Tag: San Francisco 49ers

49ers hitting their stride in 34-26 win over the Vikings

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San Francisco 49ers cornerback Josh Norman (26) and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson (18) both reach up for the ball as Norman is called for pass interference in the second half at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara Sun Nov 28, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Winning cures all ails and criticism.

For the San Francisco 49ers they used a familiar formula in which has made them successful in the month of November in a 34-26 victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

That formula was to control the time of possession by utilizing the hottest rookie running back in the NFL, in Elijah Mitchell, and get timely turnovers on defense.

San Francisco has won three games in row to climb over the .500 mark. They also climbed up to the number sixth seed and second wild card spot in the NFC. Minnesota had its two-game winning streak snapped and fell a game under .500 and are in a three-way tie for the seventh and final playoff spot.

“Yeah, I think we have played our best football, these past three games,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan when asked if his team were hitting their stride during its current winning streak. “Just in all three phases. I thought this one was a huge one because it’s a little different that the last two (games) because it came down to the wire and things went good for both sides at certain times in the game.”

Minnesota (5-6) drew first blood after Harrison Smith intercepted 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garopollo on the Niners first possession and returned the ball to San Francisco’s 49 yard line.

Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins engineered an eight-play drive that resulted in a two-yard touchdown reception to wide receiver Adam Thielen with 3:33 left in the first quarter.

San Francisco (6-5) responded with a six-play, 75-yard drive to even the score at 7-7 when Deebo Samuel scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns, a 20-yard end around down the right sideline. The key play of the drive was a 37-yard reception to Brandon Aiyuk on a 3rd and 14 to Vikings 33 yard line.

Minnesota went up 14-7 early in the second quarter. Cousins led a six-play drive for 80 yards that accumulated in a 20-yard touchdown reception to Thielen who was left wide open in the end zone for his second touchdown of the game.

The 49ers finished off the first half with a 15-play, 85-yard drive to tie the score at 14 apiece. The drive was set up with a 24-yard reception to Aiyuk at the Vikings six-yard line. After an offside penalty, Garoppolo found Jauan Jennings in the flat as he tip-toed his way along the sidelines for a two-yard touchdown reception.

San Francisco opened the second half with a six-play, 75-yards to take their first lead of the game that resulted in a three-yard rushing touchdown from Samuel as he cruised around the left sideline for his second rushing touchdown of the game. Samuel set up the drive with a 49-yard rush to get the inside the Vikings red zone.

“Yeah. I wasn’t happy with how it (the game) started,” said Garoppolo. “But what we did before halftime and coming out in the second half, I think really helped turn the game in our favor.”

Samuel finished with 66 yards of rushing on just six carries.

The Niners defense came up with a big turnover on Minnesota’s first play of the second half. Azeez Al-Shaair intercepted Cousins at the 26-yard line and returned it for 24 yards to the Vikings two-yard line.

San Francisco didn’t waste any time punching the ball in the endzone as Mitchell scored on the next play, a two-yard rushing touchdown.

Mitchell, the rookie running back sensation, finished the afternoon leading all rushers with 133 yards on 27 carries and one touchdown.

“Whoever is in my way, I just try to run the ball, run them over, if anything run by them. It’s just the mindset I have and I’m going to continue to have it,” Mitchell said.

The Vikings got back into the game when Alexander Mattison scored on a six-yard rushing touchdown with 8:28 left in the third quarter to complete a five-play, 75-yard drive. However, kicker Jordan Berry missed the extra point wide right to trail 28-20.

San Francisco marched down the field on their next possession as Robbie Gould kicked a 46 yard field goal to extend the 49ers lead to 31-20.

Minnesota answered back immediately as Kenny Nwangwu returned the kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown to close the game to 31-26. The Vikings went for the two-point conversion but Cousins failed to connect with wide receiver Justin Jefferson on a passing attempt.

The Niners defense held down the fort in the fourth quarter as the kept Minnesota off the scoreboard on the Vikings final two offensive possessions. Each resulted in a turnover in downs inside the 49ers red zone.

“Disappointing loss,” said Cousins. “I was proud of the way our team battled in all three phases and made plays. It was a great team effort but, this one hurts right now.”

Vikings running back Dalvin Cook had to be carted off the field after suffering a shoulder injury on a play where Niners defensive lineman Kevin Givens stripped Cook of the ball that was recovered by Al-Shaair.

