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The second week of the 2024 NFL season was a rough one for the San Francisco 49ers. The Minnesota Vikings took the win, 23-17. The Vikings are now 2-0 while the 49ers fall to a 1-1 record. Even with the loss, some players really shined. There are also a couple of players need to step up next week. Here is a look at the San Francisco 49ers week two studs and duds.
San Francisco 49ers Studs
Fred Warner
The star linebacker had another big game against the Vikings in week two of the season. Fred Warner was the ultimate stud for the 49ers. This game may not have been as close as it was without Warner on the field. This is just week two of the NFL season and he is already building up a case for Defensive Player of the Year.
Against the Vikings, Warner had nine combined tackles, seven solo, one tackle for loss, and one sack according to ESPN. While Warner is a player all over the field making key plays, he has done so much more than that. He also had one interception, that went for 25 yards, and two forced fumbles. One of the fumbles resulted in the 49ers’ ball. Warner is not just a leader, he is an absolute beast on the field.
Deebo Samuel
This was a rough weekend for the 49ers’ offense. They had to punt twice, they turned over the ball, and they could not capitalize in the red zone. There is a lot of fixing up to be done, but the star on the offense was definitely wide receiver Deebo Samuel. Samuel made some tough catches and continuously got open for quarterback Brock Purdy. The offense needs to improve, but Samuel is doing his job.
Against the Vikings, Samuel had eight receptions for 110 yards, according to ESPN. His longest reception was for 28 yards. Unfortunately, Samuel could not get it into the endzone, and he could not get the run game going. Samuel rushed the ball two times, which went for -10 yards. While hopefully that can improve, he was a top target for Purdy this weekend. He helped keep the game close, and will hopefully keep up the momentum that he has had this season so far.
San Francisco 49ers Duds
Brock Purdy
This was a rough game for the 49ers’ third-year quarterback. Brock Purdy had some big throws, but he also made some poor decisions. While the Vikings’ defense did very well putting pressure on Purdy, there were also times when he hurt himself. Not capitalizing in the red zone is hurting the 49ers and that is something that must improve moving forward.
In the game, Purdy completed 28 passes out of 36 attempts for 319 yards and one touchdown, according to ESPN. This is good, but he also threw one interception, fumbled the ball once, and was sacked six times. He needs to be a play maker, and this weekend he just did not do enough. He did have a good run for a first down, and did make some plays, but in tight games it has to be more. Purdy ended up rushing the ball two times for 12 yards. There were some key plays by the quarterback, but he needs to do better next weekend. As much as the pressure was on him, some poor plays could have been avoided.
Offensive Line
Even if it is not all on the offensive line, there does need to be improvement in blocking. When it comes to running the ball, it could have been better. There was a period of time when George Kittle was off the field. The tight end needed an IV, and while he was gone there was a struggle to gain positive yards running the ball.
Purdy made his mistakes throughout the game, but there were times when there was nothing that he could do with the Vikings defense running at him. Even if it was a strong Minnesota defense doing their job, there needs to be improvement in protecting Purdy.
Purdy was sacked six times, which is not good. It was not all because of the offensive line, sometimes it was just good defense, but this cannot happen again. The 49ers did rush the ball for 102 total yards, according to ESPN, but it needs to be more consistent. There are times it is on more than just the offensive line, as tight ends also block, there just needs to be improvement on the blocking on offense. Against the New York Jets, Purdy looked comfortable in the pocket. The team needs to get back to this quickly.
The San Francisco 49ers will next face the Los Angeles Rams for their second away game in a row.
