Tag: NFL

Niners Lose Close One 29-27 with Beathard

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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.

Niners fall late to Chargers 29-27, but Beathard does better than expected

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Photo credit: espn.com

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers were certainly up against it facing a very good Los Angeles Chargers defense with a backup quarterback that has not shown much in his young NFL career, but C.J Beathard rose to the occasion. Well, sort of.

After going 1-4 last season as a starting quarterback before Jimmy Garoppolo took over, Beathard gave a very good account of himself on Sunday, keeping the 49ers in the game until the very end. However, the end result was another loss that dropped them to 1-3, this time going down 29-27 at the StubHub Center.

Beathard completed 23 of his 37 throws for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, he was also tagged with a pair of interceptions, the last one coming on the 49ers’ final possession of the game and thwarted a chance for at least a game-winning field goal, the interception coming as his arm was hit as he threw.

His main target on Sunday was tight end George Kittle, who hauled in six passes for 125 yards and a touchdown, with a few more of those catches putting the 49ers deep in Chargers territory and set up scores later. Pierre Garcon also got into the act, catching four balls for 52 yards.

However, they didn’t get much from their running game. Matt Breida was the leading rusher with 39 yards on nine carries, while Beathard was the second-leading runner with 19 yards on seven dashes.

The 49ers got out to a 14-0 lead when safety Antone Exum, who was questionable for Sunday’s game with a thigh bruise, picked off Philip Rivers and returned it 32 yards for a touchdown, and Kendrick Bourne caught a short touchdown pass in the back of the end zone.

However, the lead would not last long, as Rivers picked away at the lead before the two teams went into their respective locker rooms with a 17-17 tie at halftime.

The Chargers grabbed the lead when Rivers passed to Melvin Gordon for a 6-yard touchdown and would have had more if Beathard was not able to track down cornerback Trevor Williams after a long interception return. The Chargers still got the ball deep in 49ers territory, but the defebse was able to hold them to a field goal.

Later in the quarter, the 49ers struck quickly as Beathard found Kittle over the middle, and he made a couple of nifty moves and beat the Chargers secondary to the end zone for an 82-yard score to get the 49ers right back into the game.

Robbie Gould kicked a 33-yard field goal early in the fourth to give the 49ers the lead, but five minutes later, Caleb Sturgis came back with a 21-yard field goal to re-gain the advantage for the Chargers.

Meanwhile, the never-ending injury saga continues to haunt the 49ers. A week after losing Garoppolo for the season with an ACL tear in his left knee, the 49ers had two more key players leave Sunday’s game.

Rookie receiver-kick returner Dante Pettis suffered a knee injury on his first punt return of the game in the first quarter and did not return. One quarter later, left tackle Joe Staley also left the game with a knee injury of his own and did not return, either.

Raiders three-point stance: Three takeaways from Raiders’ OT win over Browns

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Photo credit: @theorganicfrost

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND, Calif — The Raiders can finally breathe a little bit after picking up win No. 1, defeating the visiting Cleveland Browns 45-42 in overtime in front of an announced crowd of 53,387 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on Sunday.

It was a roller-coaster fourth quarter for the Silver and Black, who held a six-point lead with 10 minutes to go, but managed to let it slip away.

Cleveland scored two unanswered touchdowns, but the Raiders (1-3) managed to tie the game with 30 seconds remaining and force overtime where they won the game behind rookie kicker Matt McCrane’s 29-yard field goal.

McCrane missed a 50-yard field goal attempt on the Raiders’ first possession of overtime, but Oakland’s defense forced the Browns to punt and quarterback Derek Carr drove the Raiders into position to kick the eventual game-winning field goal.

Here are my three takeaways from the Raiders’ win over the Browns:

Derek Carr needs to tame the turnovers
Sure, Carr completed 35-of-58 passes for 437 yards and four touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions. In the four games he’s played this season, Carr has thrown two or more interceptions in three of them.

No other quarterback in the league has more interceptions than Carr, who leads the NFL with seven interceptions. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Carr has thrown four of those interceptions on first down.

