Arizona Cardinals face huge challenge trying to keep up with San Francisco 49ers
On October 1 at Levi's Stadium, the Arizona Cardinals trailed 21-16 to the San Francisco 49ers late in the third quarter.
But the 49ers were too much, specifically Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy. The star running back scored his fourth touchdown of the game to give the Niners a 28-16 lead, then Purdy ran for a touchdown to cap off a day that saw the Phoenix-area product complete 20 of 21 pass attempts.
That 49ers team improved to 4-0, and despite a three-game losing streak soon after the win over the Cardinals, San Francisco is one of the NFL's best teams at 10-3 riding its second five-game winning streak of the season.
The 49ers and Cardinals meet again this Sunday at State Farm Stadium, and it will be a huge challenge for the Cardinals to try to limit a prolific offense. The explosive 49ers offense has 61 receptions of 20 or more yards this season, which is tied for the most in the NFL, and its 47 touchdowns are second only to Miami this season.
San Francisco worked more than 12 minutes off the clock in the fourth and a small part of the third quarter in the last meeting against the Cardinals. The 49ers' average time of possession is 31 minutes, 21 seconds per game -- third-best in the NFL.
"You got to play a holistic game and be able to do a lot of different things right," Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis said. "They're hitting on all cylinders with run game, pass game, their screen game, they can do a lot of different things with a lot of different people. And they do a good job of spreading the ball around, they do a good job of moving people around, and you have to be able to really play good football and every aspect of it. So it takes a complete game to compete with these guys."
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The 49ers offense is more than McCaffrey and Purdy. Deebo Samuel is a speedy receiver, who is a threat to run the ball anywhere on the field. He is coming off a seven-catch, 149-yard performance against the Seattle Seahawks last week, and he had a 54-yard touchdown reception and a one-yard touchdown run.
Brandon Aiyuk, the former Arizona State standout, had six catches for 148 yards against the Cardinals in October. Tight end George Kittle was a non-factor that day, but he is a four-time Pro Bowler whose 811 receiving yards through 13 games are already more than what he produced in 15 games last season.
"You gotta have a plan for everybody," Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said. "And you've got to know what we're trying to get out of the (defensive) calls, what those calls are taking away. If the ball goes somewhere where you're kind of weak or kind of a sweet spot or a weakness of that call, you gotta to try to minimize that. So it's going to come down to fundamentals, effort, tackling, covering, affecting the quarterback, just like it always does."
On defense, the 49ers allow just 15.8 points per game, No. 1 in that category in the NFL. They allow the fewest rushing yards per game to an opponent, 78.3. Some of that is because teams playing from behind are forced to throw the ball to try to catch up, and they abandon the run game.
Nevertheless, the defense also has playmakers. Nick Bosa and Chase Young are two of the NFL's best at defensive end and Fred Warner is a standout linebacker and tackling machine.
The 49ers have 37 interceptions over the past two seasons (last season and 2023), ranking first in the NFL. This season, the 49ers have held opposing offenses to just 30 red zone drives, which is the fewest in the NFL.
"I think execution is probably the biggest part," Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said. "Their scheme is not overly complicated. We know what they're going to do, I think they know what they're going to do. And they do it at such a high level. It's so well-coached. Obviously, the talent is there. So a lot of this game is going to come down to execution in the run game, sustaining blocks and making guys miss in the passing game, pass protection, decision making, all the things that go into that."
Gannon was asked this week if the 49ers are the standard that the Cardinals are aiming to get to in the NFC.
"Every team’s different," Gannon said. "They’re a consistent winner and they’re always knocking on the door. They put themselves in a position to have a chance to play meaningful football in late January so by that standard, yeah, that’s what you’re looking for. You want to be playing meaningful games in January and you want to earn the right to play more games than 17.
"When you watch the tape, all three phases jump out to you. They’ve got good players, they’re well coached and they win games so that’s what everybody in the NFL is trying to do."
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' Jonathan Gannon on 49ers: 'Gotta have a plan for everybody'
