Tag: NFL

Niners get new QB, but don’t expect to see him very soon

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Photo credit: @NESN

By Jeremy Harness

The 0-8 49ers got a major shot in the arm Monday night, as they acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the New England Patriots in exchange for a second-round pick next season, a move that is expected to go a long way to resolve a long-standing issue at the quarterback position.

But don’t expect him to see him on the field for at least the next few weeks.

Not the he is injured, but the second-year signal-caller will need time to learn the 49ers’ playbook, which is completely different from that of the Patriots.

In the meantime, to make room for Garoppolo on the roster, the 49ers on Tuesday released Brian Hoyer, who began the season as the team’s starting quarterback but was benched in the second quarter in favor of rookie C.J Beathard two games ago and has not seen the field since.

In addition to having to learn the playbook, the 49ers will also need time to get their situation at left tackle – the quarterback’s blind side – taken care of. Joe Staley was injured in Sunday’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, and he is not expected to be back in the lineup for another three weeks.

Right tackle Trent Brown, who has been going through concussion protocol since being knocked out of Week 7’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys, returned to practice Wednesday and is expected to assume the left tackle position until Staley returns to the field.

Meanwhile, the team has other injury issues, as safety Jimmie Ward was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to the broken forearm that he suffered against the Eagles, which will prompt Eric Reid, who had played the past two weeks at linebacker, to go back to safety for this Sunday.

The 49ers made another move at defensive back on Tuesday, as the team dealt cornerback Rashard Robinson, who has had more than his fair share of on-field troubles this season, to the New York Jets for a fifth-round pick.

This Sunday, the 49ers will face the Arizona Cardinals, another team that has had to deal with unfavorable quarterback issues this year. Their regular starter, Carson Palmer, suffered a broken arm two weeks ago and is expected to miss the remainder of the season.

After the Arizona game, the 49ers will play the disappointing New York Giants, and they will have their bye week following that. At that point, the 49ers can expect to put Garoppolo on the field for the first time, given that he is comfortable with the new playbook at that point, and that no major injuries occur at the quarterback position between now and then.

Oak Raiders face Dolphins in Miami on Sunday Night Football

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Photo credit: @zesty_raiders

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — The Raiders conclude a two-game road trip with a visit to the Sunshine State when they face the Miami Dolphins in prime-time on Sunday Night Football at Hard Rock Stadium. This is the first matchup between Oakland and Miami since 2014 with the Dolphins routing the Raiders 38-14 at Wembley Stadium in London.

The Raiders haven’t played in Miami since 2012 and are currently riding a five-game losing streak to the Dolphins since 2008, with the all-time series tied 16-16-1.

Oakland (3-5) fell to the Buffalo Bills 34-14 in Orchard Park last Sunday. Instead of flying across country to Oakland to prepare for the Dolphins, the Raiders opted to travel to Sarasota, Fla. and stay at the IMG Academy for the second straight year.

Raiders starting quarterback Derek Carr threw for 313 yards on 31-of-49 passes with one touchdown and two interceptions. Carr took the offense on the opening drive of the game 81 yards in 13 plays that resulted in a 1-yard touchdown run by fullback Jamize Olawale, but didn’t score their second touchdown of the game until the fourth quarter.

Running back DeAndre Washington led the team in rushing with 26 yards, but also was the leading receiver with eight receptions for 62 yards and a 4-yard touchdown catch from Carr. Washington was Oakland’s bellcow Sunday due to the absence of starting running back Marshawn Lynch.

Lynch was suspended for one game after making contact with an official in Oakland’s win over their arch rival, the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 7, didn’t play Sunday against the Bills, who drafted Lynch in 2007 out of California.

Lynch is expected to play Sunday.

Wide receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari Cooper combined for 10 receptions for 131 yards, but didn’t find the end zone. Crabtree led Oakland with 83 yards, while Cooper totaled just 48 yards after exploding for 210 yards and two touchdowns on 11 receptions against Kansas City.

After posting 505 yards of total offense in Week 7, Oakland had just 331 yards of total offense in Week 8.