I get it, Carr is going to take chances to make the big-play, but not every throw needs to be risky. The pair of interceptions that Carr threw today put the Raiders in tough spots.

With Oakland trailing 17-14 and looking for points late in the first-half, Carr tried to hit tight end Jared Cook that would’ve set Oakland up in field goal range, but the ball bounced of Cook’s hands and landed in Browns cornerback E.J. Gaines’s hands that thwarted any scoring chances for the Silver and Black.

Carr’s second interception came on Oakland’s first possession in the third quarter. Oakland was driving before Carr lofted a pass down the left sideline into double-coverage that was intended for wide receiver Martavis Bryant that would be picked off by cornerback Damarious Randall. Randall would return the interception 50 yards to set up Cleveland for an easy score.

Three plays later, Browns rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield found wide receiver Jarvis Landry for a two-yard score that gave Cleveland a 14-point lead.

Marshawn Lynch should be averaging 20 carries a game
With the NFL turning into a passing league with teams opting for multiple wide receiver formations, it was good to see a running back get 20 carries in a football game.

In the midst of Carr throwing the football 58 times, running back Marshawn Lynch rushed for 130 yards on 20 carries, his most productive game in four years. Lynch’s 52-yard blast down the Browns’ sideline late in the third quarter was vintage ‘Beast Mode’ as he alluded a bevy of Cleveland defenders before being brought down.

The run would setup a 29-yard field goal by Matt McCrane that cut Cleveland’s lead 28-24.

With each game, Lynch’s carries and workload has increased:

  • 11 carries for 41 yards and one touchdown in 33-13 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at home in Week 1.
  • 18 carries for 65 yards and one touchdown in 20-19 loss to the Broncos in Denver in Week 2.
  • 19 carries for 64 yards and one touchdown in 28-20 loss to the Dolphins in Miami in Week 3.
  • 20 carries for 130 yards in 45-42 win over the Cleveland Browns in Week 4.

The Raiders need to give the ball to Lynch more as life for Carr will become that much easier. Simply put, feed the beast.

Oakland’s defense deserves a gold star for its efforts
The Raiders have been racked over the hot coals for the trading of premiere pass rusher in defensive end Khalil Mack to the Chicago Bears a week before the start of the regular season, and rightfully so, but the effort and energy the unit played with today has to be recognized.

In the first three games, Oakland’s defense forced just one turnover before recording three on Sunday which kept the Raiders close throughout the game.

Second-year cornerback Gareon Conley delivered the game’s first score, by intercepting a Baker Mayfield pass that bounced off the hands of wide receiver Antonio Callaway and into Conley’s who returned the pass 36 yards for the touchdown.

Oakland forced a pair of second-half fumbles that set up the Raiders for scoring opportunities that kept the game tight. The Raiders did yield 487 yards of total offense to the Browns, including two long touchdowns, but did manage to force four turnovers (two force fumbles and two interceptions) off Mayfield.

Mayfield finished 21-of-41 for 295 yards and two touchdowns in his first-career start.

Linebacker Bruce Irvin and rookie defensive tackle Maurice Hurst each recorded a sack for Oakland.

Up next for Oakland: A trip to Los Angeles to take on AFC West rival the Chargers in Week 5, before flying over to London for a Week 6 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks.

McCrane’s field goal wins it for the Raiders in overtime 45-42

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By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — Despite the fact that the Oakland Raiders and the Cleveland Browns entered the game with a combined record of 1-4-1, this was a heavyweight bout that went the distance.

Rookie Matt McCrane kicked a 29-yard field goal with 1:46 remaining in overtime, as the Raiders came back from a 14-point third quarter deficit to defeat the Browns 45-42 before a crowd of 53,387 at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

McCrane, who missed a 50-yard field goal on the Raiders initial series in the overtime, but Derek Carr and the Raiders drove down the field after stopping the Browns on their only possession of overtime and the Raiders picked up their first win of the season.

It was a huge day for Carr, who went 35-for-58 for 437 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions.