Garopollo finished with 230 yards on 17 of 26 with one touchdown and one interception. Cousins 20 of 32 for 238 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Jefferson threw one pass for 24 yards on a Philly special type of play in the second half.

Aiyuk led the Niners in receiving with three catches for 91 yards. Jefferson led all Vikings receivers with four catches for 83 yards. Thielen chipped in five catches for 62 yards and his two touchdowns but was shutout in the second half.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 5-for-12 on third down conversions. Minnesota was just 2-for-8.

Samuel, only had one reception for 12-yards but it was a meaningful one. It allowed him to reach the 1,000 yards receiving milestone for the first time in his career.

Linebackers Dre Greenlaw (groin) and Fred Warner (hamstring) suffered injuries and did not return. Samuel also left the game in the fourth quarter with a groin injury.

UP NEXT: San Francisco travels out to Seattle to take on the Seahawks on Sunday 12/5 at 1:25pm as the game was flexed out by the NFL and NBC as the original scheduled time was supposed to be at 5:20pm on Sunday Night Football.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: Can 49ers open up the offense against Vikings today at Levi Stadium?

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) drops back to look for a receiver as Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andrew Wingard, left, and defensive tackle Malcom Brown (90) get their rush on at Jacksonville Sun Nov 21, 2021. The 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings today at Levi Stadium (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 San Francisco 49er linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive end Dee Ford both have practiced this week but have not been activated and are not on the injured list could you talk about their status?

#2 Minnesota Vikings and quarterback Kirk Cousins who play the 49ers today at Levi Stadium has had less turnovers than 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. When you consider though that Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage picked off Cousins three times but each interception was negated by the officials. Nonetheless it shows that Cousins could be flawed.

#3 The 49ers won their third game in four weeks against the Jacksonville Jaguars last Sun Nov 21st by a convincing 30-10 final. For Garoppolo 16-22, 176 yards, and two touchdowns the 49ers had quite an offensive day last Sunday with Garoppolo under center.

#4 Joe, talk about Brandon Aiyuk who caught seven passes for 85 yards, and a touchdown against Jacksonville and has been a key to the offense these past four weeks.

#5 The 49ers host the Vikings today at Levi Stadium. The Vikings just got by the Green Bay Packers last Sunday 34-31. Cousins was 24-35 for 341 yards and three touchdowns. How do you see the Vikings matching up against the 49ers today at Levi.

Join Joe for the 49ers podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: 49ers try for their third straight win face Vikings at Levi on Sunday

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San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel, right, makes it into the end zone for a 25 yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins, center, and linebacker Myles Jack (44) on Sun Nov 21, 2021 at Jacksonville. The 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings this Sun Nov 28, 2021 (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 David the San Francisco 49ers (5-5) handled the Jacksonville Jaguars (2-8) rather handedly on Sunday in Jacksonville 30-10. They didn’t play down to the Jags level and were in control on both sides of the football for most of the game.

#2 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was 16-22 for 176 yards and threw for two touchdowns. The 49ers big offensive quarter was the second quarter where they scored 17 points.

#3 The 49ers host the Minnesota Vikings (5-5) on Sunday the Vikings have won four of their last six games including a big win over the Green Bay Packers (8-3) last Sunday 34-31. Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was 24-35 for 341 yards and three touchdowns against the Packers. How do you see the Vikings and 49ers this Sunday in Santa Clara?

Join David for the 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com Happy Thanksgiving everyone

49ers power past Jaguars 30-10

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The San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) throws against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half of Sun Nov 21, 2021 game at Jacksonville (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

There are teams you are supposed to beat if you want to contend for the playoffs.

The San Francisco 49ers easily took care of business in their 30-10 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday afternoon at TIAA Bank Field.

What could have been a trap game for San Francisco (just ask the Buffalo Bills) having to play an east coat game against a bad team, the 49ers game plan went according to script.

San Francisco have won two games in a row and are in a four way tie in the NFC for the seventh and final playoff spot. Jacksonville have lost two games in a row after stunning the Bills three weeks ago in a 9-6 win.

The 49ers (5-5) opened the game with the longest drive in the NFL since 2000. They went 20 plays for 87 yards in a span of 13:05. They failed to get a touchdown as the drive waas capped off with a 20 yard field goal from Robbie Gould

On the 49ers next possession, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo led a seven play 80 yard drive that resulted in a 25 yard rushing touchdown by Deebo Samuel. The third year wide receiver lined up in the backfield and ran a sweep down the left sideline for paydirt. It was Samuel’s third rushing touchdown of the season.

