after the 9:00 mark in the first quarter.

Derek Carr struggled, throwing 16 of 21 for 171 yards before being benched in the fourth quarter for A.J. McCarron. The 49ers’ pass rush looked legit for the first time all season, totaling seven sacks and nine QB hits. Cassius Marsh led the way with 2.5 sacks and three QB hits.

“It looked like we got after them. I thought Saleh did a good job mixing up his calls. We did a good job mixing up our stunts, and our guys won the one-on-one battles,” added Shanahan.

The mood has shifted entirely in Santa Clara after this huge win in the last Battle of the Bay (for now). It was the Niners most complete win under Shanahan and has the potential to turn the season around.

Mullens has lit a spark in the 49ers’ locker room and fan base and deserves to be the starter against the New York Giants on November 11th at 5:15 pm PT.

Who is Nick Mullens? 49ers May Lean on Third Stringer on Thursday

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: sfgate.com

By Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It all comes down to Nick Mullens. Few would have thought we’d ever hear those words in San Francisco, but there is a chance that the undrafted second-year Southern Miss quarterback get the start on Thursday against the Oakland Raiders.

Mullens has split time between being the backup and practice squad QB in his year and a half with the Niners.

CJ Beathard is a game-time decision this week due to an injured wrist that was so severe, he was struggling to hang onto the ball in practice on Monday.

A sarcastic fan may ask if Beathard has been hurt this entire season due to his ten-plus turnovers since week three.

But that is not the case. A hit helmet on the follow-through of a pass in the third quarter may be the cause to the third-stringer getting his big chance on primetime.

With Beathard now in question, Mullens gets his chance in the limelight to win over the hearts of the red and gold. He’s got the pedigree too.

A graduate of Southern Miss, he hails from the football factory that produced Brett Farve. The 6-1 quarterback holds every record in the school’s history including throwing for a career 11,994 yards, good enough for sixth in NCAA history.

Named was the Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2015 and 2016, where he threw for a combined 62 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

Mullens would face the 1-7 Oakland Raiders, as the Niners continue through their easiest three-game stretch of the schedule. The Raiders demise with John Gruden back at the helm has kept the spotlight off the horrendous season happening in Santa Clara, but now it arrives in the worst primetime game in NFL history.

The Raiders look lost on defense this year, after dealing Kahlil Mack to begin the season. Without him, they have the 26th-ranked defense that fails to find the quarterback, averaging less than a sack per game.

Their offense is somehow worse, ranked 27th in the NFL with 19.7 points per game. They’ve shown an inability to move or stop the ball and are easily the 49ers easiest opponent on the season.

After dumping Sunday’s game in yet another blown lead heading into the fourth quarter, the 49ers could sure use a win. As of right now, they’re the clubhouse favorites to draft first overall at this year’s draft. The difference between being 2-7 and 1-8 may lie on the hands of a quarterback making his debut.

Notes: Greg Maybin and Victor Bolden were both waved on Tuesday as the Niners stayed pat at the trade deadline.

49ers Embarrassed by Undefeated Rams in 39-10 Blowout

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The expectations for the 49ers heading into Sunday’s contest against the undefeated Rams at Levi’s Stadium were low. Yet, San Francisco still failed to meet them after getting destroyed by Los Angeles 39-10 to drop their fifth straight.

Turnovers continue to be the driving force of mediocrity, as the 49ers coughed the ball up four more times. Three of which came from CJ Beathard, who fumbled once and was picked off twice. The Rams also capitalized, scoring 24 points off turnovers on Sunday.

Not everything can be put on Beathard since he was sacked eight times and hit a total of 11 times.

Aaron Donald led the way for the Rams with an insane game, as he completely dominated the line, finishing with nine tackles, four sacks, five QB hits, and six tackles for loss.

Despite the line entirely getting owned all game, Beathard did nothing to better his circumstances and looked as frozen as the Joe Montana and Dwight Clark statues erected at Levi’s to commemorate “The Catch” on Sunday.

“[The turnovers] are something I need to find out. It’s inexcusable,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

However, that should’ve happened weeks ago. The 49ers now stand in dead last in the NFL in turnover differential, now -15 in just seven weeks and are now on pace to be one of the worst teams in NFL history.

The lone bright spot on offense was once again George Kittle. The tight end caught five passes for 98 yards and San Francisco’s lone touchdown just before the half.

It’s a good thing Kittle showed up too because the wide receivers were nowhere to be seen catching a total of four passes for 35 yards between Goodwin, Garcon, and Taylor.