More must-reads:
- Browns may not be prepared for one thing with Shedeur Sanders
- Broncos QB Bo Nix pumps the brakes on his own head coach's hype train
- The 'NFL single-season reception leaders' quiz
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Browns may not be prepared for one thing with Shedeur Sanders
During a recent edition of the "Orange and Brown Talk Podcast," Cleveland Browns beat reporter Ashley Bastock of the Cleveland Plain Dealer suggested that Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski may not be prepared for the "potential fan backlash" that could arise regarding the team's handling of rookie quarterback Shedeur Sanders. Stefanski seemed to say plenty about the subject when it was learned on Monday that Sanders remains fourth on the club's unofficial depth chart even though he enjoyed a solid NFL debut in the club's preseason opener at the Carolina Panthers on Friday night. Also on Monday, Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer made it known that Stefanski won't be in a rush to play Sanders or fellow first-year pro Dillon Gabriel ahead of schedule. "Stefanski and the other offensive coaches have a plan for the rookie QBs, and they’re not about to be swayed by public opinion and the Sanders-mania that’s sweeping the nation," Cabot wrote. "Yes, it was a great debut against the Panthers with two beautiful touchdown passes to first-year receiver Kaden Davis. But Stefanski always keeps things simple for his rookie quarterbacks in preseason games, and most have looked excellent in their outings under him. Therefore, he wasn’t ready Monday to start handing over those precious starting reps to Sanders when he’s unlikely to start Week 1 and doesn’t necessarily need that valuable time with the ones — yet." Neither Gabriel nor presumed backup Kenny Pickett played against the Panthers after they were slowed by hamstring injuries during training camp. Meanwhile, Sanders completed 14-of-23 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns in Cleveland's 30-10 victory over Carolina. Gabriel returned to the practice field on Monday, but Pickett reportedly could be sidelined "for a couple more weeks." It's unclear if either signal-caller will play in Cleveland's preseason matchup at the Philadelphia Eagles this coming Saturday. "They have had a process with Shedeur all the way through," Cabot added during the latest episode of the podcast. "And even when they were taking heat nationally from all kinds of pundits and experts saying that they were setting Shedeur up to fail, they stuck to their guns. And even after his really, really nice debut, they really haven’t changed the process." As recently as Tuesday morning, Zac Jackson of The Athletic mentioned that veteran Joe Flacco is still "the clear leader" to be Cleveland's Week 1 starter over Sanders, Gabriel and Pickett. As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel Sportsbook had Flacco as a -310 betting favorite to get the nod for the Browns' regular-season opener versus the Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 7. Previous whispers indicated Stefanski will want to name his Week 1 QB1 before Cleveland wraps the preseason up with a home game against the Los Angeles Rams on Aug. 23. It certainly sounds like Stefanski won't lose any sleep over disappointing members of a passionate fan base who want to see what Sanders can do against live defenses in meaningful contests.
Brewers' Quinn Priester tells the truth after escaping loss in comeback vs. Mets
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Cardinals Announce Willson Contreras News After Leaving Rockies Game
The St. Louis Cardinals have been fighting to stay alive in the National League Wild Card race, entering Tuesday’s slate with a 61–59 record and three games behind the New York Mets. A huge reason for the team’s success this year has been Willson Contreras, who is playing in his third season for the Cardinals after joining the organization ahead of the 2023 season. The 33-year-old transitioned from catcher to first base to appear in the lineup more frequently and to fill the void at the position due to Paul Goldschmidt departing for the New York Yankees in free agency. Contreras has been a force at the plate, posting a .256 batting average, .787 OPS, 16 home runs, and 65 RBIs over 113 games. Willson Contreras Leaves Rockies Game Early During Tuesday’s game against the Colorado Rockies, Contreras was drilled on the foot by starting pitcher Kyle Freeland. He was replaced in the top half of the sixth inning at first base by Nolan Gorman. Moments later, the Cardinals announced that he had left the game with a bruised right foot. “Contreras has left game with a bruise on his right foot, per #stlcards official,” wrote St. Louis Post-Dispatch’s Derrick Goold. Contreras Continues to Carry Cardinals Offense This comes at a disappointing time for St. Louis, as they just got All-Star second baseman Brendan Donovan back after missing three consecutive games, and Nolan Arenado is still out with a right shoulder strain. Contreras has kept the lineup afloat since his arrival, and if he is forced to miss extended time, it would be a massive blow to St. Louis’s playoff odds. Over three years in St. Louis, Contreras has a .261 batting average, .818 OPS, 51 home runs, and 168 RBIs, seemingly improving his game as a Cardinal after spending seven years with the Chicago Cubs to start his career. Contreras has made it clear that he intends on staying with the Cardinals for the long haul after his name surfaced in trade rumors at this year’s deadline.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Thinks It Is Clear Preseason Hero Will Be Playing Elsewhere In 2025
Oregon suspends former five-star WR recruit indefinitely
Oregon wide receiver Jurrion Dickey has struggled to live up to expectations in his first two seasons with the Ducks, and he is now in a terrible position heading into 2025 as well. Dickey has been suspended indefinitely by Oregon, head coach Dan Lanning announced on Tuesday. Lanning also suggested that Dickey may not play for the Ducks again. "We have two team rules; that’s respectful, be on time,” Lanning said, via James Crepea of The Oregonian. “There’s some pieces of that where I felt like he needed a break from us and we needed a break from that so we could focus on what’s in front of us right now. "Wishing him nothing but the best, as far as success and want to see him get back to where he can be a contributor somewhere; that might be here that might be somewhere else.” Dickey was a five-star recruit and rated as one of the top wide receivers in the country when he came out of Menlo-Atherton High School in Atherton, California in 2023. He suffered an injury his senior year in high school and redshirted as a freshman at Oregon. Dickey has two catches for 14 years during his time with the Ducks. Oregon went 13-1 in Lanning's third season with the program last season. The Ducks lost to eventual national champion Ohio State in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals.
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