Bills running back LeSean McCoy ran all over Oakland’s defense, rushing for 151 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown. McCoy’s 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter proved to be the death-blow for Oakland in rainy Western New York on Sunday.

Miami (4-3) were pummeled 40-0 by the Ravens, in prime-time, on Thursday Night Football in Baltimore. Quarterback Matt Moore who started in place of Jay Cutler, who was out with cracked ribs, looked shell-shocked against an aggressive Ravens’ defense.

Moore threw for 176 yards on 25-of-44 passes and two interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns by the Ravens. The Dolphins were held to just 196 yards of total offense in Baltimore. Miami enters Week 9 game against Oakland with the NFL’s worse scoring offense, averaging just 13.1 points per game and the 31st ranked rushing offense averaging a ghastly 76.4 yards per game.

Cutler is expected to suit up against Oakland Sunday. On the season, Cutler has thrown for 995 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions with a 78.8 passer rating. Now in his 12th season, the veteran signal-caller actually retired prior to this season and was set to work in the broadcast booth for FOX television, but was persuaded by Dolphins head coach Adam Gase to return to football.

With Gase as his offensive coordinator, Cutler enjoyed one of his best seasons of his career in 2015 while with the Chicago Bears, throwing for 3.659 yards, 21 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games.

The trading of starting running back Jay Ajayi to the Philadelphia Eagles at the trade deadline Tuesday for a fourth-round pick was head-scratching.

2016 was the third-year running back’s best season, rushing for 1,272 yards and eight touchdowns on 260 carries for the playoff-bound Dolphins. Ajayi had three games in which he rushed for at least 200 yards last season and was the heartbeat for Miami’s offense.

This season, Ajayi has rushed for 465 yards on 138 carries, but zero touchdowns. The Dolphins will look to give more opportunities to second-year running back Kenyan Drake and fourth-year pro Damien Williams, who have accounted for just 57 yards on 22 carries.

Oakland’s shaky secondary must find ways to slow down Miami’s wide receivers in Jarvis Landry and Kenny Stills.

Landry is one the league’s most explosive play-makers, leading the Dolphins with 50 receptions for 398 yards. Landry’s 50 receptions ranks second in the NFL behind Pittsburgh wide receiver Antonio Brown’s 57, while his three touchdown catches ranks second on the Dolphins.

Stills leads Miami with four touchdowns on 25 receptions for 313 yards.

Miami have one of the league’s best defenses, ranking seventh in the league in total yards surrendering just 306.3 yards per game. The Dolphins have given up just 27 third-down conversions, which are the second-fewest in the NFL. They also make it hard for opposing offenses to pick up first downs, allowing just 130 first downs this season, good for eighth-fewest in the league.

Cameron Wake is the Dolphins top pass rusher, registering six of Miami’s 15 sacks this season.

Following Sunday night’s game, the Raiders return to the Bay Area for their bye week. After the Silver and Black’s bye week, Oakland travels to Mexico City for a “home” game against the New England Patriots at Estadio Azteca in Week 11.

The Dolphins will be on prime-time again next week when they head to Charlotte to take on the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night Football on Nov. 13.

Turnovers cost Raiders on the road 34-14; Bills improve season record to 4-4

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Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy (25) runs with the ball as Oakland Raiders middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman (53), safety Shalom Luani (26) and cornerback T.J. Carrie (38) try to bring him down during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Orchard Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND — After a huge come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oakland Raiders headed out on the road for a two-game road trip and their first stop was not a good one.

Rookie linebacker Matt Milano returned a fumble 40 yards to the end zone, helping the Buffalo Bills defeat the Raiders 34-14 at New Era Field.

The Milano fumble was one of four Raiders turnovers on the afternoon, as the Raiders have now lost four out of their last five games since beginning the season with a 2-0 record.

Tyrod Taylor also threw a six-yard touchdown pass to former Raiders wide receiver Andre Holmes. Taylor also scored on a one-yard run, as they improved their record to 5-2 on the season.

LeSean McCoy picked up a season-high 151 yards and also scored on a 48-yard touchdown run to help the Bills to the 20-point victory.

