Tag: San Francisco 49ers

49ers linebacker Dre Greenlaw celebrates his interception of Tom Brady in the third quarter with his teammates at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday DEC 11, 2022. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA — It was not the homecoming Tom Brady had envisioned in what may be his last time playing in the Bay Area.

The Tampa Bay quarterback could only watch in exasperation as the San Franciso 49ers crushed his team in a 35-7 victory on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco has won a season best six games in a row and lead the NFC West by two games over the Seattle Seahawks. Tampa Bay has lost two of its past three game yet are in still in first place in the lowly NFC South.

San Francisco suffered another tough injury to one of its star offensive players. Deebo Samuel injured his ankle after he fumbled the ball on a three-yard rushing play at the Tampa Bay 40-yard line. The ensuing Buccaneers drive stalled at the 49ers nine-yard as Brady’s passing attempt on 4th and 2 fell incomplete intended for Evans.

“We hate to see guys go down. Especially one of our leaders like Deebo. You’ve just got to go with the punches and just keep fighting and that’s what everybody on this team did and that’s just the type of team that we’ve got. You get hit in the mouth and you’ve got to just keep fighting,” linebacker Dre Greenlaw said.

San Francisco (9-4) drew first blood on the game’s opening drive with a five play 67-yard drive that was capped off with a 13-yard end around run for a touchdown, his third rushing touchdown of the season. The first play of the series quarterback Brock Purdy was smacked to the turf by Keanu Neal. However, Neal was flagged for roughing the passer when he went helmet to helmet on Purdy.

Tampa Bay (6-7) opened its first drive down going 40 yards down the field but a 55-yard field goal attempt by Ryan Succop was partially blocked at the line of scrimmage resulting in a turnover on downs.

“They kicked our ass,” said Brady who didn’t mix words describing his team’s performance. “It’s the reality of this sport, and every time you take the field you the opportunity to get your ass kicked or to kick ass, and obviously we’re on the wrong end of it today.”

The Buccaneers thought they had a 68-yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Mike Evans when Brady launched a pass down the right sideline and connected with a wide-open Evans but left tackle Donovan Smith was called for holding Jordan Willis negating the big play. Instead, Tampa was forced to punt the ball three plays later.

San Francisco doubled its lead on its third offensive possession. Purdy led an eight play 62-yard drive as the 49ers used a balanced attack of run and pass to march down the field. Once again Neal extended the drive when he was called for passing interference on 3rd and 1 from the Buccaneers eight-yard line. Two plays later Purdy scrambled in for a two-yard rushing touchdown.

“It was real impressive with the way he played,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan on his rookie quarterback’s play. “I thought it was real similar to how he played the week before. I’m just happy that he was able to go out there and perform at the level a lot of us thought that he was capable of and the players felt that way, the coaches felt that way and guys played really good around him too. I was just happy for him.”

After a three and out by Tampa Bay, Purdy led the Niners on a nine play 71-yard scoring drive. Purdy threw a deep ball down the sideline that running back Christian McCaffery made an acrobatic catch where he magically kept both of his feet inside before going out of bounds for a 27-yard receiving touchdown. After a lengthy review, the touchdown stood as San Francisco had a commanding 21-0 lead halfway through the second quarter.

Ther 49ers took advantage on the ensuing when they scored their fourth touchdown of the first half with 15 seconds left before halftime. Purdy connected with a wide-open Brandon Aiyuk for 32-yard touchdown reception to complete a seven play 91-yard drive in 2:14.

McCaffery turned out the lights on Tampa Bay 59 seconds into the third quarter when he scampered for a 38-yard rushing touchdown after the Niners defense picked off Brady for his first of two interceptions on the day. Tashuan Gipson picked off Brady and returned it 36 yards to the Tampa Bay 38-yard line.

The Bucs spoiled the 49ers shutout bid late in third quarter when Russell Gage was in the right place at the right time when he caught a ball that hit off the chest of Chris Godwin and rolled into the endzone for an eight-yard touchdown reception.

