Tag: 49ers news

Some good news for 49ers on 1st Week 14 practice report

49ers practice report for Wednesday is here:

The San Francisco 49ers on Wednesday began their week of practice as they gear up for what amounts to a season-ending stretch of must-win games if they hope to sneak into the postseason.

Their first practice report of the week had a handful of good news with linebacker Dre Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga both appearing as limited participants. Greenlaw is returning from a torn Achilles he suffered in the Super Bowl. He had his 21-day practice window opened last week in hopes he’ll be able to return from the PUP list in time to play in 2024.

Hufanga hurt his wrist in Week 5 and went on IR. He had his 21-day practice window opened and also appeared as a limited participant.

Both players are due to hit free agency in the offseason, so getting on the field to end the year may be a priority for them even if the 49ers don’t have anything to play for down the stretch.

Quarterback Brock Purdy was also a full participant after returning last week from a shoulder injury. He didn’t suffer any setbacks during the game and figures to be on track to suit up against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

Here’s the full practice report:

Did not participate

LG Aaron Banks (concussion)
DE Nick Bosa (hip, oblique)
LB Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles (knee)
RB Jordan Mason (ankle)
LT Trent Williams (ankle)

Mason figures to go on IR with a high ankle sprain he suffered in Week 13. Bosa and Williams have missed the last two weeks, and both will be evaluated throughout the week to determine whether they’ll be able to return in Week 14.

Limited participation

LB Dre Greenlaw (Achilles)
S Talanoa Hufanga (wrist)
CB Deommodore Lenoir (knee)

Lenoir missed Week 13 after hurting his knee the previous week. It looks like he’s trending toward a Week 14 return.

Full participation

DT Jordan Elliott (concussion)
DE Sam Okuayinonu (wrist)
RG Dominick Puni (shoulder)
QB Brock Purdy (shoulder)

Good signs all around here. Barring a setback this quartet will play against Chicago.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Will Kyle Shanahan, 49ers fire another defensive coordinator?

Nick Sorensen doesn’t appear to be going anywhere any time soon.

One of the side effects of the San Francisco 49ers disastrous 2024 season has been an increasingly bright spotlight on the coaching staff.

While head coach Kyle Shanahan earned his share of scrutiny, defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen has come under fire after the 49ers defense allowed a combined 73 points across Weeks 12 and 13 in losses to the Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills.

Despite a pair of putrid defensive performances, Shanahan backed his defensive coordinator in a Monday conference call.

“Yeah, I’m very satisfied with Nick,” Shanahan said. “I’m not at all satisfied with the results and how it’s going right now. But, some of the mistakes that we’ve made, I don’t think or what’s happened here in these last two weeks, I don’t think that’s a schematic issue. It’s a little bit more of a fundamental issue. And that also starts with me. That goes to all coaching, and it goes down to the players, it goes to everyone in this building. But the results here these last two weeks haven’t changed my opinion on Nick.”

The 49ers parted ways with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks after last season, so it makes sense Shanahan wouldn’t be eager to make another change in the coming offseason.

It’s also worth noting Sorensen is a first-time defensive coordinator and that Robert Saleh dealt with a couple of rough seasons before breaking out a star DC and head coaching candidate in 2019.

What’s clear, if Sorensen is indeed sticking around, the 49ers need something to change defensively. If it isn’t the defensive play caller, then it’s either a schematic shift that needs to happen or a personnel overhaul.

Even before their two-week meltdown there was a clear issue with a once-dominant San Francisco defense this season. How they go about making those changes will ultimately determine Sorensen’s future, and perhaps the future of the Shanahan era.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

A couple ways 49ers can miraculously still win NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers playoff chances are slim, but there’s still a (narrow) path to them winning the NFC West.

It appears on the surface like the San Francisco 49ers hunt for an NFC West title is over following a second consecutive blowout loss in Week 13.

The Buffalo Bills annihilated the 49ers 35-10 at Highmark Stadium just one week after the Green Bay Packers thumped them 38-10. Those two losses were preceded by a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, and after 12 games the 49ers are at 5-7 and alone in last place in the NFC West.

