49ers

NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Donte Whitner believes the 49ers need a “must-win” mindset moving forward after Sunday's defensive performance.

“And to speak about that 49ers defense, I didn’t see the 49ers defense that we were used to seeing in the first six weeks of the season,” Whitner said. Still, Whitner acknowledged that the 49ers’ defense isn’t fully healthy. You have to get it done this week. “This 49ers team is going to have to heal up,” Whitner said. But in Week 7, the unit [allowed its most points of the season](https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/49ers-defense-historically-terrible-ugly-shellacking-chiefs) by a landslide.

The 49ers suffered their worst loss of the season at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, falling 44-23 at Levi's Stadium and moving San Francisco to 3-4 on ...

In the three games Armstead has played this season, the 49ers have allowed 64 rushing yards per game. In the games Armstead has missed that number has nearly doubled to 111.25 yards per game. This season they have allowed opponents to eclipse 100 rushing yards in three of the four games that Armstead has missed. San Francisco has committed 48 penalties for a total of 350 yards this season for an average of 6.8 per game. The 49ers committed ten penalties for a total of 80 yards against the Chiefs. They lost the battle at the line of scrimmage and got flat-out bullied in the trenches.

San Francisco was outgunned in a rematch of Super Bowl LIV, Patrick Mahomes throwing for 423 yards and three touchdowns as Kansas City pulled away in the fourth ...

Too often the 49ers moved the ball only to see a drive stall through sacks and penalties, leaving them swapping field goals for Kansas City touchdowns in a trade-off that was never likely to end in victory. This was truly a day where nothing worked on defense. The Chiefs subsequently made it 35-23 and the Niners had no answer. Jerick McKinnon picked up 35 yards on a screen on 3rd and 20 to set up a touchdown that made it 28-16 to Kansas City and Mahomes found Marquez Valdes-Scantling for 57 yards on 3rd and 11 after the 49ers had cut it back to a one-score game. They did not do that. It was a chastening day for the defense and a game that delivered a reminder of the level the 49ers need to reach if they are to truly threaten to reach the Super Bowl.

When, and how, did the 49ers begin their pursuit of star running back Christian McCaffrey?

But neither team had a first-round pick (see quarterbacks Trey Lance, Matthew Stafford), which Breer reported was a necessity for Carolina as they look to acquire a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft. The news was announced Thursday night, with McCaffrey boarding a plane the next day. Breer on Monday broke down the exact timeline between then and McCaffrey touching down in the Bay, reporting that the 49ers were the first team to call the Panthers about the All-Pro on Friday, Oct. Fitterer told McCaffrey about a potential trade last Monday (Oct. [rivalry between the 49ers and Rams](https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/49ers-pulling-christian-mccaffrey-trade-over-rams-intensifies-rivalry) closed another chapter as the two clubs were [the final teams left](https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/nfl-rumors-rams-made-push-christian-mccaffrey-trade-49ers-won-out) in the McCaffrey sweepstakes, and Breer revealed both organizations were still in the hunt as of Thursday, the day the eventual trade went down. 14, and made their initial offer.

Give Mike Shanahan a few weeks and then let's talk.

The NFC playoff race will undoubtedly come down to a few games in Week 18. The NFC East has been much better than advertised, but the Eagles are the only real threat to the Niners advancing in the postseason. San Francisco’s defense took a hit Sunday as they came into the game as one of the better defenses in the NFL and ranked top five in many categories. Once Shanahan gets his guys on track, they’ll be the scariest team entering the playoffs. They used that momentum and made a run to the NFC Championship game, where they lost to the Rams, 20-17. The Philadelphia Eagles are the team to watch in the NFC right now, and that’s it. [returns](https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/elijah-mitchells-timeline-49ers-return-revealed-kyle-shanahan) from an [MCL sprain](https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/nfl-rumors-49ers-elijah-mitchell-suffers-mcl-injury-will-miss-two-months) (he could return by early November), they’ll have a three-man rotation in the backfield. They might only win nine games, but that should be enough in the NFC to make the tournament. The Niners possess the formula to be the most dangerous team no one wants to face heading into the NFC playoffs come January. The 49ers went on to win eight of their last 11 games to close the season at 10-7. The 49ers rotation at running back will be great for McCaffrey, who’s been injury prone over the past couple of years. Don’t be fooled by the 49ers’ Week 7, 44-23 loss to the Chiefs.

2. When used correctly, Mecole Hardman is a dangerous weapon. Kansas City Chiefs v San Francisco 49ers Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images.

That should be terrifying to the rest of the league. Mahomes is the only player with enough firepower to consistently get you back in the game. He clearly misread the distance on the kick — and was struggling with the spin that 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky put on the ball. You can’t trust him on a down-by-down basis — but if you can get the ball in his hands, there is a pretty good chance he’s taking it to the house. It’s the thought process that went into attempting to field a punt that he had no business trying to catch. Instead, the San Francisco coaching staff decided to try to go blow-for-blow with Reid and his quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs are lucky that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan went away from the ground game in this one. Reid likes to defer receiving the kickoff until after halftime — which means that most of the time, Kansas City begins the game on defense. With head coach Andy Reid scripting his opening drive for each game, there is no excuse for the team to start slowly on offense. His route tree is limited — and he doesn’t seem like a player who is going to win very many 50/50 balls. The Chiefs coasted to an [easy 44-23 victory](https://www.arrowheadpride.com/2022/10/23/23419386/final-score-chiefs-beat-49ers-44-23-week-7). Kansas City is a very good team that tends to start games very badly.