The Bills are now 4-0 at home, their best start at home since they started 5-0 during the 1995 season.

This is the best Bills start during their 17-year playoff drought, the longest drought by any team in the four major sports.

Derek Carr went 31-for-48 for 313 yards passing and a four-yard pass to DeAndre Washington. Carr also threw two interceptions on the afternoon. Following a Jamize Olawale touchdown run, the Raiders failed to get on the board on their next eight possessions.

Those next eight drives ended with four punts, three turnovers and they were unable to score at the end of the first half.

Without the suspended Marshawn Lynch, the Raiders gained just 54 yards on the ground.

NOTES: With their next game in Miami against the Dolphins, the Raiders will stay on the east coast for the next week and will be in Sarasota, FL. until they head to Miami before their Sunday Night matchup.

Rookie Shalom Luani started in place of Karl Joseph, who missed the game due to a groin injury and Dexter McDonald started for David Amerson, was out of the game with a foot injury.

Niners Make Franchise History; Start Season 0-8 After 33-10 Loss to Eagles in Philly

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San Francisco 49ers’ C.J. Beathard (3) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles’ Brandon Graham (55) and Mychal Kendricks (95) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Philadelphia,. (AP Photo/Michael Perez)

By: Joe Lami

For the first time in franchise history, the San Francisco 49ers are 0-8. Sunday’s loss that pushed them over the threshold was the worst loss to date, as they were thrashed by the Philadelphia Eagles 33-10.

Add injury to the insult, as five key 49ers went down in the contest. The mediocre offensive line lost its rock, Joe Staley in the second quarter and things just went downhill from there. Jimmy Ward and Soloman Thomas also were injured and didn’t return. Ward will most likely be out for an extended amount of time with a fractured forearm. Thomas, Garry Gilliam, and D.J Jones all went down with knee injuries.

The offensive line did a horrible job of protecting C.J. Beathard, who had his worst performance to date. Beathard finished the day throwing for 167 yards, a touchdown, and two interceptions, good enough for a 46.9 passer rating. He also led the 49ers in rushing yards with 40.

The NFL-leading Eagles had their way and toyed with the Niners all afternoon. Starting upfront, The Eagles got to Beathard early and often, hitting him 12 times and finishing with four sacks. The Philadelphia secondary also did a fabulous job against the passing attack, batting away 10 balls, intercepting two and bringing one back for a touchdown.

The 49ers defense wasn’t awful, but not getting any help from the offense paid its toll. Carson Wentz threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns. LeGarrette Blount also found the end zone on 16 carries and 48 yards.

The 49ers did a decent job of forcing the Eagles off the field, holding them to 29% third-down conversion.

The 49ers failed on all three sides of the ball, as special teams had a 27-yard field goal blocked in the early part of the fourth quarter.

The only bright note came from Matt Brieda, who scored his first career NFL touchdown off a short shovel pass. Brieda made cut his way through the Eagles defense for the 21-yard score.

San Francisco was beaten by the best team in the NFL on Sunday and didn’t look good doing it. They have a long week before their next matchup at home against the Cardinals and have many injuries to heal before their search for the first win of the season.

Raiders travel to Buffalo for Week 8 matchup with Bills Sunday

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Photo credit: @BNBlitzNow

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
Sports Radio Service Writer

OAKLAND — After having 10 days off, the Raiders get back on the football field this Sunday as they travel east to take on the Buffalo Bills in a key matchup for Week 8.

Kickoff is at 1:00 p.m. ET or 10:00 a.m. PT for all you (including me) west coasters.

Last Thursday night, the Silver and Black got back into the win column with a 31-30 comeback victory over their bitter rival, the Kansas City Chiefs. Oakland (3-4) were down six late in the fourth quarter before starting quarterback Derek Carr engineered an 11-play, 85-yard drive in 2:25 that resulted on a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Crabtree as time expired.

Kicker Giorgio Tavecchio’s PAT on the next play proved to be the difference maker, snapping Oakland’s four-game losing streak following a 2-0 start.

