The 49ers (3-2) host the Carolina Panthers (1-4) at 3Com Park for a 1:00 PT kickoff. The Panthers are 1-4 under George Seifert in his second year. Steve Beuerlein is the starter; Tim Biakabutuka is the back. Muhsin Muhammad and Patrick Jeffers are the receivers.
The 49ers come off the 42-20 road loss in St. Louis. Jeff Garcia is the starter for the third straight week. Charlie Garner returns from a one-week hip issue and is on the active roster.[1][2]
George Seifert returns to Candlestick Point at 1-4 in his second year as the Panthers' head coach. The 49ers, off the worst road defensive afternoon of the Mariucci tenure, host his team for the first time since Seifert left in 1996. The Sunday matchup is the kind of one the schedule offers the 49ers' staff exactly once a year: a former head coach with a struggling team coming into the home stadium. Seifert's defensive coordinator is the same Vic Fangio who was on Seifert's 49ers staff in 1996.
Week 6 has former coach Seifert visiting his old building plus a slate where the league's October order is settling. The Rams remain undefeated at 4-0; the Bucs at 3-2; the Vikings 3-2. The AFC has the Dolphins at 4-1 and the Jaguars at 4-1. Around the league the Browns are 0-5; the Bengals are 0-5. The Sunday-night game is Indianapolis at New England. The Sunday at 3Com is the conference's only matchup of NFC West rivals on the slate.
Through five games the 49ers sit at 3-2 with a minus 37 point differential. Garcia averages 230 passing yards per game across three starts. Garner is on pace for 1,100 from scrimmage. The defense surrendered 461 yards last Sunday. Carolina is 1-4 with Beuerlein averaging 260 passing yards per game and Biakabutuka 3.8 a carry. The Panthers have lost three of four by double digits. Vegas opens the 49ers as 6-point home favorites.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 4-1 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 4-1 | -- |
| Baltimore Ravens | 2-3 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 2-3 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1-4 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-5 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 4-1 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 4-1 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 3-1 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 2-2 | -- |
| New York Jets | 1-4 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| San Diego Chargers | 3-1 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 3-1 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 3-2 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 2-3 | -- |
| Denver Broncos | 1-4 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| St. Louis Rams | 4-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 3-2 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 1-3 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 1-3 | -- |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-4 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 3-1 | -- |
| Chicago Bears | 3-2 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 2-2 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 2-3 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-3 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 3-1 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 3-1 | -- |
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-3 | -- |
| New York Giants | 2-3 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 1-4 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Wade Richey 38 yard field goal | 0-3 |
| 49ers | Wade Richey 34 yard field goal | 0-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | John Kasay 19 yard field goal | 3-6 |
| 49ers | Wade Richey 40 yard field goal | 3-9 |
| Panthers | Patrick Jeffers 7 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein ( John Kasay kick) | 10-9 |
| 49ers | Darnell Walker 27 yard interception return ( Wade Richey kick) | 10-16 |
| Panthers | Muhsin Muhammad 22 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein ( John Kasay kick) | 17-16 |
| Panthers | Wesley Walls 25 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein ( John Kasay kick) | 24-16 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Patrick Jeffers 33 yard pass from Steve Beuerlein ( John Kasay kick) | 31-16 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Mark McMillian 41 yard defensive fumble return ( Wade Richey kick) | 31-23 |
| 49ers | Jerry Rice 11 yard pass from Jeff Garcia (pass failed) | 31-29 |
Steve Beuerlein threw for 300 yards and four touchdowns and the Carolina Panthers beat the 49ers 31-29 at 3Com Park on a Patrick Jeffers 24-yard touchdown reception with 1:27 to play. Jeff Garcia threw for 236 yards and a touchdown in his fourth start. Charlie Garner ran for 85. Jerry Rice caught five for 59 and a touchdown. Muhsin Muhammad caught 6 for 96. The 49ers led 29-24 with five minutes to play before the Panthers' game-winning drive.[1][2]
Steve Beuerlein threw a 24-yard touchdown to Patrick Jeffers with 1:27 to play and the Panthers won 31-29 at 3Com Park. The 49ers led 29-24 with five minutes to play. The defensive secondary, off the four-touchdown afternoon against Bruce last Sunday, surrendered the deciding play on a Cover 2 shell that left Jeffers single-covered against the rookie corner.
