Niner Nation

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Maybe the NFL needs to reassess this? Former San Francisco 49ers quarterback and NFL Hall of Famer Steve Young has been a big Brock Purdy fan. For the last few weeks, and even months going back to the 2022 season, Young has heaped loads of praise on Purdy; what he does well, what he will need to improve and what he’ll never improve. To Young, Brock Purdy has “The Force.” In his latest KNBR appearance, Young brought some more insight to Purdy’s success, but most notably why he slipped so far in the 2022 NFL Draft. Sure, we have had...

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Saturday, September 30th, 2023 Cardinals’ bruising attack should finally test the 49ers’ run defense (paywall) “They’re certain that the Cardinals, who rank No. 3 in run DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), will push the ground attack. That’s because a creative run game is the lifeblood of Arizona’s offense, which racked up 222 yards on 30 carries in its 28-16 upset victory over the Dallas Cowboys last week.” Kyle Shanahan provides injury updates as WR corps thins “It’s a bit of a surprising turn given the...

Photo by Ezra Shaw/ The Cards beat the Cowboys last week. Can the 49ers avoid the same fate? The San Francisco 49ers have proved to be one of the best teams in the NFL through the first two weeks of the season. Relatively healthy after a trio of comfortable victories, the Niners will look to take advantage of a longer layoff against the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals have had one of the strangest starts to the season in the league. At times, the Cards have looked like one of the worst teams in the NFL, but they also upset the Cowboys last week. Due to our sponsorship...

Photo by Michael Owens/ Deebo Samuel is questionable, despite not practicing on Friday 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel was on the practice field Friday, but he was going through physical therapy and didn’t have his helmet. Samuel is working through a rib and knee injury, leaving his status for Sunday’s game in doubt. Additionally, Jauan Jennings was not spotted during Friday’s practice by the media on hand as Jennings is dealing with a shin injury. John Lynch was on KNBR Friday morning voicing his concern about both wideouts' availability for Sunday’s game...

Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/ That would mean the first loss comes against the Jaguars, Bucs, Seahawks or the Eagles. 49ers fans are a confident bunch these days. Why shouldn’t they be? The team has scored 30 points in three consecutive weeks with a feeling of still not fully firing on all cylinders. The concerns about Brock Purdy’s elbow have faded with his performance to open the season. The defense looks every bit like the defense from last season. Lastly, the regime of Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch are here to stay for the foreseeable future. As confident as the...

Photo by Michael Owens/ Plus, Christian McCaffrey can tie Jerry Rice by doing this... Betting is a rollercoaster. After starting the season 5-2, a 1-4 outing has my picks sitting at 6-6. George Kittle didn’t score a touchdown but had a great showing on TNF. Kittle going scoreless wiped off my Kittle plus 49ers win bet. Deebo Samuel didn’t go over his rushing yard total. Brock Purdy hit the over on his passing touchdown prop (our only win). My four-pick parlay flopped. 6-6 isn’t a bad record, but after starting 4-0 in Week 1, we’ve got some work to do. Let’s...

Photo by Christian Petersen/ James Conner caught the attention of Steve Wilks. And we remember how he ran against the 49ers a couple of years ago Seth Cox from Revenge of the Birds joins us this week for a prediction, to give us more insight about the Arizona Cardinals roster and start to the season, and a little Kyler Murray talk. 1. Arizona surprised Dallas last week and have played more competitively than many in the media expected prior to the season. How are Cardinals fans feeling about their start and the expectations for this season? People are excited because...

Photo by Michael Owens/ Another reason why the 49ers won’t be taking Arizona lightly. All it took was one Week 3 win for the Arizona Cardinals to feel a more significant threat to the 49ers in Week 4. Arizona was considered one of the teams to tank this season with a first-year head coach, two first-round selections in next year’s draft, and an injured star quarterback. Despite the expectations, the Cardinals have looked good in their first three games, and it paid off with an upset win over the Cowboys last week. Now, the Cardinals must try to repeat their effort...

Photo by Michael Owens/ The defensive line has another chance to put on a show Sunday against the Cardinals 49ers star edge rusher Nick Bosa said he felt like the defensive line played its best game against the New York Giants in Week 3. For as much of the discussion about how Brock Purdy was against the blitz, you would’ve thought that Daniel Jones faced was the quarterback being blitzed on over 80 percent of his dropbacks. San Francisco’s defensive line finished the game with a pair of sacks, four quarterback hits, and 17 other pressures against the Giants....

Your daily San Francisco 49ers news for Friday, September 29th, 2023 Bosa’s body ‘fully adapted to football’ after 49ers’ post-TNF break “I think getting through Thursday for me was big,” he said. “Just getting thrown right into football, I was feeling it. But getting through that and being able to finish out Week 3, I think my body is fully adapted to football now.” Shanahan admittedly more comfortable with Purdy than previous QBs “Yeah, I would, and he’s earned that,” Shanahan said. “Each game you get more and more comfortable with him. You...

Photo by Stacy Revere/ Between Jordan Love and Jared Goff, don’t expect a ton of points tonight Thursday night football continues to give us matchups that leave a lot to be desired. This week, we get Jared Goff on the road in Lambeau Field against Jordan Love, a quarterback who is the definition of feast or famine. The Green Bay Packers won’t have David Bahktari, as he was placed on the injured reserve. Elgton Jenkins will also miss tonight’s game, meaning Love won’t have the left side of his offensive line. He will, however, have the services of running back...

Photo by Michael Owens/ Shanahan acknowledges that Greenlaw is toeing the line, but recognizes Dre has kept himself out of trouble. Dre Greenlaw is building a reputation in the NFL as one of the best off-ball linebackers in the game. As a player who flies to the football and plays fast and violently, Greenlaw has everything you want in a linebacker. The question is: Is he building a reputation as a dirty player? For the record, I don’t believe Greenlaw to be “dirty.” The fact of the matter is it seems nearly every game this season has seen Greenlaw flagged for...

Photo by Loren Elliott/ Will San Francisco capitalize on the collection of advantages over Arizona? San Francisco went 2-0 against Arizona last season. Let’s examine the division rival closer and see how the 49ers can keep their winning streak going against a surprisingly competitive Cardinals squad. The Niners are expected to win this game by two touchdowns on DraftKings Sportsbook, with the total of the game sitting around 44. Will this be a sneaky high-scoring game? SF O SKILL (QB/WR) VS. AZ SECONDARY Advantage: SF Even with Brandon Aiyuk out last...

Photo by Michael Owens/ Surprise, surprise. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan finally has his workhorse/bell-cow running back, and he’s taken full advantage through three weeks. Christian McCaffrey is second in the NFL to Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson in yards from scrimmage to begin the year. McCaffrey has the most rushing yards, 10+ yard carries, and forced missed tackles, per PFF. Furthermore, McCaffrey has 100 more yards after contact than Browns running back Jerome Ford, who is second in that stat. McCaffrey has shown his impact early and often in...

Photo by Michael Zagaris/San Francisco 49ers/ They are not high on Spencer Burford, or the pressure the Niners have surrendered so far Pro Football Focus went through every offensive line in the NFL through three weeks and assigned a ranking. When you think about the 49ers offensive line, Trent Williams and his dominant presence is the first thing that comes to mind. But I’d say the unit has been plenty good as a whole during the first three games. Christian McCaffrey consistently has gaping holes to run through. He’s second in the NFL with 144 yards before contact....