The San Francisco 49ers' 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals was a refreshingly relaxed affair, with the Niners jumping out to a quick lead with a huge opening kickoff return by Skyy Moore to set up a touchdown. Then, the offense put together another quick drive, with quarterback Brock Purdy completing three passes, the third one being one of the prettiest passes of the year to tight end George Kittle for a touchdown.
One question going into the game was how Purdy would look. It would have been understandable if he had been rusty. As it turned out, he was sharp, completing 19 of 26 for 200 yards and three touchdowns. While the passing yardage looks pedestrian, Purdy was dealing with short fields most of the game.
One aspect of the offense that has been puzzling all year is the run game. In this game, the 49ers looked normal, with Christian McCaffrey running for over six yards per carry, over two yards per carry more than his average before the game.
On the defensive side, the performance was not so pretty. While holding the Cardinals to 22 points looks good, Arizona consistently killed its own drives with costly penalties. They set a team record for being flagged with 17 infractions for 130 yards. Considering the franchise began in 1920, that is quite an impressive achievement.
San Francisco's pass rush was non-existent, and the underneath coverage was much too soft. The deep coverage was solid, as Arizona quarterback Jacoby Brissett frequently checked the ball down to a back or tight end, but those players were often able to run five to ten yards before a Niner appeared in the picture.
The problem with these units is due to injuries, though. With defensive ends Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams out for the season and Bryce Huff just returning from an injury, the defensive line lacks the necessary talent. Linebacker Fred Warner is also a very good blitzer, and he's out.
And Warner is the best coverage linebacker in football, perhaps of all time. Many of those checkdowns or completions to tight ends would have gone for much less if #54 had been healthy. Cardinal tight end Trey McBride is an outstanding talent, one of the best tight ends in the league, but my bet is his 10 catches for 115 yards would both be lower if Fred had been in coverage.
The defense did force some turnovers, and the Niners have been lacking in that department all year. The defense did not have an interception until the eighth game of the season (and finished last year with a long streak of pick-less games). Today, the secondary had two, one by safety Malik Mustapha at the tail end of the first half, and the offense put together an efficient drive for a field goal to finish the first thirty minutes.
Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir got a pick in the second half and ran it back 64 yards to the Arizona 14. Brock Purdy found George Kittle in the back of the end zone to finish the short drive.
Of course, it wouldn't be a Niners game without injuries. The two most concerning are linebacker Tatum Bethune and kicker Eddy Piñeiro. The latter is particularly troublesome, considering the struggles the 49ers have had the last two years before he was signed. The stability at kicker has been huge and has helped win games. Hopefully, he will not be out for long.
Bethune's injury is significant as he replaced Warner as the play caller on defense. He is a better athlete than those who replaced him. Luke Gifford and Curtis Robinson fight and play with high effort, but as the sports cliché goes, you can't coach speed, and those two don't have what Bethune does.
With a 7-4 record and three games against allegedly weaker opponents—the Panthers, Browns, and Titans—the Niners might hit the last stretch with 10 wins. That might put them in the playoffs, but they need to be prepared for games where the defense struggles.
The offense showed it can put points on the board, and to win, they will need to do so. This is not the dominant defense Robert Saleh led the last time he was the defensive coordinator. The personnel are just not there.
But the 49ers have the fight, and fight can win games. They just need to hope some of the young players develop—cornerback Upton Stout forced a goal-line fumble to prevent a touchdown—and some of the veterans can come through.
The 49ers are getting players back on offense, and while there were concerns today, there were also some positives. Each addition to the W column is one step closer to the playoffs.
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