San Francisco’s defense were able to get back the ball to offense when Josh Norman punched the ball loose on a Laviska Shenault reception. Fred Warner recovered the fumble at the Bengals 35 yard line.

The 49ers scored capitalized on the turnover as Garoppolo connected with Brandon Aiyuk on a six yard touchdown reception to extend its lead to 17-0.

Jacksonville (2-8) finally got on the board just after the two minute warning when 12 play 67 yard drive Matthew Wright kicked a 30 yard field goal with 1:53 left in the 2nd quarter.

San Francisco responded with seven play 45 yard drive of their own. They ended the half with a 48 yard field goal from Gould.

The 49ers defense picked up where it left off in the first half by dominating the Jaguars offensive line and putting constant pressure on Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence.

San Francisco held Jacksonville to just 54 yards on the game. Contrary to the Niners rushing attack that controlled the time of possession with 171 yards on the ground.

San Francisco put the game away with their first possession of the second half that resulted in another long, time consuming drive.

Garoppolo led the Niners on a 11 play 77 yard drive that consumed 5:45. Garoppolo completed the drive with one yard touchdown reception to tight end George Kittle to give the Niners a commanding 27-3 lead.

Jacksonville scored its only touchdown of the game late in the fourth quarter in what is known as garbage time. James Robinson ran in a one yard touchdown that only fantasy football owners appreciated.

Garoppolo finished the afternoon 16 of 22 for 176 yards and two touchdowns with a 126.3 quarterback rating. Samuel led the 49ers in rushing with 79 yards on eight carries and one touchdown.

Aiyuk lead all wide receivers catching all seven targets for 85 yards and one touchdown.

Lawrence, the 2021 number one pick, finished 16 of 25 for 158 yards with no touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 81.8.

Warner led the Niners defense with seven combined tackles. Arden Key had a sack for a second consecutive game.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished 6-for-12 on third down conversions. Jacksonville was 5-for-11.

UP NEXT: San Francisco returns home to host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday 11/28 at 1:25pm at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: 49ers try not to look past Jaguars after beating Rams; Mitchell to sit out today’s game

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San Francisco 49ers running back Eli Mitchell (25) who will sit out today’s game in Jacksonville is seen here trying to avoid Los Angeles Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd (54) and inside linebacker Troy Reeder (51) who are in hot pursuit during last Monday Night Football last on Nov 15, 2021 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara (AP News photo)

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes:

#1 Joe, the San Francisco 49ers (4-5) are coming off in what have called a miraculous win. The 49ers prior to their 31-10 win against the Los Angeles Rams (7-3) on Monday Night Football had lost five out of their last six games was the win over the Rams just a one off or are the 49ers back on track?

#2 Joe 49ers safety Jimmie Ward had himself a game Monday Night with two interceptions and returned one one of them for a touchdown it seemed like Ward and everyone else was up for the challenge against the Rams.

#3 Former 49ers general manager Trent Balalke who is the Jacksonville Jaguars GM was the GM when Ward was first drafted at No.30 by the 49ers in 2014 they most likely will exchange pleasantries when they meet this Sunday in Jacksonville.

#4 Joe, running back Elijah Mitchell had a pin inserted into his broken finger on his right hand after surgery is still being sidelined and is wearing a protective non contact bandage and is stretching with the team during practice.

#5 Joe the 49ers who are coming off a surprising and uplifting win over the Rams last Monday who were one of the winningest teams in the NFL face the Jaguars (2-7) Sunday. The Jaguars after losing five straight games have won two of their last two games. The 49ers can’t let up on the gas because you never know what a team like Jacksonville could do on any given Sunday in spite of their record.

Join J Hawkes each Sunday for the 49ers podcasts at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers put a thumping on Rams 31-10 end home skid

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San Francisco 49ers free safety Jimmie Williams (1) gets mobbed by teammates after returning an interception in first half action at Levi Stadium against the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football Nov 15, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—393 days is now just a footnote.

That is how long the San Francisco 49ers went between home wins after an impressive 31-10 victory over their NFC West Division rival Los Angeles on Monday Night Football at Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco is just a half game back out of the seventh and final wild card spot in the NFC behind the Carolina Panthers.

