Tag: San Francisco 49ers

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery leaps off an Arizona Cardinals defender on his to way a touchdown at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday OCT 1, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

Christian McCaffery set a franchise record on Sunday.

McCaffery scored four touchdowns for the San Francisco 49ers who dominated from start to finish in a 35-16 blowout victory over the Arizona Cardinals in an NFC West divisional showdown on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

The All-Pro running back set a new 49ers record for scoring a touchdown in 13 consecutive games, breaking the old mark of 12 set by Jerry Rice, when he scored his first rushing touchdown with 9:07 left in the first quarter on a one-yard scamper that completed an eight play 62-yard opening drive.

San Francisco has started the season 4-0 for the first time since 2019. Arizona dropped to 1-3 on the season.

McCaffery and the 49ers offense had its way with Arizona as they dominated the line of scrimmage that allowed for a fun day on the field. San Francisco went up 14-0 early in the second quarter when quarterback Brock Purdy pitched the ball back to McCaffery who rushed 18 yards for his second rushing touchdown.

After a Matt Prater 38-yard field goal, the 49ers marched back down the field on a five play 75-yard drive that concluded with Purdy connecting with McCaffery on a six-yard touchdown reception to give San Francisco a comfortable 21-3 lead.

“Yeah, it would’ve been nice”, said McCaffery with a laugh when asked if had campaigned to get a fifth touchdown late in the game. “He’s (49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan) obviously got a lot going on in-game. That’s the last of anyone’s worries to do that. So as long as we scored, I was happy.”

Arizona ended the first half when quarterback Josh Dobbs hooked up with rookie wide receiver Michael Wilson on a 16-yard touchdown reception with 23 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Cardinals forced a three and out on the 49ers first possession of the second half. San Francisco punter Matt Wishnowsky pinned Arizona at their own 1-yard line.

Dobbs then led an 11 play 99-yard scoring drive down the field that chewed up 4:12 off the clock. Dobbs connected once again with Wilson for their second straight touchdown reception, an eight yarder to cut San Francisco’s lead to 21-16. They failed on the two-point conversion.

McCaffery put the game away for the 49ers early in the fourth quarter when he run for his third touchdown of the game and fourth overall with a two-yard run. McCaffery finished the game with 177 all-purpose yards with 106 on the ground on 20 carries and 71 through the air on seven catches.

“He’s a freak. He does everything for us. He can run the ball, run routes out of the back field, line up a receiver (and) run routes. So, we’re thankful for him. All you gotta do is get the ball to him and he does the rest,” Purdy said.

Purdy completed with the scoring with 1:59 left in the game when his one-yard quarterback sneak up the middle for his second rushing touchdown of the season. Purdy finished 20 of 21 for 283 yards to go along with his one passing touchdown and no interceptions. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk led all receivers with six catches for 148 yards.

Dobbs finished 28 of 41 for 265 yards and two touchdowns. Marquise “Hollywood” Brown led the Cardinals in receiving with seven catches for 96 yards. Running back James Connor chipped in with 52 yards on 11 carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 3-for-5 on third down conversions. Arizona went 8-for-15.

San Francisco has won 14 consecutive regular season games, their second longest streak in franchise history.

Purdy set the 49ers’ single-game record for completion percentage (20 of 21) at 95.2 percent. Previous record (20+ attempts) was Steve Young, 1991 vs. Detroit (18 of 20) 90 percent.

UP NEXT: San Francisco hosts the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football 10/8 at 5:20pm at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco 49ers defensive back Deommodore Lenoir intercepts a pass in the second half in his team’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium on Sunday SEP 17, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic @MarkoUkalovic

Ownage is ownage no matter how pretty or how ugly it gets.

The San Francisco 49ers defense stepped up to the plate in the second half as they defeated the Los Angeles Rams for the ninth straight time in the regular season in a 30-23 victory on Sunday afternoon at a pro-49er crowd at SoFi Stadium.

San Francisco continued its dominance over the Los Angeles down in “South San Francisco” with their second consecutive win. Los Angles dropped to .500 after stunning Seattle last week.

The 49ers (2-0) began the game with a methodical 11 play 75-yard drive on its opening possession that resulted in a 14-yard rushing touchdown by running back Christian McCaffery. Wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who had two catches on the drive, was injured but was able to return and finish the game.

Los Angeles (1-1) has surrounded veteran quarterback Matt Stafford with an arsenal of young weapons with running back Kyren Williams and wide receivers Puka Nacua and Tutu Atwell. All three had good games against one of the NFL’s best defenses.