The defense wasn’t horrible for San Francisco but also received zero help from the offense. They held the Rams offense to 331 total yards, but mostly because of the great field position handed to them.

Jarred Goff made his return to the Bay, passing for 202 yards on 18 completions and two touchdowns. He spread the ball around with Robert Woods, and Brandin Cooks each catching four balls for 65 and 63 yards respectively.

Todd Gurley rushed the ball 15 times for 63 yards and two scores. He also was featured a lot in the passing game, catching four passes for 23 yards and a score.

The 49ers learned how much further they need to go before they’re even considered a contender after being embarrassed by the best team in the league. But, hey. It could’ve been worse. At least this game was flexed out of primetime.

Injuries
Rueben Foster sprained his right shoulder in the fourth quarter. It’s the same shoulder he had surgery on in the off-season. Hopefully, it’s not severe.

Adrian Colbert got carted off the field in the third quarter with an ankle sprain but was later seen on the sidelines wearing a baseball cap.

Up Next
The 49ers head to State Farm Stadium to take on the Cardinals next Sunday at 1:25 pm PT on FOX.

Shanahan, 49ers Collapse Gives Rodgers, Packers Epic Comeback Win 33-30 on MNF

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @CBSSportsHQ

By: Joe Lami

Absolutely gut-wrenching, the only words to explain the San Francisco 49ers’ toughest loss of the season, as a late heroic comeback from Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers beats the 49ers 33-30 at Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.

“We had every opportunity to win and finish the game and didn’t get it done,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

He’s exactly right. The 49ers did have every chance to get it done in front of a nationwide audience. He called an electric first half of football, where the 49ers went into the break leading 24-20, despite coughing the ball up twice. 290 yards of offense, led by great outside running from both Raheem Mostert and Matt Breida.

The run set up the pass. C.J. Beathard had a near-perfect passer rating in the first half, including two deep strikes to Marquise Goodwin that went for scores of 67 yards and 30 yards, respectively. Goodwin’s 114 receiving yards in the first half were the most from a 49ers’ receiver in over five years.

Everything was set-up from discipline. The 49ers committed only one penalty in the first half for five yards. Things were looking good for the red and gold and appearing like they were about to steal one at Lambeau, and then the second half happened.

The 49ers were just unable to put this game away, despite a great second half from the defense. The front seven came alive for the first time all season, finishing with three sacks, seven QB hits, and seven tackles for loss.

The defense just didn’t get the help from the offense in the second half, as they were only able to muster up six points and were unable to move the ball in the fourth to put the game away when they still had a 30-23 lead.

The fourth could’ve gone as bad as possible for San Francisco. Terrible play calling and horrendous game management saw 27 yards of total offense in the fourth capped by three consecutive three-and-outs to close the game.

The 49ers could’ve gotten past the 27 yards of offense in the fourth, but decided to throw the ball instead of run the clock out and gave way too much time to one of the best passers in the history of the NFL.

Down by seven with 3:00 left, Rodgers went on a quick 1:05 five-play drive that found Devante Adams in the end-zone to tie things at 30, still giving San Francisco a shot.

Even better, a great return by Richie James capped by a personal foul penalty put the ball at San Francisco’s 47-yard line. San Francisco pushed the ball to the Green Bay 46-yard line and on 3rd and three, Shanahan called for a deep ball instead of a short pass to attempt to pick up the first down with three timeouts in his back pocket.

The deep ball was picked off, and once again, San Francisco put the ball into the hands of Rodgers at his own 10 with no timeouts.

The defense stood tall initially and even got a sack on third down from DeForest Buckner, but was taken away by their second penalty of the game, as Richard Sherman was whistled for illegal contact.

That was one mistake too many, as Rodgers torched the San Francisco defense, especially picking on Greg Mabin, who entered the game for an injured Jimmie Ward.

The 49ers’ defense was unable to protect the sidelines, allowing Green Bay to march down the field setting up a 27-yard Mason Crosby walk-off field goal.

The players sure don’t deserve this loss in their best performance of the season. Breida finished with 61 yards on 14 carries. Mostert had a tremendous bounce-back performance picking up 87 yards on 12 explosive carries. Goodwin caught four of five targets for 126 yards and two scores, while George Kittle caught four passes for 60 yards. Beathard finished the game 16-of-23 for 245, two scores, and a pick.

This one solely rests on the shoulders of Shanahan, who relived his epic Super Bowl collapse and once again showed his inability to protect a lead and close out a game.

The season can now go in two directions. The 49ers can build off an incredible game that saw one of the best quarterbacks of our generation comeback for an epic win or they can collapse in the abyss.

