Category: NFL

49ers welcome Foster back, but face an uphill battle

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Photo credit: @247Sports

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers got their first win of the year last Sunday, getting past the Detroit Lions, who made a hard charge in the fourth quarter to make things mighty interesting, to say the very least. But now, they have a completely different challenge on their hands.

The Lions have a potent offense – particularly with a guy like Matthew Stafford pulling the trigger – but the Kansas City Chiefs have an offense that has just exploded onto the scene in this young season.

Patrick Mahomes, who has taken over the reins as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback after the team traded away Alex Smith, is off to a blistering start to this season. Mahomes has thrown for a whopping 10 touchdown passes over the first two games and has not thrown a single interception, and he brings a dimension to the Kansas City offense that has not been there for a very long time.

The second-year signal-caller specializes in throwing the deep ball, which allows big-play receivers such as Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins, as well as tight end Travis Kelce, to rack up big yards and get upfield.

That is something that was not prevalent when Smith, who was much more proficient in the short-to-intermediate throws, was at the controls. He is now the starting quarterback for the Washington Redskins.

The 49ers will get some help on the defensive side. However, the team welcomed back linebacker Reuben Foster, who was suspended by the NFL for the first two games due to disciplinary issues stemming from his domestic assault case in the offseason.

He practiced on Wednesday and is expected to start on Sunday against the Chiefs. Also making his way to the practice field for the first time was fellow linebacker Malcolm Smith, who had been recovering from a hamstring injury.

Smith has yet to play in a game for the 49ers, as he missed the first two games of the year with the hamstring issue. Smith also missed the entire 2017 season with a pectoral injury.

Raiders will head to Miami for Week 3 tilt with Dolphins

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif — If one road game wasn’t enough, how about a double-dip?

The Raiders are hitting the road once again this time, they are heading to South Beach where they will take on a surprisingly undefeated Dolphins team in a key Week 3 matchup for Oakland this Sunday.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET, which means 10:00 a.m. PT for West Coasters.

Last season, the two teams faced each other in Week 9 with the Raiders defeating the Dolphins, 27-24, behind a three-yard touchdown run by running back Marshawn Lynch late in the fourth quarter.

Oakland (0-2) lost a heart-breaker last week in Denver, 20-19, wasting an awesome performance by starting quarterback Derek Carr.

Carr was sharp all game, completing 29-of-32 passes for 288 yards and one touchdown. He’s the only quarterback in NFL history to complete 90 percent of his passes with more than 30 attempts, per ESPN. It was nice to see Carr bounce back from an ugly game in Week 1, where he threw three interceptions in Oakland’s 33-13 loss to the visiting Los Angeles Rams.

Out of those 29 completions, 10 were to wide receiver Amari Cooper, who also rebounded from a bad first game of the season where he posted just one catch for nine yards on three targets.

Against the Broncos, Cooper was targeted 10 times (catching each one) for 116 yards. It was a welcoming sign for Oakland, albeit in a loss.

Oakland held a 19-7 lead into the third quarter before the Broncos rallied with 13 unanswered points, including kicker Brandon McManus’s game-winning 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game.

Without stud defensive end/outside linebacker Khalil Mack, who was traded to Chicago prior to the start of the regular season because the Silver and Black were hesitant to reward Mack with a new contract extension, Oakland’s defense has been a no show through the first two games of the season.

The Raiders have had a tough time generating any kind of pass rush this season. Only linebacker Bruce Irvin and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst have recorded a quarterback sack, but that could change against Miami. Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has been sacked five times this season, which ranks 13th in the NFL. Tannehill has also been hit nine times in the pocket.

Miami (2-0) defeated the Jets, 20-12, in New York at MetLife Stadium behind Tannehill and the NFL’s fourth-ranked scoring defense.

Tannehill completed 17-of-23 passes for 168 yards and two touchdowns, leading the Dolphins a 20-0 lead before halftime. Through two games this season, Tannehill has completed 31-of-57 passes for 398 yards with four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 104.9 passer rating.

Running back Kenyan Drake had 11 carries for 53 yards and one touchdown against the Jets. Drake leads the Dolphins with 25 carries for 101 yards this season.

Backup running back Frank Gore finished with just nine carries for 25 yards, but those yards were all he needed to pass Hall of Famer Curtis Martin (14,101) for fourth place on the NFL’s all-time rushing list with 14,103 yards. Gore, who is in his 14th season, signed a 1-year deal with his hometown Dolphins in the offseason.

Electric wide receiver Jarvis Landry was traded to Cleveland in the offseason, leaving the Dolphins with question marks at the position. Holdover Kenny Stills leads the Dolphins in receiving yards (123) and touchdowns (2) through two games, while free agent addition Danny Amendola leads the team in catches (8).

Amendola, who won two Super Bowl rings in four seasons with the New England Patriots, signed with the Dolphins this past offseason to give Tannehill another reliable target.

Middle linebacker Kiko Alonso and safety Reshad Jones are two of Miami’s prime defenders that Oakland must be aware at all times.

