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This afternoon, the 49ers will host the Indianapolis Colts at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. The two teams have not faced each other since November of 2009 when the Colts beat the 49ers 18-14 in Indianapolis.
The Colts made headlines this week with a blockbuster trade that sent Browns running back Trent Richardson to Indianapolis for the Colts' 2014 first-round pick. Colts head coach Chuck Pagano said Thursday that
Richardson will play against the 49ers. When asked how much he would play, Pagano said "As much as he can handle."
One 49ers player also made headlines this week. Star linebacker Aldon Smith was
arrested Friday morning on suspicion of driving under the influence and marijuana possession. Smith had also been arrested for DUI in Miami Beach on Jan. 28, 2012. On June 30, 2012, he suffered stab wounds at a party at his house outside San Jose. 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said that Smith will play today against the Colts. Smith has 3.5 sacks this season.
The matchup between the 49ers and Colts is a reunion for Jim Harbaugh and his former Stanford star quarterback Andrew Luck. This will be the first time the 49ers coaching staff has faced Luck in the NFL. Luck was drafted with the first overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft.
Another potential matchup could happen between brothers. Vernon Davis, who is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, may not play in the game. However, if he does, his younger brother will be on the opposing defense. Vontae Davis plays cornerback for the Colts.
Last week, the 49ers (1-1) were beat 29-3 by the Seattle Seahawks. The Colts (1-1) were beat 24-20 by the Miami Dolphins.
For the 49ers, RB LaMichael James (knee), TE Vernon Davis (hamstring), DT Ray McDonald (ankles) and S Eric Reid (concussion) are listed as questionable. DT Justin Smith (shoulder), LB NaVorro Bowman (wrist), LB Aldon Smith (back), G Mike Iupati (shoulder) and QB Colin Kaepernick (foot) are listed as probable.
For the Colts, TE Dwayne Allen (hip) was placed on IR. S LaRon Landry (ankle) is out. LB Pat Angerer (knee) is listed as doubtful. S Antoine Bethea (toe) and C Samson Satele (elbow) are listed as questionable. WR T.Y. Hilton (groin), WR David Reed (quadricep), LB Kavell Conner (ankle), WR Darrius Heyward-Bey (ribs) and WR Reggie Wayne (shoulder) are listed as probable.
The game kicks off at 1:25 PM PT and, as usual, you can visit 49erswebzone.com for the latest news and updates during and after the game.
The game will be televised on CBS.
Within Yahoo! Sports, a popular mobile phone scores application, 83% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game.
Within our
Pick 'em contest, 99% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game.
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Article photo by Denny Medley of USA Today Sports
The 49ers ended their offseason workout program on Wednesday with their final session of mandatory minicamp. But before they made their way out the door for the summer, the team gave fans and reporters one last dose of info in the form of the final media sessions of the spring.
Among those speaking to reporters on Wednesday were defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, left tackle Trent Williams and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, as well as defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. Each session produced some interesting tidbits, which we'll review in this version of 49ers notebook.
Hargrave speaks
Despite being the splash free agent addition of the offseason for the 49ers, Javon Hargrave had not met with the team's beat reporters in person before Wednesday.
Trevor Sikkema of Pro Football Focus went through all 32 NFL teams and picked a reason for optimism for each heading into the 2023 season. For example, last season's five-win Denver Broncos got a new Super Bowl-winning head coach in Sean Payton. Kenny Pickett could be ready for a second-year leap with the Pittsburgh Steelers (Hopefully, not in Week 1, though).
What's the reason for optimism for the San Francisco 49ers? Sikkema admits that picking just one reason is challenging, so he went with the team's elite roster. San Francisco has stockpiled talented playmakers at almost every level.
"Yes, their quarterback situation is still up in the air," wrote Sikkema. "But
NFL Media personality Adam Rank recently published his "State of the 2023 San Francisco 49ers" feature for NFL.com, an annual look at the state of the franchise and projections for the upcoming season. Among those predictions are the team's most valuable player and breakout star.
Christian McCaffrey is the most obvious choice for MVP, and he's the guy Rank selected. The star running back was traded in late October to the 49ers and still contributed 1,210 total yards and 10 total touchdowns with his new team, totaling an impressive 1,880 yards and 13 touchdowns on the season.
Rank can't wait to see what McCaffrey does for an encore
The NFL announced that two San Francisco 49ers exhibition games would be part of the 23 preseason games to air live on NFL Network in 2023.
The first live broadcast will be the team's preseason opener against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium. Kickoff for that game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. PT on Sunday, August 13.
The second live broadcast will be the 49ers' preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers at Levi's Stadium. That game is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. PT on Friday, August 25.
It's worth noting that both games are the second part of double-headers. That means non-Bay Area fans may miss the early portions of those games while awaiting the end of the earlier matchups. On August 13, it will be a 10:00 a.m. PT matchup between the
