SANTA CLARA — The 49ers cruised to victories in the first two regular-season games.But coach Kyle Shanahan doesn’t expect that trend to continue when the Arizona Cardinals come to town with first-year coach Mike LaFleur.
LaFleur spent seven seasons under Shanahan with Cleveland, Atlanta and the 49ers. And Shanahan is expecting a tough battle.
“He’s got a team that is a lot better than people gave them credit for going into this year,” Shanahan said on 49ers Game Plan.
“We got our work cut out for us, and just don’t be surprised if this team surprises a lot of people this year.”
And the task won’t get easier for the 49ers with star edge rusher Nick Bosa expected to miss a few weeks after pulling his calf during warmups on Thursday.
The 49ers have an NFL-best plus-42 point differential after two weeks. And they are relying on these five to keep it rolling Sunday against the Cardinals:DB Upton StoutThe Cardinals do not feature a prolific passing game with quarterback Jacoby Brissett, who threw for just 95 yards last week in a 31-7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks. More info on: Nick Bosa