Season Finale

Even though I didn't think that this would be the ending to the 2014 NFL season for the 49ers, I am happy to say that I was proud of the way that the team played. With all of the turmoil of Jim Harbaugh going to the Browns at the beginning of the season, it was known that there would be tough obstacles to get past during the season and it would be a grind. But, I thought that the Niners had a very good season. They showed that they could play top notch defense with half of the time being backups, and could prevail out of games that they should have never won. But with all that said, there is still one game to go. This weeks matchup will face the 49ers team against the best defense in the NFL, Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have always been a tough matchup for the San Francisco team. It seems that no matter the records of the teams, there is always going to be a hard fought game. Unlike the 49ers team, the Cardinals have been a consistent all around team this year. They come into the game with a 11-4 record that is tied for tops in the NFL. There defense has been impenetrable up front, even with star player, Darnell Dockett, out for the season with a lower body injury. This game had a lot of hype since the mid point of the year and I was excited to see it unfold.

Will Jim Harbaugh be done as the 49ers head coach?-Photo from www.bleacherreport.com. 

The game started with an 8 play 80 yard drive by the cardinals ending with a touchdown from Ryan Lindley to Michael Floyd, this being the first touchdown pass every thrown by Ryan Lindley. The 49ers came marching back with a deep 76 yard touchdown pass from Kaepernick to Boldin. The Cardinals scored a touchdown and a field goal, while the Niners scored two field goals to end the half with the Cardinals leading, 17-13. The second half was all about dominant defense. Both teams were held to 0 points late into the 3rd quarter, until Bruce Miller caught a touchdown pass from Kaepernick. The 4th quarter was the same, with 0 points being scored, and the Niners coming out on top to end their 4 game losing streak.

I thought that the Niners ended the year on a great note! They won the last game of the season, and were able to show the country that they could beat a tough playoff team, even with all of their depleting injuries. I personally, I am very excited to see what will happen this offseason. There is speculation that Jim Harbaugh is going to end his time in the Bay Area, and take the University of Michigan's head coaching offer for their football team. This would end up reuniting Harbaugh with his college, and give him the opportunity to become a legend at the university. But more importantly, Who will the 49ers get if he does leave for Michigan. Will they promote a current staff member to the coaching position, or search the league for a coach that is willing to fill in a big pair of shoes? I will continue to inform on the current situation the Red and Gold are dealing with. Go Niners!!!

Thanks for a great season!- Photo from www.sfgate.com

Playing For Pride

At this point in the season, I am just waiting for the last games to be played. I understand that the season is still going, but the Niners playoff hopes are over, and I want to see all of the offseason drama. I think that this weeks game against the Chargers will be fun to watch for everyone and will end up to be a good game. But most importantly, I am not going to have to cry over a Niners loss for another season. I would say that that is a big positive. Plus, I will be able to focus on all of the other teams for the offseason. I will be writing more about coach vacancies and news that is going around the league as a whole. So finally, lets get to the game.

This weeks game against the Chargers is the "Battle of the Golden Coast" for the two teams.  This rivalry has been alive since the two teams came into the league. In the past, the Niners have won more games than the Chargers in the game. But this year, San Diego was looking to demolish their bitter rivals. The 49ers had the opportunity to knock the Chargers out of the AFC playoffs with a win and would spoil another season for star quarterback, Phillip Rivers. The game started out great for the 49ers, with a 52 yard touchdown run for Frank Gore, to cap off a 4 play 78 yard drive to start the first quarter. The run gave the team momentum to get up to a 21-0 lead over the chargers halfway through the second quarter. The Chargers scored a late touchdown to end the half with a 28-7 49ers lead. The 49ers team looked like playoff contenders in the first half and you could feel that they wanted to end the Chargers season. But, the Bolts came back to get the win, after outscoring the 49ers, 31-7, in the second half alone to win the game 38-35.

Frank Gore ripped off an incredible 52 yard run- Photo from www.cincyjungle.com

I thought that this game really summed up the season for the 49ers. The team had great energy to start the game, and would die down in the second half. I mean, they didn't score a second half touchdown until week 4 in the season. This showed that they did not have good game preparation and game plans for when they would get down. Next game and more importantly, next year, the team will have to get more disciplined in the second half of games so that they can win the tight games that will determine if they do or do not make the playoffs. Next week, the niners will conclude their season with a game against the division leading, Arizona Cardinals. The two teams matched up in the third week of the season, ending in a thumping victory for the Cardinals. This years Cardinals team is tough-nosed and enjoys kicking their opponents ass. I think that the niners will end the season in a strong way, with a win against one of the leagues best teams.

