Category: NFL

AP Photo File: New York Jets quarterback Bryce Petty (9) rolls on his back after being sacked by San Francisco 49ers strong safety Jimmie Ward (25) Ward is suffering a hamstring injury but is expected to play Thursday night against the Los Angeles Rams. This photo from an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Dec. 11, 2016. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA– Only two games into the season, the 49ers already have their backs against the wall.

 After a tough loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, the 49ers have to turn around quickly and try and pick up their first victory Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium. To do it, they will face a Los Angeles Rams team that go into Thursday’s game with a 1-1 record after an emphatic win over Indianapolis in the season’s first week.

 The 49ers, on the other hand, are currently 0-2 and can ill afford to get off to an 0-3 start. On the positive side, however, the 49ers have had recent success against the Rams, as both of their victories last season came against Los Angeles.

 In the meantime, there are some injury concerns for the 49ers.

 Linebacker Reuben Foster is nursing a high right ankle sprain and will miss Thursday’s game, and there is no telling when he will return. However, there was a huge sign of encouragement that showed up on Wednesday when Foster was without the stabilizing boot that he had been wearing the past week and a half.

 Besides the absence of Foster, the 49ers are also hurting in the secondary. Eric Reid suffered a sprain of his posterior cruciate ligament in his left knee in the team’s loss on Sunday at Seattle and is expected to miss at least one game because of it.

 Jimmie Ward (hamstring) and Jaquiski Tartt (neck) were also injured during Sunday’s game, but they were at least able to practice on Wednesday, although it was in a limited capacity. Both are expected to be able to play Thursday but are listed as questionable.

 On the offensive side of the ball, the 49ers have a good thing going in the run game, as Carlos Hyde had a good deal of success running the ball against a usually-tough Seattle defense, and he should have more of that against a Rams defense that did not have a good showing in Sunday’s loss to Washington.

 However, the passing game certainly needs to improve, as quarterback Brian Hoyer acknowledged after Sunday’s game that his performance was less than stellar and needs to get better if the 49ers are going to have sustained success offensively.

On the 49ers podcast with Dave:

1 With the 49ers starting the season at 0-2 and losing to Seattle last Sunday 12-9 there was a lot of talk about. The 49ers being concerned about their offense and quarterback Jeff Hoyer. These are some of the things that 49ers general manager John Lynch and head coach Kyle Shanahan will be addressing week to week.

2 Dave also talks about the NFL scheduling of having the 49ers play in Seattle on Sunday and turn around with just four days rest and host the Los Angeles Rams for Thursday Night Football.

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

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer gestures to the team at the line of scrimmage against the Seattle Seahawks in the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 17, 2017, in Seattle. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)

By Joe Lami

The San Francisco 49ers will have to wait another week for their first touchdown of the season, as they failed to find paydirt once again in Sunday’s 12-9 loss to Seattle. The game consisted of two offenses completely struggling and dragged on since the initial snap of the ball; the Seahawks were slightly better to earn their first victory of the season.

San Francisco was given a chance at a huge road win in Seattle, something they have not done since October 18th, 2015 but a lack of offensive consistency was their downfall.

Seattle stormed out of the gate on the opening possession, marching the ball 68 yards before stalling out for a 25-yard field goal from Blair Walsh. Walsh added a 27-yarder before the end of the first for a 6-0 lead.

San Francisco’s defense looked strong early when pushed into the red zone as they bent but didn’t break, doing a great job of keeping Seattle’s offense out of the end zone.

The 49ers tied things up at six going into the half with Robbie Gould knocking two field goals through from 40 and 37 yards out. The first one was set up by a 61-yard run from Carlos Hyde, in which, he was able to break off the left tackle and burst away before being dragged down at the Seahawks 22-yard line. The run was the longest in his four-year NFL career.

Hyde was crucial for the 49ers, who struggled once again on offense. He led the team in yards with 124 on 15 carries. Hyde was half of the Niners offense on Sunday, as the team combined was able to muster up 124 yards of their own, finishing with 248 total yards.

The passing attack was a nightmare for San Francisco, as Brian Hoyer finished 15-of-27 for 99 yards. For whatever reason, whether it be the lack of trust of an offensive line or the slippery ball on a soaking Seattle afternoon, the Niners refused to let the ball fly; and when they did, they were throwing short, intermediate routes in front of the first down sticks.

Hoyer had another poor game, throwing for less than 100 yards, but the worst play was an interception he threw to Bobby Wagner. It marked the second time in which he was picked off by a middle linebacker, signaling he’s either completely missing the most obvious defender on the field or some other significant deficiency.

Despite the horrendous offensive performance, San Francisco still had a chance to win the game. They took the lead in the third quarter, as Gould hit his third field goal of the game from 34 yards for the 9-6 lead.