After trading field goals early in the first half, the Rams evened the score on its second possession. The drive began with good field position when 49ers rookie kicker Jake Moody kicked the ball out of bounds on a kickoff after his 27-yard field goal.

Stafford found Williams on the outside with a screen pass and Williams motored into the endzone for his first career receiving touchdown with 9:49 left in the second quarter.

The Rams gained its first and only lead of the game when they marched down the field on a 11 play 88-yard drive that was finished off when Williams rumbled his way into the end zone from the 49ers four-yard line with 1:45 remaining.

San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy needed just seven plays to march his offense down the field to even the score with his one-yard quarterback sneak as time expired in the first half.

The 49ers defense, which looked suspect in the first half, dominated the second half as they only allowed two field goals, one at the end of the game with the outcome already in hand, to Los Angeles as they began to pressure Stafford and kept Williams ground attack in check.

“Trying to get more stickier in coverage, pressure Stafford a little more. Trying to eliminate the run game… We had to tighten things up on the back end try to make it a little bit harder on Stafford,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said.

Purdy didn’t have his sharpen game in a 49ers uniform as he missed three wide open throws that would have been for big gains if not touchdown receptions.

“Couple opportunities that I missed in terms of the deep ball but we found a way to win…I just overthrew them. One to BA (Aiyuk), to Deebo (Samuel), JJ (Jauan Jennings) on 3rd down. Those are on me. I’ve got to be better, I’ve got to hit ‘em in stride & not overthrow them. Simple as that,” Purdy said.

The momentum changing moment in the game came when Isaiah Oliver intercepted Stafford with 4:10 left in the third quarter when the ball intended for Williams bounced off the running back hands and into Oliver’s who returned it three yards.

“I think what sealed it and allowed separate ourselves was the two turnovers, we got” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. “One Demmo (Deommodore Lenoir) with the awesome job jumping that and then Isaiah (Oliver) with the tip. I was just pumped with the way we finished (the game).”

San Francisco cashed in on the turnover as Moody converted a 57-yard field goal to give the 49ers back the lead at 20-17.

The 49ers put the game away early in the fourth quarter after forcing the Rams on a three and out on offense. Deebo Samuel finished off a seven play 74-yard drive when he took a pitch from Purdy and ran down the left sideline and back into the middle of the field breaking a tackle along the way for a 11-yard rushing touchdown, his first overall touchdown of the season.

“(The corner) He shots his guns but luckily, he shot at my foot & I was able to break the tackle & just get in the end zone. You can just see all the guys how determined they were to get me in the end zone w/all the blocking,” Samuel said.

Once again, the 49ers’ defensive ability to get pressure on Stafford forced a turnover as Los Angeles was trying to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Lenoir stepped in front of a pass intended for Van Jefferson for his first interception on the season, Stafford’s second, with 4:48 left in the fourth quarter to seal the win for San Francisco.

Purdy finished 17 of 25 for 206 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. McCaffery led all rushers with 116 yards on 20 carries, including a 51-yarder that set up Moody’s first field goal. It is McCaffery’s second consecutive game with a 100-yard plus rushing game. Samuel led the 49ers in receiving with six catches for 63 yards.

Stafford went 34 of 55 for 307 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Williams paced the Rams rushing attack with 52 yards on 14 carries. Nacua led all receivers with 15 catches for 147 yards. Atwell chipped in seven catches for 77 yards.

Nacua became the first player in NFL history to have 10 plus catches for 100 plus yards in each of his first two games to start a season.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 2-for-9 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 7-for-14.

McCaffery has scored a touchdown in 11 consecutive games.

49ers tight end George Kittle, who had three catches for 30 yards, recorded his 400th reception on his second reception of the game. Kittle reached the mark in the fewest amount of games in franchise history (84 games). It is also the NFL’s fourth fewest amount of games by a tight end.

UP NEXT: San Francisco has a short week as they host the New York Giants in their home opener on Thursday 9/21 at 5:15pm at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiuyk celebrates the first of his two touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium on Sunday SEP 10, 2023. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, it was a good start for the defending NFC West Champions.

Brandon Aiyuk had a career day as the San Francisco 49ers took care of business in a dominating 30-7 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday afternoon at Acrisure Stadium.

Aiuyk had eight catches for a career high 129 yards with two touchdowns as he led the crisp passing attack of San Francisco led by quarterback Brock Purdy, who was making his first career season opener start.

