Tag: 49ers Rumors

Week 12 NFL picks against the spread

Picking all the Week 12 NFL games against the spread.

The NFL could fix a lot of its review issues if they just had an official watching on TV who could signal down when they got any call wrong. If the goal is to get calls right, they need to spare no expense to getting the game legislated properly 100 percent of the time.

Also, coaches should never run out of challenges if they keep getting them right. If refs blow five calls, a coach can challenge a maximum of three of them. That seems problematic.

To the picks!

Point spreads were provided by Bet MGM.

Week 11 record: 7-6

Season record: 80-79

HOUSTON (-3.5) vs. Indianapolis

Got it wrong. This felt like a three-point game, and I still got it wrong.

Pick: Texans (-3.5)

CLEVELAND (-10.5) vs. Miami

These two teams have basically swapped roles this year. Miami outright stinks, while the Browns are dramatically underachieving to the point of irrelevance.

Pick: Browns (-10.5)

BUFFALO (-3.5) vs. Denver

Do you want to know how bad John Elway has been at getting quarterbacks?The Bills may have figured it out before he did.

Pick: Bills (-3.5)

Pittsburgh (-6.5) vs. CINCINNATI

The Bengals aren’t going to lose ALL their games, are they?

Pick: Bengals (+6.5)

CHICAGO (-6.5) vs. New York Giants

That’s a lot of points for some combination of Mitchell Trubisky and Chase Daniel.

Pick: Bears (-6.5)

Oakland (-2.5) vs. NEW YORK JETS

The Raiders of old definitely lose this game and deflate all the air out of their currently playoff-bound balloon. This team has a different feel though.

Pick: Raiders (-2.5)

NEW ORLEANS (-9.5) vs. Carolina

The Saints already had their bad divisional loss at home when they lost to the Falcons in Week 10. No way that happens again, right? RIGHT?!

Pick: Saints (-9.5)

ATLANTA (-4.5) vs. Tampa Bay

There’s legitimate potential for this to be the most fun game of the day. Over 51.5 sounds good in this one.

Pick: Buccaneers (+4.5)

Detroit (-3.5) vs. WASHINGTON

Yuck!

Pick: Lions (-3.5)

PHILADELPHIA (-1.5) vs. Seattle

Philadelphia sports fans are who Seattle sports fans think they are.

Pick: Seahawks (+1.5)

TENNESSEE (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville

Somehow both of these teams are in striking distance in the AFC South and they’re a combined 9-11 for the season. That division stinks.

Pick: Titans (-3.5)

NEW ENGLAND (-6.5) vs. Dallas

Not only is this game super fun, but the only other game on while these teams play is Jacksonville at Tennessee. Every eyeball in the NFL should be watching a potential Super Bowl matchup.

Pick: Cowboys (+6.5)

SAN FRANCISCO (-3.5) vs. Green Bay

Pick: Packers (+3.5)

Baltimore (-3.5) vs. LOS ANGELES RAMS

Last year’s Rams vs. this year’s Ravens would’ve been a lot of fun. This year’s version of that matchup looks way more lopsided.

Pick: Ravens (-3.5)

[Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.]

Updated NFC playoff picture and NFC West standings

The 49ers’ spots atop the NFC West and NFC are in danger Sunday.

Despite a trio of close games the last three weeks, including their only loss of the year, the 49ers are still in prime position to win the NFC West and secure a first-round bye in the postseason.

Here are the NFC West standings entering Week 12:

1- 49ers (9-1)
2- Seahawks (8-2)
3- Rams (6-4)
4- Cardinals (3-7-1)

The Seahawks are at Philadelphia on Sunday, and they hold the tiebreaker over the 49ers because they won their head-to-head matchup. An Eagles win would be huge for San Francisco because it would allow them to stay on top of the NFC West no matter the result of their game vs. the Packers.

Los Angeles became a little bit of an afterthought with their struggles through the early portion of the year, but they’re not out of it at 6-4. That’s a team that went to the Super Bowl last season and is loaded with talent. Any prolonged stumble by the 49ers, combined with a winning streak for the . Rams, immediately puts the Rams back in the picture to win the division for the second year in a row.