The win by the Raiders spoiled the starting debut of the Browns number one pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, Baker Mayfield, who went 21-for-41 for 295 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Mayfield’s first interception gave the Raiders their first points of the afternoon, as Gareon Conley returned the Mayfield pass 36 yards for a touchdown to give the Raiders an early 7-0 lead with 10:01 remaining in the first quarter

On their ensuing possession, the Browns took over eight minutes off the clock and settled for a Greg Joseph 25-yard field goal to get the Browns within four.

After the Joseph field goal, the Raiders began to drive down the field; however, the drive stalled at the 29-yard line and the Raiders were forced to settle for a 48-yard field goal off the infield dirt and the McCrane field goal went wide left.

On the first play after the missed field goal, rookie Nick Chubb took the handoff and ran 63 yards for the Browns.

Unfortunately, the Raiders could not do anything on their next series and were forced to punt the ball back to the Browns.

Just four plays into the drive, Mayfield found Darren Fells for his first NFL touchdown and after the subsequent two-point conversion, the Browns led 17-7.

Carr drove the Raiders right back down the field and the drive ended, when Carr found Amari Cooper for an eight-yard touchdown pass to get the Raiders within three of the visitors from Cleveland.

Joseph gave the Browns a 20-14 lead on their first possession of the third quarter, as he hit a 28-yard field.

Carr then was picked by Damarious Randall on the third play of the next drive and returned the interception 50 yards to the Raiders’ 31-yard line, and the Browns immediately took advantage of the turnover.

Rashaan Melvin was called for a 24-yard pass interference penalty that gave the Browns a first-and-goal at the Raiders seven-yard line. Two plays later, Mayfield found Jarvis Landry for a two-yard touchdown pass and after it looked like, the Raiders stopped Duke Johnson on the two-point conversion, it was reviewed and the call was overturned to give the Browns a 28-14 lead.

After another punt by the Raiders, the Browns could have put the game away; however, that plan went awry.

Rookie Mo Hurst hit Mayfield, who fumbled the ball and Johnathan Hankins recovered the ball on the Browns seven-yard line.

Two plays later, Carr cut the Browns lead in half, as he found Jared Cook for a seven-yard touchdown pass.

Over the next three possessions, the two teams kept punting the ball back to each other that is until McCrane hit a 29-yard field goal at the beginning of the fourth quarter.

Mayfield was then sacked again, and fumbled the ball and once again, and Hankins was all over it.

Carr then gave the Raiders the lead, when he found Jordy Nelson for a 19-yard touchdown pass to give the Raiders a three-point lead.

After another three and out by the Browns, McCrane kicked a career-long 44 field goal to increase the Raiders lead up to six.

The Raiders almost got the ball back on the kickoff, as McCrane recovered the fumble by Antonio Callaway; however, the call was reversed and the Browns took over.

It was Mayfield, who looked like the veteran and not the rookie, as he found Callaway for a 59-yard completion down to the Raiders’ one-yard line.

Carlos Hyde then scored on a one-yard run to give the Browns a one-point lead with 8:11 remaining in the game.

Once again, the Raiders were forced to punt the ball after a three-and-out, they shot themselves in the foot with penalties.

Dwayne Harris committed fair catch interference on Jabrill Peppers, to give the Browns the ball at their own 37-yard line.

Hyde then went 16 yards, and then six before Chubb took the handoff for Mayfield and scored from 41 yards out to extend the Browns lead to eight points.

“That was exciting. I’m happy for him, definitely. He fed off of me, I feed off of him. We gotta keep it going. I love when he breaks those runs,” said Hyde.

After the Browns successfully stopped the Raiders on fourth-and-one at the Browns nine-yard line, the Browns took over and were primed to run out the clock.

Unfortunately, the Browns were unable to run out the clock, as what looked like a first down on a Hyde run was overturned by the officials.

“I definitely thought that we had the first down. But they changed he call, We got to get it right there. If we’re going to win the game, we gotta get that one,” said Hyde.

The Raiders drove right down the field with no timeouts, and Carr found Cook for a seven-yard touchdown and the two-point was good to tie up the game with 30 seconds remaining in the game.