Purdy, who became the first quarterback to beat Brady in his first start, finished 16 for 21 for 185 yards and two touchdowns, no interceptions and a QB rating of 134.0. McCaffery had a monster day, his best in 49ers uniform, as he led all rushers with 119 yards on 14 carries to go with his one touchdown. Jordan Mason chipped in 56 yards on 11 carries.

“Honestly, for me, I just kept telling myself, ‘This thing ain’t over with that guy on the other side of the field.’ I just wanted to keep putting up points on the board however many times we could knowing this dude made all these crazy comebacks in his career. I didn’t want that to happen in my first game as a starter,” Purdy said.

Brady, who had one of his worst games in his career, went 34 for 55 for 253 yards and one touchdown with a QB rating of 63.7. Godwin led Tampa Bay in receiving with five catches for 54 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 4-for-9 on third down conversions. Tampa Bay went 4-for-16.

• San Francisco improved to 19-7 all-time against Tampa Bay, including a 13-3 mark at home. 
• The 49ers have won 8 of their last 9 home games against the Buccaneers. 
• The Niners improved to 2-1 against the Buccaneers and 7-5 against the NFC South under Shanahan. 
• The 49ers have won 6-consecutive games for the first time since 2019 [Weeks 3-9 (Week 4 BYE)]. 
• San Francisco is 6-1 or better through its first 7 home games for the first time since 2011. 

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels up to Seattle to take on the Seahawks for the battle of the NFC West on Thursday Night Football 12/15 at 5:15pm at Lumen Field.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery runs past a Miami Dolphins defender during the afternoon at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday DEC 4, 2022. (Getty Images)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA — It was a bittersweet win for a team that is rolling.

The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Miami Dolphins 33-17 to win their fifth game in a row, but it came with a hefty price to pay on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

Quarterback Jimmy Garopollo suffered a season ending injury with multiple fractures in his foot during a sack on the team’s opening drive early in the first quarter. This is the second starting quarterback San Francisco has lost this season with Trey Lance being out for the season after the second game of the season.

It was a somber mood afterwards in the locker room as San Francisco as their attention was focused on losing Garopollo.

“Bittersweet,” said 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk. “Anytime you get a chance to win, especially against a great team, great coach and great players that we know very well it’s obviously great. But to lose our quarterback and the captain of our team it’s tough. So, bittersweet.”

Lineback Fred Warner said it felt surreal to have lost their second starting quarterback for the season.

“Man shocked. I had no idea it was that bad. My heart goes out to Jim (Garopollo). The way the he competes, the way he prepares every week. It was just a freak thing. That sucks.”

It was not the homecoming Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who was the offensive coordinator last season in Santa Clara, had in mind coming back to his old stomping grounds.

“I thought that was an outstanding job the (San Francisco) 49ers defense, just the team collectively. They just brought it,” McDaniel said.

The game could not have gotten off to a more perfect start for Miami on its opening drive. The first play from scrimmage quarterback Tua Tagovailoa connected with former 49ers receiver Trent Sherfield who caught a ball over the middle and raced down the field for a 75-yard receiving touchdown.

San Francisco drove down the field looking to answer when on 3rd and 6 from the Miami 19-yard line when Jaelan Phillips’ knee crushed Garopollo’s foot during a 10-yard sack that Jerome Baker was also on that sent Garopollo to the sideline and then onto a cart to the locker room where he did not return.

Robbie Gould kicked a 47-yard field goal to get the Niners on the board.

Rookie quarterback Brock Purdy took the helm and led the 49ers on two impressive touchdown drives in the first half. The first one was a nine play 54-yard drive that was finished off with a three-yard touchdown reception to fullback Kyle Juszczyk.

The second was an impressive 11 play 76-yard drive right before halftime when he connected with running back Christian McCaffery on a three-yard touchdown reception with four seconds left in the second quarter to give San Francisco 17-10 lead.