The 49ers’ standing atop the NFC playoff picture is just as shaky as it is in the division. While San Francisco’s spent effectively the entire season in first place, they find themselves in a precarious position despite a 9-1 record.

Here’s what the NFC playoff picture looks like:

1- 49ers (9-1)
2- Packers (8-2)
3- Saints (8-2)
4- Cowboys (6-4)
5- Seahawks (8-2)
6- Vikings (8-3)

San Francisco and Green Bay will face off and shake up the top of the NFC. New Orleans hosts the struggling Panthers, while the Seahawks visit the Eagles and the Vikings take their bye week.

If Seattle wins and the 49ers lose, San Francisco would drop to the No. 5 seed. The Packers would  jump to No. 1, the Seahawks would jump to No. 2, and the Saints would remain in third whether they win or lose.

An Eagles win and Cowboys loss would put them in a tie for the No. 4 seed, but Dallas owns the tiebreaker. It would also drop the Seahawks to 8-3 and into a tie with the Vikings, at which point Minnesota would jump to No. 5 and drop Seattle to No. 6.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing 49ers vs. Packers with Packers Wire

Zach Kruse of the Packers Wire hops in to answer questions about Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Jones, and Davante Adams, and to make a prediction.

The stakes don’t get a lot higher than they do on Sunday Night Football between the 49ers and Packers.

It’s not only the rekindling of an old rivalry, it’s a massive game in the scope of the tightly-contested NFC playoff picture. A loss to Green Bay could drop San Francisco to as low as fifth in the playoff standings.

To get a better read on the 49ers’ Week 12 opponent, we got in touch with Packers Wire managing editor Zach Kruse, and asked him a few questions about the 8-2 Green Bay club.

The Packers have been up and down on offense this season. Is that a product of adjusting to a new head coach, or is it more the typical ebbs and flows of an NFL season?

I’d point to a few reasons for the inconsistency. Of course, they have a new head coach and a brand new system. It was always going to take time to get comfortable, understand who does what best and figure out specific roles for individuals within the scheme. They’ve also played a bunch of tough defenses, and there was an adjustment period when Davante Adams went down and then came back from a turf toe injury. Situationally, the Packers have had too many self-inflicted errors. They lead the NFL in total number delay of game and false start penalties (25), and there’s been too many negative plays on early downs. Matt LaFleur also wants to get a lot better on third down.

RB Aaron Jones is putting together a pretty ridiculous season. He already has more carries through 10 games this year than he did in 12 games last year. What’s led to the uptick in workload?

The biggest factor was the hiring of Matt LaFleur, who understands how dynamic Jones is as a dual-threat weapon. The Packers still use Jamaal Williams in certain spots, but LaFleur has fully committed to getting Jones the football in a variety of ways. Don’t be surprised if Jones is a primary target in the receiving game Sunday night. Aaron Rodgers wants 15-20 touches for him every game. Also, no running back has been better in the red zone. On 22 carries inside the 20-yard line, Jones has 11 touchdowns.

The Packers’ WR corps is pretty top heavy with Davante Adams. How big of a distance is there between him and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and how much of an issue is WR depth for Green Bay? Because the drop off after Valdes-Scantling seems pretty steep.

It’s certainly steep. More and more, it looks like the Packers have a legitimate No. 1 receiver in Adams but nothing more than a collection of No. 3 and No. 4 receivers behind him. They really need a guy to step up and become the No. 2. Valdes-Scantling can run and stretch defenses vertically, but the Packers haven’t figured out how to get him the ball in the intermediate areas. Allen Lazard has impressed and could get a real shot at being the No. 2. There just isn’t a guy behind Adams that is going to constantly scare a defense. It’s a potential fatal flaw for the Packers offense.

DL Kenny Clark wrecked shop against the 49ers (and a bunch of other teams) last year, but his production has taken a hit this season. Is that due to the added pass rush from Preston and Za’Darius Smith, or is there something else going on there?