In the process, Carr earned his NFL-leading 12th comeback victory since 2015. Carr completed 29-of-52 passes for 417 yards and three touchdowns with 101.2 passer rating.

Amari Cooper had a career-night, hauling in 11 receptions for 210 yards and two touchdowns of 38 and 45 yards. Cooper’s 210 yards ranked second in single-game franchise history to Art Powell’s 247 yards in 1963.

Cooper was named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week for his offensive outburst against the Chiefs.

Just to put Cooper’s performance in a bigger perspective: after recording five catches for 62 yards and one touchdown in Oakland’s 26-16 victory in Tennessee in Week 1, Cooper struggled, recording just 13 catches for 84 yards and no touchdowns in Weeks 2-6.

Tight end Jared Cook made big plays also against a good Chiefs defense, catching six passes for 107 yards, including a 27-yard reception on the Raiders’ final drive to setup Oakland at the Kansas City 1-yard line.

On defense, newly signed middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman led Oakland with 11 tackles on the night.

During pregame introductions, Bowman was greeted with a loud ovation from Raider Nation. Bowman spent his first seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers where he was voted to three Pro Bowl teams (in 2012, ’13, ’15) and four All-Pro teams (in 2011-13, ’15).

Oakland will head into Buffalo without the services for starting running back Marshawn Lynch, who has been suspended by the NFL for one game after making contact with an official during Thursday’s contest.

Lynch was ejected in the first half after he ran onto the field and made contact with an official after trying to separate Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters from a scrum that broke out. The Raiders starting running back was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct and ejected.

Lynch and Peters are cousins from West Oakland. Peters actually testified on Lynch’s behalf at his appeal hearing, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Buffalo (4-2) is coming off a 30-27 victory at home against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7.

Bills starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor completed 20-of-33 passes for 268 yards and one touchdown with a 98.5 passer rating. Taylor is a mobile quarterback that can give the Raiders problems as he can make plays in the running game too.

Running back LeSean McCoy racked up 91 yards on 23 carries and two touchdowns against Tampa Bay. Not only does McCoy lead the Bills with 370 yards rushing on 110 carries this season, but he’s Buffalo’s top receiver, leading the team with 32 catches and his second behind tight end Charles Clay with 220 yards receiving through six games.

Clay leads Buffalo with 258 yards receiving.

Defensively, Buffalo ranks fourth in the NFL in points surrendered, allowing just 16.8 points per game. Oakland’s offense ranks 15th in the league, scoring 22.1 points per game.

Buffalo ranks seventh in the league in stopping the run, allowing just 84.5 yards rushing per game.

Buffalo’s secondary is one of the strongest in the league, led by safety Micah Hyde who is tied for the league lead with four interceptions. Hyde signed a five-year, $30.5 million deal with Buffalo in the offseason after spending his first four seasons with the Green Bay Packers.

Sunday’s game in Buffalo marks the first of a two-game swing through the AFC East for Oakland. The Raiders travel to Miami to take on the Dolphins in Week 9.

Oakland is already 1-0 against the AFC East this year, after blasting the New York Jets 45-20 in Week 2 in the Raiders’ home opener.

The Raiders have won two of the last three meetings with Buffalo (in 2014 and ’16), while the Bills last defeated Oakland in 2011.

 

 

 

 

49ers preview report: 0-16 could be on the horizon for listless 49ers

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AP FILE – In this Oct. 22, 2017, file photo, San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks at a news conference after a 40-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys in an NFL football game, in Santa Clara, Calif. The 49ers are still searching for their first wiin under coach Shanahan. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez, File)

By Jeremy Harness

SANTA CLARA–Earlier in the season, the 49ers appeared to be competitive and stood a chance to win more of those games than previously expected.

Lately, however, they have looked like a team that does not have a clue on what it takes to win in the NFL, particularly in a pathetic performance last Sunday in a 40-10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Now they face a Philadelphia Eagles team that is now 6-1 after a dominant performance Monday night against Washington.

At this point, it does not appear that there is any way that the 49ers can beat Philadelphia. The 49ers were gashed in the running game last Sunday and could not defend the pass, either, which does not bode very well against a quarterback like Carson Wentz, who enters Sunday having thrown the most touchdown passes in the NFL this season.

