Tag: NFL

Headline Sports podcast with London Marq: Kings open season hosting Jazz tonight; 49ers’ loss simply was a heartbreaker; Expect Astros-Sox to go the distance

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Photo credit: @SacramentoKings

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 London will be covering the Sacramento Kings opener at Golden 1 Center as the Kings host the Utah Jazz. London talks about all the excitement surrounding opening night.

#2 The San Francisco 49ers lost a crucial close game to the Green Bay Packers 33-30 in a game that went right down to the wire. Is this game viewed as an improvement game for San Francisco?

#3 It’s a series that has gone back and forth that saw the Red Sox win game one and the Astros in game two and now the Sox in game three. There’s no doubt the two best teams in the American League battling in the ALCS.

#4 With the Golden State Warriors losing four of their five preseason games, any indication that this Warriors team is getting older slowing down and show signs of fatigue or they just didn’t show all their cards in the preseason? Looks like they answered that question with a big win over the OKC Thunder on Tuesday night.

#5 The Oakland Raiders’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday in London was one of the low points of this season. With the team at 1-5, is this team getting away from head coach Jon Gruden?

London has Headline Sports each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

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

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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.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: 49ers looked great, but not good enough to win a close contest

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mercurynews.com photo: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrates a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers Monday, Oct. 15, 2018, in Green Bay, Wis.

On the 49ers podcast with David Zizmor:

We’ve seen this with 49ers quarterback CJ Beathard over the last two years. He manages to keep the game pretty close as he did against the Chargers and Monday Night against the Packers in Green Bay. Last year, he had five starts where the 49ers lost by three points an NFL record for consecutive losses with less than three points.

Beathard does just well enough, but the problem is there have been untimely turnovers and penalties that just seals the Niners’ fate. They were in position to win this one. It wasn’t like they weren’t in this one or like the Packers ran away with it. The Niners were playing really good football and the defense wasn’t letting the Packers move the ball that much, but the Niners went into half time with a 24-17 lead and couldn’t hold on in the end they lost by three, 33-30.

David has much more on the 49ers podcast at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Wilson throws three touchdowns in Seahawks’ 27-3 win over Raiders in jolly ol’ London

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Photo credit: @SportsCentre

By Jeremy Kahn

Maybe heading across the pond to London would possibly change things for the Oakland Raiders, but it seems that they are not getting any better on two continents.

Russell Wilson threw for three touchdowns, as the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Raiders 27-3 at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

Wilson went 17-for-23 for 222 yards plus those three touchdowns and an interception, as the Seahawks go into the bye week with a 3-3 record.

Chris Carson helped out on the running game, as he ran for 59 yards, while Rashad Penny gained 43 yards before the largest crowd to ever attend a NFL game in London, as 84,922 were in attendance in the legendary stadium.

Despite going 23-for-31 for 142 yards on the afternoon, Derek Carr was forced to leave the game with 8:52 remaining in the game, as he was hit by Jarran Reed and immediately went to the sideline grabbing his upper left arm.

Jaron Brown was the receiving end of the first Wilson touchdown of the afternoon, as he took it in from five yards out. Wilson then found David Moore for a 19-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, and then threw his third and final touchdown in the fourth quarter, as he threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett.

To make even worse for the Raiders, who fall to 1-5 on the season, former kicker Sebastian Janikowski, who played for the Raiders for 17 years, kicked two field goals for the Seahawks.

Marshawn Lynch, who was playing against his former team carried the ball 13 and gained just 45 yards during the game.

The Raiders finally got on the board with 8:30 remaining in the game, as Matt McCrane kicked a 48-yard field goal. McCrane could have gotten the Raiders on the board in the second quarter; however, his 48-yard attempt went wide left.

NOTES: It was a tough day for the Raiders with injuries, as besides Carr, they will leave London not healthy.

Amari Cooper left the game with 13:40 remaining in the first half, as he suffered a concussion after a helmet-to-helmet hit from Strong Safety Bradley McDougald. Joe Feliciano, who started in place of the inactive Kelechi Osemele, who was out with a knee injury was forced out of the game with a rib injury and Seth Roberts suffered a concussion like Cooper in the fourth quarter and did not return.

UP NEXT: After their bye week, the Raiders will return to the field on October 28 at the Coliseum, where they will host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:05 pm PT on CBS.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders face Seahawks next in London; Raiders’ atypical travel plans; Raiders’ impact on world

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe:

1. The Oakland Raiders face the Seattle Seahawks at Wembley Stadium in London on Sunday. What are your three keys to the game?

2. Football teams have different approaches when it comes to preparing for a game overseas. The Raiders departed Thursday night and ran around on Friday morning with a walk-through and media availability. Do you feel like the Raiders’ travel plans will affect the outcome of their upcoming game?

3. The Raiders’ injury list obviously wasn’t as long as the 49ers’ injury list, but Marshawn Lynch was limited during Thursday’s practice. Various sources said the Seahawks miss Lynch and mentioned that Bobby Wagner couldn’t wait to tackle Lynch. If Lynch ends up not playing, would that have an effect on the Raiders’ offense?

