Arizona Cardinals' blowout loss to San Francisco 49ers puts pressure on GM Monti Ossenfort

The Arizona Cardinals' 45-29 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday at State Farm Stadium wasn’t General Manager Monti Ossenfort’s fault, but the defeat shows exactly how much pressure he’s under in trying to turn the franchise around.

It was inevitable that the 49ers would drill into Arizona and claim the NFC West title with three games left in the season; it’s been years in the making.

The 49ers have had stability at head coach, coherent and consistent schemes on offense and defense, and, most importantly, the franchise has known how to find gold in the draft.

The Cardinals, unfortunately, have laid one egg after another in pursuit of coaches, systems and young players who can help lead the team.

The draft day differences go way beyond the inevitable comparison of Kyler Murray, No. 1 overall in 2019 and struggling, vs. Brock Purdy, last overall in 2022 and playing like an MVP.

Sunday’s numbers were flat-out embarrassing. And not just the $46 million that Murray makes vs. the $800,000 that Purdy gets.

(That’s funnier if you go per game. Murray gets about $2.7 million per game. For Purdy, it’s about $47,000. … It’s funnier still if you break that down to games Murray has played. If he plays in Arizona’s final three games, he’ll have made about $6.6 million per game.)

Kyler Murray vs. Brock Purdy: Which QB played better?

Anyway, the numbers were bad on the field, too.

Purdy was 16-for-25 passing for 242 yards and four touchdowns.

Murray, meanwhile, was 26-for-39 for just 211 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

Purdy, for his part, operated from a clean pocket and wasn’t sacked.

Murray was sacked three times and pressured far more.

But that’s the way it was going to go all along.

The Cardinals haven’t flown in a meaningful direction in years.

The 49ers, meanwhile, have mined one impact player after another.

According to a Pro Football Reference online database, San Francisco has drafted 29 starters since 2016, including players who’ve accounted for 13 Pro Bowl and six All-Pro selections.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, drafted 22 starters in that same span, accounting for eight Pro Bowls and two All-Pro selections.

These numbers might not seem far enough apart to account for the absolute pummeling the 49ers put on the Cardinals on Sunday, but it’s all in the details.

The 49ers have drafted six players who’ve garnered end-of-season honors since 2016. That number should go up after this year as Purdy and Brandon Aiyuk have earned consideration.

The Cardinals, meanwhile, have picked just three players to earn Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition: Kyler Murray, Budda Baker and Haason Reddick. Don’t expect that to change.

Baker has accounted for both of Arizona’s All-Pro selections. (One as a safety; one for special teams play.)

Baker has five Pro Bowls on his resume. Murray has two.

Reddick, meanwhile, became a Pro Bowler with the Philadelphia Eagles.

It gets even worse when you consider how few of the starters that Arizona has drafted are still with the team.

Aside from Reddick, Chase Edmonds, Mason Cole, Christian Kirk, Zach Allen, Byron Murphy and Isaiah Simmons all are gone for one reason or another. Guys like Evan Boehm, Chad Williams and Josh Rosen are no longer in the league.

The good news is that Ossenfort’s guys are getting valuable time on the field.

Most of the Cardinals' draft picks in the starting lineup are rookies, meaning guys Ossenfort selected. Arizona starts a whopping five players who are in their first season.

For the 49ers, 12 of a possible 22 starters on offense and defense were drafted within the last eight years, but only one is a rookie.

Analysis: Just how bad was the Cardinals' loss to the 49ers?

It speaks to front office savvy and shows that the 49ers have created an environment in which guys can thrive.

And it shows just how far the Cardinals have to go before they can be expected to win.

Just consider one man who's been in both places: 49ers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks. In San Francisco, he looks like one of the best defensive minds in the league. In Arizona, he was fired as head coach after one horrible season that included factors far beyond his control.

None of this is Ossenfort’s fault, by the way. But it all goes to show how much pressure he’s under as he tries to dig out from this mess that he walked into.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @SayingMoore.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' blowout loss to 49ers demonstrates importance of the draft