Their only loss in that span was against the Minnesota Vikings on a last-second, 32-yard touchdown from quarterback Brett Favre to wide receiver Greg Lewis.
Most of the blame was due to their weak offensive line, namely, the injury of left tackle Joe Staley in a week 7 game against the Indianapolis Colts.
[5] Tony Nathan's replacement came on January 7, 2009, when former 49ers' fullback Tom Rathman agreed to become the new running backs coach.
Raye has had successful years as a run-based offensive coordinator, namely with the 1984 Los Angeles Rams, when Eric Dickerson rushed for a league-record 2,105 yards.
49ers players Patrick Willis, Josh Morgan, Dashon Goldson, Joe Staley, and Moran Norris displayed the new jerseys and pants at the 49ers draft party.
The new jerseys are very similar to the classic design, with minor changes to the sleeve stripes, the moving of secondary numerals to the top of the shoulders, and the inclusion of a "49ers" ligature below the neck.
The following are players signed by the 49ers in the 2009 off-season: † College football team ‡ Arena Football League team The following are players who were released by the 49ers in the 2009 off-season:[43] The following are players whose contracts expired at the end of the 2008 season:[50] *RFA: Restricted free agent, UFA: Unrestricted free agent, ERFA: Exclusive-rights free agent After finishing the 2008 season with a 7–9 record, the 49ers held the 10th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.
49ers quarterback Shaun Hill made his season-opening debut, hoping to redeem himself for letting a close game slip through his fingers the previous year.
With 5:26 remaining in the first half Frank Gore, the 49ers feature back and offensive focal point the last three seasons, had been held to negative one yard rushing on six carries.
Arizona's offense, known in 2008 for their great passing attack, was forced to punt after going 3 and out on three separate occasions, was held to only 3 first downs, and turned the ball over once on an interception by Patrick Willis at this point in the game.
Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers would kick a 45-yard field goal to close out the first half to make the score 13–6.
In the third quarter, Kurt Warner led the Cardinals on a long drive capped off with a quick touchdown pass to Larry Fitzgerald, a score that would tie the game at 13–13.
More tension was yet to come as the 49ers defense stopped the Cardinals hurry-up offense on two consecutive drives, one ending on a failed 4th and 5 from the 49ers 33 yard line with 1:51 left in the game.
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Coming off their upset road win over the Cardinals, the 49ers would play their Week 2 home opener against another NFC West foe, the Seattle Seahawks.
The 49ers would reply with Nedney making a 42-yard field goal, while Seattle closed out the half with quarterback Seneca Wallace completing a 1-yard touchdown pass to running back Julius Jones.
San Francisco would trail early as Vikings quarterback Brett Favre completed a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Sidney Rice.
San Francisco would increase their lead in the third quarter with kicker Joe Nedney's 37-yard field goal, but Minnesota replied with wide receiver Percy Harvin returning a kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown.
However, the Vikings would snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as Favre completed a 32-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Greg Lewis with 2 seconds left in the game.
Finally, the 49ers would receive some encouragement from special teams as rookie linebacker Scott McKillop recovered a muffed punt for a touchdown.
The Falcons would then close out the game with kicker Jason Elam's 40-yard field goal in the third quarter and Ryan's 1-yard touchdown run in the fourth.
San Francisco would find itself trailing early in the first quarter as Texans running back Steve Slaton got a 1-yard touchdown.
It began to pay off in the third quarter as Smith completed a 29-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis.
The Niners tried to rally as Smith found Davis again on a 23-yard touchdown pass, but that would be as close to a comeback that San Francisco would get as Houston's defense stiffened for the win.
Indianapolis would begin the second quarter with Stover's 33-yard field goal, yet the Niners came right back with Smith's 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis.
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Trying to snap a three-game losing streak, the 49ers went home for a Week 9 interconference duel with the Tennessee Titans.
San Francisco would begin the fourth quarter with Nedney booting a 25-yard field goal, but Tennessee would take the lead with Johnson's 2-yard touchdown run, kicker Rob Bironas' 28-yard field goal, and cornerback Cortland Finnegan returning an interception 39 yards for a touchdown.
The Niners tried to rally as Smith hooked up with Hill again on a 3-yard touchdown pass, but the Titans' defense would prevent further progress.
at Candlestick Park, San Francisco Hoping to snap a four-game losing streak, the 49ers stayed at home for a Week 10 Thursday night duel with the Chicago Bears, as head coach Mike Singletary prepared to face his former team.
The Bears would get a comeback drive going as they got inside San Francisco's redzone, yet safety Michael Lewis got the game-ending interception, which preserved the four-point lead.
In the end, the 49ers' 3 touchdowns were too much for the Cardinals, and the 49ers not only prevented Arizona from clinching the NFC West, but also avoided getting eliminated from the playoff race, improving to 6–7.