TYSHUN SAMUEL

The San Francisco 49ers got a jolt offensively when they made the bold decision in October to trade four draft picks to add Christian McCaffrey to an already deep group of playmakers.

Nasty defenses.

Wild-card weekend is all about familiarity.

Brock Purdy threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score in his first career start and San Francisco’s vaunted defense spoiled Tom Brady’s Bay Area homecoming with a 35-7 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

San Francisco 49ers receiver Deebo Samuel was taken off the field on a cart after injuring his left ankle on a running play.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw four touchdown passes, including two each to Brandon Aiyuk and George Kittle, and the San Francisco 49ers won their third straight game by beating the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 in Mexico City.

Christian McCaffrey became the 11th player in NFL history with a rushing touchdown, a passing touchdown and a receiving touchdown in one game, and the San Francisco 49ers extended their regular-season mastery over the Rams to four full years with a 31-14 victory over Los Angeles.

San Francisco 49ers playmaker Deebo Samuel will miss Sunday’s key NFC West showdown against the rival Los Angeles Rams with an injured hamstring.

General manager John Lynch still views his San Francisco 49ers as a Super Bowl contender despite a string of injuries, lackluster performances and a 3-3 start to the season.

The San Francisco 49ers have acquired star running back Christian McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers for a haul of draft picks.

Can we finally start Tony Pollard.

Deebo Samuel turned a short catch into an electric 57-yard touchdown, Talanoa Hufanga returned an interception for a score and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 24-9.

Melvin Gordon scored from a yard out and Kareem Jackson recovered a fumble in the closing minutes Sunday night to secure Denver's 11-10 win over Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers.

Jimmy Garoppolo has rejoined his San Francisco 49ers teammates at practice for the first time since last season and was firing off passes the same way he always has.

Jimmy Garoppolo is staying in San Francisco after agreeing to a reduced contract to be the backup to Trey Lance on the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan started training camp with a declaration that second-year player Trey Lance will be the starting quarterback and Jimmy Garoppolo will be moving on soon.

Tom Brady earned the right to skip voluntary workouts a long time ago.

Kenneth Walker III believes NFL scouts may be shortchanging this year’s running backs contingent.

The Miami Dolphins have hired San Francisco 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel as their new coach, making him the first minority candidate to get hired so far this offseason.

The Los Angeles Rams will host the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC championship game.

When the San Francisco 49ers placed the franchise tag on Robbie Gould three years ago, the kicker had a decision to make.

Cooper Kupp led the league in every major receiving category this season, a triple crown feat accomplished only three times previously in NFL history.

Robbie Gould continued his playoff perfection and moved the San Francisco 49ers one step away from their second Super Bowl appearance in three seasons.

It was the rally that sparked the Green Bay Packers toward the NFL’s best regular-season record.

Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys couldn't take advantage of a home playoff game.

Versatile receiver Deebo Samuel ran 26 yards for a touchdown the play after an interception by Dak Prescott and the San Francisco 49ers held on for a 23-17 wild-card victory over the Dallas Cowboys.

Five players, including dynamic pass catchers Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams, are unanimous choices for The Associated Press 2021 NFL All-Pro Team.

The San Francisco 49ers clinched a playoff spot with a 27-24 overtime victory over the NFC West champion Los Angeles Rams.

Randy Bullock kicked a 44-yard field goal with 4 seconds remaining and the banged-up Tennessee Titans rallied from a 10-point halftime deficit to beat the San Francisco 49ers 20-17.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Aiyuk and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cincinnati Bengals 26-23 in overtime.

Russell Wilson played his best game since returning from finger surgery by throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns and the Seattle Seahawks made a late goal line stand to beat the San Francisco 49ers 30-23.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes for the third consecutive week and the San Francisco 49ers dominated Jacksonville 30-10 on Sunday for their third win in four games.

Jimmy Garoppolo threw two touchdown passes, Jimmie Ward returned one of his two first-quarter interceptions for another score and the San Francisco 49ers beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 for their first home win in more than a year.

The Arizona Cardinals improved to 5-0 for the first time since 1974, riding a stellar defensive performance to a 17-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

Dre Greenlaw returned an interception for a touchdown to help the San Francisco 49ers score 17 points over two-plus minutes late in the first half and they held on for a 41-33 win over the Detroit Lions.

Aaron Rodgers and Deshaun Watson appeared on the field at their teams’ first training camp practices.

(AP Photo/Scott Eklund)George Kittle dismissed talk about the San Francisco 49ers possibly trading Jimmy Garoppolo the way he sheds tacklers after making catches. I think it’s chatter,” Kittle said on the AP Pro Football Podcast. “I think it’s his second or third year of dealing with these exact same rumors every single offseason,” Kittle said. Garoppolo, Kittle, cornerback Richard Sherman, edge rusher Nick Bosa, running back Raheem Mostert and receiver Deebo Samuel all missed at least half the season. I think that was a struggle for us, especially because we have a young team on offense as well.

(AP Photo/Aaron Doster)Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott is inactive against San Francisco with a calf injury the two-time rushing championship has been battling for several weeks. Safety Deon Bush (foot) is also out after being listed questionable with Johnson. Cowboys: RB Ezekiel Elliott, QB Ben DiNucci, WR Malik Turner, CB Rashard Robinson, DE Bradlee Anae, LB Luke Gifford, DE Ron’Dell Carter. ___JACKSONVILLE AT BALTIMOREJaguars: CB Sidney Jones, CB Luq Barcoo, LB Quincy Williams, DT Daniel Ross, QB Jake Luton. Ravens: DE Calais Campbell, CB Jimmy Smith, CB Marcus Peters, RB Mark Ingram, LB Kristian Welch, DE Jihad Ward, C Trystan Colon-Castillo.

