Sports
Nine Reasons Why the San Francisco 49ers Won’t Be Going Back to the Super Bowl
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) throws a pass against the Kansas City Chiefs in the second half in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. credits: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports If you’re really cool, you get to call San Francisco’s football team the Niners.
It’s these privileged bandwagoners who made reservations for New Orleans in February, believing their guys will run the table when the time comes.
That leaves us uncool folks to concoct nine reasons this isn’t going to happen.
1. They’re 5-4.
Sorry to lead off here with Shohei Ohtani, but saying a 5-4 team whose wins have come over the Jets, Patriots, Seahawks, Cowboys and Buccaneers is Super Bowl-bound delivers a first pitch down the middle. If the playoffs started today, the 49ers would be packing for a long vacation. They aren’t in the postseason field as of the start of Week 11. Neither are any of the five teams they’ve beaten. That’s the reality.
Alas, the playoffs are light years away, and there’s time to make up ground. The problem is the 49ers have played three would-be playoff teams so far and have lost to all three. At that rate, they’ll lose to the Packers, Bills, Lions and Cardinals, leaving them 9-8. So, you know what they say: You are what you are. And in this case, they truly are what they are: 5-4.
2. This isn’t the NFC South.
Sure, the 49ers might win the rematch with the first-place Cardinals. But they also could lose this week to the Seahawks and again to the Rams next month. The fact is, there are no softies in the NFC West anymore.
Alas, there are no powers either. Did I mention that the Cardinals currently occupy the catbird seat? So going 3-0 against the West the rest of the way is quite possible. And, unfortunately, it’s equally possible for each of the other three regional rivals.
3. They’ve played to the level of the competition.
Nov 10, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Ricky Pearsall (14) score a touchdown past Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Coming off a relatively easy win over the Cowboys, followed by a bye, the 49ers had momentum and fans dialing up the reservations desk at the Bourbon Street Biltmore. A cakewalk over a Tampa Bay team without any receivers, another win over a Seahawks team they’ve already beaten, and …
Have you been paying attention? This was a team that lost to a Minnesota squad still asking itself: Are we seriously starting Sam Darnold at quarterback? They blew leads against the Rams and Cardinals, then almost did the same against a reeling Cowboys bunch. When they struggled to hold off Baker & The Cream Puffs, it was yet another reminder that, thank goodness, this wasn’t a real team.
4. The Packers, Eagles and Lions. Oh my.
If the 49ers win the division, they’ll get one playoff game at home. But that could very easily be against the Packers, who gave the home team fits last January even when the 49ers were a legitimate contender.
And we’re just getting started. There’s no way the 49ers are catching either the Lions or Eagles in the standings, which plots a playoff map where they fly to Philly in the ice to face a vastly superior defense. Then, if they’re lucky, they get to retrace their flight pattern to Detroit a week later to see a much more powerful offense. The chances of beating the Packers, Eagles and Lions in succession? Less likely than a Mike Tyson retirement anytime soon.
5. They’re not getting their money’s worth.
Sep 29, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa (97) walks off the field after the game against the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images No team in the NFL is more top-heavy in expensive talent than the 49ers. But the uncompromising NFL salary cap assures that for every top-of-the-market contract, there are five bottom-of-the-market deals, and that’s why few teams attempt to take this path to glory.
Think about the Boston Celtics and imagine if they had to play 11 guys at a time. That’s hard to do when you only have six not named Luke Corn Nut or the like. Every opponent seems to attack the 49ers differently, and it’s easy to see why. They’ve paid to dig themselves a lot of holes.
6. They’re feeling the heat.
The star wideout is going at it with the long snapper. Yikes.
I get where Deebo Samuel was coming from. On the third play of the game in Tampa, Kyle Shanahan called in a play. It sounded like: Send Deebo around left end. I don’t care how badly his ribs are hurting; we need to score on this drive. Pow. But he gains 12, so Shanahan is proud.
The team misses Brandon Aiyuk’s across-the-middle route running. They couldn’t afford to import an in-traffic pass-catcher at the deadline, so while Jauan Jennings hugs the sidelines as Aiyuk’s replacement, breath-struggling Samuel and gimpy George Kittle get more safety-targeting routes. You can’t lash out in pain at the boss, so some guy named Pepper gets peppered.
7. The team is getting healthier … or is it?
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey (23) walks on the field before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images After a much-needed bye, Samuel returned with sore ribs and Nick Bosa with a painful hip. They needed more time off, but Shanahan needed more wins. So they braved the Florida heat… and watched as Kittle’s overuse got him hamstrung.
And Christian McCaffrey? Where a cameo might have been the doctor’s orders in his long-awaited season debut, he instead got 19 touches — the football equivalent of throwing eight innings despite a pitch count.
Since Shanahan is unwilling to take the foot off the pedal, what the 49ers need right now is a rivalry game. Where are they when you need them? Bring the Raiders back to the Bay Area, let everyone coast through a four-touchdown win, and surely you show up for this week’s Seahawks game with a lighter injury report. But even Mark Davis seems to hate the Niners.
