SANTA CLARA
Customized Los Angeles Rams Jerseys , Calif. (AP) — Josh Rosen hit San Francisco with a deep strike on his first snap and let Arizona’s opportunistic defense take over
from there.
That formula added up to the long-awaited first win of the season for the Cardinals.
Rosen threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to fellow rookie Christian Kirk on Arizona’s first play from scrimmage and the Cardinals used five takeaways to
give first-year coach Steve Wilks his first career win , 28-18 over the 49ers on
Sunday.
“There’s no such thing as an ugly win in the National Football League, particularly when it’s your first one,” Wilks said.
If any qualified, this might be it. The Cardinals (1-4) averaged just 3 yards per play after the opening snap, with their only other scores coming on Josh
Bynes‘ fumble return for a TD and David Johnson TD runs on two short drives
after turnovers by the 49ers (1-4).
The Niners had the decided edge in yardage (447-220), first downs (33-10) and offensive plays (92-49), but Arizona’s defense delivered in key moments with two
interceptions and three fumble recoveries.
“It shows how mentally tough we truly are,” said safety Tre Boston, who had an interception. “An 0-4 team if you’re not mentally tough and you don’t believe
in your process, you lose that game right there. You see yourself in the same
predicament you’ve been in and you see yourself losing. That’s not us. We saw
ourselves winning.”
Niners backup quarterback C.J. Beathard completed all five passes on the opening drive — four of which were behind the line — and gave San Francisco a
6-0 lead on a 5-yard shovel pass to Matt Breida. The Niners botched the extra
point and were trailing for good 10 seconds later on a day when the offense
struggled to finish.
“You look at a lot of those (stats), it’s hard to find how you lost a game,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “Then it’s very easy when you look at the turnover
column. I haven’t been part of any game, I don’t think many people have, where
five turnovers to zero leads to a win. We have to improve that drastically to
have a chance.”
Rosen dropped back and launched a deep throw to Kirk
Youth Royce Freeman Jersey , who was wide open down the middle of the field because free safety Adrian Colbert jumped up to try to take away Larry
Fitzgerald on the play.
It was the perfect start for a team that scored just 37 points the first four games.
“We were just trying to get a spark in any way possible and just try to get our offense going,” Rosen said. “We haven’t been scoring as many points as we
wanted to. I think we took a really good first step.”
Patrick Peterson recovered a fumble by Raheem Mostert and returned it 49 yards to the San Francisco 18, setting up Johnson’s 2-yard run that made it
14-6.
The Niners finally scored again on a fourth-and-1 pass from Beathard to Trent Taylor with 6:51 to play. But San Francisco couldn’t convert the 2-point try and
fell to 1-12 over the past two seasons without Jimmy Garoppolo as starting
quarterback.
The Cardinals sealed the game when Haason Reddick knocked the ball out of Beathard’s hand and Bynes returned it for a 23-yard score that gave Arizona its
seventh straight win in the series.
Rosen got the win in his second start of the season despite completing just 10 of 25 passes for 170 yards. The one big play proved to be enough to beat the
Niners.
“It’s frustrating,” cornerback Richard Sherman said. “Obviously the first play of the game on defense, we give up a big play. We just have to be better
than that. It was a simple play, it was easy to get stopped and we just didn’t
execute it like we needed to. So, that’s where you need to because after that
they didn’t have much.”
CHANDLER’S DAY
Arizona defensive end Chandler Jones had a dominant day. He had a strip sack and fumble recovery against Beathard in the third quarter, and then batted away
the 2-point conversion pass to Pierre Garcon with 6:51 to play to preserve a
14-12 lead.
BROKEN STREAK
Robbie Gould had made a franchise-record 33 straight field goals for the 49ers before missing wide right from 45 yards in the fourth quarter. The 49ers
also botched an extra point in the first quarter when Gould didn’t even get an
attempt.
INJURIES
Cardinals: OL Andre Smith left in the second half with a hamstring injury.
49ers: Breida left in the first quarter with an injured right ankle and didn’t return. Breida entered the week fourth in the league in rushing with 313
yards and had eight carries for 56 yards, along with his TD catch before the
injury. … C Weston Richburg left in the second half with a knee injury.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Visit Minnesota next Sunday.