4. #RaiderNation has gone global over the years in London, Mexico City, Barcelona and Tokyo. A saying was coined a few years ago: “The world’s team.” Do you feel like the Raiders are the world’s team and do you think they should play games in any other countries?

Joe Hawkes Beamon does the Oakland Raiders podcasts each Friday for SportsRadioService.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers take on Packers next at Lambeau Field; Lots of 49ers injuries; plus more 49ers talk

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Photo credit: @49ers

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe:

1. The 49ers are coming off a rough 28-18 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and the best is yet to come as the 49ers travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football. What are your three keys to the game?

2. DeForest Buckner told the media that he was excited to go up against Aaron Rodgers for the first time at Lambeau Field. Should Buckner also be nervous about Rodgers and the Packers?

3. The 49ers’ injuries have reached a point that Kyle Shanahan has never seen before. Marquise Goodwin will return to the field, which will give C.J. Beathard a key target downfield, but what else has to happen so the 49ers’ offense will tread water against the Packers?

4. The 49ers invited the National Champions of Mexico to Levi’s Stadium to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. What are your thoughts on this special invitation?

Joe Lami does the San Francisco 49ers podcasts each Friday for SportsRadioService.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Chargers were too much for Raiders; Raiders prepare for London vs. Seahawks

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On the Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony:

#1 The Raiders dropped their record to 1-4 in a 26-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday in Carson, Calif.

#2 Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers got things going, breaking a 3-3 tie with a 44-yard touchdown pass to the Chargers’ Austin Ekeler.

#3 The touchdown from Rivers to Ekeler to start 19-0 run. It was on a bobbled snap on first and 10 as Rivers was trying to get the pass away to Ekeler, who scored the go-ahead touchdown and the Chargers never looked back.

#4 Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said the team made bad plays, that they pressed and the play cover needs to improve.

#5 It’s off to London, where the Raiders will be the home team next Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. Tony tells us how he sees this one.

Tony has the Raiders podcast each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Nowhere to go, but up for the 49ers

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Photo credit: espn.com

By Jeremy Harness

Four weeks ago, 49ers fans had reason to hope for big things to happen this year. Now they have this to process:

The 49ers have been reduced to a very good practice squad team, thanks in much part to injuries, and then this development: The 49ers just lost to a winless team.

That’s right, they gave the Arizona Cardinals their first win of the season last Sunday, and things do not figure to get any better for the 49ers this season, making 1-15 a very distinct possibility. They are not favored in any of the remaining 11 games, and to say that they face a daunting task at Green Bay this Monday night would be an understatement.

Here’s reason No. 1: If you put on a 49ers uniform, apparently you’re much more susceptible to getting seriously injured than any other team in the NFL. The proof is in the ever-growing injury report each week, not to mention losing their starting quarterback in the second week and your starting running back before the season even began.

In the latest episode of “ER” — masterfully disguised as a football game — Matt Breida had to leave Sunday’s game with an ankle injury and did not return. Thankfully, it did not turn out to be a high ankle sprain – which takes several weeks to recover from – but it is serious enough that he will likely not play Monday night.

Meanwhile, receiver Dante Pettis will miss Monday night’s game as well due to the knee injury he suffered against the Chargers a week and a half ago. Another blow has been dealt to the already-hurting offense, as receiver Marquise Goodwin has a hamstring issue that threatens to keep him out against the Packers.

All of this means that the C.J. Beathard really has no big-play receivers or backs to go to, not a good sign for a backup quarterback that needs all the help he can get right about now, especially going into a place that the 49ers have seldom won over the years.

The Packers are dealing with some injuries of their own, but they are fairly manageable, especially compared with what the 49ers are facing. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is listed as questionable for Monday night with a knee injury that he has been battling for a couple of weeks. However, he is expected to suit up against the 49ers.

Receiver Randall Cobb, like Goodwin, is attempting to fight off a pesky hamstring issue, but he is reportedly hopeful to play this Monday night.

The Raider preview: Raiders head to London for Week 6 matchup against the Seahawks at Wembley Stadium

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Raiders are off to London to play in their third-straight international game, this time against the Seattle Seahawks. Sunday’s game from Wembley Stadium will mark the 53rd meeting between the two franchises, with Oakland leading the series 28-24 all-time. This will be Oakland’s fourth game in five weeks on the road.

This is the second time that two teams face each other in 2018, as the Raiders defeated the Seahawks 30-19 in Seattle to close out the preseason schedule.

Kickoff is set for 10:00 a.m. PT. So breakfast with football is always nice.

Last week, the Raiders (1-4) fell to AFC West division-rival, the Los Angeles Chargers, 26-10 at StubHub Center in Carson in what sounded like the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum with many members of Raider Nation making up the  attendance.