Garcia threw for 236 and a touchdown to Rice. Garner ran for 85. The offensive line gave up two sacks. Defensively the 49ers held Biakabutuka to 3.6 a carry and forced one Beuerlein pick. The four-touchdown afternoon by Beuerlein and the closing-drive Jeffers score is the kind of late-game defensive collapse that, in any year, separates the staff from a winning record.
The 49ers walk away 3-3 with the road trip to Minnesota's Metrodome next Sunday. The home record drops to 2-1. The wire copy is going to spend the column on the closing 13 plays where the 49ers' offense produced two punts after taking the lead. The film room is going to spend the week on the defensive coverage on the game-winning throw.
Panthers 31, 49ers 29. Margin: minus 2. Record: 3-3, minus 39 differential. • Garcia: 22-of-45 for 236, 1 TD, 0 INTs; 6 rushes for 24. • Garner: 16 carries for 85. • Rice: 5 catches for 59, 1 TD. • Stokes: 3 catches for 53. • Beuerlein: 23-of-36 for 300, 4 TDs. • Muhammad: 6 catches for 96, 1 TD. • Jeffers: 6 catches for 93, 2 TDs (game-winner with 1:27 left). • Biakabutuka: 20 carries for 83 (4.2 ypc). • Quarter scoring: SF 7-7-9-6; CAR 7-10-7-7.
A 31-29 home loss to the Panthers. The 49ers fall to 3-3 on a Steve Beuerlein touchdown drive in the final 1:27.
How it unfolded
The first quarter ended tied at 7 after a Garcia touchdown to Rice and a Beuerlein touchdown to Muhammad. The second quarter produced a Carolina Wesley Walls touchdown to make it 14-7 and a Wade Richey field goal to push it to 14-10 at halftime. The third quarter saw two Carolina scoring drives (a Walls touchdown and a Richey field goal) cancel out a Garcia touchdown reception by Garner; the 49ers entered the fourth quarter down 24-16. Garcia drove for a fourth-quarter touchdown to make it 24-23 and a Richey field goal pushed it to 29-24 with 5:12 left. The Panthers responded with the 9-play, 80-yard drive ending in the Jeffers 24-yard touchdown with 1:27 to play. Garcia's closing drive ended with an interception at the Carolina 35.
The turning point
The Jeffers game-winning touchdown. With Carolina facing third-and-five from the 49ers 24, Beuerlein found Jeffers on a corner route against single coverage. The 29-24 lead became a 31-29 deficit with 1:27 to play.
By the numbers
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Jeff Garcia | 22/45 | 236 | 1 | 0 | |
| CAR | |||||
| Steve Beuerlein | 23/36 | 300 | 4 | 3 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Charlie Garner | 16 | 85 | 0 | 33 |
| Jeff Garcia | 4 | 24 | 0 | 9 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 3 | 18 | 0 | 17 |
| Fred Beasley | 1 | -3 | 0 | -3 |
| CAR | ||||
| Tim Biakabutuka | 20 | 83 | 0 | 21 |
| Fred Lane | 4 | 11 | 0 | 10 |
| Steve Beuerlein | 1 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| William Floyd | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Jerry Rice #80 | 5 | 59 | 1 | 19 |
| J.J. Stokes | 3 | 53 | 0 | 35 |
| Fred Beasley | 4 | 46 | 0 | 23 |
| Greg Clark | 5 | 43 | 0 | 13 |
| Charlie Garner | 3 | 24 | 0 | 12 |
| Chad Fann | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Mark Harris | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| CAR | ||||
| Muhsin Muhammad | 6 | 96 | 1 | 39 |
| Patrick Jeffers | 6 | 93 | 2 | 33 |
| Wesley Walls | 5 | 70 | 1 | 27 |
| Eric Metcalf | 3 | 19 | 0 | 7 |
| Rae Carruth | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| William Floyd | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
| Tim Biakabutuka | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
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