Jones is arguably the Dolphins most reliable playmaker, as he leads Miami with two interceptions this season. Last season, Jones led Miami in tackles with 122.

The two-time Pro Bowler will likely be following Raiders tight end Jared Cook, who has been explosive the first two weeks of the season. In 2017, Cook led all Raiders receivers with 688 yards and this season, he leads Oakland with 229 yards, which includes his franchise record-setting 180-yard performance in Week 1.

After posting back-to-back seasons of 115 tackles, Alonso is a major focal point for the Dolphins defense. Last week against the Jets, Alonso recorded a 13 tackles and two forced fumbles, coming up huge for Miami many times in that contest.

Sunday’s game in Miami is a must-win for Oakland. There’s no way to sugarcoat it.

Falling to 0-3 with a loss before coming home to take on a puzzling Cleveland Browns team in Week 4 at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum would be catastrophic.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: How prepared are the 49ers?; Penalty provides big break in first win of season

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Photo credit: @MattBreida

On the 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

The San Francisco 49ers nearly threw away last Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions literally when 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed a ball that was intercepted by a Lions defender. With the turnover it nearly derailed a faltering lead that once was 17 points in the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium.

The 49ers caught a break when a penalty flag was thrown against the Lions for a holding call on offensive back Quandre Diggs. That called back a return on Garoppolo’s pass from the Lions safety Tracy Walker who ran the interception for 37 yards and ironically was tackled by Garoppolo which would have spotted the ball on the seven yard line and the 49ers barely holding onto a three-point lead 30-27.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Raiders lose late to Broncos 20-19; fall to 0-2

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Jeremy Kahn

Things were looking fantastic for the first 59:54, but it was the last six seconds of the game that cost the Oakland Raiders the game.

Brandon McManus kicked a 36-yard field goal with six seconds remaining in the game, as the Denver Broncos came back from a 12-point second half deficit to defeat the Raiders 20-19 at Broncos Stadium at Sports Authority Field on Sunday.

Case Keenum, who is in his first year with the Broncos already knows too well about miracle finishes, as he led the “Minnesota Miracle,” where the Vikings defeated the New Orleans Saints in the waning seconds of the NFC Divisional Playoff Game.

Keenum and the Broncos got the ball on their 20-yard line with no timeouts remaining and 1:58 remaining in the game, and led down the field.

After a holding penalty pushed them back, Keenum got going on that final drive, as he found Emmanuel Sanders for 21 yards and then Jake Butt for an additional 14 yards.

Keenum then found out Jon Heuerman for four yards, and then the big play came when Keenum found Tim Patrick for 26 yards to get them down to the Raiders 18-yard line, setting up McManus for the eventual game-winning field goal.

Derek Carr got the ball back, and he completed a pass to Amari Cooper, but Cooper was unable to get away and stepped out of bounds; however, the clock ran out and the game was over.

Carr bounced back from an off night in the opener, as he went 29-for32 for 281 yards and a touchdown on the afternoon.

Amari Cooper, who was held to just four catches in the season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday, caught 10 passes for 116 yards.

Marshawn Lynch was the leading ground gainer for the Raiders, as he carried the ball 18 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Lynch’s touchdown gave the Raiders an early 12-0 lead, but Mike Nugent’s extra point was blocked and that ended up being huge in the end of the game for the Raiders.

Nugent gave the Raiders on the board on their first series, as he kicked a 26-yard field goal in the first quarter He then kicked a 46-yard field goal in the second quarter, and then Lynch scored on a one-yard run.

The Broncos finally got on the board in the third quarter, as Royce Freeman scored on a one-yard run and after Carr found Seth Roberts for a 20-yard touchdown pass, the Broncos defense never allowed the Raiders to score again.

McManus got the Broncos within nine, as he kicked a 39-yard field goal and then Keenum narrowed the Raiders lead down to just two, when scored on a one-yard run with under six minutes remaining in the game.

Unfortunately, the Raiders were not able to run out the clock and the Broncos got the ball back and McManus kicked the game-winning field goal that sent the Raiders to an 0-2 record on the season.

NOTES: When the game began in Denver, the temperature was 92 degrees, the highest temperature at the start of a game since the Broncos were founded in 1960. It beat the old record by one degree from a game against the Seattle Seahawks on September 19, 2010.

Former Raiders offensive lineman Jared Veldheer was forced to leave the game for the Broncos in the second half after suffering a concussion.

UP NEXT: Still looking for their first win of the season, the Raiders stay on the road, as they will head to Miami to face the Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium on September 23 at 10:10 am PDT.

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

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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.

Fantasy Football Doctors Podcast for NFL Week 2: Let’s win your matchup!

Published on by Charlie O. MalloneeLeave a comment

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Fantasy Football Doctors Vasu Vaddiparty & Charlie O have the advice you need to win your Week 2 fantasy matchup.

  • Ben Roethlisberger may be a QB1 this Sunday vs. the Chiefs

  • Veteran Alex Smith is finding new life in D.C.

  • Sleeper? Patrick Mahomes

  • What about Matt Ryan this week?

