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49ers’ rookie safety Ji’Ayir Brown steps in and helps shut down Buccaneers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Ji’Ayir Brown stood among a crowd of reporters answering questions when a member of the support staff handed him a football.It wasn’t just any football, either. It was the one he intercepted in the end zone Sunday in a 27-14 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Levi’s Stadium.Brown first held it in the crook of his left arm, then raised it with hands to give it a kiss.It was pretty much the same reaction coach Kyle Shanahan and 49ers teammates had for the rookie third-around draft pick out of Penn State, who stepped in for Pro Bowl strong safety Talanoa Hufanga. Brown’s interception with 3:42 remaining was one of three plays he made as the Bucs were starting to make the game more interesting than the home fans would have liked.Brown had two other end zone breakups in a promising debut that appears could become long-term as Shanahan said the 49ers feared a torn ACL for Hufanga, which would end his season.The 49ers didn’t have a select...

Photos: Brock Purdy earns first perfect QB rating for San Francisco 49ers since 1989

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy earned himself a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the 49ers’ 27-14 win over the Buccaneers on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.Purdy became the first 49ers quarterback (with at least 15 pass attempts) to do that since Hall of Famer Joe Montana in 1989.For the second straight season, the 49ers (7-3) have just a four-day turnaround after playing the Bucs before visiting the Seattle Seahawks, this time for a Thanksgiving night affair with first place on the line. After that comes an NFC Championship Game rematch Dec. 3 at the conference-leading Philadelphia Eagles, before a Dec. 10 return to Levi’s Stadium to face the Seahawks and possibly decide the NFC West.San Francisco 49ers starting quarterback Brock Purdy (13) scrambles against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Sunday, Nov. 19, 2023. (Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group) Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Cade Otton (88) fail...

Kurtenbach: Brock Purdy is ‘not completely content’ with a perfect QB rating. That tells you everything about the 49ers’ star

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

SANTA CLARA — An old Vince Lombardi quote sums up 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s performance Sunday:“Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection, we can catch excellence,” the former Packers coach is credited with saying.But Purdy, according to one metric, was perfect in the 27-14 win over the Buccaneers. He became the first 49ers quarterback in 49ers history to post a perfect quarterback rating (158.3) in a game with more than 20 pass attempts.“What an honor,” Purdy said.“At the same time, there’s still some plays and stuff I wished I had back. I’m not completely content with that.”Yes, if we want to be pedantic alongside the Niners quarterback, he did throw four incomplete passes against Tampa Bay.Tisk, tisk.But while Purdy might have missed out on true perfection, the 49ers’ second-year quarterback was unquestionably excellent Sunday. Purdy threw for 333 yards on 21-of-25 passing with three touchdowns and, ...

Cruise CEO resigns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of San Francisco-based autonomous vehicle company Cruise has resigned. Kyle Vogt, who is also Cruise's co-founder, announced his resignation Sunday evening on X. The announcement comes nearly one month after Cruise announced it will pull all of its driverless cars off the streets nationwide. The move was to "take steps to rebuild public trust" after Cruise's autonomous vehicles have caused problems in San Francisco streets, including traffic jams. Best and worst times to hit the road for Bay Area Thanksgiving travel Vogt founded the company 10 years ago, and Cruise has recorded more than 250,000 driverless rides across multiple cities, the company's now-former CEO said on X. "Cruise is still just getting started, and I believe it has a great future ahead," Vogt wrote on X. "The folks at Cruise are brilliant, driven, and resilient. They’re executing on a solid, multi-year roadmap and an exciting product vision. I’m thrilled...

Emotional Palestinian team plays Australia at Kuwait in World Cup soccer qualifying

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An emotional Palestinian team will play Australia on Tuesday at the neutral venue of Kuwait after its World Cup qualifier was moved from the West Bank due to continuing conflict in the region.Authorities in Kuwait are expecting a big crowd at the Jaber Al-Ahmad International Stadium with passionate support for the Palestinians, a team that has never appeared at the World Cup.“We’re very sympathetic for everyone with what’s going on,” Australia coach Graham Arnold said of the Gaza conflict. “But again, it’s a game of football and that brings a lot of joy to everybody.”Australia can take a big step towards the final round of qualification for soccer’s 2026 World Cup if it defeats the Palestinians. After beating Bangladesh 7-0 in the opening game, the Socceroos would take control of Group I with another victory against a Palestinian team that drew 0-0 against Lebanon.Palestinian coach Makram Daboub has been unable to call all his usual squad ...