“Brock I think has played a lot of football and I think you can tell, just the way he plays the position. He has a savviness to him. He has an understanding, a confidence to him. Just commanding everyone’s respect and getting the plays in and out, delivering some confident passes out there. So I think we can definitely still do some things with Brock (Purdy),” Juszczyk said.

The second half proved once again the half of San Francisco’s defense. Nick Bosa came alive with three sacks on Tagovailoa including a forced fumble that was recovered that was recovered by the Dre Greenlaw who ran it back for a 23-yard touchdown that sealed the deal for San Francisco late in the fourth quarter. With his three sacks, Bosa leads the NFL in sacks with 14.5.

Purdy was able to use his legs to scramble out of the pocket when Miami brought pressure and showed veteran poise when in the pocket with needle threading passes over the middle on third downs to keep drives alive. Though the 49ers settled for three more Gould field goals in the second half, they dominated the time of possession by a two to one margin to keep Miami’s potent offense the field.

Tagovailoa on the other hand struggled to connect with his receivers for the majority of the afternoon with high overthrows that eluded open receivers that had big play potential. He finished 18 for 33 for 295 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. The two interceptions by Jimmie Ward and Deommodore Lenior came on back-to-back drives that cemented the win for San Francisco late in the fourth quarter.

Miami cut the 49ers lead to 23-17 when Tagovailoa connected with with Tyreek Hill on a 45-yard touchdown reception to start the fourth quarter. But that was that was as close as they would get as San Francisco turned out the lights forcing three turnovers near the end of the game.

The touchdown also snapped San Francisco’s four-game streak of consecutive second halves where they shutout their opponent. In the past five games, the 49ers have outscored the opposition 70-7 in the second half.

San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan was successful on two consecutive challenges that ended up overturning receptions called on the field to incomplete passes, the last one that ended a Miami drive on a 4th and 2 inside 49ers territory.

Purdy finished 25 for 37 for 210 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Garopollo’s line was 2 for 4 for 56 yards. McCaffery had 146 all-purpose yards as he led the team in both rushing and receiving. He had eight catches for 80 yards with one touchdown and 66 yards on the ground on 17 carries. Rookie running back Jordan Mason chipped in with 51 yards on eight carries.

“To get in and play, and now starting next week and what not, it’s something that I always looked forward to and honestly told myself that’s going to happen. Here we go,” Purdy said.

Hill led all receivers with nine catches for 146 yards with one touchdown. Former 49ers running backs Raheem Mostert and Jeff Wilson Jr. combined for just 33 rushing yards on eight totals carries.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 8-for-19 on third down conversions. Miami went 0-for-7.

Miami leads the all-time series 8-7. San Francisco snapped its two-game losing streak to Miami and are 4-4 at home against them.

UP NEXT: San Francisco concludes its three-game homestand when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday 12/11 at 1:25pm at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco 49ers Fred Warner and Jimmie Ward celebrate a defensive stop at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday NOV 27, 2022. (San Francisco 49ers)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The number one defense in the NFL looks super…as in Super Bowl caliber.

The San Francisco 49ers defense notched it up to another level as they shutout the New Orleans Saints in 13-0 victory on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium. The Niners defense has played six consecutive scoreless quarters including shutouts in the second half in four consecutive games.

San Francisco has won four games in a row, their longest win streak of the season and sit atop of the NFC West Division thanks to the Seattle Seahawks 40-34 overtime loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. New Orleans has lost three out of its last four games.

The last time the 49ers had a four-game winning streak was back in 2019, when they went to the Super Bowl.

Fred Warner got things started on the Saints opening drive when he knocked the ball out of running back Alvin Kamara’s hands and recovered the ball at the New Orleans’ 43-yard line.

San Francisco (7-4) had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Robbie Gould after their drive stalled at the five-yard line.

