Happy Thursday, Niner Gang! It’s been an eventful week in 49ers land: a big win on the road at Tampa Bay, a big contract extension for a rising 49ers star, and a massive home game vs the Seahawks in a couple days! The 49ers are full steam ahead, let’s take a look:

Weekly Updates

• BIG news from this week: 49ers locked up rising star CB Deommodore Lenoir to a 5 yr / $92M contract extension

  • 49ers decided not to wait until the offseason like they’ve done with Bosa, Aiyuk, and others - they locked up Lenoir quickly!

  • With the extension for Lenoir and the emergence of rookie CB Renardo Green, I have to imagine Charvarius Ward’s time as a 49er will come to an end at the conclusion of this season

• 49ers punter Mitch Wishnowsky is dealing with some back issues, so the team signed journeyman punter Pat O’Donnell. TBD on whether Wishnowsky will be healthy enough to go on Sunday.

• Nick Bosa has been held out of practice (hip) all week thus far, but it sounds like he will attempt to play on Sunday

Tidbits from the Week

• Ricky Pearsall was nominated for Pepsi Rookie of the Week honors!

• Speaking of awards, Brock Purdy won the NVP (Nickelodeon Valuable Player) this week!

• With regards to the small sideline altercation between Deebo Samuel and long snapper Taylor Pepper, Coach Shanahan said Pepper “overreacted a little bit”, and that “we’ve squashed it”

Fan Trivia

Have fun and test your 49ers knowledge!

Game Recap

As I mentioned in last week’s blog, the game vs Tampa Bay was about as close to being a “must-win” game as there could be this early in the season, and thankfully the 49ers came through with a W; albeit not a pretty win.

As we’ve seen time and time again, 49ers special teams continue to be one of the worst units in the NFL. 3 missed field goals and a fumbled punt return made this game so much closer than it should’ve been. Thankfully, the 49ers defense was stout, and Brock Purdy and the offense made enough plays to lead the niners to victory. Pundits across the league have asked for Brock to lead the team in the 4th quarter when it matters, and Purdy did just that as he went 10-14, 160 yds, 1 TD in the 4th quarter alone!

Purdy was definitely happy to have his sidekick Christian McCaffrey back next to him in the backfield! We wondered how much play McCaffery would get in his first game back, and sure enough Kyle Shanahan rode CMC all game, and Jordan Mason and Isaac Guerendo barely sniffed the field. CMC played a whopping 88.5% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps; there was no easing him back into game action. McCaffrey didn’t have his biggest game production-wise, but he’s certainly a difference-maker out there, and his production will only continue to rise as he continues working back into game shape!

One other massive positive from the game was the emergence of Ricky Pearsall! Just 71 days after being shot in the chest, Ricky secured his first career NFL touchdown on a beautiful catch and run! Pearsall ended with 4 receptions for 73 yards & a TD. Truly inspirational stuff!

The Niners will need more big games from Purdy, Pearsall, McCaffrey, and others as they host the Seahawks this week in a maaaaassive division battle! With a gauntlet of a schedule ahead, this is another game the 49ers can’t afford to drop. If this season so far is any indication, I’m sure we can expect a rollercoaster game. Just once this season I would love a complete start-to-finish clean performance from the 49ers…but I’m not holding my breath anymore for it. Just need to WIN!

Fan Poll

See how your opinions stack up compared to what other Niner fans are thinking!

FOUR-ty Niners Graphics

FOUR-ty Niners Facts

1) The 49ers are now 17-2 in all regular season games after bye weeks since 2002

2) Brock Purdy became just the 2nd quarterback since 1950 to have a passer rating of 100+ in 10 of his first 15 career road starts. The other QB is Patrick Mahomes.

3) Brock Purdy now has at least 200 passing yards in 19 consecutive starts! The next closest is Kirk Cousins with just 10 consecutive starts.

4) The Seahawks lead the overall series of matchups vs the 49ers with a 30-23 overall regular season record

Highlight of the Week

This week’s highlight is a huge moment in 49ers-Seahawks history, and one of many reasons why we miss Dre Greenlaw right now! Greenlaw’s massive hitstick at the goaline with 9 seconds left to play, assured the 49ers a division title and the No.1 playoff seed that undoubtedly boosted them to the Super Bowl that season!

It’s Seahawks week!! If you’re going to be at Levi’s on Sunday, please don’t come home until you’ve lost your voice from screaming your head off. If you’re superstitious like me, please put on your lucky underwear, or eat your lucky breakfast, or do whatever you need to do (that totally works) to will the 49ers to victory,

Bang Bang Niner Gang!