Connect with us

San Francisco, CA

Maiocco's 49ers Report Card: Team grades in crushing loss to Bills

Published

1 year ago

on

Maiocco's 49ers Report Card: Team grades in crushing loss to Bills


ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — These are the cold, hard facts.

The 49ers received another snowball upside their heads — figuratively and, perhaps, literally — when the Buffalo Bills hit them with a 35-10 beatdown at snowy Highmark Stadium.

Their second blowout loss in a row played out in front of a national television audience on Sunday night.

It was the second blowout loss the 49ers absorbed in back-to-back trips to Green Bay and Buffalo — the two coldest-weather locales in the NFL. A week ago, the 49ers lost to the Packers, 38-10.

Advertisement

The 49ers lost back-to-back games by 25 points or more for only the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2015 when the Jim Tomsula-coached team was blasted by Pittsburgh (43-18) and Arizona (47-7) in Weeks 2 and 3.

Here is the report card from their Week 13 loss to the Bills:

Rushing offense

The 49ers felt their best chance of winning this game was to run the ball down the throats of a Bills defense that is susceptible on the ground.

San Francisco largely succeeded in that area. Christian McCaffrey gained 53 yards on seven carries before leaving with a potentially season-ending injury to the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Jordan Mason led the 49ers with 78 yards on 13 carries. Isaac Guerendo added 19 yards and a touchdown on four attempts.

Advertisement

On the negative side, fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled at the goal line in the third quarter to prevent the 49ers from closing the gap to a two-score game.

Grade: C-plus

Passing offense

First, the 49ers’ passing game gets credit for not committing any turnovers.

Brock Purdy committed one giveaway when the ball slipped out of his hand as he attempted to throw a pass on the first play of the fourth quarter.

Advertisement

Jauan Jennings had 56 yards receiving on three catches.

Tight end George Kittle caught a 7-yard pass from Purdy on the 49ers’ first offensive play of the game. He did not have another reception the entire game.

Purdy completed 11 of 18 passes for 94 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

Grade: D

Advertisement

Rushing defense

The game turned in the second quarter when the 49ers’ run defense was gashed for James Cook’s 65-yard touchdown run. On that play, linebacker Jalen Graham and safety Ji’Ayir Brown had their chances to stop Cook near the line of scrimmage.

Cooks had 100 yards rushing on nine carries in the first half.

The Bills finished the game with 220 rushing yards on 38 carries for a gaudy 5.8-yard average.

Advertisement

Grade: F

Passing defense

The Bills did not throw too much but they succeeded whenever Josh Allen dropped back to throw.

Allen’s big arm helped him cut through the wind against the 49ers’ short-handed defense.

Allen completed 13 of 17 pass attempts for 148 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. He had a passer rating of 141.3. Allen was even credited with a touchdown pass to himself when Amari Cooper lateraled the ball back to him after a short third-quarter pass.

The 49ers got only one hit on Allen, and that came from undrafted rookie Evan Anderson in his first start.

Grade: F

Special teams

It’s difficult to place too much blame on kicker Jake Moody, considering the weather conditions.

But he did miss field goals of 45 and 55 yards in the first half.

Advertisement

Deebo Samuel tried to give the 49ers a spark to open the second half with a 60-yard kickoff return. But he also lost a fumble on a kickoff return early in the fourth quarter.

Grade: D

Coaching

The 49ers had the right idea to keep the ball on the ground. But one highly debatable decision that killed the 49ers came when coach Kyle Shanahan put the ball in the hands of a player who had just three carries coming into the game.

Fullback Kyle Juszczyk fumbled on a first-and-goal play from the Buffalo 4-yard line early in the third quarter when Taylor Rapp punched the ball loose.

Granted, Mason was out of the game. But rookie running back Isaac Guerendo, who entered the game with 38 carries this season, should have gotten the call over Juszczyk.

But, clearly, that play call did not cost the 49ers the game. Generally, the 49ers had the right idea from a tactical standpoint. They just did not have the players to compete with the Bills.

Grade: C-minus

Overall

Did you expect anything else?

Advertisement

The 49ers have not been good this season, period. And they were short-handed and going up against one of the best NFL teams.

A botched play from the 49ers’ run defense while Fred Warner was out of the game and a fumble at the goal line were the plays that stood out and prevented them from keeping it close.

The loss drops the 49ers (5-7) another game behind the Seattle Seahawks (7-5) in the NFC West.

Grade: F

Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

Advertisement





Source link

Related Topics:
Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

San Francisco, CA

Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison

Published

4 hours ago

on

March 27, 2026

By

Man convicted in the deadly 2021 assault of a Thai grandfather in San Francisco avoids prison


SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The man convicted in the fatal 2021 attack of an older Thai man in San Francisco, which galvanized a movement against anti-Asian hate, will be able to avoid prison time, a judge ruled Thursday.