The 49ers’ road doesn’t get any easier, as they’ll host the undefeated Rams on Sunday at 1:25 pm PT on CBS.

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly in the 49ers’ 28-18 Loss to the Cardinals

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA–Any optimism left in the 2018 season for the 49ers walked out of Levi’s Stadium disgusted on Sunday after the Arizona Cardinal’s picked up their first win of the season with a 28-18 victory over San Francisco.

The Niners can’t seem to shake the constants in their season that continue to cost them games. Injuries, penalties, turnovers, and missed tackles continue to be the Achilles heel of the red and gold, and there’s no sign of the bleeding to come to an end. On Sunday, injuries and turnovers once again delivered the knock-out blow.

The Ugly
Statistics show that when a team is minus-one in the turnover differential mark, they have an 80% chance of losing the game. On Sunday, the 49ers coughed up the ball five times, while the Cardinals didn’t lose the ball once.

Four of them came from C.J. Beathard with two interceptions and two strip sacks, including a scoop and score that gave Arizona a 21-12 lead and ended the game.

The other turnover came on Raheem Mostert’s first carry of the season before Patrick Peterson returned it 49 yards, setting up Arizona’s second TD.

The only reason Mostert even touched the ball was due to injury. After rushing eight times for 56 yards, including a long of 17 yards, it looked like Matt Breida was once again off to an explosive start. That is, until his eighth carry of the game, when he went down with a left ankle sprain that prevented him from returning.

The Bad
After the Niners scored first, they, of course, missed the extra point attempt due to a bad snap. Robbie Gould didn’t even attempt to kick it.

Arizona didn’t take long to come right back in it. On his best play of the day, Josh Rosen immediately went deep and hooked up with Christian Kirk on a 75-yard play action pass that found the end zone. The Cardinals did make the extra point to go up 7-6.

The 49ers pass rush remains one of the worst in all of football. Despite, holding Rosen to an abysmal 10-of-25 for 170 yards, the Niners were only able to sack him once and hit him four times.

The lone sack came from Cassius Marsh, caused by a bad snap that Rosen had to pick up. The three other QB hits came from DeForest Buckner, who remains the only playmaker the defense seems to have.

With a rookie quarterback that is struggling on the worst team in the league, the defense needs to be better. Instead, they let him walk in and collect the first win of his career throwing only nine completions for 95 yards after his first play of the game.

David Johnson found the end zone twice for the Cardinals. Thanks to excellent field position, he was held to a total of 55 yards, but still finished with a productive day with his second coming in garbage time in the fourth quarter to extend Arizona’s lead to 28-12.

On top of the missed PAT from Robbie Gould, he also missed a 45-yard field goal in the fourth quarter that ended his franchise-long 33 straight field goals made.

The Good
There aren’t too many positives to take from San Francisco’s most embarrassing loss in recent memory, especially when you have five turnovers. However, on the drives where San Francisco didn’t turnover the ball, it wasn’t completely awful.

On the opening drive, Beathard found rhythm with Kyle Juszczyk connecting on two big plays for a combined 44 yards that led the team down the field. The Niners cruised down the field before Breida found paydirt on a quick shovel pass from Beathard for the opening score.

Juszczyk caught six of the seven passes sent his way for 75 yards.

Beathard’s numbers looked okay too (of course, minus the turnovers). He threw 34-of-53 for 349 yards and two touchdowns. He once again worked well with George Kittle, who’s beginning to look like the only weapon left on defense. Kittle caught five passes for 83 yards, including the Niners’ biggest offensive play of the day at 45 yards.

The Niners racked up 447 yards of total offense and held the ball for an astonishing 40:12, but again gave the ball up five times.

Of course, there’s no silver lining when your team loses at home to the worst team in football, except for the fact that the Faithful will give up on the season and pull for a better draft pick.

Hey, the Niners just moved ahead of Arizona on the draft board.

Niners Lose Close One 29-27 with Beathard

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: sfchronicle.com

By: Joe Lami

CJ Beathard’s return to the starting role brought a similar outcome to the San Francisco 49ers, as they lost 29-27 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

49er faithful packed the stands of the StubHub Center in Southern California on Sunday only to see more injuries, missed tackles, and drops that continue to be the demise of the red and gold that included dropping an early 14-0 lead.

San Francisco lost both Joe Staley and Dante Pettis for the entirety of the game to knee injuries in the first half. Reports following the game appear to be good news for San Francisco, as they don’t seem to be as severe as initially feared. Both Staley and Pettis are scheduled for MRIs on Monday back in Santa Clara to confirm.

