Weather sloppy, 49ers sloppier in 30-18 loss Colts

The weather was ugly as the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Indianapolis Colts at Levi's Stadium Sunday night, with consistent sheets of rain accompanied by strong winds. The 49ers somehow managed to look even uglier than the weather, putting on a performance filled with costly errors in a 30-18 loss to the Colts.

The 49ers jumped out to a 12-7 first quarter lead but stumbled from there, committing three turnovers and seven penalties for 122 yards while being outscored the rest of the way. 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo completed 16-of-27 passes for 181 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in the losing effort, while Colts quarterback Carson Wentz threw for 150 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions.

First Half

The 49ers fielded the opening kickoff and began the game with a statement drive, moving 78 yards in eight plays to take a 6-0 lead on a 14-yard run by Mitchell. Mitchell ran for 57 yards on five carries on the drive, while Garoppolo completed two passes for 18 yards. The point-after attempt from kicker Joey Slye sailed wide right.

The strong start from the 49ers continued on the game's next offensive play, as cornerback Josh Norman forced a fumble by running back Jonathan Taylor that was recovered at the Colts' 28-yard line by linebacker Fred Warner. Mitchell followed the turnover with a 12-yard run to the Colts' 16-yard line, but the 49ers stalled from there and settled for a 34-yard field goal from Slye to open up a 9-0 lead.

The Colts struck back on their next possession, moving 75 yards in six plays to cut the 49ers' lead to 9-7 on an 11-yard pass from Wentz to tight end Mo Alie-Cox. Wentz found wide receiver Michael Pittman for a 57-yard completion over Norman on the third play of the possession, then a wide-open Cox cruised into the end zone three plays later for the score.

The 49ers answered Cox's touchdown with a six-play, 39-yard drive that led to a 56-yard field goal from Slye and a 12-7 lead, but the Colts quickly found themselves deep in 49ers territory on the next possession when a third-down 40-yard pass interference call on nickel back K'Waun Williams moved the ball to the 49ers' 35-yard line. A 33-yard run from Taylor set the Colts up with a 1st-and-Goal at the 2, but their scoring opportunity was killed when Wentz tossed the ball into the hands of linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair after being pressured by defensive end Nick Bosa.

Rain began to intensify as the second quarter progressed, which led to the pace of the game slowing significantly. Wentz's fumble was followed by six consecutive punts, five of them coming on three-and-outs. The Colts eventually got a break at at the three-minute mark when they recovered a fumble by wide receiver Deebo Samuel at the 49ers' 28-yard line, then they took a 13-12 lead with one minute remaining in the half when Wentz scored on a one-yard touchdown two plays after a pass interference call on cornerback Emmanuel Moseley in the end zone. The score remained at 13-12 after the Colts fell short on a two-point conversion, then the 49ers ran out the clock to end the half.

The half ended with a 153-139 yardage edge for the 49ers, who also held an edge in time of possession at 15:51 to 14:09. But the 49ers fell short in two key areas -- third downs (0 for 7) and penalties, where they had three costly infractions for 64 yards while the Colts escaped the half with zero.

Second Half

The Colts opened the second half with a lengthy possession (nine plays, 30 yards, six minutes and 26 seconds) that ended in a punt, but they got the ball back seven plays later when defensive end Kwity Paye recovered a loose ball at the 49ers' 33-yard line caused by a strip sack of Garoppolo by defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. The Colts were hit with a ten-yard offensive holding penalty on the first snap after the penalty, but on the ensuing 1st-and-20 play, the 49ers were flagged for another costly pass interference call, this one for 38 yards on safety Jaquiski Tartt. Taylor then ran in from five yards out to give the Colts a 20-12 lead.

The Colts answered the Samuel touchdown with a 42-yard field goal from kicker Michael Badgley, then came up with their third forced turnover of the night when cornerback Xavier Rhodes intercepted a tipped Garoppolo pass and advanced it to the 49ers' 39-yard line. Wentz later connected with Pittman for a 28-yard touchdown with under three minutes to play to take a 30-18 lead. The game was sealed on the next possession when Garoppolo was picked off by safety Khairi Willis at the Colts' 16-yard line.

Taylor and Mitchell put up identical numbers on the ground, both rushing for 107 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. Pittman caught four passes for 105 yards and one touchdown, while Samuel hauled in seven passes for 100 yards and one touchdown.

The loss sends the 49ers to 2-4 on the season, while the Colts improved their record to 3-4. The 49ers return to action on Sunday, October 31 in a road contest against the Chicago Bears (1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, FOX).

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