On offense, it was even worse, as even with a new starting quarterback in C.J Beathard, the 49ers failed to generate anything resembling momentum. Head coach Kyle Shanahan even said that there was nothing positive to take from the beating that they took from the Cowboys.

The only thing he did not say was, “We have not shown we can play on the road or in front of our own crowd, so we would like to have a neutral site,” as the late Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach John McKay once said.

The Cleveland Browns are not on the schedule this year, so when looking at the remaining opponents in 2017, there are none that the 49ers are favored to win the game. In years past, the Jacksonville Jaguars was a very winnable game for them, but Jacksonville is much improved, so the winnability of that contest goes completely out the window.

As for the game that is coming up, there are notable 49er players who were held out of practice on Wednesday, such as tackle Trenton Brown, who suffered a concussion against Dallas and is undergoing concussion protocol. Fellow tackle Joe Staley, who has been the subject of trade rumors of late, also missed Wednesday’s practice while nursing a knee injury.

Meanwhile, linebacker Reuben Foster practiced on a limited basis on Wednesday after suffering a rib injury on Sunday, while receiver Marquise Goodwin and fullback Kyle Juszczyk are both nursing back ailments and were also limited in practice.

49ers Lay An Egg on Dwight Clark Day; Elliot runs all day for Cowboys in 40-10 crushing

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard (3) stands on the sideline during the second half of an NFL football game against the Dallas Cowboys in Santa Clara, Calif., Sunday, Oct. 22, 2017. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

By: Joe Lami

SANTA CLARA, Calif.–In one of the most emotionally charged days in Levi’s Stadium history, Dwight Clark Day, the San Francisco 49ers were all but emotional as they came out completely flat in a 40-10 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys. A large drop off from the 1981 championship team that was in attendance for Clark’s special day, Sunday marked the worse loss given to the 49ers since September 27th, 2015 where Arizona routed them 47-7.

San Francisco was dominated from start to finish. Starting with fumbling a punt off of Dallas’ first drive. The Cowboys recovered it at the 49ers’ 20-yard line and put Ezekiel Elliot to work. Zeke carried the ball three straight times marching his way to the end zone for the first time on Sunday.

Zeke finished with a huge day for America’s team, with 219 all-purpose yards. He rushed the ball 26 times for 147 yards and two touchdowns and caught one pass on the flat and brought it 72 yards for his only receiving score of the day.

Dak Prescott also torched the Niners through the air, throwing for 234 yards on 25 attempts and three touchdowns. His main target, Dez Bryant caught seven passes for 63 yards and a score. He also found his tight end, Jason Witten in the end zone for a magnificent one-handed grab.

Kyle Shanahan described the action perfectly by stating that there was nothing positive from Sunday’s contest, as they were dominated in all three aspects of the game.

C.J. Beathard struggled in his first professional start, but most of it wasn’t entirely his fault as swiss cheese would’ve protected him more than the Niners offensive line. Beathard was nearly pressured every time he stepped back to pass, as he was hit six times with five of them ending in sacks and two with fumbles.

Through the air, Beathard threw 22-of-38 for 235 yards. He also scored the 49ers only touchdown of the day in garbage time, running it in from four-yards out.

The 49ers return to the road next week, as they face the Eagles which may be a welcoming site, as they haven’t won at Levi’s Stadium since the opener of the 2016 season.

Raiders win it on the final play of the game edge out Chiefs 31-30; Lynch ejected for contact with official

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Oakland Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch (24) makes contact with back judge Greg Steed (12) during the first half of an NFL football game between the Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs in Oakland, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 19, 2017. Lynch was ejected after the play. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Jeremy Kahn

OAKLAND-If you thought the ending of the Oakland Raiders game against the Los Angeles Chargers was nerve wracking, fast forward a little over 96 hours later.

Derek Carr found Michael Crabtree for a two-yard touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game and Giorgio Tavecchio’s extra point gave the Raiders a 31-30 come-from-behind victory over the Kansas City Chiefs before a crowd of 55,090 at the Coliseum.