San Francisco ended its eight-game home losing streak at Levi’s and are 2-8 at home over the past two seasons. Los Angeles have lost two games in a row for the first time this season and have looked very bad in both of them.

Los Angeles (7-3), in a Super Bowl or bust mode, added two veterans this week via free agency and via trade. They added defensive end Von Miller in a trade with the Denver Broncos and Odel Beckham Jr. after he was released by the Cleveland Browns last week.

Like the other 47 men who dressed in the road uniforms, neither of them were factors in a game where they had no answers on offense or defense.

San Francisco (4-5) dominated all three facets of the game from start to finish as they jumped out to a 14-0 lead thanks to taking advantage of two Matthew Stafford interceptions on the Rams first two drives.

Jimmy Ward made the first of his two picks at the 49ers seven yard line on a deep throw by Stafford that was clearly overthrown while Ward played center field on the play as they ball went right into his hands.

The 49ers offense had its longest offensive drive of the season on its opening possession. They went 93 yards on 18 plays that last 11:03. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo capped off the drive with an eight yard pass to tight end George Kittle for the game’s opening touchdown.

“I don’t want to say it took their soul away, but it definitely did something,” Garopollo said.

On the next Rams possession, Ward intercepted the ball on a wide receiver screen and ran it back 27 yards to paydirt as LA’s first two possession mirrored their first two in last week’s game against the Tennessee Titans in which they lost 28-16.

Los Angeles responded with a seven play, 75 yard scoring drive completed by a Tyler Higbee 10-yard touchdown from Stafford with 13:16 left in the second quarter.

San Francisco’s offense, that looked like an well oiled machine in the first half, answered right back with another 90 yard plus drive. Garropolo led the Niners offense on a 11 play, 91 yard drive where Deebo Samuel capped it off with an eight-yard rushing touchdown for a 21-7 lead.

“Any time we get to sit there and drink Gatorade, that’s great football,” said Niners linebacker Fred Warner.

The Rams looked like they were going to close the gape to a 11-point game when kicker Matt Gay lined up for a 35 yard field goal attempt with 18 seconds left in the half. Instead they faked the field goal as punter Johnny Hekker threw to Kendall Blanton who was cut down in the open field by 49ers defensive tackle DJ Jones for only a two yard gain as the Niners special teams weren’t fooled on the play.

The second half featured San Francisco’s dominance by their defensive front. They controlled the trenches as the Rams running game was stymied only gaining 52 yards on the ground making the Rams offense one dimensional for the rest of the game.

Nick Bosa and Arden Key each sacked Stafford late in the fourth quarter. Stafford was never comfortable in the pocket as the Niners had constant pressure on the Rams quarterback forcing him into bad throws and ruining Stafford’s timing with his wide receivers.

San Francisco, up 24-7 early in the fourth quarter, put the nail in the coffin on a 4th and 5 gamble at Los Angeles’s 40 yard line. Garropolo threaded the needle on a post route to Samuel who caught the ball between two Rams defenders and out raced the rest of the secondary to the endzone for his second touchdown of the game.

Samuel finished the game catching all five targets for 97 yards and one receiving touchdown. He combined for 133 all purpose yards with his 36 yards on the ground.

Garrpolo rebounded well from last week’s loss going 15 of 19 for 182 yards, two touchdowns and a QB rating of 141.7, his best of the season.

“Honestly it felt like the Super Bowl year (in 2019),” Garoppolo said.

Stafford finished an abysmal night going 26 of 41 for 243 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions while getting sacked twice. Stafford was the victim of having six of his passing attempts dropped by his targets.

Copper Kupp led all wide receivers 11 receptions for 122 yards on 13 targets. Beckham only had two receptions for just 18 yards in his Rams debut.

49ers rookie running back Elijah Mitchell led all running backs with 97 yards on 27 carries. Mitchell’s good night allowed San Francisco to dominate the time of possession battle by an almost two-to-one margin 39:03-20:57 by running the ball 44 of the 64 offensive plays.

“Our whole offense basically stood up and cheered,” said Kittle on the Niners goal to run the ball 40 times during the game.

GAME NOTES: San Francisco finished the game 8-for-14 on third down conversions. Los Angeles was 3-for-10.

Los Angles was without wide receiver Robert Wood, who suffered a tore his ACL in practice this past Friday. Woods was placed on the IR and will miss the rest of the season.