However, the defense began to get tired, as the Seahawks won the possession battle 37 to 23 minutes and wore down as the game progressed. This allowed Seattle to run the ball down the throats of the 49ers’ front seven.

Chris Carson, a 7th round rookie from Oklahoma State, led the way with 93 yards on the ground. Quarterback, Russell Wilson, also took over when it mattered most marching down the field using his legs for 34 yards. It seemed that the 49ers defense refused to set a spy to slow him down.

Wilson’s magic continued on the lone touchdown of the game, in which, he was able to escape multiple pressures before finding Paul Richardson in the left corner of the end zone. It was the first touchdown of the season for Seattle with 7:06 left in the fourth.

San Francisco’s offense couldn’t get anything done in the last seven minutes of the contest, allowing Seattle to win their first of the season.

The 49ers added injury to insult as Eric Reid went down multiple times in both the second and third quarters with non-contact injuries favoring his knee. He later said after the game that he did tweak it but it should be fine, but Rueben Foster said the same and it going to be out the next month.

The Niners will have the shortened week to get their offense in check as they continue to search for their first major of the season when they host the LA Rams on Thursday night.

Carolina Panthers defensive end Julius Peppers (90) tackles San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer during the first half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

On the 49ers Podcast with Joe:

1 The 49ers guard Laker Tomlinson is getting tuned up, last game against the Carolina Panthers he showed his ability last game where he had a good outing and now will start again at Century Link in Seattle this Sunday against the Seahawks. Tomlinson in his last time at Century Link played for the Detroit Lions and now he returns with the 49ers

2 Zane Beadles struggled at guard for last week’s game against the Carolina Panthers Tomlinson will be replacing Beadles and Beadles allowed a sack of Brian Hoyer

3 The 49ers offensive struggled speaking of Hoyer getting only a field goal for a score. Joe takes a look at what Hoyer need to turn things around

4 Joe talks about how tough it’s going to be playing at Century Link a stadium that was engineered to increase the sound waves that favors the Hawks and where the 49ers are that’s going to be a tall order on Sunday

5 Injuries to safety Jimmie Ward (hamstring) and tight end George Kittle (hamstring and calf) are practicing this week but will they be game ready on Sunday

Joe Lami does 49ers commentary each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Carolina Panthers Christian McCaffrey (22), San Francisco 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster (56) and San Francisco 49ers defensive lineman Solomon Thomas (94), all 2017 first round draft picks, talk after an NFL football game on Sunday, Sept. 10, 2017 in Santa Clara, Calif. The Panthers won the game, 23-3. (Greg Trott via AP)

By Jeremy Harness

 SANTA CLARA–The 49ers’ season is expected to be, to say the least, very challenging with a lot of growing pains in store for one of the youngest teams in the NFL. Those challenges are being presented to them right off the bat.

 After a convincing loss at the hands of the Carolina Panthers at home in the season opener last Sunday, they now go to a place that they have not won in six years.

 Seattle’s CenturyLink Field will be the site this Sunday, as the 49ers face the NFC West nemesis Seahawks, and they are facing long odds indeed. The last time they escaped Seattle with a victory was in 2011 – former coach Jim Harbaugh’s first year with the 49ers – and they have not beaten the Seahawks at all since 2013, which happened to be the last year they played at Candlestick Park before moving into Levi’s Stadium.

 Making things even tougher is that the injury bug has already hit the 49ers, and it has hit in a key place.

 In an attempt to get to Carolina rookie running back Christian McCaffrey, linebacker Reuben Foster sprained his right ankle, and even though he tried getting back into the game in the second half, he was held out of action for the remainder of the contest.

Thankfully, X-rays done on Foster’s ankle came up negative, but he was later diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, which have a significantly-higher recovery time than regular ankle sprains. In fact, coach Kyle Shanahan said that Foster could be sidelined for at least a month.

 In the meantime, Foster is expected to be replaced in the lineup by Ray-Ray Armstrong, who took his spot in the starting defense on Sunday and, by most accounts, turned in a nice overall performance.

 Besides Foster, tight end George Kittle (hamstring, calf) and safety Jimmie Ward (hamstring) are also nursing injuries suffered on Sunday and were both limited in practice Wednesday. Tackle Joe Staley, along with Foster, did not practice on Wednesday, but Staley’s case was not injury-related.

 The 49ers will be facing a team eager to get back to the Super Bowl. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are seething from an opening-week loss to the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. But they are nursing some injuries as well as they head into Sunday’s matchup.

 Cornerback Richard Sherman (hamstring) and linebacker K.J Wright (ankle), both starters, were both held out of practice on Wednesday, while former 49ers linebacker Michael Wilhoite (calf) practiced in a limited fashion.