It didn't take long for wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders to get on the San Francisco 49ers' stat sheet during their Week 8 game against the Carolina Panthers.
Sanders hauled in a 4-yard pass on the Niners' second offensive snap of the game, and the opening drive culminated in the team's newest member finding the end zone shortly thereafter, hauling in a 4-yard touchdown pass to give San Francisco a 7-0 lead:
Four yards. Six points. Welcome to the #49ers Emmanuel Sanders pic.twitter.com/eZtApDZzt6
— Scott Young (@FakeScottYoung) October 27, 2019
Subsequently, San Francisco's defense responded with a 3-and-out stand, thanks largely to EDGE Nick Bosa sacking Panthers quarterback Kyle Allen upon Carolina's first third-down conversion attempt.
But Garoppolo wasn't as sharp the following drive, getting himself picked off by Panthers perennial Pro Bowl linebacker Luke Kuechly with just seven minutes remaining in the first quarter. Carolina wasn't able to find end-zone pay dirt off the turnover, however, as defensive tackle Arik Armstead was next to sack Allen, leading to the Panthers settling for a 41-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 7-3.
The 49ers' subsequent possession was hindered somewhat by an illegal block in the red zone by wide receiver Deebo Samuel, which allowed tight end George Kittle a would-have-been touchdown. Following the penalty against San Francisco, however, running back Tevin Coleman was able to rush it in from 19 yards out to put the Niners up 14-3:
Tevin Coleman with the 19-yard touchdown run. #49ers take a 14-3 lead with 1:09 left in Q1. #CARvsSF #49wz pic.twitter.com/clAFcfgHDS
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) October 27, 2019
San Francisco managed its own interception early in the second quarter, which marked Allen's first interception tossed in five starts this season. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was responsible for the takeaway, his first at the pro level, which led to Coleman finding the end zone again on a 10-yard pass from Garoppolo.
Just like that, the Niners were up 21-3.
Allen's first-half numbers were indicative of many of the other quarterbacks San Francisco has faced in recent games. Carolina's backup to Cam Newton managed 101 pass yards and a passer rating of 61.2 over the first two quarters, also being sacked six times. Bosa ended up recording three first-half sacks, while defensive tackle Arik Armstead managed two. Garoppolo, meanwhile, was 14-of-17 for 134 yards, two touchdowns against one interception with a passer rating of 114.2.
Sanders accounted for 25 of those yards, while Kittle had 61 on five receptions.
With just under two minutes remaining and the 49ers in possession of the ball, Coleman managed a 48-yard rush to the right, which ended up in the end zone again. Accounting for three of the Niners' first four touchdowns of the game, Coleman had 101 all-purpose yards in the first half.
San Francisco botched the extra point, however, yet the 27-3 lead entering halftime still looked convincing.
Carolina will open up the second half on offense.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