Good question. This answer has multiple layers, too. For starters, Clark has been dealing with a bunch of nagging injuries, including a shin injury that has lingered. He’s confident he’ll be far more healthy coming out of the bye. Also, teams have simply paid more attention to Clark on the inside. Double teams in the run game have become common. Clark has still been disruptive as a pass-rusher when given one-on-one opportunities. There’s a pick-your-poision aspect to the Packers’ pass rush. Do you provide help on Clark and risk the edges against Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith? Or do you let your inside guys take on Clark one-on-one and double the edges?

San Francisco and Green Bay played a thriller last season on Monday Night Football. Do you expect another close one this season, and what’s your final score prediction?

I do expect another close one. This should be a fun game against two ascending teams with similar coaching foundations. However, I do wonder how the Packers match up with the 49ers. On offense, Kyle Shanahan’s team can run the ball and pick up chunk plays in the passing game. On defense, the 49ers can get reliable pressure with four rushers. That’s a pretty good recipe for beating the Packers. Unless the Packers consistently win the line of scrimmage on both sides, it could be a long night. My prediction: 49ers 28, Packers 20.

Candlestick Chronicles: 49ers vs. Packers preview extravaganza

Chris and Kyle blow it out with a huge 49ers vs. Packers preview.

The 49ers’ huge game against the Packers deserves a huge preview.

Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee and Kyle Madson chat about the 49ers’ showdown with Green Bay and some of the key matchups in that game. They also discuss Jimmy Garoppolo’s standing and why it’s not time to make sweeping declarations about the quarterback just yet.

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What’s at stake for 49ers on Sunday night vs. Packers?

The 49ers’ Week 12 bout vs. the Packers is their biggest game of the year by far.

The 49ers’ showdown Sunday night against the Packers at Levi’s Stadium is the most important regular season game they’ve played in nearly a decade.

Week 10’s Monday night tilt with the Seahawks carried plenty of weight with the once dormant rivalry coming back to life and NFC West implications, but the results of the rest of the Week 10 slate diminished some of the do-or-die nature of the contest. San Francisco lost, but stayed on top of the NFC and the NFC West.

They don’t have that same luxury Sunday night. Here’s what’s a stake with a win and with a loss.

With a win …

San Francisco stays on top of the NFC and the NFC West if they knock off the Packers on Sunday. It also pushes Green Bay to two games behind the 49ers with five to play. A win ensures they go into Week 13 in first place in the conference and division, regardless of what happens with the teams around them.

It would also get them to 10 wins, which doesn’t necessarily guarantee a playoff spot, but it puts them in a great position to secure a playoff berth early in the season.

With a loss …

There’s a scenario where the 49ers lose and stay atop the NFC West. Seattle would have to lose to the Eagles in Philadelphia, which isn’t out of the realm of possibilities. However, that would still push San Francisco to the No. 2 seed and give Green Bay the head-to-head tiebreaker with the 49ers.

A bigger, more nightmarish scenario, is the one where the 49ers lose and Seattle wins. That makes whatever the Saints do irrelevant because the Seahawks would jump over the 49ers in the division thanks to the head-to-head tiebreaker. That would move San Francisco to the No. 5 seed, which means they’d open the playoffs on Wild Card Weekend on the road. That’s a far cry from home field advantage throughout the playoffs and a first-round bye.

 

George Kittle, Deebo Samuel, Emmanuel Sanders all officially questionable vs. Packers

The 49ers got good injury news on their status report for Sunday night vs. the Packers.

The 49ers won’t have all hands on deck Sunday night against the Packers, but they’ll be closer than they were last week. Their official injury report for Sunday listed George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Emmanuel Sanders all as questionable for their showdown with Green Bay. All three are expected to play.

San Francisco’s offense hasn’t looked quite right since Kittle hurt his knee and ankle on the first play of the 49ers’ Week 9 win over the Cardinals. They’ve struggled to run the ball and their passing attack hasn’t been effective stretching the field vertically.

That second part was exacerbated with Sanders’ rib injury, although Samuel’s emergence with 16 catches in the two games without Kittle and with Sanders banged up. However, there was some cause for concern when Samuel showed up on the injury report with a shoulder injury that kept him out of practice Wednesday, and limited Thursday and Friday.

