13 Sep Cardinals vs 49ers Recap

In a season opener filled with excitement and joy, the San Francisco 49ers came out flat against the Arizona Cardinals, losing the game 24-20.

Jimmy Garoppolo finished the game 19/33 for 259 yards and 2 TD’s. The star of game however was newly inked RB Raheem Mostert, who caught the ball 4 times for 95 yards, as well as carrying the ball 15 times for 56 yards. 

The story of today’s game however was the offensive inefficiency. The 49ers finished the day 2-for-11 on 3rd down, a meager 18% clip. They also failed to convert on 4th down twice. Once on a 4th and short on the 1 in the end zone, and a pivotal 4thand 5 that cost the team the game.

As for the defense, the group as a whole performed very well. Although the unit gave up key 3rd down conversions to the Cardinals, they couldn’t get off the field for the majority of the game. The Cardinals won the T.O.P. battle, holding the ball for 31:26. The 49ers had possession for 28:34.

Overall, the 49ers flashed signs of the team they were last season: a suffocating defense, followed by an explosive, big play offense, as featured by this beautiful Mostert TD

Garoppolo had some decent throws, however, he failed to come through when needed. Same applies for HC Kyle Shanahan, as his play calling appeared questionable at times.

Nonetheless, I cannot discredit the Cardinals, who scored key touchdowns throughout the game to keep the 49ers at bay. 

Kyler Murray had an alright game, passing for 230 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT. But the big story was new WR Deandre Hopkins, who in his Cardinals debut, finished with a career high 14 catches for 151 yards. 

The 49ers have a long, long season ahead of them. However, if the offense maintains its rustiness and the defense cannot get off the field, the team has a long road ahead of them if they want to make it back to the playoffs. 

Next week, the 49ers will play the New York Jets in the east coast, with a kickoff time of 10:00 am.