New Orleans (4-8) defense held their own throughout the game as they didn’t allow San Francisco to establish a rhythm offensively as they pressured quarterback Jimmy Garopollo and recorded six hits on the veteran quarterback. One of them by defensive lineman Malcolm Roach, where he went low and pulled Garopollo down by his leg had Garopollo down on the ground in apparent pain. Garoppolo was able to continue and never had to come out of the game.

“It’s football but you’ve got to be smart as players, look out for one another. There’s no place for that,” Garopollo said of Roach’s hit.

On the opposite side Saints quarterback Andy Dalton wasn’t as pressured by the 49ers front four for the majority of the game and looked good with some deep throws for completions. However, San Francisco’s defense dominated the trenches and never allowed New Orleans to get their explosive running game going whether it was Kamara or Swiss Army knife type Taysom Hill.

Dalton ended up being the leading rusher for New Orleans on scrambles out of the pocket with 21 yards on four carries. Kamara had just 13 yards on seven carries as San Francisco allowed just 63 yards of rushing.

“I think it’s outstanding to go out there and shutout an NFL team,” safety Jimmy Ward said regarding the defense’s ability to keep teams off the scoreboard in the second half. “Guys are getting paid a lot of money to go out there and score points. What we’ve been doing the last couple of weeks helping our offense, shutting them (teams) out in the second half. Hopefully we can keep this type of energy and play lights out the rest of the season.”

San Francisco went up 10-0 just before halftime when Garoppolo connected with Jauan Jennings on a five-yard touchdown reception with 13 seconds left in the second quarter. The throw was initially deflected by Tyrann Mathieu but made it out to an outstretched Jennings for his first receiving touchdown of the season and sixth of his career.

The 49ers had their own issues getting their running game going in that Garoppolo threw 28 passes in the first half, the most he has thrown in the first half this season. Elijah Mitchell, who suffered a MCL injury to his knee in the third quarter, led the team in rushing with 35 yards on just seven carries. Christian McCaffery chipped in with 32 yards on 11 carries.

New Orleans threatened to end the shutout streak early in the fourth quarter when they drove down to the 49ers six-yard line. Dalton threw a short pass to Kamara out in the flat. Talanoa Hufanga jarred the ball lose with a big hit on Kamara and Dre Greenlaw recovered the ball at the one yard line.

“Honestly I didn’t even know that I got it (the ball) out. I was hoping we got a stop. Then I saw the ball on the ground and everybody jumping for it. I was waiting for the replay, like what even happened. Just blessed we were able to recover and held them (New Orleans) to a zero today,” Hufanga said.

After a three and out by San Francisco, New Orleans once again drove down the field and got inside the 49ers 10-yard line. Nick Bosa preserved the shutout when he sacked Dalton for seven yards on a 4th and goal from the four-yard line. It was the only sack San Francisco recorded on the day but proved to be the biggest one of the season so far.

“Oh, they were unbelievable today. I thought they had a chance to do well, but they even surpassed that. [New Orleans Saints QB Andy] Dalton made a couple of big throws, two of those posts, getting inside the I believe five twice and our D coming up with no points on that. Them having to go for it, they were great getting the two turnovers. Big time day by them,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said after the game.

Garopollo finished 26 of 37 for 222 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. Brandon Aiyuk led the team in receiving with five catches for 65 yards. Jennings added six catches for 49 yards to go along with his touchdown.

Dalton went 18 of 29 for 204 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Rookie standout wide receiver Chris Olave led the Saints in receiving with five catches for 62 yards.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 5-for-13 on third down conversions. New Orleans went 4-for-11.

After 59 games as a starter with the 49ers, Garoppolo’s record is 40-19, which tied Steve Young for second place all-time in franchise history.

New Orleans’ streak of 332 since last being shutout was snapped and was the longest running streak in the NFL. The last time they were shutout was back in Week 17 of 2001 when they were also shutout by San Francisco.

UP NEXT: San Francisco continues its three-game homestand as they host the Miami Dolphins on Sunday 12/4 at 1:05pm at Levi’s Stadium.