Perhaps the most significant name on the injury report is defensive end Dee Ford. He’s been ruled out with a hamstring injury, although that’s not a huge surprise after head coach Kyle Shanahan said early in the week that Ford would likely miss multiple games. He hurt his hamstring chasing down Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the second quarter last week.

Ford is the second defensive end to go down for the 49ers in as many weeks. They lost Ronald Blair III to a torn ACL during the Seahawks game two weeks ago. Damontre Moore should see an uptick in playing time on the edge in passing situations.

Matt Breida is officially doubtful as he continues to recover from an ankle injury he aggravated against the Seahawks. That’s been a nagging injury the team has decided to keep the running back off of so he’s healthier down the stretch.

Here’s what the full status report for Sunday looks like:

Out

OT Joe Staley (finger)
DE Dee Ford (hamstring)

Doubtful

RB Matt Breida (ankle)
K Robbie Gould (quad)

Questionable

TE George Kittle (knee, ankle)
WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder)
WR Emmanuel Sanders (ribs)

49ers get 3 key pass catchers back in practice

Thursday came with a lot of good injury news for the 49ers.

The 49ers’ practice field was a little more crowded Thursday as the team gears up for a crucial showdown with the Green Bay Packers.

Injury circumstances were dire for San Francisco on Wednesday when George Kittle, Emmanuel Sanders, Deebo Samuel and Matt Breida all missed practice. Three of the four were back Thursday though, providing some semblance of optimism about their returns.

Kittle is working through knee and ankle injuries he sustained in Week 9, and was back Thursday after not practicing the last two weeks. Sanders hurt his ribs in Week 10, and didn’t practice leading up to last week’s game, and played most of the game despite a painful injury. Samuel hurt his shoulder in the third quarter against the Cardinals, but returned to the game. That alone was a good sign for his availability Sunday night.

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Here’s what Thursday’s full practice report looked like:

Did not participate

RB Matt Breida (ankle)
OT Joe Staley (finger)
DE Dee Ford (quad, hamstring)
K Robbie Gould (quad)

Limited participation

TE George Kittle (knee, ankle
WR Deebo Samuel (shoulder)
WR Emmanuel Sanders (ribs)

Full participation

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion)
DT D.J. Jones (groin)
RB Raheem Mostert (knee)

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.

Good injury news: George Kittle returns to practice

There’s a reason to be optimistic about George Kittle’s status for Sunday night vs. the Packers.

The 49ers on Thursday finally got some good news on the injury front. Tight end George Kittle was back on the practice field wearing a blue non-contact jersey according to multiple reporters at the 49ers’ facility.

Kittle hasn’t practiced since injuring his knee and ankle on the first play of the team’s Week 9 win over the Cardinals in Arizona. He played the rest of that game and posted six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown.

San Francisco lost their first game without Kittle the following week against the Seahawks. Their run game and passing attack both suffered without Kittle’s multifaceted skill set. They struggled out of the gates the following week against Arizona, and failed to run the ball with any effectiveness. While Jimmy Garoppolo wound up throwing for 424 yards and four touchdowns in a 36-26 win, Kittle’s presence in the passing game was sorely missed on plays designed to go down the field.

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A limited practice Thursday guarantees nothing for the tight end, and head coach Kyle Shanahan on Wednesday said “it’s going to come down to the wire again” with Kittle. However, his return is a good sign, and another practice Friday will give a better indication of his status for Sunday night.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship, and there is no influence on news coverage.

Kyle Shanahan not worried about playoff seeding yet

The 49ers are more focused on making the playoffs than where they’ll play their playoff games.

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The 49ers enter Week 12 at the top of the NFC and in a position to secure home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. Every team would love to be in that position with six games to go, but 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said he’s not focusing on seeding until his team has secured a postseason berth.

“You’d rather play every game at home, of course,” Shanahan told reporters Wednesday in a pre-practice press conference.  “On the road is always a disadvantage when you can’t hear. But I mean, I don’t even think about playoff seeding right now. Our goal is to get in the playoffs. We’re all right there, there’s still a lot of football left. Each game we win, we’ve got a better chance at getting in there. You don’t think about seeds, at least I don’t, until you can narrow it down to one or two games. I think we’re far from that right now.”