The back-breaking moment came on the second drive in the third quarter for San Francisco. Four straight pass completions and a penalty later, Beathard did a great job of airing the ball out; only to be let down by his receivers. Beathard looked into the direction of Garrett Celek inside the ten-yard line, but the tight end couldn’t handle the pass and popped it up for an easy pick. Trevor Williams nearly brought it back to the house but was tripped up at the 12.

The 49ers defense stood tall deep in their red zone and held LA to three points, but the ten-point swing gave the Chargers all the momentum with their 20th unanswered point to give them a 26-17 lead.

Beathard was mediocre in his 2018 debut, passing 23-of-37 for 298 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. His play by any means wasn’t the deciding factor in the loss. However, his play isn’t strong enough either to make up for the many glaring holes across most positions.

Tight end, George Kittle continues to be a bright spot despite who’s at quarterback. He connected with Beathard on the longest play of the day on an 82-yard touchdown. He finished with six catches for 125 yards and the score.

The defense helped him out early on too. On the first drive of the game, on an immediate third down, Antone Exum jumped a route and brought the ball back for his first career pick-six.

It was the only play the Niners really made against Philip Rivers, who finished 25-of-39 for 250 yards, three touchdowns, and the pick.

Just a day after being downgraded to questionable, Exum had his strongest performance as a Niner, finishing with the TD, while adding three pass deflections, and three tackles.

Minus Exum, the linebacking core continues to carry much of the weight for the 49ers. Fred Warner and Ruben Foster combined for ten and seven tackles respectively.

Coming into the week, tackles were a major concern for San Francisco, as they lead the league in missed tackles. It continued to be the storyline on Sunday too, as too many missed tackles led to big plays for LA.

Melvin Gordon gave the Niners fits, finishing with 104 yards on 15 rushes in the loss.

San Francisco needs to regroup and look forward to next Sunday, where the 49ers have a must-win game against the 1-3 Cardinals.

Giants Get Crushed by Dodgers 15-0 to Cap 2018 Season

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @SFGiants

By: Joe Lami

The season finally came to an end for the San Francisco Giants on Sunday. They did so in perfect fashion, to sum up, the 2018 season, losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers 15-0 at AT&T Park.

Fans came to say a final goodbye to Hunter Pence, the emotional leader of two of the franchise’s three titles in recent years. 2018 was a struggle for Pence, as he finished batting .229 with 24 RBI and four homers in the 96 games he played. It wasn’t the sunset ending Pence, who has wished for either, as he finished the day 0-for-4, including three strikeouts from the lead-off spot.

Andrew Suarez was handed the loss, surrendering six runs on six hits in 2.1 IP as the Dodgers delivered a seven-run blow in the third to make it 9-0. They continued to pour it on with three runs in the fourth and two runs in the fifth.

The Dodgers had everything to play for, as the win secured a one-game playoff with the Colorado Rockies to decide who wins the NL West tomorrow at Dodger Stadium. The winner takes the division with the loser having to play in the Wild Card Game on Tuesday.

The Giants could’ve played spoiler for their rival. A Dodgers’ loss would have secured them the Wild Card spot, but instead, LA swept the Giants capped off by the second-worst shutout in rivalry history

Giants fans will wake up tomorrow when September is finally over, looking back at a 5-21 record for the nightmare month. The worst month in franchise history since 1958 pushed them eight games below .500. They finished 73-89, the eighth-worst record in the big leagues.

The off-season will begin for San Francisco, including the search for a general manager after Bobby Evans was relieved of his position for the unacceptable season. Once a general manager is placed, it will bring attention around who will stay and who will go for next season.

Garoppolo Suffers Serious Injury in 49ers’ 38-27 Loss to Chiefs

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

By Joe Lami

Unfortunately, the 38-27 beatdown to the Chiefs isn’t the biggest loss the 49ers took on Sunday, as Jimmy Garoppolo went down with what could be a season-ending knee injury.

Driving late in the fourth quarter, down by 35-24 and inside the red zone, Garoppolo cut his right near the sideline attempting to make more out of a scramble before his left knee buckled. Garoppolo made a collision with Chiefs’ corner, Steven Nelson on the play before he hobbled off the field.

The fear is that he suffered a torn left ACL. He is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday.

Garoppolo would exit the game on a crucial 4th and goal, leaving backup C.J. Beathard to make an incredible connection with George Kittle, only to be taken away by the team’s 13th penalty of the day. San Francisco would have to settle for a field goal while a cart rushed the 49ers’ franchise quarterback to the locker room.

The injury to Garoppolo came during a late comeback for the Niners. After going down 35-7 in the first half, where penalties, amazing plays by Patrick Mahomes, and a sluggish offense cost the Niners, San Francisco was pushing right back.