The Carr to Crabtree touchdown ended an 11 play 85-yard drive in 2:25, giving the Raiders the win for the ages.

Carr began to drive the Raiders immediately, following an offensive pass interference penalty on Johnnie Holton. Following the penalty, Carr found Amari Cooper for 39-yard pass play; however, the Raiders began to falter and looked like it was going to be another hard-fought loss to a division rival.

On fourth-and-11, Carr found Jared Cook for a 13-yard pass play to the Chiefs 29-yard line. After back-to-back incomplete passes, Carr found Cook for what looked like a 29-yard touchdown pass; however, the play was overturned and Cook was marked down at the one-yard line and that is the bizarreness began.

Carr found Crabtree for a one-yard touchdown pass; however, it was nullified due to an Offensive Pass Interference call on Crabtree with seven seconds remaining.

After an incomplete pass to Cook with three seconds remaining was overturned due to a defensive holding penalty on Ron Parker, the Raiders got the ball on the Chiefs five-yard line with no time remaining in the game.

Since the game is not able to end on a defensive penalty, the game went on and it looked like the game was over, as Carr’s pass to Cordarrelle Patterson fell to the ground; however, for the second consecutive play, the Chiefs were called for a defensive holding, this time on Eric Murray.

Carr finally got the Raiders in the end zone on the third play of the drive with no time remaining on the clock, as he found Crabtree to tie up the game and Tavecchio’s subsequent extra point gave the Raiders a wild one-point victory.

It was a huge night for Carr, who went 29-for-52 for 417 yards and three touchdowns in his second game back after missing the 30-17 loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to broken bones in his back.

After being in a huge rut to start the season, Amari Cooper broke out if his slump in a big way, as he caught 11 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Cook caught six passes for 107 yards, while Crabtree caught three passes for 24 yards, including the game-winning touchdown pass with no time remaining in the game.

DeAndre Washington led the Raiders on the ground in rushing, as he carried the ball nine times for 33 yards. Jalen Richard also carried the ball nine times for 31 yards and Marshawn Lynch carried the ball just twice for nine yards before being ejected from the game in the second quarter after touching Line Judge Julian Mapp.

It also appeared that Lynch left the sidelines to break up a skirmish with Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, who went to McClymonds High School.

Lynch, of course is a 2004 graduate of rival Oakland Technical High School, the two perennial powerhouses in the Oakland Athletic League.

Navarro Bowman made his Raiders debut just three days after signing with the team after being released by the San Francisco 49ers.

In his debut, Bowman led the team with 11 tackles, and Reggie Nelson added eight from his safety position.

Alex Smith went 25-for-36 for 342 yards with three touchdowns, including a 64-yard touchdown pass to Tyreke Hill and a 63-yard touchdown pass to Alex Wilson, who caught the ball after it was tipped by Keith McGill.

Hill ended up with six catches for 125 yards and that one touchdown.

Rookie sensation Kareem Hunt carried the ball 18 times for 87 yards.

49ers could be in for a long haul vs. Cowboys

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AP Photo File: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Rashard Robinson (33) breaks up a pass intended for Dallas Cowboys receiver Brice Butler (19) during a 2016 NFL week 4 regular season game, Sunday, October 2, 2016, in Santa Clara, Calif. The Cowboys defeated the 49ers, 24-17. (James D. Smith via AP)

By Jeremy Harness

The 49ers have, at the very least, been very competitive this season, and in fact, they have set a new NFL record for consecutive losses by three points or fewer.

Now that they have proven that they can compete, now the young 49ers need to learn how to win.

The team just got younger this past Sunday, as the 49ers scrapped the Brian Hoyer experiment and decided to go with rookie quarterback C.J Beathard, and the young signal-caller got the 49ers back in the game to the point that they had a chance to steal the game in the final minutes.

This week, however, the task for the first win of the year is expected to get even harder against a loaded Dallas Cowboys team that will be looking to get back into the picture in the NFC East.

For about a week, it appeared that the six-game suspension against Cowboys back Ezekiel Elliott in connection with a domestic violence case would be upheld.