  • You may want to keep Jared Goff on the bench!

  • The doctors review the roster of tight ends who might impact your lineup

  • Did Marshawn Lynch just go from the penthouse to the outhouse?

  • The Dolphins WR Kenny Stills could be a strong starter for you this week

Push Play and get ready to win!

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Martavis Bryant is back once again after being waived for 11 days; Bryant very quick and difficult to cover says Derek Carr

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Photo credit: @NBCSRaiders

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Raiders receiver Martavis Bryant is back after being waived by the team 11 days ago. Raiders head coach Jon Gruden and general manager Reggie McKenzie brought Bryant back on Tuesday.

#2 This move was made because Bryant had out-performed the other receivers and the Raiders had waived receiver Keon Hatcher, which was also a surprise move.

#3 Bryant’s return was based on some of the things that took place on offense receiving on Monday night and after weighing what they saw Bryant cut mustard and Gruden and McKenzie was glad that he was not signed by anybody else.

#4 On September 1st, Bryant was under consideration by the NFL to be suspended a third time by the league for substance abuse and he would have been banned for one year or the rest of this season. The league did not decide to discipline Bryant and allowed him to play and the Raiders got him back.

#5 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr said that other teams try to contain Bryant on defense, but have trouble covering him because he’s so quick off the line. Carr and Gruden are anxious to see what he can do in Denver this Sunday.

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Raiders previews each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers hope to get first win in home opener on Sunday versus Lions

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Photo credit: @SteinyAndGuru

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 With the first loss and first road trip of the year out of the way, the 49ers are looking to turn the page and try to get in the win column versus the Detroit Lions this Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.

#2 Linebacker Brock Coyle will be out this Sunday after suffering a concussion last Sunday in Minnesota, but also a T-4 compression fracture in his back. He certainly will be miss out of the 49ers’ lineup.

#3 Coyle is expected to be out six weeks and linebacker Malcolm Smith is also out and has not practiced Smith is suffering from a hamstring injury he received in the preseason.

#4  In addition to Smith, receiver Marquise Goodwin (quadriceps), guard Joshua Garnett (toe) and safety Adrian Colbert (hamstring) all have been listed as questionable by 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan.

#5 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for three interceptions last Sunday. Was this a matter of a lack of protection from the offensive line or was he just not focused and threw into coverage?

49ers podcasts can be heard with Joe Lami each Friday and with David Zizmor each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Rams spoiled Raiders’ home opener; Raiders made some roster moves

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On the Raiders podcast with Tony:

1. A strong defensive first half wasn’t enough for the Raiders, who lost to the LA Rams 33-13 during ESPN’s Monday Night Football to wrap up Week 1.

2. Jared Cook’s 180 receiving yards in Raiders vs. Rams were the most by a tight end in franchise history.

3. The Raiders signed wide receiver Johnny Holton to their practice squad. In a corresponding move, they terminated the contract of defensive back Terrell Sinkfield.

4. Raiders coach Jon Gruden provided an update on the injury of long snapper Andrew DePaola. This isn’t the way the Raiders wanted to start the season, but tight end Lee Smith stepped in as the emergency long snapper.

5. The Raiders signed free agent wide receiver Martavis Bryant and long snapper Trent Sieg. In corresponding moves, they placed long snapper Andrew DePaola on the Reserve/Injured List and have waived wide receiver Keon Hatcher.

Tony does the Raiders podcasts each Thursday for SportsRadioService.com

49ers look to bounce back in home opener vs. Lions

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Photo credit: @49ers

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers will get their season on track on Sunday, as they will host the Detroit Lions in their first home game of the year.

However, as was the case most of last season, the team is dealing with a multitude of injuries at key positions, following an opening-week 24-16 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings, a game that saw Jimmy Garoppolo throw three interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

The 49ers got a little thinner at the linebacker position this week, as they placed Brock Coyle on the injured reserve/eligible to return list. According to head coach Kyle Shanahan, he had not only a concussion in the team’s opening week loss to Minnesota, but he also suffered a T-4 compression fracture in his back.

Coyle will be out at least six weeks, and at that point, he is expected to be able to resume football activities. Beyond that, his timetable for return is uncertain.

Meanwhile, fellow linebacker Malcolm Smith did not practice Wednesday due to a hamstring injury he suffered during the preseason. Among the others who did not practice were receiver Marquise Goodwin (quadriceps), guard Joshua Garnett (toe) and safety Adrian Colbert (hamstring).

All of them are listed as questionable to play Sunday against the Lions, whose injury report is not nearly as long as that of the 49ers. Guard T.J Lang (back) and tackle Andrew Donnal (knee) were both held out of practice on Wednesday.

Just like the 49ers, the Lions are still licking their wounds after a tough loss in Week 1. However, the Lions were more decisively beaten at home Monday night against the New York Jets. Just like Garoppolo, Detroit quarterback Matthew Stafford had his bouts with interceptions. The veteran threw four to the other team, including one that was returned for a touchdown in a 48-17 rout.