4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Cowboys

By Niner Faithful

The Niners come back home to Levis Stadium this week to face longtime rival the Dallas Cowboys. You cannot tell the story of the Niners without talking about the Cowboys. There is the game that T.O. stood on the star twice in Dallas, Elvis Grbac beating them in Dallas in 95, the beat down at the Stick in 81, Steve’s victory lap in 94 and you can’t forget every Niner fans favorite the play that is known only as The Catch (shout out to Eric Wright for his tackle to save the game) just to name a few.  The all-time series is tied 17-17-1 with Dallas coming from behind to win last year 24-17 at Levis. The biggest storyline this week is the first career start of rookie QB C.J. Beathard after replacing Brian Hoyer in the second quarter last week. Kyle Shanahan has named C.J. the starter for the rest of the season so all eyes are on him to see if he can do enough to maybe have the Niners not get a QB in free agency or the draft. Here are my 4 keys to victory to start the Beathard era off right and help us get our first win against the Crygirls.

1. Stop Ezekiel Elliott

Elliott’s 6 game suspension was pushed back this week by more court appeals and a bunch of stuff that I don’t understand. The main point is he is going to play this week. Last year he torched us for 138 yards and a TD on 23 carries. The Cowboys rely heavily on their run game to take the pressure off Dak Prescott. The Niners have done nice job vs the run this year but this will be our biggest test of the season so far. If Elliott goes off it will be very hard for the Niners to win. If we stop him it will go a long way to getting our first win.

 

2. Stay on the Field

The Niners have been trash all year on converting on 3rd down (going 28/91 30.8%)there are many reasons for that and while some of them I believe are fixed by Beathard’s ability to get a first down with his legs penalties drops and negative plays have been the main reason. If we are to have a chance in this game we must keep Dallas off the field while allowing our D to keep fresh.

 

3. Get off the Field

Just like on offense the Niners have been bad on defense when it comes to 3^rd conversions (43/90 48%). While the offense isn’t helping by going 3 and out all the time when you are allowing teams to convert such a high percentage those extra plays add up and lead to us being tired at the end of the game. Kyle Shanahan said he was optimistic that Rueben Foster would return to limited bases this week so that should help. Even with the 5ava6e coming back we need all 11 on D to get off the Field on 3^rd.

 

4. Win it for Dwight

On Sunday 36 players from our 81 Super Bowl team are coming to Levis to honor # 87 as he continues his battle with ALS. At halftime Joe and Dwight are speaking to the Faithful in what I’m sure will be an emotional speech. They say to know where you are going you must first know where you have been. I know that the Niners will want to honor our past and it starts by representing what it means to put on the Red and Gold and live up to the standard that the man on the field at halftime began in 1981. I’m sure that if you ask Mr. Clark the best way the Niners can honor him is to get that W.

My prayers go out to Mr. Clark as he battles ALS you are one of the most beloved Niners ever and everything said about you on Sunday won’t speak enough of what you meant to the Red and Gold. GO NINERS!!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday, Oct 23^rd http://tobtr.com/10337195

NFL Week 6 Picks Against the Spread

By Will Stevenson

Last Week was a rough one against the spread and straight up. How was I supposed to know the Giants receiving core would end up on the IR during the game? This week, I am back for more pain and let’s just hope it turns into pleasure. Derek Carr and Mariotta are back for their respective teams, and there are 5 games that have a spread of 9 points and higher. It sounds like some sucker bets, and usually they are, but we will not be contained.

Prediction	Matchup (TV)	Odds	Total
Sunday, Oct. 15
Texans 27 Browns 10	Cleveland Browns at Houston Texans (CBS)	HOU -9.5	46.5
Patriots 23 Jets 20	New England Patriots at New York Jets (CBS)	NE -9	47.5
Falcons 33 Dolphins 13	Miami Dolphins at Atlanta Falcons (CBS)	ATL -13	46.5
Lions 35 Saints 31	Detroit Lions at New Orleans Saints (FOX)	NO -4	49.5
Packers 20 Vikings 13	Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (FOX)	GB -3	45.5
Bears 17 Ravens 16	Chicago Bears at Baltimore Ravens (FOX)	BAL -6.5	39
Washington 24 49ers 13	San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins (FOX)	WAS -11	46.5
Jaguars 13 Rams 10	Los Angeles Rams at Jacksonville Jaguars (FOX)	JAX -2.5	42
Buccaneers 17 Cardinals 16	Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Arizona Cardinals (FOX)	TB -1.5	45.5
Chiefs 34 Steelers 30	Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs (CBS)	KC -4	47
Chargers 23 Raiders 17	Los Angeles Chargers at Oakland Raiders (CBS)	OFF	OFF
Broncos 20 Giants 16	New York Giants at Denver Broncos (NBC)	DEN -11.5	39.5
Monday, Oct. 16
Titans 20 Colts 19	Indianapolis Colts at Tennessee Titans (ESPN)	OFF

