Warner admits 49ers' defense didn't live up to standards vs. Cards
Warner admits 49ers' defense didn't live up to standards vs. Cards originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area
GLENDALE, Ariz. — The 49ers celebrated the victory that clinched a second division title in a row, but they were not cheerful about a certain area of the defense.
“I thought just looking at it live, we missed way too many tackles,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said following the 49ers’ 45-29 victory over the Arizona Cardinals.
“Give them credit. They have a bunch of guys that are hard to tackle. Obviously, their quarterback is as tough as it gets. They’re skill players. They all can run, they’re fast.”
The 49ers surrendered 234 rushing yards to the Cardinals. It’s the most yards on the ground the 49ers have given up since the Dallas Cowboys rushed for 265 yards in a 40-10 victory over the 49ers in 2017.
The Cardinals had a balanced running game, led by James Conner, who gained 86 yards and a touchdown on 14 rushing attempts. Emari Demercado added 64 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown run, on just four carries. Quarterback Kyler Murray added 49 yards on six rushing attempts.
“Just missed tackles,” 49ers linebacker Fred Warner said. “I look at myself. I'm always going to point the finger at myself first and foremost and I’ve got to be the standard for everybody else.
“If you do miss a tackle, we have to make sure guys are getting to the football to get him down. Too many explosive runs, that’s honestly what sticks out the most.”
The 49ers’ shoddy run defense turned out to be a mere footnote to the game because of the offensive prowess of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and Deebo Samuel.
Also, the defense came up with some big plays, too. Cornerback Charvarius Ward had a 66-yard interception return for a touchdown in the first quarter. He later picked off Murray for a second time.
“We get everybody's best shot, and they have a very good team that's getting better every week,” 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa said. “We knew it was going to be a dogfight throughout the whole game and we were missing some guys.
“I was happy with how some of the interior guys stepped up. We didn't expect a perfect game. We knew they were going to make plays. There’s a few, I'm sure on tape that we'd like to have back, but at this juncture, we are trying to win out obviously and that's the main goal.”
The victory improved the 49ers’ record to 11-3 on the season. The team has now won 12 consecutive games against NFC West opponents and clinched the division title with three games remaining.
“It’s mixed emotions for sure,” Warner said. “The No. 1 thing is I don’t ever want to take away from a win, first and foremost. Especially winning in the division in Week 15 in back-to-back years, that's big time and that’s the standard now.
“Defensively, we have a standard here and today we didn’t live up to that standard. We have to make sure we come back and go to work this week because we have a team coming in that loves to run the football, and they do it really well so we have to be better.”
The 49ers return to action on Christmas night to face the Baltimore Ravens, owners of an 11-3 record and the top running offense in the NFL.
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