Illinois wants 49ers LB coach Hardy Nickerson for defensive coordinator

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan joined KNBR's Murph & Mac show this morning and threw cold water on the heated rumors that wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk is in his doghouse. The second-year player had an impressive rookie campaign last season, and high expectations prefaced his sophomore NFL season. In Week 1, Aiyuk split playing time with Trent Sherfield and wasn't targeted against the Detroit Lions. It had nothing to do with the young receiver being in Shanahan's doghouse, though. The coach wanted to dispel those rumors and once again explain Aiyuk's reduced role. "No. It's not a doghouse. It's just a pretty simple thing," Shanahan said. "Trent Sherfield has played at a very high level every single day for the entire training camp. Aiyuk

If there was one significant turning point in the San Francisco 49ers' 17-11 win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, it was most likely the unexpected goal line stand members of the defense produced after a 91-yard pass put their backs against the wall in the second quarter. Down 3-0 to the Eagles with just over seven minutes remaining in the half, the 49ers had a long field behind them after a punt from Mitch Wishnowsky pinned the Eagles at their own three-yard line. But on the first play after the punt, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts went deep for wide receiver Quez Watkins, who went for 91 yards before being brought down by safety Jaquiski Tartt and cornerback Deommodore Lenoir at the 49ers' six-yard line. A pass interference call on cornerback Josh Norman two plays

The San Francisco 49ers have placed Jalen Hurd on injured reserve. The third-year wide receiver is attempting to return from the ACL injury he suffered before the start of last season. While he appeared in one preseason game this year—an August 29 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders—he has yet to appear in a regular-season matchup. Being on injured reserve means Hurd will have to miss at least three games. That will make him eligible to return for Week 4 against the Seattle Seahawks. The 49ers also activated cornerback Dontae Johnson from the practice squad to make him available for Sunday's game against the Detroit Lions. That could mean that starting cornerback Emmanuel Moseley (knee) is unlikely to be available. He was listed as "doubtful" on the

Week 1 has finally arrived as the 49ers are heading to Detroit to face the Lions as a part of a two-game road stretch to begin the season. While this game figures to be a relatively easier game than most on San Francisco's schedule, let's take a look at the four key takeaways for the 49ers in lieu of Sunday's game. 1. Establishing the Run Early In their final preseason game against the Raiders, the 49ers were able to establish a presence in the run game from the start, as starting RB Raheem Mostert got runs of 16 and 17 yards on the opening drive that led to a