After acquiring Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers, the San Francisco 49ers are a team to watch in the overall Super Bowl picture.

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No one outside the San Francisco 49ers knows what the team has in quarterback Trey Lance just yet. Lance only has four NFL starts under his belt and played ...

Lance is expected to fully recover from his ankle injury in time for the 2023 season. "There would still be teams interested in acquiring Lance to be their quarterback of the future, even if he struggled with the 49ers." I'm not sure that solves the draft capital problem, but it's fun to argue about." [Brock Purdy](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/P/PurdBr00.htm). What if the 49ers opted to trade Lance? It's not the scenario the 49ers envisioned when they sat the young quarterback during his 2021 rookie campaign.

Los Angeles may not have landed McCaffrey in what would've been a blockbuster in-season trade, but Les Snead did accomplish one thing: He helped drive up the ...

The Rams are familiar with that position, and it’s not always the easiest one to navigate. The Rams didn’t need McCaffrey. The Rams wanted Christian McCaffrey.

The game started in favor of the 49ers as they jumped out to a 10-0 lead. Robbie Gould connected from 30 yards (a common theme) to open the scoring. Talanoa ...

The offense responded with a scoring drive which brought the score to 28-23. You name the game: penalty, execution, adjustments, game plan, and it was a problem in this game. After a holding penalty on first down at the 49ers’ 28-yard line, the defense forced two incompletions, setting up 3rd and 20. The second half is where this game took a turn for the worse. It was clear the offense would have to pick up the slack. The next drive for the 49ers summed up their sloppy performance on the day. Immediately, the special teams unit allowed a big return from Isiah Pacheco for 48 yards. Unfortunately, the 49ers find themselves in a similar state to last year with a 3-4 record. Hardman again punctuated the drive with a touchdown. All things considered, a one-point deficit isn’t the worst scenario. The score at the half would end up 14-13. Robbie Gould connected from 30 yards (a common theme) to open the scoring.

Christian McCaffrey's new teammates spoiled his debut with the 49ers. The trade that sent McCaffrey to San Francisco brought a great deal of energy to the ...

[Brandon Aiyuk](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/A/AiyuBr00.htm)is so quick…and smooth [Trent Williams](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WillTr21.htm)wasn't much better. [October 23, 2022] [Shop 49ers Tickets ⇨](https://prf.hn/click/camref:1100lmfEB/[p_id:1101l440934]/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.stubhub.com%2Fsan-francisco-49ers-tickets%2Fperformer%2F199%2F) [Mike McGlinchey](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McGlMi00.htm)is terrible. [Nick Bosa](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BosaNi00.htm)and [Charvarius Ward](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WardCh01.htm)returned from injuries and did not look good. If the 49ers lose that game, which would be their third in a row, they will have dug themselves into yet another hole that will be difficult to get out of. [Ray-Ray McCloud](https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/M/McClRa00.htm)had a great adjustment and catch for his first NFL touchdown. The 49ers head to Inglewood to play the Rams next Sunday. The trade that sent McCaffrey to San Francisco brought a great deal of energy to the team and the fanbase. A few bad play calls and a terrible Garoppolo throw later, and their chance to score disappeared. Then he started the second quarter with a 13-yard reception and another first-down run. - The 49ers opened the game with a crisp drive. Actually, I was one of the few who thought they'd be decent this year.

For all of the 49ers' star power, their offense can't scheme around Jimmy Garoppolo's limitations.

Christian McCaffrey, the All-Pro and hope-laden running back for whom the [San Francisco 49ers](https://sfgate.com/49ers) sent away [four draft picks on Thursday](https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/49ers-christian-mccaffrey-trade-17523964.php), had less than 72 hours to get what grip he could on Kyle Shanahan’s playbook, but on 10 touches he flashed the tight-corners wiggle and open-field verve that explain the price tag. [back as hell](https://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/travis-kelce-lapped-49ers-kittle-17520244.php), ripping down a season-high 98 yards worth of contested catches and notching his first touchdown of the year. The backs and receivers look like so many Ferraris lugging U-Hauls, like Sisyphi pushing stones.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spoke with reporters via a conference call on Monday, the day after the team's 44-23 loss to the Kansas City ...

They talk about Jimmy Garoppolo and how this is his second consecutive good game and get into the criticism he receives on the internet. He exited the game in the third quarter with a dislocated finger in his right hand and was seen on the sideline with medical staff trying to put it back into place. FB Kyle Juszczyk said he believed he broke and dislocated a finger on his right hand in today's game "He got more reps last week and took a step in the right direction." Ward left the game with a groin injury. The Niners sent a haul of draft capital to the Carolina Panthers for the All-Pro running back, sending a message to the locker room that this team, even at .500, is gearing up for a championship run. But it's not just a thing that we have a timeline on because it's not an exact injury. The team has until Wednesday—the end of his 21-day practice window–to activate him off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. "I think he was more limited by not being able to practice as much in the last couple of weeks, I think," Shanahan said. "He finished the game, but it was bothering him," Shanahan revealed. , who missed practices last week with a groin injury, emerged from the game without any setbacks. He provided several injury updates from the game.