UP NEXT: San Francisco head out on the road to Jacksonville to take on the Jaguars on Sunday 11/21 at 10:00am at TIAA Bank Field.

Cardinals have their way against the 49ers in 31-17 route

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San Francisco 49ers defenders can only watch Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) take off down field during second half action Sun Nov 7, 2021 game at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

SANTA CLARA, Calif.—Superstars injured?? Nothing to worry about for the team from the desert.

The Arizona Cardinals used the next man up mantra and it payed off well for them in their 31-17 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday afternoon at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco have lost five of its last six games. Arizona got back in the win column after losing their first game of the season last week against Green Bay. They are perfect on the road so far at 5-0 and have a half game lead on the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC West division.

The Cardinals were without their two best players on offense, quarterback Kyler Murray (ankle injury) and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins (hamstring injury).

Arizona lost their starting running back Chase Edmonds on the first offensive series. James Connor rose to the occasion and one of the best game of his career.

Connor finished the game with 96 yards on 21 rushes and two touchdowns. He also chipped in with five receptions for 77 yards and one touchdown, a 50 yard screen pass that had him run past multiple 49ers defenders. The three touchdown game was a career best for Connor.

Replacing Murray at quarterback for Arizona (8-1) was backup quarterback Colt McCoy, who made his first start of the season.

McCoy looked comfortable throughout the game running head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense as he completed 22 passes on 26 attempts to finish with 249 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions.

“No we had everything in,” said Kingsbury if he needed to simply the offense to prepare for McCoy’s first start. “We ramped it up. He does a great job of communicating with me on what he likes, what he doesn’t like so it was a full array out there.”

San Francisco (3-5) had a rough day overall as their defense weren’t able to stop the run and make key stops on third downs that allowed to Arizona’s offense to keep drives alive.

Offensively it wasn’t much better as they had two fumbles in the first half that killed promising drives as they tried to keep pace with the Cardinals.

“We didn’t stop the run and we didn’t stop those screens,” said 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan. “When you’re giving up some explosive screens and all of that free yardage, it doesn’t matter who was playing quarterback. We made it extremely easy on them.”

The 49ers welcome back their all-pro tight end George Kittle after he missed the past three games due to an calf injury. Kittle, who had one of the fumbles in the first half, was one of the few offensive bright spots for San Francisco. He led the Niners in receiving with six catches for 101 yards and one touchdown, a six yarder with 16 seconds left before halftime to get the home team on the board.

Connor scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns in the first quarter to get Arizona on the board. He capped off a nine play 57 yard drive with an 13 yard rushing touchdown on a sweep right that left him untouched on his way to the endzone.

The Cardinals finished the first quarter with its second touchdown of the game when they went 80 yards on eight plays that Connor finished off with a one-yard run up the middled for his second rushing touchdown on the afternoon.

The drive was allowed to continue thanks to a controversial 15-yard personal foul penalty on 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead that was called for grabbing the inside of McCoy’s helmet. It set up Christian Kirk’s 34 yard end around pass to Antoine Wesley at the one yard line.

This is a solid team,” said Connor. “When the stars go down, other players got to step up. That is what this team did tonight. I tried to manifest that. I just tried to picture myself having a big game and it happened.”

San Francisco cut Arizona’s lead to 17-7 when quarterback Jimmy Garopollo connected with Kittle just before halftime. That would be the closet the 49ers would get to the Cardinals.

Arizona put the game away in the second half as they scored on its first two possessions. They only needed three plays on their opening drive of the second half that was capped off with McCoy throwing a screen pass to Connor who found a seam with a cutback to the middle of the field and found paydirt 45 yards later for a 24-7 lead.

The Cardinals went up 31-7 with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter when Eno Benjamin rushed for a 21 yard touchdown to finish off a seven play 71 yard drive.

“It’s pretty embarrassing and it’s unacceptable,” said 49ers middle linebacker Fred Warner on his team’s poor defensive showing.

Arizona’s defense was the unsung hero of the game. They pressured Garopollo numerous times and ended up sacking him five times. They also held the 49ers rushing attack to just 41 yards on 11 carries turning San Francisco into a one-dimensional offense.

“That was the goal, to get out and stop the run,” said Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden, who had three of the team’s five sacks. “We knew it was going to be a nasty game, and we wanted to come out and get a little nastier than them early and make them switch up their game plan. Once the quarterback dropped back, we feel like we can get after any quarterback.”