As the injuries pile up alongside the losses, it’s hard to believe there’s any real chance the 49ers find a way to win the NFC West for a third consecutive season.  Alas, there is a chance.

The 49ers could win out and finish 10-7 while the other clubs stumble down the stretch to worse finishes. San Francisco could even lose one of their final five to finish 9-8 while the rest of the division dukes it out to 8-9 finishes or worse.

But what if they wind up tied?

Here are a couple of different ways that could look:

San Francisco 49ers (5-7)

Week 14 vs. Chicago Bears: Win
Week 15 vs. Los Angeles Rams: Win
Week 16 at Miami Dolphins: Win
Week 17 vs. Detroit Lions: Loss
Week 18 at Arizona Cardinals: Win

Record: (9-8)

Note: We can flip the Dolphins and Lions games and this still works.

Seattle Seahawks (7-5)

Week 14 at Arizona Cardinals: Loss
Week 15 vs. Green Bay Packers: Loss
Week 16 vs. Minnesota Vikings: Win
Week 17 at Chicago Bears: Win
Week 18 at Los Angeles Rams: Loss

Record: (9-8)

Note: The key for San Francisco is that the Seahawks lose to Arizona and then two of their final four. 

Arizona Cardinals (6-6)

Week 14 vs. Seattle Seahawks: Win
Week 15 vs. New England Patriots: Win
Week 16 at Carolina Panthers: Win
Week 17 at Los Angeles Rams: Loss
Week 18 vs. San Francisco 49ers: Loss

Record: (9-8)

Note: The 49ers just need Arizona to beat Seattle. The rest of them don’t matter.

Los Angeles Rams (6-6)

Week 14 vs. Buffalo Bills: Loss
Week 15 at San Francisco 49ers: Loss
Week 16 at New York Jets: Loss
Week 17 vs. Arizona Cardinals: Win
Week 18 vs. Seattle Seahawks: Win

Record: (8-9)

Note: San Francisco needs the Rams to win those last two NFC West games unless Seattle stumbles and drops two against the NFC North. Then a Seahawks win over the Rams in Week 18 doesn’t affect much. 

In this above situation, the 49ers would win the three-way tiebreaker with the Cardinals and Seahawks because they’d own a 6-6 record in the conference. The three-way tiebreakers in the NFL start at head-to-head matchups, but all the teams split their division games, which also eliminates the division record tiebreaker. They also have the same record in common games with each team landing at 5-5 in their common matchups.

That turns the tiebreaker to conference record where the 49ers would somehow have an edge. San Francisco in this scenario would finish 6-6 against NFC teams, while the Rams and Seahawks would both wrap up at 5-7, lifting the 49ers over both to a home playoff game on wild card weekend as the NFC West champions.

This scenario also works if one of the Seahawks or Cardinals lose an additional game or two and land at 8-9 or worse. San Francisco would still hold tiebreakers over both clubs in a two-team tiebreaker battle.

What about a 4-way tie?

If the Seahawks lose to both the Packers and Vikings, then beat the Rams in Week 18, while the Rams earned victories over the Bills in Week 14 and Jets in Week 16, it would give the 49ers a division win in a four-way tie.

Alas, these scenarios are hyper-specific with not a lot of wiggle room because of the tiebreakers. Still, there’s a modicum of hope for the optimists looking for something to cling to entering Week 14.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers sign Christian McCaffrey’s replacement, add WR to practice squad

The 49ers have a new running back.

The San Francisco 49ers on Tuesday announced how they’d replace running back Christian McCaffrey.

In a slew of roster moves the 49ers placed McCaffrey on IR, claimed RB Israel Abanikanda off waivers from the New York Jets and signed wide receiver Ronnie Bell to the practice squad.

McCaffrey suffered a season-ending PCL injury in his knee during the 49ers’ Week 13 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated on Monday McCaffrey would go on IR with only five games to go and McCaffrey expected to miss at least six weeks.