It was an abysmal first half of football for the Niners, in which they surrendered 35 points for just the eighth time in franchise history. Mahomes threw all three of his touchdowns in the first, pushing his season total to 13, while the 49ers nine penalties for 109 yards just added fuel to the fire for the first-year starter. The Chiefs finished the half with 22 first downs on their way to scoring a TD on all five drives.

The Niners lone first-half touchdown came on a beautiful play-action pass, where Garoppolo connected with Kyle Juszczyk on a wide-open play that would get the 49ers’ offense going.

Jimmy G continued the pushback in the second half finding Goodwin for his first touchdown of the season. Alfred Morris found paydirt on a three-yard scamper, bringing the Niners within 11.

All was going well for the Niners in the second half until Garoppolo went down. Early reports suggest it’s dire, making Sunday’s nightmare turn into San Francisco’s doomsday.

To make matters worse, Richard Sherman also went down on Sunday with a calf injury in the second quarter. He was listed as questionable to return, but the hobbling Sherman never got off the sideline.

The season is now in the balance for San Francisco and what was supposed to be a building year for the Niners may have ended before it ever really got going as the 49ers’ rebuild may have just been reset to zero.

49ers Hang On in Home Opener vs. Lions for First Win of the Year 30-27

Published on by joelamiLeave a comment

Photo credit: @49ers

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It came down to the wire and with a little help from the officials, but the San Francisco 49ers have their first win of the 2018 season as they beat the Detroit Lions 30-27 in the home opener at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

After going into halftime with a 13-10 lead, San Francisco started the second half with a bang. D.J. Reed Jr. got the half started by bringing the kick back to the house, only to be penalized for grabbing a defender’s face mask along the way. Despite the penalty, the 49ers were set up with excellent field position at the Lions’ 25-yard line to start the third quarter.

“Everyone held their blocks. For me, it was easy, and anybody could have done what I did. My whole special teams unit did a good job blocking. [Special team’s] coach Hightower did a good job setting it up,” added Reed.

Jimmy Garoppolo capped off the drive with his second touchdown pass of the day, finding Garrett Celek underneath. The 30-year-old tight end carried three defenders with him across the goal line to make the score 20-10.

The 49ers extended their lead in the third with a 66-yard Matt Breida rushing score to cap a three-play, 97-yard drive. The longest rush for the 49ers since 2014 made the score 27-13, but they then allowed the Lions to get back in it.

Breida had his coming out party for the 49ers, lighting up the Lions’ defense, carrying the ball 11 times for 138 yards and the score.

Led by Matthew Stafford, the Lions crawled their way back into the game bringing the score within three with 3:33 remaining, putting all the pressure on the 49ers offense to move the ball.

When the pressure came San Francisco’s way, Garoppolo made a mistake with 2:24 left and threw a pick that the Lions returned down to seven-yard-line. However, a crucial defensive holding call saved the day for San Francisco giving an automatic first down. The 49ers ended up punting with 1:08 remaining, but the defense stepped up and shut the door, not letting Lions get past midfield to secure the win.

In the win, Garoppolo improved from last week, throwing 18-of-26 for 206 yards and two touchdowns. However, Garoppolo was sacked five times in the process, with most of them being coverage sacks. The wide receivers didn’t do their job in man coverage as they struggled to get open, which allowed the pass rush to get to Garoppolo.

More importantly, three of the five sacks came within the red zone, which continues to be a pain point in the 49ers’ offense. San Francisco is reportedly exploring the possibility of acquiring wide receiver, Josh Gordon to come in and help in the red zone after the Browns came out and said he would be available come Monday.

The 49ers once again leaned heavily on kicker, Robbie Gould, who was perfect in knocking down all three of his field goals from 45, 42, and 36-yards, respectively. In doing so, he set a new franchise record for consecutive field goals made, passing Phil Dawson with 29 straight.

San Francisco did escape Sunday with a win, but there was no reason for the game to be even close. The 49ers got comfortable with the lead and let the Lions back in the game. Let it be a lesson for a young team learning how to win and don’t let it happen again, or it will cost them against stronger opponents in the future.

“I feel like the energy kind of fell off a little bit, and we needed to build it back up that last defensive stand that we had. I feel like guys kind of woke up during that last drive on defense. We’ve got to keep the pedal down all four quarters,” said defensive lineman DeForest Buckner.

The 49ers will attempt to keep the pedal down all four quarters next week, as they travel to Kansas City to try and stop Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs next Sunday at 10:00 am PDT.