4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Redskins

By Niner Faithful

This week the Niners finish their 3 game road trip against the Washington Redskins in Landover, Maryland. For the second week in a row the Niners face a former Niner this time, Vernon Davis. The Niners last played in Indy in 2009 and lost 18-14. The Niners hold a 20-10-1 advantage in the all times series and have won 4 in a row going back to 2008(That was the game we named Mike Singletary our coach. Also I was at that game).The Redskins are coming of a bye week so they are going to be well rested and have 2 weeks to get ready. Its games like theses where people think we have no shot that we seem to end up playing our best football. Here are my 4 keys to proving the doubters wrong.

1. Score a TD early

The Niners have had issues scoring touchdowns all year. Scoring first would not only give us a lead but also allow the Niners to play relaxed and loose. The perfect scenario would be for the defense or special teams to get an early turnover and put the offense to score an easy touchdown to get some confidence. And scoring early also allows the defense to not try to play perfect.

 

2. Do your job

Last week there were too many break downs on defense that caused to big plays. And it’s never just one thing or one player. We lost containment on a bunch of running plays and 3^rd downs continued to be a problem. And last week you saw to Colts go after Rashard Robinson and expose him as not a top corner (yet). The defense did get 3 sacks and a pick to save/set up the win for us. But overall the defense needs to play far better this week if we are going to win.

3. Play more consistent on Offense

The Offense has been inconsistent all year. There are times when it looks really good and you start to dream about things that could be. And then there are times that you wonder why on earth we brought in (insert player name here). No one is expecting this to look like the 80’s in Kyle Shanahan’s first year but this will be the Niners 6^th game I don’t think it’s too much to ask to score 2 td’s a game.

 

4. Let’s see our Defense play together for a whole game.

11 snaps that’s all that Reuben Foster played in week one before he got hurt. Eric Reid went out the next game at Seattle. With both players making their returns to practice this week the hope is for the first time since week one we will have all 11 starts out on the field. Maybe not for the whole game but enough that I should make a difference.

If we follow my 4 keys and #56 and # 35 play there shouldn’t be a reason why we don’t get our first win.  GO NINERS!!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Oct 16^th

http://tobtr.com/10323117

Matchup	Spread	O/U	Prediction
Washington at Baltimore	BAL -4	46	BAL 20-17
Tennessee at Miami	MIA -3.5	43.5	TEN 21-17
Houston at Minnesota	MIN -6	39.5	MIN 26-14
Chicago at Indianapolis	IND -4.5	47.5	CHI 27-20
N.Y. Jets at Pittsburgh	PIT -7	48.5	PIT 33-24
Philadelphia at Detroit	PHI -1	46	PHI 28-14
New England at Cleveland	NE -10	46.5	NE 40-17
Atlanta at Denver	DEN -6.5	47.5	DEN 36-30
San Diego at Oakland	OAK -3.5	50	OAK 28-27
Buffalo at L.A. Rams	LA -3	40	LA 21-20
Cincinnati at Dallas	DAL -1.5	45.5	CIN 24-20
N.Y. Giants at Green Bay	GB -7	49	GB 32-24
Tampa Bay at Carolina (MNF)	N/A	N/A	CAR 27-20

NFL Week 5 Predictions: Maybe we’ll get lucky. Probably not.

By: Will Stevenson

The NFL season has been a tumultuous one for those picking games based on the spread. Personally, I have won a total of 5 games against the spread this year. 5! The NFL is unpredictable, and with players falling to injuries left and right, one can never truly bet on their gut, because their gut is filled with Doritos, salsa and beef. So this week, we are armed with information (which hasn’t translated into me making better bets… yet) and we will once again go through every game on this week’s schedule.

Key Games:

Giants (0-4) vs Chargers (0-4)
Honestly, the Giants and Chargers are two teams who have lived up to their records. Losing close games, constipated offenses at times, despite having the talent to succeed, and defenses that haven’t been able to stop teams in the 4th quarter. Why are we surprised? The Chargers have been doing the same Regular Season ebb and flow since the early 2000s, and the Giants are a team that has struggled in the running game for years. Maybe Rivers and the crew can put points on the board, but in the end, I’m really just hoping for a tie.