Photo from www.pbs.com

Thanksgiving Rematch

At this point, I believe that the Niners are playing for pride and have nothing to lose. Amidst the talk of Jim Harbaugh not coming back for the head coaching job next year, I believe that outcome is certain: he will leave for the University of Michigan's coaching offer. With that said, the Niners will try to win their last few games for him and gain momentum into next season. I understand some of you may think that there is still hope for the playoffs, but that is very unlikely. With how the Seahawks are playing right now, they would have to historically tumble in order for the 49ers to take their playoff spot. So, like I said, the Niners are playing for the coach that has taken them where only few others have, and for the idea that they will have a great team next year. The team that stood in front of them this week, were the lovely Seattle Seahawks, who I would say is the perfect team for the Niners to play right now. They are both wanting to smack each other, with the Seahawks having the opportunity to officially knock the 49ers out of playoff contention. So, I think that this game will be hard fought, with lots of after-the-play confrontations, and big hits.

Jim Harbaugh may be gone next year- Thanks to www.sfgate.com for the picture

This week in Seattle was the perfect setting for a rivalry game. The skies were blue and Century Link Field was loud(like always). This game was looked at as a rematch of the Thanksgiving game, with opportunities for both teams. The Seahawks could end playoff contention for the 49ers team, and the 49ers could gain self pride and momentum into next season. The game started off with a slow offenses and tough defenses. The Seahawks pulled out a nice drive to end the first quarter with a field goal, and a score of 3-0. The second quarter was enlightening to 49ers fans, after the offense of the red and gold drove 85 yards to get a much needed Frank Gore touchdown. The halftime score was 7-3, in favor of the 49ers. The second half was all Seattle. The 49ers offense was trifled in the second half and could not get anything going. The Seahawks scored two more times to end the game with a 17-7 victory, and officially ended the 49ers hopes of making it to the 2014-2015 NFL playoffs.

The Niners defense needs to pick it up next week- Thanks to www.rotoback.com for the picture

I would have to say that I was not all that let down with the game played by the 49ers. They went into Seattle, where it is almost impossible to win as an away team, and played a solid game. The game could have been won by the 49ers, if their offense could have put anything together. I think that The defense played well, holding Marshawn Lynch to a slow first half, and a decent second half. Plus, this game was pretty much a preseason game. The team showed how they could match up to a good team, with most of their defensive starters injured. Lets Just move onto next week, and finish off the last two games in style, with our heads held high. Lets go Niners!

Battle Of The Bay

There are few boundaries between the 49ers fans in San Francisco and The Raiders fans in Oakland. There is the Bay Bridge of course, but what else. I would have to say that the most meaningful boundary between the two sides is the Battle of the Bay game between the 49ers and the Raiders. Because of the rare occurrence of these meetings, it is a necessity for both teams to get the victory, because of the many aspects of pride sitting on the outcome of the game fought between the two teams. I have only been able to experience two of these games in my lifetime, so whenever the game is on, I am always excited to experience the battle that will occur when the bay area teams take the field. To make it even more interesting this time around, the 49ers need the win to keep their playoff hopes in a good position. The Raiders are just the team that would die to deplete the Niners playoff hopes, and retain the title of kings of the Bay Area.

Battle Of The Bay- Thanks to www.Genius.com for the picture

Like I said, this game means a lot to a 49ers team that has gone through many injuries this year and is fighting to get into the playoffs as a wildcard team. But the Raiders are in the way of a successful season and are looking to spoil the Niners playoffs hope with a win. The 49ers came into the game with another injury, in that of their cornerback, Chris Culliver. With Culliver being a substantial part of the 49ers secondary, it was a big blow for the team. But, the Raiders also had their top receiver, James Jones, out with a lower-body injury. The game started with an interception by Brandian Ross of the Oakland Raiders, on a horrible pass by Kaepernick. It was more of the same for the struggling 49ers offense. Though the Niners scored a second quarter touchdown, the Halftime score was 10-10. This was not a good sign for the 7-5 Niners that were playing the 1-11 Raiders team that was not having a good year. The 49ers were shut down on offense in the second half, and gave up two touchdowns, to end the game with a 24-13 Raiders win.

Brandian Ross interception- Thanks to www.usatoday.com for the picture

I can't really say much on the positive side for the 49ers. They looked like the one win team in the game and pretty much ended their chance to get to the playoffs. I thought that Kaepernick's ability to lead his team in the past few weeks has been awful, and he will need to step up in the future if he wants to keep his spot in the depth chart. But, the defense still showed that they could perform at a decent level, even with five of their best defensive starters being injured. They continue to prevail through adversity and make me wonder what will happen when all of the starters are healthy.  On the Raiders side, stars emerged in quarterback Derek Carr and tight end Michael Rivera. The two seemed to be one and could not be stopped. Rivera had 7 receptions for 109 yards and 1 touchdown, while Carr had a very productive game with 254 passing yards and 3 touchdowns. Carr proved that he could shred up a top level NFL defense and rose his respect level within the organization. The Raiders showed that they could still compete with the top level teams in the league. By the way, they arguably won their most important game of the year against the 49ers.