While Abanikanda will replace him on the roster, the expectation is that rookie RB Isaac Guerendo will carry a lion’s share of the workload in the backfield. Abanikanda may work his way into the backup RB role depending on how the team feels about RB Patrick Taylor who is on the practice squad and spent the first nine weeks on the active roster before McCaffrey returned.

Abanikanda was a fifth-round pick of the Jets in the 2023 draft. He played in six games as a rookie and churned out 70 yards on 22 carries.

Bell was waived by the 49ers on Friday before Week 13. The 2023 seventh-round pick gives San Francisco a reliable internal option if they need depth at WR or on special teams.

We may see additional roster moves in the backfield with RB Jordan Mason also potentially hitting IR after suffering a high ankle sprain in Week 13.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers inching toward top 10 pick in 2025 NFL draft

It might be high time to look ahead to the 2025 NFL draft. We’ve got you covered:

The San Francisco 49ers’ playoff chances aren’t completely erased, but they’re low enough that looking toward next year’s offseason and NFL draft aren’t unreasonable.

If the 49ers win a couple of games down the stretch and put themselves squarely back in the playoff picture, we can start looking at that group again. For now we’ll look at where things stand with next year’s draft, where the 49ers are inching toward a top-10 pick after three consecutive losses put them at 5-7 for the season.

San Francisco is one of four seven-loss teams, and they’re just behind a trio of eight-loss clubs. There was a chance for a fourth eight-loss team, but the Cleveland Browns couldn’t hold on vs. the Denver Broncos on Monday night and fell to 3-9.

Here is what the draft order looks like for the non-playoff teams after 13 weeks according to Tankathon:

1. Jacksonville Jaguars (2-10)
2. Las Vegas Raiders (2-10)
3. New York Giants (2-10)
4. New England Patriots (3-10)
5. Carolina Panthers (3-9)
6. New York Jets (3-9)
7. Tennessee Titans (3-9)
8. Cleveland Browns (3-9)
9. Cincinnati Bengals (4-8)
10. New Orleans Saints (4-8)
11. Chicago Bears (4-8)
12. Miami Dolphins (5-7)
13. Dallas Cowboys (5-7)
14. San Francisco 49ers (5-7)
15. Indianapolis Colts (6-7)
16. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-6)
17. Los Angeles Rams (6-6)
18. Arizona Cardinals (6-6)

The first tiebreaker is strength of schedule, which is the combined winning percentage of a team’s opponents. The team with the worst strength of schedule gets the earlier pick.

San Francisco has the highest strength of schedule and gets the lowest pick of the trio of 5-7 teams.

Sunday’s game against the Bears could be a big one for the 49ers in terms of their draft position. The 49ers will certainly be trying to win every game, especially while they’re technically not eliminated from the playoffs. However, the further their season spirals, the closer they’ll get to securing a top 10 pick that can help them retool for the 2025 season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

49ers should part ways with $84 million DL in offseason

The 49ers may have to part with some good players this offseason as part of a roster overhaul.

There are a handful of tough calls for the San Francisco 49ers to make in the wake of a disastrous 2024 season.

This year was one that may push the 49ers to make wholesale changes to their roster in hopes of re-opening a new Super Bowl window after the window with this year’s group appeared to close in a blaze of injuries, special teams woes and red-zone issues.

One of the biggest changes they can make is along the defensive line where parting with defensive tackle Javon Hargrave may become a necessary move for salary cap purposes.

Hargrave signed a four-year, $84 million deal in the 2023 offseason and never quite hit the level of game-wrecker the 49ers hoped he would be. He did have a terrific Week 3 game vs. the Los Angeles Rams this season, but he also suffered a triceps tear in that contest that ended cut his season short.

The 49ers need an overhaul on the defensive line and letting the 31-year-old walk ahead of his Age 32 season is a step the team can take in revamping a defensive position group that, bluntly, hasn’t been good enough the last two years.