Mayfield and the Browns got the ball back, but Mayfield threw his second interception and then Carr kneeled on the ball to send the game into overtime.

The Raiders got the ball in overtime, but McCrane missed the 50-yard field goal and the Browns were unable to capitalize, as they went three and out to give the ball back to the Raiders.

Carr drove the Raiders down the field, and McCrane ended the game with the 29-yard field goal and Jon Gruden was a winner on the Raiders sideline for the first time since the 2001 AFC Playoffs.

NOTES: Donald Penn was forced to leave the game with a leg injury in the second half, while the Browns lost Safety Terrance Mitchell to a broken wrist in the first half.

UP NEXT: The Raiders head to Los Angeles, where the Raiders will face the Los Angeles Chargers at the Stubhub Center next Sunday at 1:05 pm PT.

SJSU inducts former Green Bay Packers WR James Jones into San Jose Spartan Athletics Hall of Fame

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Photo credit: packersnews.com

By: Ana Kieu

SAN JOSE, Calif. — The San Jose State Spartans inducted former Green Bay Packers wide receiver James Jones to the San Jose Spartan Athletics Hall of Fame during halftime of their 2018 Homecoming Game versus the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors inside CEFCU Stadium.

Photo credit: @AnaKieu

Of course, Jones was honored to be inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame, but there’s more to the 34-year-old than you’d think and I’m not only saying because I’m a longtime Packers fan. Jones was born and raised in San Jose, Calif. to a poverty-stricken family. Jones lived in many homeless shelters with his mother before he lived with his paternal grandmother during his high school years at Gunderson High School, where he played three sports: basketball, track and field, and football. Jones later earned the quarterback MVP honors in his senior year at GHS.

Unlike some other football prospects, Jones chose to stay close to home and fine-tuned his existing skills at San Jose State University with the much-needed help of wide-out coach Keith “K-Dub” Williams. Jones played college football at SJSU for three years before entering the 2007 NFL Draft, where he was drafted 78th overall by the Packers in the third round. Jones had two stints with the Green and Gold–one from 2007-2013 and the other in 2015. Jones seized a Super Bowl XLV championship ring following the Packers’ 31-25 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on February 6, 2011.

Jones announced his retirement on September 6, 2017. After that, Jones became a NFL Network analyst.

Jones posted pretty good statistics in both stints with the Green and Gold. In the regular season, Jones had 45 touchdowns, 5195 yards and 360 receiving yards in 120 games and 62 games started. In the postseason, Jones had four touchdowns, 491 yards and 35 receiving yards in 13 games and six games started.

Oakland Raiders podcast with Joe Hawkes Beamon: Raiders and Carr battle to get first season win–this time, at home against the Browns

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On the Raiders podcast with Joe:

The Oakland Raiders are winless 0-3. They’re coming on to face the Cleveland Browns at the Coliseum. Can the Raiders win one at home this Sunday? For Browns head coach, Hue Jackson, it’s a return of glory of sorts to face his former team, the Raiders, and to coach against them in Oakland. The Raiders’ Jordy Nelson went for 173 yards and six catches great game last Sunday against a rugged Miami club.

For the Raiders, there’s a different receiving star each week Jared Cook with 180 yards vs. the Rams in Week 1, wide receiver Amari Cooper with 116 yards vs. Denver in Week 2. For the Raiders quarterback. Derek Carr with 345 yards, 27-39 with one touchdown. Can Carr lead this team to their first victory this Sunday?

Joe does the Raiders podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: Beathard has the world on his shoulders, but he’s been here before

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Photo credit: @jaynovel

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

The out inbounds was the ACL tear heard round the world for 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo last Sunday in Kansas City. C.J. Beathard was last year’s starter until Garoppolo came along. Can the 49ers really count Beathard against the Chargers this Sunday?

Beathard completed 53% of his throws last season with six interception and four touchdowns. What will be Beathard’s biggest responsibility taking over at starter? The 49ers are looking for win number two. What’s their best plan against the Chargers–the passing or the ground game?

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Oakland Raiders podcast with Tony Renteria: Will Carr need to adjust anything on offense in preparation for Sunday’s game?

