Tag: 49ers score

Importance of 49ers Week 10 win illustrated in USA TODAY NFL power rankings

Week 10 wasn’t pretty, but it was enough to push the 49ers way up the NFL power rankings.

It may not have looked exactly how they wanted it to look, but the San Francisco 49ers secured an important 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 10.

There’s plenty for the 49ers to iron out, particularly on special teams where a muffed punt and a trio of missed field goals changed the tenor of Sunday’s game. However, their victory was crucial for keeping pace in the NFC West and NFC playoff races.

A good illustrator of just how important their Week 10 win was comes via the USA TODAY NFL power rankings. San Francisco entered the week at No. 16, but finished at No. 11, one spot behind the NFC West-leading Arizona Cardinals.

While they didn’t play their best football in Week 10, there are reasons to believe better play is coming given their post-Bye history under head coach Kyle Shanahan.

Via USA TODAY’s Nate Davis:

Their post-bye record in 2024 (with RB Christian McCaffrey) is 1-0. Their post-bye record since 2021 is 31-9.

This is a nice stat that should provide some optimism for 49ers fans. However, the 2024 season hasn’t been great through 10 weeks and the team hasn’t shown the ability to flip a switch and dominate a game for 60 minutes.

Cutting down on self-inflicted wounds could quickly set the 49ers up as a Super Bowl contender once again. If they continue making those mistakes, they won’t be a team hanging around the top 10 much longer with games coming up against NFC West rival Seattle, the No. 9 Green Bay Packers and No. 4 Buffalo Bills.

If the 49ers are going to be a contender this year, they’ll have to prove it in this stretch.

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What did Christian McCaffrey do, how much did he play in return for 49ers?

Christian McCaffrey looked good in his return for the 49ers.

The San Francisco 49ers got a little closer to complete Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when running back Christian McCaffrey returned to the lineup.

It wasn’t a perfect day for the 49ers’ offense, but McCaffrey looked mostly like himself and had an immediate impact for San Francisco.

McCaffrey played 89 percent of the offensive snaps according to CBS Sports’ Dave Richard. He churned out 39 rushing yards on 13 carries, and hauled in six of his seven targets for 68 yards.

The 49ers’ offensive line struggled some against Tampa Bay’s defensive line and led to a handful of carries where McCaffrey didn’t have much room.

Despite the lack of rushing production, McCaffrey’s presence in the passing game made life easier for quarterback Brock Purdy, who made a handful of checkdown throws to McCaffrey instead of taking off running or forcing a throw into a tight window down the field.

He was also on the receiving end of a huge completion in the fourth quarter. With the 49ers trailing 17-13, McCaffrey was matched up one-on-one in coverage and had a step on his defender. Purdy was under pressure and had to throw early. He lofted a pass into the area ahead of McCaffrey, allowing the RB to race underneath it for a 30-yard completion.

That was the kind of play the 49ers weren’t able to run with Jordan Mason or Isaac Guerendo. And even if they ran it, Purdy likely wouldn’t have had the trust with one of them to air out a throw the way he did.

Head coach Kyle Shanahan after the game told reporters McCaffrey also made it through the game without any issues.

“He came out great, which was huge,” Shanahan said. “We knew it was going to be hard to load manage him, I think everyone says in the media, I just say not play him as much. We did that in the first half, we did a couple series and stuff, in the second half it got away from us a little bit. We only had one drive in that whole third quarter – didn’t have as many possessions and we weren’t taking him out on the fourth, and he didn’t need to be taken out, talking to him, he felt great. Going to be pumped to have him back next week.”

San Francisco isn’t out of the woods just because McCaffrey returned. They still struggled in the red zone, which was an area the reigning Offensive Player of the Year figured to help. He wasn’t much of a factor there, and Guerendo even got in for a couple of red zone snaps.

That’s something the 49ers and McCaffrey will need to iron out. For now they benefitted from his return enough to earn a win in Tampa Bay. They may need more down the stretch if they’re going to make a playoff run this season.

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49ers schedule: Week 10 opponent won’t be a pushover

Get to know the basics about the 49ers’ Week 10 opponent:

The San Francisco 49ers open their final nine games of the regular season with a road trip to visit the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

For the 49ers, this Week 10 bout will determine the tenor of the rest of their season. A win keeps them in a tie for the top of the division. A loss puts them on the outside looking in at the NFC West, and at a wild card spot where the No. 7 seed belongs to the 6-3 Green Bay Packers.

