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Kurtenbach: Studs and duds from the 49ers’ brilliant season-opening win over the Steelers

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

How’s that for a season opener?The 49ers have been slow starters in recent years under Kyle Shanahan, feeling out the season before going on a late run.They started this season with one of the best performances of the Shanahan era.The Niners dominated in every single facet of the game, leading to a great number of studs (not all accounted for here) and some serious stretches to find some duds.The StudsRelated ArticlesSan Francisco 49ers | Instant analysis: Brock Purdy, 49ers defense dominate Steelers in season opener San Francisco 49ers | 49ers-Steelers live blog: Niners blow out Pittsburgh in opener San Francisco 49ers | Brock Purdy timeline: Step-by-step view of 49ers quarterback’s comeback San Francisco 49ers | Kurtenbach: The 49ers are held to higher standards than other NFL teams. This year’s team could meet them San Francisco 49ers | Ranking the 49ers’ newcomers by expected impac...

Instant analysis: Brock Purdy, 49ers defense dominate Steelers in season opener

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

PITTSBURGH — The instant Brock Purdy’s touchdown pass found Brandon Aiyuk for the 49ers’ first points of a promising season, Purdy emphatically celebrated toward his team’s sideline by unleashing fist pumps and flexing his arms.It was the polar opposite scene from last season’s ending on the other side of this state, when Purdy’s throwing elbow got wrecked and the 49ers’ Super Bowl bid got swiped by the Philadelphia Eagles.“Once I hit that touchdown, I wasn’t think surgery,” Purdy said. “It was, ‘We’re here to win.’ ”Sunday, the healthy 49ers sure looked like Super Bowl competitors to start this season, routing the host Pittsburgh Steelers 30-7 before 67,679 fans, including a healthy smattering of 49ers Faithful in red jerseys who chanted “Let’s Go Niners!” in the closing minutes.This was the 49ers’ third season-opening win under seventh-year coach Kyle Shanahan; those other victories also came on th...

21-year-old driver arrested on DUI suspicion after crashing in Santa Rosa

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

(KRON) -- A driver was arrested on DUI suspicion after crashing in front of a residence overnight Sunday, the Santa Rosa Police Department said. Police said the suspect car crashed into an unoccupied parked car in the driveway of a house on 900 block of S McDowell Boulevard. Police look for suspect linked to 2 attempted home burglaries in Milpitas The crash happened around 3:52 a.m. when a silver BMW sedan crashed in front of the home, according to SRPD. The BMW also had a female passenger inside at the time of the crash.The driver, identified as 21-year-old Petaluma man Daniel Niles Jr., displayed signs of intoxication, police said. A DUI investigation determined Niles was driving under the influence of alcohol. The suspect was driving southbound on S McDowell Boulevard and tried to make a left turn onto eastbound Covey Way. According to SRPD, Niles was unable to safely execute the turn and crashed into the parked vehicle. Neither Niles nor the passenger were injured in the coll...

Yankees’ Oswaldo Cabrera breaks up Brewers’ no-hit bid after 10 1/3 innings

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Oswaldo Cabrera hit a tying RBI double with one out in the 11th inning for the New York Yankees’ first hit against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.Corbin Burnes, Devin Williams and Abner Uribe had combined for 10 hitless innings, and the Brewers went ahead on Tyrone Taylor’s run-scoring single in the 11th off Nick Ramirez.With automatic runner Anthony Volpe on second base, Everson Pereira advanced Volpe with a leadoff grounder against Joel Payamps. Cabrera followed with a double to right.There has never been an 11-inning no-hitter in major league history.Milwaukee right fielder Sal Frelick preserved the bid with a leaping catch against the wall on an Volpe drive for the final out of the 10th inning to deny the game-ending run. With the game 0-0 and runners on first and second, Flelick jumped to make the catch and elbowed center fielder Joey Wiemer in the mouth.Burnes struck out seven and walked two in eight innings, throwing 70 of 109 pitches for strikes ...

Folsum Field is suddenly the epicenter of college football thanks to Deion Sanders

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A year after the Colorado Buffaloes’ only victory came on a disputed touchdown in overtime, Folsum Field is suddenly the epicenter of college football.Tickets can set fans back more than $400, and Deion Sanders’ guest list never disappoints. For his home coaching debut Saturday, fellow Hall of Famers Michael Irvin, Terrell Owens and Shannon Sharpe were in attendance, along with the Wu-Tang Clan.With thousands of students itching to storm the field as the resurgent Buffaloes were putting the finishing touches on their 36-14 drubbing of Nebraska, Fox announced that its “Big Noon Kickoff” set would remain in Boulder for another week.Fox originally had planned to pack up and head to Champaign, Illnois, for the Penn State-Illinois matchup. Instead, the network will feature the Rocky Mountain Showdown when the Buffaloes (2-0) host Colorado State (0-1) on Saturday night.The Rams-Buffs game isn’t exactly a marquee matchup, but the draw here is Coach P...