Garoppolo had a subpar game despite finishing 28 of 40 for 326 yards with one touchdown and and one interception. The Cardinals constant pressure forced Garopollo to over throw ball on many occasions during the game. Arizona’s defense also made Garoppolo uncomfortable in the pocket which resulted in rushed decisions and the disrupting the timing on routes.

“I mean slow start,” said Garopollo. “I think that put us behind the eight ball from the get go. And just throughout the game, there’s just a little mess ups here and there that the turnovers killed us. Just little things like that.”

San Francisco made the score look somewhat respectable scoring the last 10 points of the game with a 11 yard touchdown reception by Brandon Aiyuk and a Robbie Gould 26 yard field goal but it was too little too late for the home team that is 1-8 at Levi’s Stadium in its past two seasons.

“Our crowd deserves it though because they’re out there screaming, yelling. They get loud for us, the faithful. And so we’ve got to play better for them,” Garoppolo said.

Aiyuk had his best game of the season for San Francisco catching six passes for 89 yards and one touchdown. Elijah Mitchell had just 36 rushing yards on only eight carries.

Kirk led Arizona in receiving with six catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Jordan Hicks recovered both fumbles and finished tied for the lead in tackles with six for the Cardinals.

UP NEXT: San Francisco hosts the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football on 11/15 at 5:15pm at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Hawkes: 49ers hoping to gain a split from the Cardinals today at Levi

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Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Muarry (1) escapes a tackle from Green Bay Packer free safety Darnell Savage (26) during the second half of Sun Oct 28, 2021 at State Farm Stadium in Glendale

On the 49ers podcast with J Hawkes

#1 Such an improved and more satisfying result from last week’s contest against the Chicago Bears (3-5) at Soldier Field in Chicago for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (3-4) who threw 17-28 for 322 yards and surprisingly no touchdown passes but carried for two touchdowns to help his own cause in an 11 point win over the Bears 33-22.

#2 One of the important factors that came out of last week’s win for San Francisco was that it snapped the Niners four game losing streak and got some weight off their shoulders in the process.

#3 Although Garoppolo didn’t throw for any touchdown passes he was able to be instrumental in the 49ers three touchdown drives and also closed the game getting the 49ers in field goal range to close out the scoring.

#4 Garoppolo said he was not used to running in quarterback keepers but said doing it in front of his former college teammates who were attendance as he attended Eastern Illinois and had them watching in the crowd at Soldier Field he said it was pretty cool to be able to carry the ball in for scores twice in front them.

#5 The last time the 49ers played the Arizona Cardinals (7-1) on Oct 10th at State Farm Stadium the Cardinals got a seven point win 17-10. The Cardinals behind quarterback Kyler Murray have won seven of their last eight and their last loss came after being defeated by the Green Bay Packers (7-1). Taking into account how Murray is not likely to be in the line up today due to an injury how do you see this match up today between these two teams today at Levis Stadium?

Join J Hawkes for the 49ers podcasts each Sunday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Roster moves made; Montana says Jones is the better choice than Lance; plus more

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Trey Lance (5) tries to skirt around Arizona Cardinal free safety Jalen Thompson (34) during Sun Oct 10, 2021 game at State Farm Stadium. Former 49ers quarterback Joe Montana said that New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones would have been a better pick than Lance. (AP News photo file)

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 Tuesday was a busy day at the San Francisco offices at the Marie DeBartolo Complex in Santa Clara as the 49ers (3-4) have made some roster moves as follows, acquired defenseman Charles Omenihu, linebacker Tyrell Williams released, kicker Joey Slye wavied, and safety Kai Nacua has been moved to the practice squad.

#2 Dave, former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and legend Joe Montana said he would have taken the New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones over 49ers back up Trey Lance. Jones so far this season is piling up on the yards at 1,997, nine touchdowns, six interceptions, for Lance 354 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception this season. Where do you stand on Montana’s choice of quarterbacks?

#3 Dave after losing four straight and going into Chicago with a 33-22 win has 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo turned a corner, critics still are calling for Lance to be the starting quarterback.

Join David for the 49ers podcasts each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers end four game skid with 33-22 win over Bears

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In the first half of the contest San Francisco 49ers linebacker Marcell Harris, left, tackles Chicago Bears tight end Cole Kmet at Soldier Field in Chicago on Sun Oct 31, 2021 (AP News photo)

by Marko Ukalovic

CHICAGO—It was a good homecoming for San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo.