While San Francisco is tied for the best record in the NFL, they still have their work cut out for them to clinch a playoff spot.

The 49ers are 9-1, but the Packers, Saints and Seahawks are all just one game behind them. San Francisco is entering a stretch where they play the Packers, Ravens and Saints in consecutive weeks. Green Bay visits Levi’s Stadium, but the 49ers travel to Baltimore and New Orleans for those two contests.

Those teams are all 8-2 and can’t be overlooked. Especially since knocking off Green Bay and New Orleans would likely clinch a playoff spot for the 49ers.

Shanahan is optimistic about his team’s chances going into that stretch of games, but he’s still not focusing on their big-picture impact.

“The other time we went on back-to-back road games we won them so I don’t really think about that,” he said. “I just think about how many wins you need to get in the tournament and no one knows that answer yet and we’re not there. So you just keep going and doing that and once you get in the tournament, then you think about stuff like that. That’s why I think it’s way too early to be thinking that.”

That’s the right mindset to have, especially for a team with such a tough schedule to finish the year. After the next three games, the 49ers face the Falcons and Rams at home, and visit the Seahawks to close the season. Any looking ahead could lead to a fatal stumble that dooms the team’s chances to make the playoffs for the first time since 2013.

Getting a first-round bye and playing at home is a pretty big advantage for playoff teams. The last time a team made the Super Bowl without a first-round bye was the Ravens, who finished as the No. 4 seed in the 2012 season before taking down the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII.

The good news for San Francisco is their schedule sets up in a way that allows them to simultaneously take steps toward a playoff spot and securing a first-round bye. That starts Sunday night against the No. 2-seed Packers at Levi’s Stadium.

Jimmy Garoppolo’s stats after he throws an interception are amazing

Jimmy Garoppolo has to fix his interception problem, but he could be worse off.

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Watching Jimmy Garoppolo play quarterback is an emotional roller coaster filled with seemingly endless peaks and valleys that fluctuate throughout the game. However, while Garoppolo is throwing interceptions at the fifth-highest rate in the league (3.2 percent of his throws), his lows are generally followed by pretty substantial highs.

Josh Dubow of the Associated Press tweeted a remarkable stat about Garoppolo’s production on drives following an interception. While the 49ers’ quarterback is susceptible to making multiple mistakes per game, he never does it back-to-back.

His numbers immediately following an interception are tremendous:

Three incompletions in 10 series following an interception is a remarkable number. The low yardage and touchdown totals indicate Garoppolo is a little more conservative with the ball in the set of downs after a pick, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan addressed Garoppolo’s sometimes reckless play during his Wednesday press conference.

“I think that’s part of football, you get used to that stuff,” Shanahan said. “What’s more frustrating to me is when a guy can’t make any plays and a guy can’t throw it at all and you just sit there and you’re beating your head against the wall for three-and-a-half hours. So, it’s nice when they do make a lot of plays and do some good stuff, but some bad plays do come with that. I understand that, I think Jimmy will get better in that area. I think he does continue to get in that area and I think we also could make it easier on him based on the type of game we call, how good we do around him, but that’s part of football. It’s very rare that you just come out and throw a ton of touchdowns and not picks, but I do like that Jimmy doesn’t seem to be affected by it, that he doesn’t go into a shell. He still gives us a chance to win. The more that he can keep playing the way he is without doing those turnovers, the harder he’ll be to stop.”

It’s important to remember with Garoppolo that he’s still just 20 starts into his NFL career. A bad throw here and there comes with the territory of being an NFL signal caller. He’s not near his ceiling in terms of development as a passer, so there should be some optimism that his turnover issues will subside at some point.

For now, San Francisco will have to take the good with the bad. Garoppolo racked up a career-high 424 yards, and tied his career-best with four touchdown passes in the 49ers’ 36-26 win over the Cardinals last week. He also tossed two bad interceptions – one of which nearly ended the game.

What matters when the clock hits 0:00 though is that Garoppolo threw a game-winning touchdown pass with 31 seconds left after his defense got him the ball back. It’s the good with the bad, and Garoppolo continues to thrive immediately following a mistake. It’s not perfect, but it’s a better spot to be in than having a quarterback who compounds his mistakes.