Rams (3-1) vs Seahawks (2-2)
The time is now for the Rams. We love to hype up newcomers, and the Rams have been waiting for this moment to overtake the Seahawks with a message. The Rams have won 3 of the last 4 meetings, but a win a Sunday could usher in a new contender for the Division crown. The Seahawks have a good defense as usual, and their offense is hit or miss as well. Whether it’s a shootout, or a field gold-fest like last year’s game, the Rams offense looks to match it’s defense with on the field production.

Packers (3-1) vs Cowboys (2-2)
The Cowboys offensive line isn’t mauling like they were last season. This week, against the Packers, they look to return to form. One problem: Aaron Rodgers. Again.

Panthers (3-1) vs Lions (3-1)
The Panthers are 3-1, their leading receiver is a rookie running back, and they are -5 in the Turnover margin. How are they 3-1 again? Who knows, but the same could be said for the Lions who are one knee away from a perfect record.

 

My Prediction	Matchup (TV)	Odds	Total
Sunday, Oct. 8
Giants 27 Chargers 23	Chargers (0-4) at Giants (0-4)	NYG -3	44.5
Bills 20 Bengals 10	Bills (3-1) at Bengals (1-3)	CIN -3	39.5
Jets 16 Browns 13	Jets (2-2) at Browns (0-4)	PK	40
Jaguars 23 Steelers 16	Jaguars (2-2) at Steelers (3-1)	PIT -7	42
Titans 16 Dolphins 6	Titans (2-2) at Dolphins (1-2)	TEN -3	43
Colts 23 49ers 10	49ers (0-4) at Colts (1-3)	IND -1	44.5
Eagles 33 Cardinals 20	Cardinals (2-2) at Eagles (3-1)	PHI -6.5	45
Lions 23 Panthers 20	Panthers (3-1) at Lions (3-1)	DET -2	42.5
Rams 37 Seahawks 27	Seahawks (2-2) at Rams (3-1)	LAR -2	46.5
Raiders 9 Ravens 6	Ravens (2-2) at Raiders (2-2)	OAK -3	39
Packers 27 Cowboys 23	Packers (3-1) at Cowboys (2-2)	DAL -2.5	52.5
Chiefs 33 Texans 16	Chiefs (4-0) at Texans (2-2)	KC -1	45.5
Monday, Oct. 9
Vikings 16 Bears 9	Vikings (2-2) at Bears (1-3)	MIN -2.5	40

4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Colts

By Niner Faithful

This week the Niners travel to Indianapolis, Indiana to face former Niner Frank Gore and the Colts for the second of three straight road games. The Niners last played in Indy in 2009 and lost 18-14. The Colts hold a 25-19 advantage in the all times series (although the series is split 4-4 since the Colts have moved to Indy). The biggest storyline going into the game is Frank Gore’s first game against the Niners since leaving the team as a free agent after the 2014 season. On his conference call with Bay Area reporters this week  Frank said he is no longer bitter about the team letting him go and still bleeds 49ers Frank is the world’s biggest competitor and I know he wants to get a win badly. As much as I love frank here are my 4 keys to victory to make sure that doesn’t happen.

1. Get more sacks

The Colts have given up 11 sacks in 4 games this year and have given up 3 sacks in 3 different games. Any Quarterback is going to struggle when he’s being pressured so getting after Brissett is key. After harassing Palmer all game long last week (getting 16 hits and pressures to go along with 6 sacks). Look for the D line to try and put on the same type of performance this week.

 

2. Have better coverage

Although the Niners secondary did a nice job on Larry Fitzgerald for most of the game the secondary still had its issues in coverage last week. On the touchdown that ended the game there was pre-snap confusion that ended up costing us the game. While the Colts don’t have a receiver close to the level of Fitzgerald T.Y. Hilton is a young talented receiver that came make plays if the secondary isn’t on top of its game.

 

3. Offense needs to be on the same page

The Niners didn’t score a touchdown for the 3^rd time in 4 games last week. And in the 4^th quarter when the game was there to win, the Niners went 3 and out on all 5 4^thquarter possessions gaining a total of negative 6 yards in the process. To top all of that off you could tell that Brian Hoyer and his receivers were not on the same page and when they were, the receiver would drop the ball or the play would be called back because of a penalty. If the Niners want to win this game they cannot have a repeat performance like that.

4. Make the plays to win

For the first time in Niners history, they have lost 3 games in a row by a total of 8 points and each by no more than 3. That’s how close we are to being 3-1 instead of 0-4. Football is a game of inches and more times than not winning comes down to one or two plays in key situations. It is time to see this football team take a step make a play and win the game.

I want to apologize for technical difficulties on the show Monday it was extremely embarrassing it has been fixed for this week’s show thanks for your understanding and GO NINERS!!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday, Oct 9th http://tobtr.com/10309059