The Arlington Heights, Illinois native rallied his team to a 33-22 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon at Soldier Field.

Garoppolo, who has been the subject of much criticism the past couple of weeks for his poor play on the field, finished with 17 of 22 for 322 yards with no passing touchdowns and no interceptions however his two rushing touchdowns were the difference for the 49ers that were in desperate need of a win.

San Francisco snapped its four game losing streak. Chicago has lost three games in a row and have dropped to two games below .500.

Both teams traded field goals in the first quarter as both offenses started off slowly. Cairo Santos hit a 39 yard field goal for Chicago and Joey Slye hit a 48 yard field goal (after missing one from the same distance on the 49ers first possession) with 1:47 left in the quarter.

Chicago (3-5) scored the first touchdown of the game early in the second quarter. Bears quarterback Justin Fields led a 11 play 74-yard drive against the 49ers defense that resulted in a eight yard touchdown reception by wide receiver Jesse James. Fields did a bootleg to the left side and threw the ball to a diving James to give the Bears a 10-3 lead with 12:03 remaining.

Once again both teams traded field goals on their next possession as both defenses bent but didn’t break.

San Francisco (3-4) ended the half cutting the Chicago’s lead to 13-9 with their third field goal to close out the half. With 1:16 left in the second quarter Garoppolo led a seven play 71-yard drive down the field. The 22-yard Slye field goal was set up with a 50-yard reception deep down the field to Deebo Samuel from Garopollo that set up the 49ers at the Bears five yard line.

Chicago dominated the time of possession in the first half with almost a two-to-one margin over San Francisco. The Bears were six of eight on third down possessions.

Trailing by seven, the 49ers scored on their first possession of the second half. On a third and 20, Garoppolo threw a wide receiver screen to Samuel who run the ball all the way to the one-line yard line for 83 yards to set up 1st and goal at the one yard line. Garropolo finished off the drive with a two yard rushing touchdown on a scramble to the left side after what was supposed to be a end around to Samuel.

What was a quiet first half in terms of scoring, the second half was went wild with both teams combined for 23 points in the fourth quarter.

San Francisco gained their first lead early in the fourth quarter. Running back Elijah Mitchell capped off a six play 52 yard drive with a six yard rushing touchdown. The drive was set up by a 21-yard punt return by Brandon Aiyuk.

San Francisco converted the two-point conversion when Garoppolo found Aiyuk in the endzone with a pass over the middle.

Chicago answered back on its next drive. Fields marched the Bears down the field on a nine play 68-yard drive that he finished off with an improbably 22-yard rushing yard touchdown. On a fourth and one from the 22 yard line, Fields was looking to pass the ball to running back Khalil Herbert out in the flat. San Francisco’s defense had it covered and looked to have Fields stopped in the backfield. The rookie quarterback made four 49ers defenders miss as he reversed field, made it out to the edge and ran into the endzone for a highlight reel of a play.

Santos missed the extra point as the 49ers held a 23-22 edge.

The 49ers responded in just five plays to answer Chicago’s touchdown. Mitchell had runs of 24 and 25 yards to set up Garopollo’s second rushing touchdown, a designed quarterback keeper to the left side where Garopollo dived into the endzone from five yards out.

After a three and out by Chicago, Slye iced the game for San Francisco with a 32 yard field goal with 1:56 left in the fourth quarter.

Josh Norman, who also had been a subject of criticism, sealed the game with his first interception of the season with 1:34 left in the game when the ball hit off the hands off of Bears receiver Darnell Mooney.

Mitchell led all running backs with 137 yards on 18 carries, including his longest run of 39 yards. Samuel had another great performance with six receptions for 171 yards. Fred Warner returned to form to lead the 49ers defense.

Fields finished 19 of 27 for 175 yards with one passing touchdown, one rushing touchdown and one interception. Herbert led the Bears in rushing with 72 yards on 23 carries. Mooney was their leading receiver six catches for 64 yards.

GAME NOTES- San Francisco finished 4-for-10 on third down conversions. Chicago was 8-for-15.

Bears wide receiver Allen Robinson has a reception in 96 straight game.

UP NEXT: San Francisco host the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals on Sunday 11/7 at 1:25 pm at Levi’s Stadium.