Rams rally from a late deficit and snap their 3-game skid with a 17-16 win over Seahawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Matthew Stafford left the field hunched in pain after a disastrous flea-flicker ended with Stafford taking a massive hit to the chest while throwing an interception with his Los Angeles Rams already trailing by nine points in the fourth quarter.When Stafford caught his breath, he got mad — and then he led the Rams to his first fourth-quarter comeback victory since he did it in the Super Bowl.Lucas Havrisik made a 22-yard field goal 1:31 to play, and Jason Myers missed a 55-yard attempt for the Seahawks with 3 seconds left in Los Angeles’ 17-16 victory over Seattle on Sunday.Stafford passed for 190 yards in his return from a one-game injury absence and led two late scoring drives by the Rams (4-6), who snapped their three-game losing streak with their second win over the Seahawks (6-4) this season. Stafford was outstanding on the Rams’ final two drives after responding with determination to the crushing hit by Mario Edwards Jr.“I don’t know ...

Tickets, times, transportation and community outreach among issues F1 must fix in Las Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The CEO of the Las Vegas Grand Prix was thrilled with Formula One’s first race on the famed Strip, but acknowledged Sunday there were missteps in the $500 million showcase event of the season. Renee Wilm told The Associated Press first-time organizers F1 and owner Liberty Media worked tirelessly on a tight timeline of less than two years to prepare for Saturday night’s race. The weeklong event drew 315,000 spectators over four nights and brought in an estimated $1.2 billion in economic impact. But Wilm acknowledged community relations could have been better to help local residents cope with the disruptions and road closures as the massive 3.85-mile (6.2 kilometer), 17-turn circuit was built. It was an enormous project that insiders believe caused Liberty to spend far more than the $500 million it was expected to cost to bring F1 back to Las Vegas for the first time since 1982. “I think we could have done a much better job communicating, particularly with...

Maple Leafs beat Wild 4-3 in OT and extend winning streak to 4 games in Global Series finale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

William Nylander scored at 3:09 of overtime, and the Toronto Maple Leafs extended their winning streak to four games with a 4-3 victory over the Minnesota Wild on Sunday in the final game of the NHL’s Global Series in Sweden.Nylander collected the puck, skated toward the net and fired a shot past Marc-Andre Fleury for his 12th goal of the season. He also extended his franchise-record, season-opening point streak to 17 games.Nylander had five points (two goals, three assists) in Toronto’s two games in Stockholm.Auston Matthews added a goal and an assist for Toronto. He tied Kyle Connor of the Winnipeg Jets for the league lead with 14 goals.Matthew Knies scored his fifth of the season, Morgan Rielly added a goal and two assists and Joseph Woll stopped 33 shots for Toronto.Mats Zuccarello had a goal and an assist and defensemen Jon Merrill and Jake Middleton also scored for Minnesota, which lost its fifth straight (0-3-2). Fleury stopped 21 shots.FLYERS 5, BLUE JACKETS 2PHILADELPHIA (A...

No. 6 Stanford tops Duke 82-79 in overtime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Cameron Brink scored nine of her career-high 29 points in overtime, including a pair of clutch free throws with 11.9 seconds remaining, and No, 6 Stanford held off Duke 82-79 on Sunday.The reigning two-time Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year added 11 rebounds and six blocked shots to keep the Cardinal (4-0) unbeaten.Kiki Iriafen had a career 27 points with nine rebounds for Stanford. Hannah Jump added 15 points with five 3-pointers.Ashlon Jackson made six 3s and scored 22 points for Duke (3-2).No. 2 IOWA 113, DRAKE 90IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Caitlin Clark had 35 points and 10 assists and Kate Martin had a career-high 25 points as Iowa responded from its first loss of the season, beating Drake.The Hawkeyes (4-1), coming off a 65-58 loss to Kansas State on Thursday night, scored a program-record 64 points in the first half, shooting 75% in the first quarter and 65% in the first half.Grace Berg led Drake (3-1) with 19 points.No. 11 TEXAS 96, LOUISIANA TECH 44AUST...

Alex Nedeljkovic helps Penguins shut out Golden Knights, 3-0

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:52:52 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Nedeljkovic stopped 37 shots in his return from injury and the Pittsburgh Penguins shut out the Vegas Golden Knights 3-0 on Sunday night.Nedeljkovic recorded his first shutout of the season and the eighth of his career. It was his first shutout since April 24, 2022, when he was a member of the Detroit Red Wings.Ryan Graves and Noel Acciari both scored their first of the season and first goal with Pittsburgh. Evgeni Malkin added a late empty-net goal to seal the win. Jake Guentzel continued an eight-game point streak with an assist on the goal, as Pittsburgh snapped a brief two-game skid.Sidney Crosby and Erik Karlsson both saw lengthy point streaks end.Crosby was on an 11-game point streak, which was the third-longest active in the league. Karlsson was on an eight-game point streak, the longest among NHL defensemen. Crosby has been held without a point twice in 17 games this season.Nedeljkovic missed 10 games with a lower-body injury and was activated off long...