Week 10 won’t just be a big one for the 49ers. Their opponent will also be entering with their playoff hopes hanging in the balance.

Here’s a quick rundown of what’s going on with the Buccaneers in 2024:

What did the Buccaneers do last game?

Tampa Bay visited the Kansas City Chiefs and fell 30-24 in overtime. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was impressive against one of the NFL’s stingiest defenses. He threw for 200 yards and two touchdowns, but he was outdueled by Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes’s 291 yards and three touchdowns.

What’s the Buccaneers’ record?

The Bucs are now 4-5 after their loss to the Chiefs. They’re comfortably No. 2 in the NFC South ahead of the 2-7 Carolina Panthers and 2-7 New Orleans Saints. They’re now 2.0 games behind the division-leading Atlanta Falcons. In the NFC playoff race, the Bucs are 0.5 games behind the 49ers at No. 11 overall.

What’s the Buccaneers injury situation?

One of Tampa Bay’s issues during their three-game losing skid is their injuries at wide receiver. Chris Godwin is out for the year with an ankle injury, and Mike Evans is out for several weeks with a hamstring injury. Defensive lineman Greg Gaines was also out of Monday’s game with a calf injury.

Where do the Buccaneers rank in offense?

Even with the injuries the Bucs’ offense has been outstanding under the guidance of offensive coordinator Liam Coen. They rank No. 5 in total yards, No. 5 in yards per play and No. 3 in points per game. They posted 24 points vs. Kansas City — the second-highest output against them all season.

Where do the Buccaneers rank in defense?

It’s less pretty defensively for head coach Todd Bowles’s club. They’re No. 30 in the NFL in yards allowed per game and No. 30 in yards allowed per play. Their run defense is allowing 5.19 yards per play, which is tied with the New York Giants for the worst mark in the league. That makes it no surprise that the Buccaneers rank 28th in points allowed.

What happened last time the 49ers and Buccaneers played?

The 49ers are 20-6 all-time in the regular season vs. Tampa Bay, including wins in each of their last three matchups. Last time they played was in 2023 with the 49ers handling business at Levi’s Stadium and securing a 27-14 win. San Francisco also hosted the Buccaneers in 2022 and blew them out 35-7 in Brock Purdy’s first start at quarterback.

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49ers win over Seahawks puts them in 1st place NFC West

The San Francisco 49ers are your new division leader.

What a difference a win makes!

The San Francisco 49ers were in an apparent spiral entering their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. They’d lost three straight, including two to division opponents where San Francisco held 10-point leads in the fourth quarter, and they sat at 14th out of 16 in the NFC standings.

A win was a necessity at Lumen Field, and the 49ers came through even with some bumps in the road.

While San Francisco needed a win for some stability early in this season, they also had an opportunity to leap into the playoff picture by overtaking the Seahawks in the NFC West.

The 49ers’ 36-24 victory over Seattle launched them into a tie with the Seahawks at 3-3 overall, but placed San Francisco at No. 1 in the division by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker they now hold over the Seahawks.

Here’s what the standings look like entering Sunday:

1. 49ers (3-3)
2. Seahawks (3-3)
3. Cardinals (2-3)
4. Rams (1-4)

It’s still too early to start schedule-watching, but the 49ers’ margin for error is slim enough that any ground they can make up in the race for a playoff berth is significant.

The Cardinals do play the Packers on Sunday in Green Bay. A win by them would push the 49ers down to second in the standings. A loss would ensure San Francisco holds the NFC West lead heading into Week 7.

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49ers Super Bowl hopes may ride on Week 6 vs. Seahawks

The 49ers season isn’t over if they lose, but it’s awful close.

Multiple members of the San Francisco 49ers have acknowledged the stakes of their Thursday night showdown with the Seattle Seahawks.

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir said the team is treating it like a must-win game. Defensive end Nick Bosa echoed those sentiments. Linebacker Fred Warner didn’t mince words when he talked about what’s on the line for the 49ers on Thursday at Lumen Field.

It sounds melodramatic given that the club is only entering Week 6, and that a large swath of the roster’s key players were on the roster just three seasons ago when they got off to a 3-5 start.