8. Here’s the kicker: It truly is the kicker’s fault.
Feb 11, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) kicks a field goal against the Kansas City Chiefs in the first half in Super Bowl LVIII at Allegiant Stadium. credits: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports The 49ers have lost confidence in kicker Jake Moody, and rightfully so. They caught a break when Moody got injured earlier in the year, then among 10,000 college kids being groomed under the pressure of the ESPN College GameDay spotlight, they somehow couldn’t find anyone better. So here we were again in Tampa, where three flubbed field goals nearly sent the 49ers home with a losing record.
Chances are Moody will have to make a big one against the Eagles, Lions or in the Super Bowl. But he’s not even a sure thing on PATs anymore. I’d hate to be the long snapper, because chances are they’ll gang up on him next time.
9. The $60 million man isn’t the answer.
The 49ers have a top-10 quarterback, one that will start getting paid like one next season. It won’t matter if he wins a Super Bowl this February or not.
That’s a break for Brock Purdy, because he’s not flying home with the trophy. As the 49ers know full well, the team with the better quarterback usually wins the Super Bowl. And as good as Purdy is, he doesn’t measure up to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson, the AFC’s three leading men. One of those three likely is going to New Orleans. Good luck, Jared Goff.
Sports
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
Oct 1, 2024; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Las Vegas Aces center A’ja Wilson (22) and New York Liberty forward Breanna Stewart (30) during game two of the 2024 WNBA Semi-finals at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images LAS VEGAS — Entering her eighth season in the WNBA, Las Vegas Aces superstar A’ja Wilson is poised to build on what was arguably the most dominant individual campaign in league history.
Wilson joined Cynthia Cooper (1997) as the second player in league history to win a unanimous MVP award and joined an exclusive club as the fourth player to win the award three times. She averaged 26.9 points and 11.9 rebounds per game last season and set the all-time single-season mark for points (1,021) and rebounds (451).
Unfortunately for Las Vegas, injuries and fatigue from their two previous championship runs mounted and resulted in the team’s worst regular-season record (27-13) since 2019. The Aces’ three-peat hopes ended with a 76-62 home loss to the New York Liberty to drop their semifinal series 3-1.
It’s that loss on her home floor that served as Wilson’s motivation this offseason.
“Losing sucks, especially on your home court,” Wilson said “It still kind of burns a little bit, but I’ve used that as fuel to help my teammates understand how hard it is to win in this league. Yes, we can celebrate the two championships. They were great. But for us to move forward, we have to understand how hard this league is and value the basketball and the little things. I think that’s what we lacked last season, so we’re going to make sure that we can show up better than we did.”
While the Aces appeared to be on top of the world heading into their potential three-peat campaign in 2024, the reality inside the locker room was that both the internal and external pressure to win another championship had become suffocating. A common theme across media day was the fact that the team feels less pressure entering the 2025 season, a sentiment Wilson shared as the unquestioned leader of the team.
“(Three-peat talks) obviously impacted us, because it’s like, y’all think we don’t want to win? We’re trying as well,” Wilson said.
“I would definitely say it’s refreshing this year. I feel like this is one of my only years where it feels like there’s no weight. There’s a lot of weight to be defending champs. It’s a lot of weight to be trying to win one. We don’t have that. We actually have a clean slate to really dial into getting back to who we are culturally, like, in our system and everything.”
Leading the Aces back to the top of the mountain for a third time in four years is one of a few historically significant achievements Wilson can collect this upcoming season. Wilson could also become the first four-time MVP in league history, though the meaning of that is something she hasn’t quite allowed herself to ponder yet.
“I haven’t given it much thought, but it would be a blessing to have my name in that conversation,” Wilson said. “Every year, I try to be better than I was the year before just to give myself a chance in this league. Because the league is getting better. We’re growing. At this point, you just want to maintain your stamina. You want to maintain your mental, all of that, because the season gets hard. I can’t think too much about that just yet, but I’m definitely going to try to be better than I was last year.”
As Aces coach Becky Hammon put it, fans can expect to see an even better version of Wilson this season.
“What I see is, she went and got better,” Hammon said. “Which is hard to do when you’re already the best, but it speaks to her work ethic, her desire and her mindset this whole offseason. We talked a lot this offseason. She’s a busy lady, but I can tell you what she always does is her workouts. She’s always getting her workouts in. That comes first and foremost, she never gets her priorities jumbled up.”
When Hammon was asked what a player like Wilson would possibly need to improve after last season’s campaign, the coach did not feel like revealing too much.
“There was (something for Wilson to improve), and she did,” Hammon said. “I’m not going to tell you what it was. Actually, there were two things.”