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Photo credit: @Raiders

On the Raiders podcast with Tony:

#1 The Raiders must like the first half of football games because they always take the lead and lose them in the second half.

#2 Things were so bad for the Raiders in their 28-20 loss in Miami that Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson threw a 52-yard touchdown and also caught a 74-yard touchdown to come back from being down 17-7.

#3 The Miami Dolphins’ Xavien Howard played some good defense stopping quarterback Derek Carr’s throws. Howard also stuck the Raiders from scoring a goal line touchdown in the second quarter.

#4 Carr had a 27-39 day for 345 yards and got picked off twice. What does Carr needs to improve for this Sunday after the Raiders have now gone to 0-3?

#5 The Raiders’ Jordy Nelson was the Raiders’ top receiver with six passes for 173 yards and a touchdown.

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

Winless Raiders to host Baker Mayfield and the Browns in Week 4

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Photo credit: @Raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — With the first quarter of the season drawing to a close, the Oakland Raiders are in dire need of their first win…and they hope it’ll be versus the Cleveland Browns.

After playing two of their first three games of the season on the road, the Raiders return home to play two of their next three games beginning this Sunday when they will host the Browns and rookie quarterback Baker Mayfield at the Oakland-Alameda Coliseum.

Week 4’s matchup will mark only the second time since the Browns have traveled to the Black Hole and their most recent game, in 2015 at Cleveland, the Raiders defeated the Browns 27-20 at FirstEnergy Stadium.

Kickoff is set for 1:05 p.m. PT. The Browns are 12-10 all-time versus the Raiders in the regular season.

Last week, Oakland (0-3) lost to the first-place AFC East Miami Dolphins 28-20 in South Florida. Wide receiver Jordy Nelson had the biggest day for the Raiders, hauling in six catches for 173 yards (28.8 yards per catch) and a touchdown. In his last two meeting with the Dolphins, Nelson has destroyed Miami catching 15 passes for 280 yards (18.8 yards per catch) and two touchdowns.

Nelson became just the third Raider pass-catcher this season to top 100 yards in a game, joining tight end Jared Cook (180 yards against the Rams in Week 1), and fellow wide receiver Amari Cooper (116 yards against AFC West rival Denver in Week 2), making Oakland one of two teams to accomplish the feat.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 345 yards on 27-of-39 attempts with one touchdown and two interceptions. It was Carr’s second 300-yard passing day of the season (Carr threw for 303 yards against the Rams in Week 1). Through the first three games of the season, Carr is sixth in the NFL in passing yards per game (302) and second in completion percentage (76.6).

Oakland held a 17-7 lead midway through the third quarter before the Dolphins scored 21 unanswered points in the second-half to overtake the Raiders. Before kicker Mike Nugent booted a 52-yard field goal, the Raiders didn’t score a single point in the fourth quarter in their previous two games.

Speaking of Nugent, the Raiders placed Nugent on injured reserve with a hip injury and signed kicker Matt McCrane. McCrane is in his first year in the NFL after signing as an undrafted free agent with Arizona at the conclusion of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Strangely, the Raiders have led after three quarters in each of their previous three games but have yet to notch a win this season.

The Browns (1-1-1) are coming off 21-17 victory over the New York Jets in Cleveland on Thursday Night Football. Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson is just 2-32-1 as he enters his third season at the helm. Jackson, who spent 2010 as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach in 2011 where he led the club to an 8-8 finish, but wasn’t retained as the team hired Dennis Allen heading into the 2012 season.

Allen finished 8-28 in his two-plus seasons in Oakland before being fired four games into the 2014 season as the team got off to a 1-10 start.

For Cleveland, quarterback Baker Mayfield will make his first-career NFL start when he leads the Browns into the Black Hole. Mayfield was selected first overall by the Browns in this year’s NFL Draft, but the Browns opted to start the season with Taylor under center and wanted Mayfield to watch and learn.

With Cleveland trailing 14-3 shortly before halftime, the rookie replaced veteran Tyrod Taylor, who was already playing poorly completing just 4-of-14 passes for 19 yards, when Taylor suffered his third concussion in the past 13 months.