The 49ers defense set the tone from the opening drive as they forced a three and out on the Steelers’ opening possession as Drake Jackson sacked Kenny Picket on third down.

San Francisco marched down the field on its first possession against Pittsburgh defense that had no answer to try to stop Purdy and company.

49ers head coach decision to go for it on 4th and 1 paid off with George Kittle’s 11-yard reception to keep the drive alive. Purdy completed the seven plays 54-yard drive when he connected with Aiyuk on an eight-yard touchdown reception.

Pickett’s day didn’t get any better as he intercepted by Charvarius Ward on the Steelers next drive as Ward returned it 9 yards to Steelers 48.

Purdy led a methodical drive down the field as San Francisco cashed in on the turnover with Aiyuk’s second touchdown of the game. Purdy threaded a ball to Aiyuk down the right sideline with Patrick Peterson blanketed all over him for a 19-yard touchdown reception.

“I felt like right there in that moment, it was like ‘This is what we’re supposed to do. This is what we expect out of ourselves’ and once I hit that touchdown, I wasn’t thinking surgery or anything like that. It was ‘Man, we’re here to win. This is it. This is how we’re going to play.’ That’s where I was at mentally,” Purdy said.

San Francisco rookie kicker Jake Moody, who had struggled in the preseason, was perfect from the field as he made all three field goals and all three extra points in his 49ers debut.

The 49ers defense didn’t allow Pittsburgh’s offense their first 1st down until 1:16 left in the second quarter on its final drive of the first half after a 22-yard run by Najee Harris. The Steelers only 13 yards total offense before the run.

Pickett made the most of their drive before halftime. He led a 12 play 95-yard drive in just 1:25 that finished with a three-yard touchdown reception by tight end Pat Freiermuth to give the Steelers a sign of life as they headed into the second half.

San Francisco (1-0) opened the second half needing just two plays to regain its 20-point lead. Running back Christian McCaffery run for a 65-yard touchdown down the left sideline, his longest run in a 49ers uniform.

TJ Watt had a stripped sack of Purdy where he recovered the ball with 5:38 left in the third quarter.

Pittsburgh (0-1) wasn’t able to capitalize on the turnover as they turned the ball over on downs at the 49ers eight-yard line after an incompletion on 4th and 4.

San Francisco’s defense never allowed another point the final 30 minutes as they finished with with five sacks, three from Jackson, and two interceptions as they dominated the trenches from start to finish.

“I felt like during training camp we all bonded real well,” said Jackson about how well his team’s defense played. “I feel like that’s when we really started to gel well together. From there we just kept buiding on that. Getting (Nick) Bosa back was great for the (locker) room.

Defensive end Nick Bosa, who recently signed a five year 170-million-dollar contract just before the season opener, played limited snaps throughout the game and finished with one tackle and one quarterback hurry.

“You love to get a good start. We had five sacks today as a D-line, so Kris [Kocurek] was definitely happy. Drake broke out, which we were expecting. We just have so many players, and it’s fun to watch Aiyuk do his thing, and Purdy shut some haters up. Nice to be on a really good team,” Bosa said.

Bosa returned with two total tackles and a quarterback hit.

Purdy finished with 19/29 for 220 yards to go along with his two touchdowns and no interceptions. McCaffery led all rushers with his great day on the ground accumulating 152 yards on 22 carries. Deebo Samuel chipped in with five catches for 55 yards.

Pickett had a long afternoon as he went 31/46 for 232 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Allen Robinson led the Steelers in receiving with five catches for 64 yards. Harris had just 31 yards on six carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-13 on third down conversions. Pittsburgh was 5-for-15.

San Francisco has started the regular season 1-0 for the eighth time in the last 12 seasons.  

The 49ers have won back-to-back regular season games against Pittsburgh [W, 24-20 vs. Pit. (9/22/19)].  

The Niners improved to 13-10 all-time against Pittsburgh, including a 7-5 record on the road.  

Shanahan improved to 2-0 all-time vs. the Steelers and improved to 5-1, including two consecutive wins, against the AFC North as head coach of the 49ers. 

San Francisco’s 30-7 (+23) victory over the Steelers marked the worst home loss for Pittsburgh under Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and the worst home loss by the Steelers since 12/24/06 vs. Bal. (L, 7-31). 

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels down south to take on the Los Angeles Rams in a NFC West divisional showdown on Sunday 9/17 at 1:05pm at SoFi Stadium.