–Will Despart, Field Level Media
Sports
Jacob Wilson joins Aaron Judge in spotlight for Yankees-A's series
May 5, 2025; West Sacramento, California, USA; Athletics shortstop Jacob Wilson (5) throws to first for an out against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images The top two hitters in the majors square off Friday night when the New York Yankees face the Athletics in the opener of a three-game series in Sacramento, Calif.
It’s no surprise to see Yankees star Aaron Judge off to a superb start after winning American League MVP honors last season. He has a major league-best .400 batting average and entered Thursday’s play tied for the big-league lead with 12 homers and 34 RBIs.
But who had Athletics rookie Jacob Wilson ranking second in the majors at .357 as the season nears the quarter pole? Wilson has played in just 64 career games and quickly has solidified himself as a future All-Star, perhaps even this season.
Sharing the marquee board with Judge seems quite surreal for the 23-year-old shortstop who was the No. 6 overall pick of the 2023 draft.
“It’s a great feeling, for sure,” Wilson said of his name being mentioned with Judge. “Obviously, everybody has seen what he is doing. It’s pretty incredible watching him do his thing on a daily basis. To be up there with him is pretty cool for me.
“I’m excited to play against him this week and see what it looks like in person.”
Wilson had his first career four-hit game during Wednesday’s 6-5 home loss against the Seattle Mariners and has six multi-hit outings in the past eight games. He went 8-for-14 with one game-winning hit in the three-game series against the Mariners and is 16-for-34 (.471) with four walks during the eight-game stretch.
The hot hitting led to Athletics manager Mark Kotsay moving Wilson to the leadoff spot on Wednesday. Kotsay indicated Wilson may be sticking at the top of the lineup.
“I think you’ll see Jacob up there now,” Kotsay said. “Jacob’s earned it. … Jacob has shown enough over the last week. He’s walking and taking pitches, and, obviously, swinging the bat really well.”
Judge arrives in Sacramento in the midst of a four-game funk in which he is 2-for-15.
The two-time MVP just went 1-for-10 in a three-game home series against the San Diego Padres, but the one hit was a homer.
Judge grew up 50 miles south of Sacramento in Linden and starred for Linden High but wasn’t highly sought by major league teams. The then-Oakland Athletics selected him in the 31st round in 2010.
Judge instead went the college route and starred for Fresno State. He was chosen in the first round (32nd overall) by the Yankees in the 2013 draft.
Trent Grisham was one of the heroes of Wednesday’s 4-3, 10-inning win over the Padres. He hit a tying two-run pinch-hit homer in the eighth inning.
Grisham had two homers and five RBIs in the series against the Padres — one of his former teams — and already has 10 long balls in just 89 at-bats. He hit just nine last season in 179 at-bats.
“I’m having fun with the guys, I would say that more than anything,” Grisham said. “The clubhouse is really good in here, led by Cap (Judge). So, I would say the guys have been the most enjoyable part.”
New York is starting right-hander Will Warren (1-2, 5.65 ERA) in Friday’s series opener. Right-hander Osvaldo Bido (2-2, 4.71) will be on the mound for the Athletics.
Warren, 25, struck out a career-high eight in 4 2/3 innings while losing to the Tampa Bay Rays on Sunday. He gave up five runs (three earned) and seven hits. Warren hasn’t previously faced the Athletics.
Bido, 29, received a no-decision against the Miami Marlins last Saturday when he gave up four runs on three hits over five innings. He is winless (0-1) over his last three starts. Bido hasn’t faced the Yankees.
–Field Level Media
Sports
Report: Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao coming out of retirement
Aug 21, 2021; Las Vegas, Nevada; Manny Pacquiao (right) fights Yordenis Ugas in a world welterweight championship bout at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Boxing legend Manny Pacquiao plans to end his retirement and return to the ring on July 19 against Mario Barrios in Las Vegas, ESPN reported Thursday.
Pacquiao, 46, will be fighting for the first time since losing a unanimous decision to Yordenis Ugas in 2021.
The fight will be for Barrios’ WBC welterweight championship belt. Barrios turns 30 on May 18.
Pacquiao is an eight-division champion who is slated to be inducted into the boxing Hall of Fame in June. He reportedly will formally announce his return to boxing next week. The report stated that Pacquiao has been cleared to compete by the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
In recent years, Pacquiao has been focusing on his political career in the Philippines.
The boxer nicknamed “PacMan” has a 62-8-2 record with 39 knockouts during his career. He won his first major title — the WBC flyweight crown — at age 19 in 1998.
Pacquiao was 54-3-2 prior to turning 33 and 8-5 afterward. One of those losses was to Floyd Mayweather Jr. via unanimous decision in 2015, a bout that reportedly drew nearly $400 million in pay-per-view sales.
Barrios (29-2-1, 18 knockouts) fought to a 12-round, split-decision draw against Abel Ramos last November. This will be his third defense since winning the title by beating Ugas in 2023.
–Field Level Media
A'ja Wilson has no shortage of motivation after Aces' early exit in '24
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