In the second half, Mayfield energize that team and the home crowd, helping the Browns outscore the Jets 18-3. Mayfield threw for 201 yards on 17-of-23 attempts and even caught a two-point conversion from wide receiver Jarvis Landry that tied the game 14-14 in the third quarter.

Landry caught a game-high eight catches for 103 yards against the Jets, and leads the Browns with 20 catches for 278 yards. Rookie wide receiver Antonio Callaway has the Browns’ lone touchdown catch this season.

Running back Carlos Hyde rushed for 98 yards on 22 attempts and scored two touchdowns last week and given the Raiders inability to stop the run, (Oakland surrenders 116.3 yards on the ground per game, which ranks 22nd in the NFL), there could be some opportunities for Hyde to have another big game.

Defensively, Cleveland has some good, young players on that side of the ball that new defensive coordinator Gregg Williams can mold into a formidable group.

Second-year defensive end Myles Garrett has become one of the more feared pass rushers in the NFL. Garrett’s four sacks this season are tied for the most in the NFL with New Orleans defensive end Cameron Jordan, Chicago defensive end Khalil Mack (sorry Raider Nation), and Von Miller.

Garrett also has two forced fumbles.

Fellow defensive lineman in second-year defensive tackle Larry Ogunjobi is quickly making a name for himself too, pacing second on the Browns with three sacks.

Rookie cornerback Denzel Ward, who the Browns selected fourth in the same draft as Mayfield, has played great for Cleveland so far this season. In his first pro game, Ward intercepted Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger twice.

Ward leads the team with two interceptions and along with fellow cornerback Terrance Mitchell, has solidified Cleveland’s pass defense.

Following Sunday’s game, the Raiders heads south to Los Angeles for a tough matchup in the AFC West against the Chargers in Week 5 before flying to London to take on the Seattle Seahawks in Week 6, while Cleveland will head home to prepare for back-to-back visits from AFC North rival the Baltimore Ravens and Chargers.

Garoppolo’s season over, so the 49ers’ fate may be sealed

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Photo credit: @49ers

By Jeremy Harness

With one attempted cut inbounds to try to gain a few more yards, the fate of the 49ers’ 2018 season appeared to be sealed.

The 49ers were trailing in the fourth quarter of the team’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs when quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo made that cut and then fell to the ground after his left knee buckled. He left the game and learned the next day that he had torn the ACL in that knee, effectively ending his season.

With that, the 49ers’ season may be over as well.

The second-biggest fear has also come to reality: C.J Beathard, the team’s second-year backup quarterback and has been far from awe-inspiring, is next up.

Expect the Los Angeles Chargers, who will host the 49ers at the StubHub Center on Sunday, to put heavy pressure on Beathard, who has shown a significant lack of accuracy in his brief career. He completed 55 percent of his throws last season and threw six interceptions against four touchdowns, amassing a lackluster passer rating of 69.2.

Of course, last season was just that, and it wouldn’t be so bad if he had shown any improvement, but that has yet to be seen.

He was out of shape for last year’s training camp, and he reportedly showed up in the same exact condition as the season before. Not exactly what you would want to see in your second-string signal-caller. That’s the reality that is staring the 49ers right in the face at this point.

To make matters worse, Beathard will not have any offensive stars to lean on. Jerick McKinnon, of course, is out for the season after tearing his own ACL in training camp. The team’s running game is headed by the duo of Alfred Morris, who didn’t even have a job when training camp opened this year, and Matt Breida, who provides a bit of quickness and catching ability out of the backfield but has otherwise been unimpressive in his young NFL career.

Meanwhile, the receiving corps has been less than stellar, as Pierre Garcon, who the 49ers had big expectations for when they brought him in prior to last season, has been practically nonexistent this season.

On the defensive side, cornerback Richard Sherman suffered a strained calf on Sunday, is expected to miss the next few weeks, while safeties Adrian Colbert and Jaquiski Tartt both missed practice with assorted injuries.

So basically, the 49ers will need to get healthy very quickly if they hope to be at least competitive for the remainder of the season.