49ers vs. Colts Week 7 Live Blog
SANTA CLARA -- This is the live blog for the San Francisco 49ers' Week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.
3:14 It's not raining hard outside -- it's a light drizzle. If this keeps up, the 49ers should win comfortably. But the harder and rains, the more of a toss up this game will be. The Colts' weakness on defense is their secondary. If it's pouring, the 49ers won't be able to throw downfield and attack that weakness. If it's drizzling, the 49ers will be able to throw downfield more easily.
One way or another, the 49ers have to find ways to get the ball to Deebo Samuel as much as possible. He's the entire offense. So if it's merely drizzling, throw it to him. If there's a torrential downpour, put him in the backfield and hand it to him. The 49ers absolutely cannot let the rain take Samuel out of the game. They have to manufacture easy touches for him -- call them layups. Because the harder it rains, the more both teams will have to run the ball. And the Colts running back, Jonathan Taylor, is better than the 49ers running back, Elijah Mitchell. So use Samuel in the running back rotation.
And get Brandon Aiyuk the freaking ball, too. The 49ers need to get someone other than Samuel involved in the offense, and George Kittle still is on I.R. So Aiyuk has to get targets.
3:55 Here are the 49ers inactives:
Trey Lance
Travis Benjamin
Ambry Thomas
Deommodore Lenoir
Trent Williams
Maurice Hurst
Javon Kinlaw
This means rookie guard Aaron Banks, the 49ers' second-round pick, is active for the first time in his career.
4:03 Here are the Colts inactives:
T.Y Hilton
Sam Ehlinger
Jordan Wilkins
Rock Ya-Sin
Kemoko Turay
Braden Smith
Will Fries
Hilton not playing will hurt Indianapolis, but All Pro guard Quenton Nelson will make his return from the Injured Reserve list, which is not good news for the 49ers.
4:47 It's raining really hard.
5:20 The Colts win the toss and choose to defer. The 49ers will receive the opening kickoff.
FIRST HALF
5:28 On 1st and 10 from the Colts 14, Elijah Mitchell runs into the end zone for the touchdown. He ran 6 times for 57 yards during that drive. Excellent first drive by Kyle Shanahan. Been a while since I could write that. He has the run game working without Trent Williams, George Kittle and Raheem Mostert. Impressive.
5:29 Joey Slye misses the extra point.
49ers 6, Colts 0.
5:33 On the Colts first play from scrimmage, running back Jonathan Taylor fumbles and Fred Warner recovers at the Indy 28. Josh Norman knocked the ball out.
5:37 On 3rd and 10 from the Colts 16, Jimmy Garoppolo scrambles to his right and throws an incomplete pass intended for JaMycal Hasty in the end zone. Then Slye makes a 34-yard field goal. The run was working, and then Shanahan called three straight passes which gained no yards. Hard to understand.
49ers 9, Colts 0.
5:46 On 3rd and 11 from the Colts 24, Josh Norman commits pass interference then gives up a 57-yard catch to Michael Pittman. Three plays later on 3rd and 2 from the 49ers 11, Norman gives up a touchdown catch to Mo Alie-Cox. Yikes. Seems like the Colts found the 49ers' weakest link.
49ers 9, Colts 7.
5:54 On 3rd and 5 from the Colts 37, Garoppolo throws an incomplete pass intended for JaMycal Hasty. The 49ers moved the ball into Colts territory with a 28-yard completion to Deebo Samuel.
5:55 Slye makes a 56-yard field goal.
49ers 12, Colts 7.
6:05 On 1st and goal from the 2, Carson Wentz throws a shovel pass directly to Azeez Al-Shaair, who intercepts and it returns it to the 49ers 19. Huge play. What was Wentz thinking?
6:07 The 49ers call two passes and go three and out. Such a wasted opportunity.
6:13 On 3rd and 12 from the 49ers 44, Carson Wentz throws a pass that hits Emmanuel Moseley in the chest, but he can't catch it. He dropped two potential picks on that series. The Colts punt. The 49ers take over at their 10.
6:18 The 49ers call three straight runs and go three and out. It seems the Colts are adjusting to the 49ers' misdirection run game that was so effective in the first quarter.
6:21 On 3rd and 7 from the Colts 21, Wentz throws deep to a wide open Nyheim Hines, but he drops the ball. Would have been a touchdown. Huge break for the 49ers.
6:27 On 3rd and 8 from the 49ers 22, Garoppolo overthrows an open Ross Dwelley, and the 49ers go three and out. Horrendous throw. Colts ball at their 30.
6:32 On 3rd and 5, Wentz completes a screen to Taylor who loses a yard. The rain is intensifying and the game is getting uglier by the minute. Wentz fumbled the snap on first down.
6:35 On 3rd and 12, Garoppolo completes a pass to Samuel, who fumbles and the Colts recover at the 49ers 28. Terrible.
6:44 Emmanuel Moseley commits a pass interference in the end zone. Three plays later on third and goal from the 1, Wentz runs into the end zone for the touchdown. The Colts go for two, but Josh Norman breaks up Wentz's pass.
49ers 12, Colts 13.
6:46 Fans boo the 49ers as the leave the fied for halftime. Good for those fans.
SECOND HALF
7:15 On 3rd and 4 from the 49ers 40, Al-Shaair tackles Marlon Mack for no gain, and the Colts punt. The 49ers take over at their 10. Jimmy Garoppolo has completed just 13 of his past 29 throws dating back to Week 4.
7:23 On 3rd and 5 from the 49ers 41, Garoppolo gets hit and fumbles and the Colts recover at the San Francisco 33. Huge swing in the game.
7:28 Jaquiski Tartt commits a 39-yard pass interference penalty. Two plays later, Taylor scoots into the end zone for the easy touchdown. The 49ers might lose this game.
49ers 12, Colts 20.
7:36 On 3rd and 19, Garoppolo throws a 1-yard pass to Hasty, and the 49ers go three and out.
FOURTH QUARTER
7:43 On 3rd and 22 from the Colts 33, Hines runs up the middle for 8 yards. Then the Colts punt. The 49ers take over at their 30.
7:46 Shanahan calls three straight play-action passes. The result: 29 yard gain to Samuel, 27-yard gain to Charlie Woerner, 14-yard touchdown to Samuel. It took Shanahan 7 weeks to rediscover play action. Remarkable.
7:47 The 49ers go for 2 and Garoppolo's pass gets batted down.
49ers 18, Colts 20.
7:58 Jaquiski Tartt is out with a knee injury.
7:58 On 3rd and 12 from the 49ers 29, Wentz completes a 5-yard pass to Taylor. Then the Colts make a 42-yard field goal with 7:00 left. The 49ers have two timeouts left.
49ers 18, Colts 23.
8:05 On 3rd and 3 from the 49ers 38, Jimmy Garoppolo throws a pick.
8:12 On 3rd and 10 from the 49ers 28, Dre Kirkpatrick gives up a touchdown catch to Michael Pittman Jr. Kirkpatrick was filling in for Emmanuel Moseley who got injured during this drive.
8:18 Garoppolo throws another pick for good measure and the 49ers will lose. Good grief. Stay tuned for their grades.