Starting quarterback Derek Carr completed 24-of-33 passes for 263 yards with one touchdown and one interception as the Chargers’ defense held Oakland to just 289 yards of total offense. Through five games this season, Carr has thrown a league-leading eight interceptions, three coming inside the red zone and two into the end zone.

Coming into the Week 5 meeting with Los Angeles, the Raiders were averaging 411.8 yards of total offense per game ranking second in the NFL.

Wide receiver Jordy Nelson caught his team-leading third receiving touchdown of the year, a 1-yard score from Carr in the fourth quarter with the Raiders trailing 26-3. Since 2016, Nelson leads the NFL with 19 receiving touchdowns inside the red zone according to ESPN Stats and Information research.

After rushing for 130 yards on 20 carries against the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, Marshawn Lynch was quiet against the Chargers carrying the ball just nine times for 31 yards. Lynch will look to get back on track in London against his former team in Seattle, whose defense ranks 29th against the run surrendering 129 yards on the ground per game.

Defensively, Bruce Irvin recorded his team-leading third sack of the season, while linebacker Tahir Whitehead paced the Raiders with nine tackles for the second-straight game. It was the fourth time this season that Whitehead has led the team in tackles in a game.

Whitehead leads the Raiders with 37 combined tackles (26 solo and 11 assisted) this season.

The Seahawks (2-3) lost a close game to NFC West division-rival the Los Angeles Rams, 33-31 last week at CenturyLink Field in Seattle.

Seahawks starting quarterback Russell Wilson threw for 198 yards and three touchdowns on 13-of-21 passing. In five games this season, the former Super Bowl MVP has thrown for 1,086 yards, with 10 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

Running back Chris Carson tallied his second 100-yard rushing game in the last three weeks, carrying the ball 19 times for 116 yards against a talented Rams defensive front highlighted by reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year in defensive tackle Aaron Donald and Ndamukong Suh.

With veteran wide receiver Doug Baldwin slowed by a knee injury this season, Tyler Lockett has become Wilson’s top target in Seattle’s areal attack. Lockett had just three catches against the Rams, but finished with a team-high 98 yards receiving and one touchdown, a 39-yard strike from Wilson in the second quarter.

On the season, the fourth-year wideout from Kansas State leads the Seahawks in catches (20), targets (28), receiving yards (347), and touchdowns (4). His 17.4 yards per catch is second on the team behind rookie tight end Will Dissly, who is on injured reserve with a knee injury.

Oakland’s much maligned secondary must account for Lockett, who can blow by defenses in the open field with his speed.

With longtime safety Earl Thomas on injured reserve after breaking his leg two weeks ago in a Seahawks’ win at Arizona, the vaunted Seahawks defense that we’ve all come to know over the last few seasons is unrecognizable. Before the injury, Thomas was playing at a high-level, leading the Seahawks with three interceptions.

In the offseason, the team parted ways with lockdown cornerback Richard Sherman and terrorizing defensive end Michael Bennett. They saw the enforcer of the defense, strong safety Kam Chancellor and defensive end Cliff Avril retire due to neck injuries just to name a few.

Seattle still has middle linebacker Bobby Wagner, who is smart football player that can cover field, sideline-to-sideline, but strong safety Bradley McDougald has quickly become Seattle’s top defender.

Now in his sixth season in the NFL and second season in the Emerald City after spending the previous four seasons between Kansas City and Tampa Bay, the 6’1″, 215-pound McDougald isn’t the menacing presence that the 6’3, 225-pound Chancellor is, but he packs quite a punch. McDougald leads the Seahawks with 32 combined tackles (29 solo and 3 assisted) to go with two interceptions.

After Sunday’s game, both teams will be head on their bye weeks for Week 7. When the teams return in Week 8, the Raiders will host the Indianapolis Colts at 1:05 pm PT, while Seattle heads out on the road to take on the Detroit Lions at 10:00 am PT.

Headline Sports with London Marq: Sox move onto ALCS; Does LeBron have a supporting cast?; Steelers’ latest distraction; What’s up with Carr?

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Photo credit: @TheClemReport

On the Headline Sports podcast with London:

#1 The Boston Red Sox took three out of four from the New York Yankees in the ALDS to move onto the ALCS to face the Houston Astros.

#2 How effective do you think LeBron James will be for the Los Angeles Lakers and does he have the support around him?

#3 At 10:08 AM on April 24th, the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Antonio Brown threw large items including two vases and furniture from 14 floors above nearly hitting a grandfather and his two-year grandson. Brown was upset that he was accused of stealing $80,000 and a gun. Brown said he has been followed by the fans and media since the incident as he currently faces two lawsuits for “‘damages in excess of $15,000,’ exclusive of’ attorney fees and interest.”

#4 The Oakland Raiders fell to 1-4 after a 26-10 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers. Chargers quarterback Phillip Rivers threw for 339 yards along with 22-27 completed passes.

#5 Raiders quarterback Derek Carr got sacked three times and turned the ball over twice.

London Marq does the Headline Sports podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com