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The Arizona Cardinals went into Levi's Stadium on Sunday and upset the defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers 24-20. It was not the start Richard Sherman and his team wanted for what they hoped would be a bounce-back season in response to February's Super Bowl defeat.
Sherman was asked after the game what the 49ers can take away from the loss, and what it might mean for the team moving forward.
"It just comes down to executing down the stretch," Sherman responded. "Any time you get to play, we got to knock the rust off some things, some communication things we have to do better, but I think overall, we feel good about where we are.
"They played a good game. They made some plays at the end. [Cardinals quarterback
Kyler Murray] made some plays with his legs that made it tough and compromised the defense. But I think it was a great learning experience for everybody, and it will help us in the future."
The 49ers head into a two-game road stretch against the New York Jets and Giants. The team will travel to the East Coast next weekend for the first road game, and then stay the week and practice at The Greenbrier in West Virginia before the second consecutive game at MetLife Stadium.
As for Arizona, it wasn't just the athletic Murray who the 49ers had to deal with. San Francisco had to figure out a way to stop new Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, who torched last year's No. 1 pass defense for 151 yards on 14 catches.
Despite the gaudy statistics, the 49ers' veteran cornerback didn't feel Hopkins changed the Cardinals offense too much.
"Honestly, he didn't bring much different than what they were already running," Sherman told reporters. "He's more sure-handed. He's a guy that's going to make the plays that are there, make the contested catches, but it wasn't like they put in new wrinkles for him, and said, 'Hey, we're just going to isolate him, and give him the ball.'
"Even last year, when they had a single to the X, that's where they're going. So it didn't matter if it was DeAndre Hopkins or Keyshawn Johnson or Larry Fitzgerald or (Christian) Kirk, that's the way their offense is run. In that regard, he's just a big-time playmaker that they put in a spot that they use often."
Despite stating that Sunday provided an opportunity to "knock the rust off," Sherman insists that the lack of a preseason didn't contribute to the 49ers' performance on Sunday.
"I don't think tackling was the big issue today," Sherman added. "I think there was communication, there was some lapses in that, that we've just got to get cleaned up."
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
Ian Rapoport didn't offer much of an update on the ongoing contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and their standout wide receiver, Brandon Aiyuk. However, the NFL insider emphasized one thing: The team is not entertaining trade discussions at this juncture.
Reacting to Aiyuk's decision to unfollow the 49ers on Instagram, Rapoport couldn't help but chuckle at the latest development. This practice has become commonplace among players who are unhappy with their contract situations. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel similarly took this action in 2022 before requesting to be traded just before the draft.
Things have yet to escalate that far with Aiyuk, but Rapoport sees his
Analyst Dane Brugler recently revealed his seven-round mock draft for The Athletic, forecasting all 257 selections in the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, set to kick off next week.
"Piecing together a mock like this is time consuming, but I enjoy the exercise, because it allows me to focus on each team's needs, organizational trends and prospect-team pairings that make sense based on '30' visits, league buzz and overall interest," Brugler wrote.
Most expect the 49ers to address the trenches early in the draft, and Brugler has the team doing that. It's just not on the offensive side of the football. In fact, Brugler doesn't have San Francisco