Buccaneers top Vikings 20-17 as Baker Mayfield finishes strong in his debut

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Baker Mayfield recovered from a rough start to throw two touchdown passes without a turnover in his Tampa Bay debut, and the Buccaneers opened the season by beating Minnesota 20-17 after three first-half turnovers by the Vikings on Sunday.Chase McLaughlin matched his career long with a 57-yard field goal for the lead with 5:10 left, and the Buccaneers forced a three-and-out on each of Minnesota’s last two possessions.Mayfield, the first overall pick in the 2018 draft who landed with his fourth team in three years to take over for the retired Tom Brady, completed 21 of 34 passes after a 3-for-11 start. He hit Mike Evans for a score right before halftime and was at his best down the stretch, hustling around right end to convert a third-and-2 around the three-minute mark at the Minnesota 39. Then, Chris Godwin made a stretched-out 11-yard catch on third-and-10 right after the 2-minute warning to clinch it.Kirk Cousins went 33 for 44 for 344 yards and touchdowns...

Diede de Groot wins US Open women’s wheelchair for her 12th straight Grand Slam title

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Diede de Groot won her 12th straight Grand Slam wheelchair singles title Sunday, beating Yui Kamiji 6-2, 6-2 in the U.S. Open women’s final.The Dutch star completed her third straight calendar-year Grand Slam, including a Golden Slam in 2021, when she also won the Paralympic gold medal. De Groot has won six straight U.S. Open titles and 20 major singles titles overall — not that she keeps count.“I’d like to really not worry about it too much, because then you’re going to start to think about, ‘Oh, I want to reach this or I want to reach that,’” she said. “I really just want to focus on my game, and that’s what I did today. So that’s what I’m really proud of. But I think just being this consistent is what I’m really proud of. Being able to do it multiple times in the year.”De Groot hasn’t lost a Grand Slam singles match since falling in the French Open semifinals in 2020.Alfie Hewett, the No. 2 seed, beat Gordon Reid 6-4, 6-3 in a matchup of British player...

Sykes’ lob at buzzer lifts Mystics over Liberty 90-88

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Brittney Sykes scored on a lob pass at the buzzer to lift the Washington Mystics to a 90-88 victory over the New York Liberty on Sunday to close out the regular season.Sykes, who finished with 20 points, caught an inbounds pass from Natasha Cloud in the lane and put it in before the buzzer, ending the Liberty’s eight-game winning streak and any chance to get the top seed in the playoffs.The teams will meet in the first round of the WNBA playoffs, with Game 1 on Friday in New York.The final play was set up after Breanna Stewart blocked Elena Delle Donne’s shot on the baseline with 0.5 seconds remaining.Washington (19-21) turned a 71-67 lead to start the fourth quarter into a double-digit advantage. New York was down 84-74 with 4:41 left when Sabrina Ionescu was fouled hard on a drive by Tianna Hawkins. The foul was upgraded to a flagrant one. Ionescu made both free throws to start a 14-4 burst to tie the game on Stewart’s layup with 21.5 seconds left.Cloud worked the ...

Ogunbowale scores 32 points in season finale as Wings pull away from Dream 94-77 in playoff preview

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

COLLEGE PARK, Ga. (AP) — Arike Ogunbowale scored 20 of her 32 points in the second half and the Dallas Wings pulled away for a 94-77 over the Atlanta Dream on Sunday, closing the regular season with a playoff preview.The fourth-seeded Wings (22-18) are home against the fifth-seeded Dream (19-21) in a best-of-3 playoff opener on Friday. Dallas swept the season series 3-0, winning by seven and 12 at home.Ogunbowale drilled a 3-pointer and turned a steal into a layup to cap a 13-2 game-breaking surge to open the fourth quarter. That put the lead at 79-60 with 6:51 to play.Natasha Howard scored 15 points with nine rebounds and four assists and Teaira McCowan had 12 points and 10 rebounds. Rhyne Howard scored 19 points for Atlanta, which shot 38% from the field. Cheyenne Parker and Allisha Gray both added 13.The Wings had 44-39 lead at the half. Dallas led by as many as 10 in the third quarter before taking a 66-58 lead into the fourth quarter.___AP WNBA: https://apnews.com/hub/wnba-bask...

Derek Carr’s New Orleans debut is a success as the Saints edge the Titans 16-15

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:03:07 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Derek Carr passed for 305 yards and a touchdown in a difficult but successful Saints debut, and New Orleans held on to beat the Tennessee Titans 16-15 on Sunday.The Saints’ defense did not allow a touchdown, intercepted Ryan Tannehill three times, sacked him three times, and stopped Tennessee on 10 of 12 third down plays.Chris Olave caught eight passes for 112 yards for New Orleans, while Rasheed Shaheed had five receptions for 89 yards and the game’s lone touchdown. Michael Thomas, who missed the final 14 games last season, returned to catch five passes for 61 yards. The teams traded field goals for most of the game before New Orleans finally found the end zone with 1:23 left in the third quarter. Carr pump-faked and lofted a pass toward the right side of the end zone an instant before the pocket collapsed. Shaheed was in the clear and hauled in the 19-yard scoring pass to make it 16-9.After the Titans’ Nick Folk hit two more field goals from 45...