The 49ers open Kyle Shanahan's first season at Levi's Stadium against the Carolina Panthers, 1:25 PT kickoff.
Brian Hoyer is the new QB1 under Shanahan, signed in free agency from the Bears. Cam Newton starts for Carolina coming off offseason shoulder surgery. Carlos Hyde leads the 49ers' backfield. Pierre Garcon signed in free agency as WR1.
Kyle Shanahan's first game as a head coach Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers, coming off a 2-14 season and the Chip Kelly experiment, brought in Shanahan from Atlanta and John Lynch from the broadcast booth as the regime change.
Brian Hoyer is the QB1, signed after his Bears stint. Pierre Garcon at receiver. Carlos Hyde at running back. The defense returns NaVorro Bowman and adds Solomon Thomas at the third overall pick.
Cam Newton coming off shoulder surgery. The Panthers were 6-10 a year ago. Underdog by 5.5 at home in the opener. A young roster's first read of what the rebuild looks like.
Opening Sunday begins the league sort. The Patriots return as defending Super Bowl champions after the 28-3 comeback over the Falcons. The Cowboys, Packers, Falcons, and Seahawks lead the NFC. Around the AFC the Patriots, Steelers, and Raiders are at the top. The 49ers, with Shanahan in his first head-coaching job and a new front-office regime, sit at the bottom of the conference's preseason rankings. The Sunday opener is the rebuild's first day.
Through zero games the 49ers reset to a 2-14 2016 in which the team allowed 28.4 points per game (worst in the NFL). New regime: Shanahan, Lynch. New QB1: Brian Hoyer. New WR1: Pierre Garcon. Solomon Thomas at #3 overall (DL). NaVorro Bowman returning. Vegas opens the 49ers as 5.5-point home underdogs; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Buffalo Bills | 0-0 | -- |
| Miami Dolphins | 0-0 | -- |
| New England Patriots | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Jets | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-0 | -- |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 0-0 | -- |
| Cleveland Browns | 0-0 | -- |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Houston Texans | 0-0 | -- |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-0 | -- |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 0-0 | -- |
| Tennessee Titans | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 0-0 | -- |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 0-0 | -- |
| Oakland Raiders | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-0 | -- |
| Los Angeles Rams | 0-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-0 | -- |
| San Francisco 49ers | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 0-0 | -- |
| New York Giants | 0-0 | -- |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-0 | -- |
| Washington Redskins | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 0-0 | -- |
| Detroit Lions | 0-0 | -- |
| Green Bay Packers | 0-0 | -- |
| Minnesota Vikings | 0-0 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 0-0 | -- |
| Carolina Panthers | 0-0 | -- |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-0 | -- |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 0-0 | -- |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Russell Shepard 40 yard pass from Cam Newton ( Graham Gano kick) | 7-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Graham Gano 39 yard field goal | 10-0 |
| Panthers | Graham Gano 36 yard field goal | 13-0 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Panthers | Jonathan Stewart 9 yard pass from Cam Newton ( Graham Gano kick) | 20-0 |
| Panthers | Graham Gano 20 yard field goal | 23-0 |
| 49ers | Robbie Gould 44 yard field goal | 23-3 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
The Carolina Panthers held the 49ers to 217 yards and beat them 23-3 at Levi's Stadium in the Shanahan-era opener. Cam Newton threw for 171 yards and ran for one of two Carolina touchdowns. Jonathan Stewart ran for 65. Brian Hoyer threw for 193 with one interception. Carlos Hyde ran for 49. The 49ers' lone score was a Robbie Gould field goal. The 49ers fell to 0-1.[1][2][3]
Shanahan's first game as a head coach Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium produced 217 total yards and 3 points for the 49ers. Carolina won 23-3. Brian Hoyer, the Bears free-agent signing brought in to run the new offense, threw for 193 yards with one interception. Carlos Hyde ran for 49 on 14 carries.
Cam Newton, coming off the shoulder surgery, threw for 171 and ran in a 1-yard touchdown. Jonathan Stewart ran for 65 yards on 18 carries. The kind of opening Sunday where Carolina's veteran identity overwhelmed the 49ers' opening-day inexperience.
The Panthers' defense generated three sacks of Hoyer. The 49ers' new offense managed one Robbie Gould field goal across 60 minutes. 0-1 with the Seahawks on the road next week in a divisional opener.
Panthers 23, 49ers 3. Margin: -20. Season opener.
A 23-3 home loss to the Carolina Panthers in Kyle Shanahan's head-coaching debut. The 49ers fall to 0-1.
How it unfolded
Carolina kicked an opening field goal. The 49ers answered with a Gould field goal to tie it. Newton threw a touchdown to Russell Shepard to make it 10-3. Carolina added another field goal. Newton ran in a 1-yard touchdown in the third quarter to make it 20-3. The Panthers added a fourth-quarter touchdown to push the final to 23-3. The 49ers' offense never crossed the goal line.
The turning point
Newton's third-quarter rushing touchdown. With the lead at 13-3 and the 49ers' offense still struggling, Newton's keeper from the 1 pushed the game to a three-score margin and the rest of the day was scheme adjustment for a Shanahan staff looking at the new roster.
By the numbers
Hoyer 24-of-37 for 193 with one INT. Carlos Hyde 14 carries for 49. Pierre Garcon 4 catches for 36 in his 49ers debut. Newton 14-of-25 for 171 with a rushing TD. Stewart 18 carries for 65. The Panthers' three sacks of Hoyer.
Personnel watch
Shanahan's opening-day starting lineup featured Hoyer, Garcon, Hyde, Solomon Thomas (the third-overall pick) in his debut, and NaVorro Bowman at linebacker. The kind of opening Sunday where the new regime got its first real look at the gap between what the roster currently has and what the offense and defense need.
What it means
0-1 with the Seahawks on the road next week in a divisional opener. Shanahan's first game as a head coach produced 3 points and 217 total yards. The kind of opening Sunday where the rebuild's distance from contention came into clear focus.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Brian Hoyer | 24/35 | 193 | 0 | 1 | |
| CAR | |||||
| Cam Newton | 14/25 | 171 | 2 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Carlos Hyde | 9 | 45 | 0 | 18 |
| Matt Breida | 4 | 11 | 0 | 5 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Brian Hoyer | 1 | -5 | 0 | 0 |
| CAR | ||||
| Jonathan Stewart | 18 | 65 | 0 | 10 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 13 | 47 | 0 | 11 |
| Cam Newton | 6 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Fozzy Whittaker | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Pierre Garcon | 6 | 81 | 0 | 22 |
| Carlos Hyde | 6 | 32 | 0 | 10 |
| George Kittle | 5 | 27 | 0 | 13 |
| Marquise Goodwin | 3 | 21 | 0 | 14 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 2 | 17 | 0 | 12 |
| Trent Taylor | 1 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Aldrick Robinson | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| CAR | ||||
| Russell Shepard | 2 | 53 | 1 | 40 |
| Christian McCaffrey | 5 | 38 | 0 | 16 |
| Kelvin Benjamin | 1 | 25 | 0 | 25 |
| Devin Funchess | 2 | 20 | 0 | 16 |
| Greg Olsen | 2 | 18 | 0 | 17 |
| Jonathan Stewart | 2 | 17 | 1 | 9 |
Find or start the canonical thread for this game on r/49ers. The thread title is deterministic so anyone running this Rewatch lands on the same place.
Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2017 W1 - 49ers vs Carolina Panthers - Game Thread