Signing Hargrave was supposed to help the 49ers replicate some of the success they had along the defensive front in the 2019 season. While the veteran defensive tackle was productive as a pass rusher with 72 pressures and nine sacks in 22 games (including the postseason) per Pro Football Focus, he wasn’t a particularly effective run defender and he didn’t make life much easier on the rest of the defensive line.

Hargrave’s release would cost the 49ers $24.86 million in dead cap next year, while saving them $3.245 million and opening a spot on the defensive line for a younger player to get snaps. Not to mention the additional $3 million in cap savings will be significant for a team that will have to carefully manage the cap with a sizable contract likely due soon for quarterback Brock Purdy.

They could also designate him as a post-June 1 cut where his dead cap number would fall to $7.375 million and the savings would leap to $20.73 million.

There’s still something in the tank for Hargrave who can still be productive on a good defensive line. The 49ers are just in a place now where the cap savings of cutting him may outweigh the reward of keeping him in red and gold for another season.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

5 49ers among top vote getters in Pro Bowl fan voting

Five 49ers found their way among the top four Pro Bowl fan vote recipients within their respective positions.

Five San Francisco 49ers found their way among the top Pro Bowl fan voting recipients in Monday’s current top 10 announcement.

In fact, these five 49ers were all inside the top four fan vote recipients within their respective positions, including a pair of San Francisco stalwarts that are the current leading vote-getters.

George Kittle is No. 1 among tight ends and Kyle Juszczyk is No. 1 among fullbacks in the current Pro Bowl fan voting.

San Francisco’s Fred Warner is No. 3 in Pro Bowl fan votes among inside linebackers, while defensive end Nick Bosa and offensive tackle Trent Williams each check in with the fourth-most fan votes at their respective positions.

Kittle has hauled in 50 receptions for 649 receiving yards and eight scores thus far this season. Kittle’s eight touchdown grabs are tops in the NFL among tight ends and his 649 receiving yards rank third in the NFL among tight ends.

Warner leads the San Francisco defense with 88 total tackles in 2024. The 6-foot-3, 230 pound linebacker has also tallied six passes defended, four forced fumbles, three tackles for loss, two interceptions and one sack.

Bosa leads the 49ers with 10 tackles for loss and seven sacks. The 6-foot-4, 266 pound defensive end has also accumulated 36 total tackles, one forced fumble, one pass defended and one interception.

Juszczyk and Williams have helped lead and anchor a San Francisco offense that ranks seventh in the NFL in total offense at 372.4 yards per game. The 49ers and seventh in rushing offense (139.6 rushing yards per game) rank ninth in passing offense (232.8 passing yards per game).

San Francisco (5-7) returns to action on Sunday, Dec. 8 with a 1:25 p.m. PT kickoff time versus the Chicago Bears.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

How 49ers will replace Christian McCaffrey, Jordan Mason after injuries

Here’s what the 49ers backfield will look like following injuries to Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason.

The San Francisco 49ers’ dreadful season got worse in Week 13 when running backs Christian McCaffrey and Jordan Mason both suffered injuries that will land the RBs on IR.

McCaffrey will miss at least six weeks with a PCL injury in his knee, while Mason will have to work his way back from a high ankle sprain. With only five games left in the season it wouldn’t be a surprise if both players missed the rest of the year.

That leaves a pretty substantial void in the 49ers’ backfield where Mason and McCaffrey had accounted for 203 of their 340 rushing attempts. Head coach Kyle Shanahan on Monday in a conference call with reporters explained how the team plans to operate with McCaffrey and Mason both sidelined.

“Yeah, we have (rookie RB Isaac) Guerendo. Obviously, he’ll be up,” Shanahan said. “We’ve got (RB) Patrick (Taylor Jr.) here who is on our practice squad, who will definitely be bumped up now, who was on our roster earlier in the year before Christian came back. And we’ll most likely have to look for another.”

Guerendo is a fourth-round pick who has 246 yards and two touchdowns on 42 carries this season. Taylor signed with the 49ers in the offseason and spent time on the active roster before McCaffrey returned from Achilles tendinitis. He posted 25 rushing yards on seven carries before getting cut to make room for McCaffrey. The 49ers re-signed Taylor to the practice squad shortly after he was let go.