Antoine Watson, 25, was sentenced to eight years for manslaughter in the death of Vicha Ratanapakdee, 84. But, having already spent five years in jail awaiting trial, Watson received credit for time served, and San Francisco Superior Court Judge Linda Colfax said he could have the remaining three years suspended if he follows the rules of his probation.

Ratanapakdee’s daughter, Monthanus, expressed her family’s disappointment in a statement shared by Justice For Vicha, the foundation named for her father.

“We respect the court process. However, this is not about revenge — it is about accountability,” she said. “When consequences do not reflect the seriousness of the harm, it raises concerns about how we protect our seniors and public safety.”

Advertisement

Vicha Ratanapakdee was out for his usual morning walk in the quiet neighborhood he lived in with his wife, daughter and her family when Watson charged at him and knocked him to the ground. Ratanapakdee never regained consciousness and died two days later.

Watson testified on the stand that he was in a haze of confusion and anger at the time of the unprovoked attack, according to KRON-TV. He said he lashed out and didn’t know that Ratanapakdee was Asian or older.

San Francisco Public Defender Mano Raju, whose office defended Watson, also said at his trial that the defendant is “fully remorseful for his mistake.”

The Office of the San Francisco Public Defender did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment on Watson’s sentencing.

Footage of the attack was captured on a neighbor’s security camera and spread across social media, prompting a surge in activism over a rise in anti-Asian crimes driven by the COVID-19 pandemic. Hundreds of people across several U.S. cities commemorated the anniversary of Ratanapakdee’s death in 2022, seeking justice for Asian Americans who have been harassed, assaulted and even killed in alarming numbers.

Advertisement

Asians in America have long been subject to prejudice and discrimination, but the attacks escalated sharply after COVID-19 first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China. More than 10,000 hate incidents against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders were reported to the Stop AAPI Hate coalition from March 2020 through September 2021.

While the Ratanapakdee family asserts he was attacked because of his race, hate crime charges were not filed and the argument was not raised in trial. Prosecutors have said hate crimes are difficult to prove absent statements by the suspect.



Source link

Advertisement
Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

Authors gathering in San Francisco to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation

Published

16 hours ago

on

March 26, 2026

By

Authors gathering in San Francisco to raise awareness and money for the National Kidney Foundation


A number of notable authors are set to take part in a special event in San Francisco this Sunday, celebrating a shared love of reading while shining a light on an often overlooked health issue. The National Kidney Foundation Authors Luncheon brings together writers and community members to support kidney health awareness and raise funds for critical programs.

Posted 

Advertisement



Source link

Continue Reading

San Francisco, CA

Yankees top Giants 7-0 as robot umpire debuts

Published

1 day ago

on

March 26, 2026

By

Yankees top Giants 7-0 as robot umpire debuts




/ AP

Advertisement

Aaron Judge went hitless on opening day for the first time and struck out four times for the first time since September 2024, but the New York Yankees still produced plenty of offense and beat San Francisco 7-0 Wednesday night in the debut of Giants manager Tony Vitello as the major league season began.

José Caballero drove in the go-ahead run with an RBI single in a five-run second and also lost the first challenge taken to Major League Baseball’s so-called robot umpire, unsuccessfully appealing a strike by Logan Webb in the fourth.

Max Fried (1-0) allowed two hits in 6 1/3 innings to became just the fifth Yankees pitcher since 1969 with at least 6 1/3 shutout innings on opening day, joining Catfish Hunter (1977), Ron Guidry (1980), Rick Rhoden (1988) and David Cone (1996). New York won an opener with a shutout on the road for the first time since 1967.

Advertisement

Webb (0-1) started the fourth inning with a 90.7 mph sinker on the upper, inner corner that was called a strike by Bill Miller, a major league umpire since 1997. Caballero tapped his helmet, and the 12 Hawk-Eye cameras of the Automated Ball-Strike System upheld Miller’s decision in a graphic shown on the Oracle Park scoreboard.

Caballero singled in the second and Ryan McMahon followed with a two-run single before Austin Wells’ single prompted a mound visit for Webb. Trent Grisham hit a two-run triple and was checked by medical staff after a hard slide into third.

Judge was booed before the game and during each at-bat as he began his 11th big league season. The California native had been pursued by the Giants during free agency in 2022 but he ultimately chose the Yankees’ $360 million, nine-year contract offer.

Webb, a 15-game winner last season making his fifth start on opening day, was tagged for six earned runs — seven in all — and nine hits over five innings.

The 47-year-old Vitello made the big jump from coaching the University of Tennessee.

Advertisement

The teams resum3 the series Friday afternoon, with RHP Cam Schlittler starting for New York opposite lefty Robbie Ray.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/mlb

Advertisement

In:



Source link

Continue Reading

Trending