The Niners will fly to Arizona, where they will practice, live and play their next two games after Santa Clara County imposed a three-week ban on games and practices for contact sports. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, File)The San Francisco 49ers will finish out the regular season practicing and playing home games in Arizona after a ban on contact sorts in their home county was extended into January. The Niners relocated to Arizona at the beginning of December after Santa Clara County announced a three-week ban on contact sports games and practices to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. And, I think a lot of people are in the same boat.”The 49ers arrived in Arizona on Dec. 2 and began practicing the next day. The team is staying at a hotel near the Arizona Cardinals stadium in Glendale, where they are playing their home games.

Rookies Chase Young and Kamren Curl scored defensive touchdowns as Washington grabbed sole possession of first place in the division after a gritty 23-15 win over the San Francisco 49ers. He missed the second half with soreness in his surgically repaired right leg. “We were not clean today offensively,” San Francisco 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said. Dwayne Haskins, the 15th overall pick in the 2019 draft, replaced Smith in the second half. San Francisco: travels to the Dallas Cowboys next Sunday.

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, bottom left, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) celebrate after connecting on a touchdown pass during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. (AP Photo/Tony Avelar)SANTA CLARA, Calif. – Aaron Rodgers took advantage of the undermanned San Francisco 49ers rather than sympathizing with the team that dominated his Green Bay Packers twice last season. Rodgers threw for 305 yards and four touchdowns and the Packers overwhelmed the depleted 49ers 34-17 on Thursday night. DEPLETED ROSTERThe run of injuries and coronavirus rules left the 49ers with a shell of a roster, especially on offense. 49ers: CB K’Waun Williams (ankle) and S Jaquiski Tartt (toe) left the game and didn’t return.

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The NFL and the union are investigating the San Francisco 49ers and receiver Kendrick Bourne for possible violations of the league’s coronavirus protocols. A person familiar with the investigation says the probe is looking into whether Bourne was wearing a face covering as required by the COVID-19 rules. Bourne was placed on the COVID-19 list on Wednesday after testing positive for the coronavirus. The Packers also have their own coronavirus issues after running back AJ Dillon tested positive and was placed on the COVID-19 list Monday. Running back Jamaal Williams and linebacker Kamal Martin were also placed on the list because of high-risk close contacts.

(AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)SANTA CLARA, Calif. – The San Francisco 49ers will be without quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and All-Pro tight end George Kittle for an extended period of time after they got hurt against Seattle. A person familiar with the injuries said Monday on condition of anonymity that Garoppolo’s ankle injury and Kittle’s foot injury will sideline them indefinitely. San Francisco already has been forced to play without defensive ends Nick Bosa, Dee Ford and Solomon Thomas; top cornerback Richard Sherman, No. He hurt his shoulder in New England in 2016 and had a season-ending injury for San Francisco in 2018. San Francisco also traded linebacker Kwon Alexander to New Orleans on Monday in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso and a conditional fifth-round draft choice.

Wilson and Metcalf tormented San Francisco and its banged up secondary as the top-scoring offense in the league continued to pile up points. Wilson found rookie DeeJay Dallas on a 2-yard TD pass after San Francisco went three-and-out to open the second half for a 20-7 lead. The momentum from two straight wins for San Francisco (4-4) evaporated in a hurry as more injuries continued to pile up. On Metcalf’s second TD, Moseley was flagged for interference but couldn’t keep Metcalf’s size and strength from still making the catch. San Francisco played without starters Deebo Samuel, Jeff Wilson Jr., Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt.

– Jeff Wilson Jr. rushed for a career-high three touchdowns and 112 yards before leaving with an ankle injury and the San Francisco 49ers dominated in a 33-6 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday. San Francisco (4-3) has followed back-to-back losses with two wins and is 3-0 on the road. New England fell to 2-4 for the first since coach Belichick’s first season in 2000, when the Patriots went 5-11. Following a Patriots punt, San Francisco was pinned inside its 15. The lead grew to 23-3 with just under a minute to go before halftime on a 16-yard run by Wilson.

Garoppolo threw three TD passes in the first half and Jason Verrett’s first interception in more than four years helped preserve the lead, giving the 49ers a 24-16 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night. This week got us back on track.”San Francisco’s defense stepped up with some key stops in the second half. Verrett's interception was part of a rough day overall for Jared Goff, who also missed an open Kupp on a deep ball earlier in the second half. Garoppolo found Kittle on a one-on-one matchup with Darious Williams on a fourth-and-2 play that turned into a 44-yard TD. INJURY REPORT49ers: RB Raheem Mostert (ankle) S Jaquiski Tartt (groin) and C Ben Garland (calf) all left in the second half and didn't return.

Still, short-handed San Francisco had enough to beat the inept New York Jets. Defensive end Nick Bosa and defensive tackle Solomon Thomas were both carted off the field two plays apart with left knee injuries in the first quarter. Two plays later, Thomas was carted off — also with a left knee injury — after an 8-yard reception by Chris Hogan. San Francisco ended the 14-play possession with an 18-yard catch by Jordan Reed for the first of his two TD grabs. ... San Francisco wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, a first-round draft pick, had two catches for 21 yards in his NFL debut.