This year is different, though, and the uptick urgency is being reflected by players in media settings.

It is true that a loss Thursday, which drops the 49ers to 2-4 overall, 0-3 in the NFC West and 0-4 in the NFC, wouldn’t end their season. They could mathematically win 11 straight games to go 13-4.

That’s an unrealistic expectation, which brings the ‘must-win’ phrasing into the picture.

San Francisco has Super Bowl aspirations. In the era of the 14-team playoff where only the No. 1 seed gets a bye week, that No. 1 seed is crucial. The advanced age of the 49ers’ roster and the spate of extra games they’ve played over the last five years because of four deep playoff runs makes the bye week an even greater necessity.

Their margin for error on potentially securing a No. 1 seed was ostensibly lit on fire when the team blew 10-point fourth-quarter leads against the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals. They need to start racking up wins, and it has to start Thursday in Seattle, especially with dates against the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys looming.

If the 49ers win Thursday, things will feel more stable for them heading into their final two games before their bye.

If the 49ers lose Thursday, the one seed, and with it a potential Super Bowl run, may fall entirely out of reach.

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Notes and observations from 49ers blowout win over Cardinals

Notes and observations from the #49ers’ blowout win over the Cardinals:

The 49ers did what they had to do in Arizona and dropped the Cardinals 45-29 to earn their 11th win of the year and clinch a second consecutive NFC West title.

It wasn’t a perfect showing and San Francisco’s injury problems on defense were apparent, but their offense is humming at such a high level that it didn’t ultimately matter.

Here’s what we saw from each quarter:

Notes and observations: The 49ers are back after rolling Jaguars in Week 10

The #49ers looked like the 49ers again in a 34-3 blowout of the Jaguars. Notes and observations from each quarter:

The 49ers didn’t look right in the three weeks leading up to their bye. Head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the bye that the team needed the week off. It looked like a week away paid off for them Sunday in a 34-3 drubbing of the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Here are our observations and notes from each quarter of San Francisco’s sixth win of the year:

7 takeaways from 49ers’ 31-17 loss at home to Bengals

Takeaways from the 49ers’ Week 8 loss to Cincinnati.

The 49ers dropped a third consecutive game Sunday when they were shellacked by the Bengals 31-17 at Levi’s Stadium.

San Francisco now mercifully heads to its bye week in search of answers on both sides of the ball. They’ve been unable to score or get key stops for the last three weeks.

Here are a handful of our takeaways from Sunday’s game:

Notes and observations from embarrassing 49ers loss to Bengals

Notes and observations from the 49ers’ new worst loss of the year.

The 49ers never had a chance in Week 8. The Bengals jumped out to a 14-7 lead and never looked back en route to handing San Francisco a third consecutive loss.

Here are our observations from the 49ers’ 31-17 loss to Cincinnati:

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks live stream, how to watch, NFL football predictions, odds, tv channel, start time

The San Francisco 49ers will be on the road in week 8 when they meet the Seattle Seahawks from CenturyLink Field, stream the NFC action.

The San Francisco 49ers will be on the road in week 8 when they meet the Seattle Seahawks in an NFC West divisional matchup from CenturyLink Field on Sunday afternoon.

The 49ers are coming into this game with a 4-3 record after picking up back to back wins. Jimmy Garoppolo has been playing well throwing 1,012 yards and 7 touchdowns so far this season. The Seahawks are looking to rebound after an overtime loss to Arizona last week. Russell Wilson has been having an MVP season throwing for 1,890 yards with 22 touchdowns so far and will be looking to light up the 49ers in this game.

This should be a fun one with both offenses being able to put up points. Don’t miss it, here is everything you need to know to stream the game live.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks

  • When: Sunday, November 1
  • Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
  • TV Channel: FOX
  • Live Stream: fuboTV (watch for free)

Prediction: I’m sticking with the Seahawks in this one. The Seahawks will be ready to play and are in the perfect bounce-back scenario here. I expect Russell Wilson to come out and lead his team to a win and cover, happy to lay the points with Seattle.

Bet: Seattle Seahawks -1. 

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NFL Football Odds and Betting Lines

NFL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds last updated Sunday at 3:20 p.m. ET.

San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks (-1)

Over/Under: 53.5

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