Within the past few days, however, Elliott has gotten another reprieve, as an injunction was recently placed to allow Elliott to play in at least one more game, which means that the 49ers will see the star running back lining up against them on Sunday.

The 49ers rested offensive tackle Joe Staley, defensive end Elvis Dumervil as well as receiver Pierre Garcon on Wednesday, while fullback Kyle Juszczyk was held out of practice with his ongoing back issue. Meanwhile, defensive end Aaron Lynch’s calf injury prevented him from practicing at all.

Linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong suffered a shoulder injury in last Sunday’s loss at Washington but was able to practice in a limited capacity, as was fellow backer Reuben Foster, who is still recovering from a high ankle sprain he suffered in the first game of the season.

Both are expected to play this Sunday, but they had a bit of a scare on their hands earlier this week. Both men were out in downtown San Francisco late Monday night, and in the process, they barely avoided being held up in an armed robbery.

Neither man was harmed, but both players reportedly apologized to the team for potentially putting the team in a bad position.

Safety Eric Reid appears to be all the way back from his knee injury, as he was a full participant in practice on Wednesday after playing last Sunday.

49ers Can’t Buy a Win; Lose Fourth Straight by Less Than Three

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Indianapolis Colts’ Adam Vinatieri (4) celebrates after kicking the game winning 51-yard field goal out of the hold of Rigoberto Sanchez (2) during overtime of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Oct. 8, 2017, in Indianapolis. Indianapolis won 26-23. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

By: Joe Lami

INDIANAPOLIS — The San Francisco 49ers can’t buy a win under head coach, Kyle Shanahan. Unfortunately for the Niners, things didn’t change on Sunday as they lost to the Indianapolis Colts in overtime 26-23. It marks the fourth straight loss in which they fell by three points or less as they have lost the last four games by a combined 11 points.

The Niners did look good in some parts, but once again penalties came back to haunt the red and gold, as they committed ten penalties for 77 yards.

For the second straight week, the first half was slow as the Colts and 49ers went into the break tied at six. Robbie Gould nailed field goals from 28 and 40 yards, including one at the half-time buzzer.

Indy came out and dominated much of the second half, leading at one point 23-9 with under ten minutes to play. Marlon Mack ran in a TD from 22 yards, finishing the day leading the Colts on the ground with 91.

Backup QB, Jacoby Brissett also ran one in from three yards out. He finished the day running for 14 yards on eight attempts, but more importantly torched the 49ers through the air for 314 yards.

The last ten minutes were crucial for San Francisco, as their offense scored the first Sunday touchdown of the season as Kyle Juszczyk caught a six-yard touchdown.

Brian Hoyer threw his second touchdown of the game with just 20 seconds remaining, as he found tight end George Kittle for Kittle’s first career score. Kittle battled his way to paydirt, just getting the nose of the football across the goal line to put the Niners an extra point away from sending the game into overtime.

Hoyer clearly had his best performance as a Niner on Sunday, throwing for 353 yards on 43 attempts with no interceptions. The veteran finished with a 101 passer rating.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t good enough in overtime despite having a chance to win the game.

The Colts started the overtime period with the ball, as they marched it down to the San Francisco eight yard-line, but Brissett threw his first pick of the game as Ray-Ray Armstrong saved the day with his second interception of the season. Ray-Ray returned the ball to the 28 as the 49ers just had to kick a field goal for their first win of the season.

The 49ers stalled pretty quickly though, as they only got the ball to their own 45 before having to punt.

The Colts winning drive came on an eight-play 48-yard drive led by a 34 yard rush from Mack before Adam Vinatieri knocked through a 51-yard field goal for the game-winner.

San Francisco’s heartbreak continues as they seek their first win but they continue to get close. They just need to ensure that they don’t get down over the outcome. Shanahan is doing his best to keep his team’s spirits up, “it’s human nature to get down like this and I’m counting on our guys to get over it. The guys that are going to be here are the guys that are able to get over it.”

San Francisco wraps up their three-game road trip back on the east coast next Sunday against Washington before returning to Levi’s to host the Cowboys.