49ers: Visit Green Bay on Oct. 15.
WESTFIELD, Ind. (AP) Frank Reich might not have been the Indianapolis Colts‘ first choice as head coach.
Turns out, he might be the better fit anyway.
Just three days into training camp, the 56-year-old former quarterback has injected energy, enthusiasm and excitement into a team desperately needing to
change directions after three straight seasons of missing the playoffs.
”I think he brings a really neat perspective,” Andrew Luck said this week. ”He’s certainly had an amazing career as a player and has done an amazing job as
a coach. I’ve really enjoyed talking to him, learning from him
Adidas Jonathan Toews Jersey , talking with him and figuring out what the best course of action is in many different arenas.”
The new tandem is just getting started.
Throughout the first two public workouts in suburban Indianapolis, Luck and Reich have been conversing regularly as Luck learns his fourth offense in seven
pro seasons.
But Reich does more than just talk.
He’s innovative, passionate and personable, and players seem to respect the unique journey Reich took to his first head coaching gig.
After graduating from Maryland, he was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and joined a cast of future Hall of Famers while playing for the only team to appear
in four straight Super Bowls.
His coaching career began when another Hall of Famer, Tony Dungy, hired Reich as an intern with the Colts in 2006. Peyton Manning earned his first
championship ring that season, though Reich did not receive one.
In 2009, Reich was promoted to quarterbacks coach as Manning captured his fourth MVP Award, led the Colts to a 14-0 start and another AFC title.
Then after stints in Arizona and San Diego where he worked directly with Larry Fitzgerald and Philip Rivers, Reich was named the Philadelphia Eagles‘
offensive coordinator in 2016 and finally picked up the elusive ring when Nick
Foles beat New England in February.
Not enough?
Even before he replaced injured Bills quarterback Jim Kelly in the 1992 playoffs and overcame a 32-point deficit to complete the largest comeback in NFL
history, Reich threw three second-half TD passes in relief of Stan Gelbaugh and
led the Terrapins back from a 31-poinnt deficit to beat highly-ranked Miami in
1984. At the time, it was the largest comeback in major college football history
and still ranks No. 3.
”The backup role has suited me well in my career,” Reich joked at his introductory news conference in February.
The Colts are counting on him to do it again, this time in the family tradition.
His father was a football coach
Chiefs Game Jerseys , his mother coached sports and his brother, Joe, is entering his 18th season as
head coach at Division II Wingate University in North Carolina.
And Reich may need all of his expertise to turn things around in Indy.
He inherits a young roster that has more questions than answers, a team the outside world believes will be among the worst in the league and one that was
spurned by its top coaching choice, New England offensive coordinator Josh
McDaniels, shortly after the Patriots season-ending loss.
So instead of McDaniels, general manager Chris Ballard brought in a reigning champion who understood the organization, who helped Eagles quarterback Carson
Wentz put himself in the MVP conversation in just his second NFL season and who
refused to take a single interview until Philadelphia’s season was over.
He didn’t care what the critics said then about the Colts, and he doesn’t care now.
”I see and hear the chatter, but we don’t focus too much on that,” he said, referring to one projection of a two-win season. ”That is, I guess, a little
bulletin board material, but for the most part
Authentic Justus Annunen Jersey , it’s about believing in one another. I’ve seen what we’ve done. I’ve seen the kind of players we have. I just have a lot
of confidence in who we have here.”
The players like what they have in this coach, too.
Reich, for instance, remembers what it’s like to play the game and can provide perspective and stories about his own NFL experiences including a
surgical procedure he had on his shoulder following his retirement in 1998 that
was similar to what Luck endured in January 2017.
”He certainly is a sounding board for all of us quarterbacks,” Luck said. ”I think he’s also a great teacher. The best coaches have always been the best
teachers. He does a fantastic job of that.”
Reich’s frank, succinct assessments have been a big hit, too.
He’s made no secret of his personal expectations: The Colts must work hard, be prepared, play with discipline and finish games. He also encourages players
to be themselves, a combination that led free agent tight end Eric Ebron to
Indianapolis and could bring more help to Indy in the future.
”Frank is just Frank, he always just keeps it real,” Ebron said. ”That’s what I like about him.”
—
Jacksonville Jaguars Customized Jerseys
