SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo's playoff performance is all anyone would need to understand the decisions the San Francisco 49ers made last offseason at quarterback.
The lack of downfield throws and handful of bone-headed plays explain why the Niners felt the need to trade three first-round picks to draft Garoppolo's eventual replacement in Trey Lance third overall.
SEATTLE (AP) — Jimmy Garoppolo believed the play was there. There likely was going to be an open target with all the attention focused on George Kittle.
But the pass never got to its intended target, deflected at the line of scrimmage by Carlos Dunlap.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Now that the San Francisco 49ers have won three straight games to get back into the playoff race, they will need to deal with the absence of two key players for at least one week.
Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was taken off the field on a cart with a shoulder injury in the third quarter of a 34-26 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.
Cook went down after losing a fumble and stayed on the ground for a while before being taken to the locker room.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Any encouragement the San Francisco 49ers might have gained from last week's win at Chicago was wiped out in a hurry against a short-handed Arizona team missing most of its top playmakers.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Deebo Samuel's days of being mostly a gadget player capitalizing on shovel passes, jet sweeps and screen passes are in the past.
Now in his third season with the San Francisco 49ers, Samuel is leading the NFL in yards receiving through four weeks since becoming a more complete receiver able to thrive downfield as well.
The San Francisco 49ers placed linebacker Dre Greenlaw on injured reserve Saturday with a groin injury that will likely sideline him for at least a month.
Greenlaw first injured the hamstring in training camp and then it got worse in a season-opening 41-33 win at Detroit last week when he returned an interception for a touchdown.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The San Francisco 49ers defense had a different feel once star edge rusher Nick Bosa returned to practice.
Now, after nearly a year-long wait, the Niners can't wait to see Bosa's dominance in a game when he returns from a knee injury in the season opener at Detroit on Sunday.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Darius Leonard always believed he was the best linebacker in football. The Indianapolis Colts made sure he gets paid like it.
The two-time All-Pro agreed on Sunday to a five-year contract extension worth $99.25 million that includes $52 million in guaranteed money, according to a person with knowledge of the deal.
Fred Warner's all-around play helped earn him the richest contract ever given to an off-ball linebacker in the NFL.
Now that he got that reward he wants to upgrade one specific element to his game by improving his ability as a blitzer.
The San Francisco 49ers agreed on a five-year contract extension with Fred Warner that makes him the highest-paid off-ball linebacker in the NFL.
A person familiar with the deal said Wednesday that the extension that runs through 2026 is worth about $95 million with $40.5 million in guarantees.