The San Francisco 49ers got off to a hot start at home in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals, riding running back Matt Breida to an early touchdown. But that gave way to more self-inflicted mistakes, leading to Arizona's 14-6 first-half lead. Here are your updates.
The San Francisco 49ers opened up the first half of their Week 5 home bout versus the Arizona Cardinals with a promising eight-play, 75-yard drive culminating in a 5-yard shovel pass from quarterback C.J. Beathard to running back Matt Breida:
Matt Breida with the 5-yard #49ers touchdown shovel pass. 6-0 after botched PAT. #AZvsSF #49wz pic.twitter.com/Bo98d9wUE1
— Peter Panacy (@PeterPanacy) October 7, 2018
Breida was a focal point of that drive, notably as the Niners looked to take advantage of a suspect Cardinals run defense over the course of the contest. Over the first half of play, San Francisco's featured tailback posted 56 yards on eight carries and the touchdown reception.
After a botched extra-point attempt by kicker Robbie Gould, the Cardinals managed to strike back on their first offensive snap. Rookie quarterback Josh Rosen hit fellow rookie, wide receiver Christian Kirk, for a 75-yard touchdown. While cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon was in coverage on the play, safety Adrian Colbert cut underneath instead of providing any over-the-top help.
Easy touchdown for Kirk:
Speed kills!
Josh Rosen 👉🏾 Christian Kirk on the #AZCardinals' first offensive play from scrimmage. pic.twitter.com/VeTm3w7kdF
— C.J. Holmes (@CjHolmes22) October 7, 2018
On the 49ers' next possession, Beathard tried to hit wide receiver Pierre Garçon. But Garçon couldn't hang on, leading to a Cardinals interception by defensive back Tre Boston. Arizona went 3-and-out, however, saving San Francisco from giving up points off the turnover.
The Cardinals managed to score points off the next Niners turnover, however. No. 3 49ers running Raheem Mostert lost the ball, which was recovered by Arizona cornerback Patrick Peterson and returned 49 yards. The Cardinals then scored on a 2-yard rush by running back David Johnson to go up 14-6 by the beginning of the second quarter.
News wasn't particularly kind to the 49ers on the injury front either. Garçon exited with a shoulder injury, while Breida left with an ankle injury.
Garçon returned before the half, although Breida remains questionable.
Penalties continued to plague San Francisco. While not as bad as their 14-flag Week 3 contest against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Niners suffered six first-half penalties to the tune of 40 yards. Overall, the 49ers managed 193 yards of total offense, compared to the Cardinals' 169.
Yet Arizona still holds the 14-6 lead heading into the second half, largely due to its home-run play early in the game and the Mostert turnover.
Breida's lingering absence certainly hurts the Niners' rushing game, which forced Beathard to rely heavier on passing in the 49ers' scoreless second quarter.
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Written by:Peter Panacy has been writing about the 49ers since 2011 for outlets like Bleacher Report, Niner Noise, 49ers Webzone, and is occasionally heard as a guest on San Francisco's 95.7 FM The Game and the Niners' flagship station, KNBR 680. Feel free to follow him, or direct any inquiries to his Twitter account.