This is a prime opportunity for Guerendo to carve out a long-term role. With Mason due to hit free agency next offseason, the 49ers may be looking for a No. 2 RB to slot in behind McCaffrey and Guerendo will be their top option if he performs well as the lead back.

The likely option for San Francisco when they bring in another RB is Ke’Shawn Vaughn, who was on the 49ers practice squad after spending the preseason with the team. Veteran Matt Breida was also with the club in the preseason, but he never re-signed to the practice squad. Vaughn’s familiarity with the team and the offense make him a logical choice unless the 49ers like another free agent as a potential long-term option and want to give him some looks in practice.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

 

Why NFL Week 13 results were so damaging for 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers’ playoff hopes are fading fast.

The San Francisco 49ers‘ playoff hopes are fading fast.

With its 35-10 loss at Buffalo on Sunday night, the 49ers have now dropped three straight to sink to 5-7 on the season.

The blowout loss also marked the first time since 2015 and just the fourth time in franchise history that San Francisco has lost back-to-back games by 25 points or more.

San Francisco entered Week 13 just a game outside first place in the NFC West, but the 49ers exit the week in the division’s cellar.

The Seattle Seahawks used a 92-yard pick-six from defensive end Leonard Williams to flip an early 21-7 deficit into an eventual 26-21 win at the New York Jets. The Seahawks improved to 7-5 with the win.

Seattle has now won three straight dating back to its 20-17 Week 11 win at San Francisco.

Thanks to Minnesota‘s rally over Arizona, Seattle now owns sole possession of first place in the NFC West.

Minnesota quarterback Sam Darnold connected with running back Aaron Jones for a 5-yard score with 1:13 left to play. Then, Vikings cornerback Shaquill Griffin sealed the 23-22 victory with his interception of Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray on the ensuing possession.

The loss drops Arizona to 6-6 on the season and one game out of first place.

The Los Angeles Rams stayed within striking distance thanks to a 21-14 win at the New Orleans Saints. Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Demarcus Robinson and Puka Nacua in the fourth quarter to help Los Angeles improve to 6-6.

Sitting in the cellar and now two games out of first place, San Francisco will close its 2024 season with games versus Chicago, versus the Los Angeles Rams, at Miami, versus Detroit and at Arizona.

Christian McCaffrey feared to have suffered season-ending knee injury

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey is feared to have suffered a season-ending PCL injury vs. the Buffalo Bills.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey missed the first eight games of the 2024 season with bilateral Achilles tendinitis.

Now, it looks like McCaffrey’s 2024 campaign could be over altogether.

McCaffrey departed the 49ers’ eventual 35-10 loss at the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night early in the second quarter. The 5-foot-11, 210 pound running back took a pitch from quarterback Brock Purdy but came up lame on the snap.

McCaffrey slid down to the Highmark Stadium playing surface with a non-contact injury.

The 49ers initially listed McCaffrey as questionable before downgrading the star running back to out with a knee injury.

Afterwards, San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters that McCaffrey is feared to have suffered a potentially season-ending PCL injury.

“Yeah, it was frustrating. You know, he had a great week of practice and I could feel his urgency and stuff. I thought he came out great, looking real good and it looked like he just got his shoestring there. He was about to break a house call. I’m guessing he got hurt on that play. I don’t know. I never got to talk to him, but hurt for him and tough for our team not having him,” Shanahan said.

McCaffrey exited Sunday night’s loss with 53 rushing yards on seven carries and a pair of receptions for 14 yards.

On the season, McCaffrey has rushed 50 times for 202 rushing yards and caught 15 passes for 146 yards in four games.

This comes on the heels of McCaffrey’s NFL Offensive Player of the Year season with the 49ers a season ago. In his first full season in San Francisco during 2023, McCaffrey racked up 1,459 rushing yards, 564 receiving yards and 21 total touchdowns.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]