The 49ers earned their home opening victory today. This NFC West match-up was a genuine old-school defensive slug fest. A careful study of the Cardinals first two games this season shows their defense is stout, while their offense finds a way to win the time of possession game. Despite Arizona holding the ball almost ten more minutes than the 49ers, the Cardinals still went home in defeat.
Stout 49ers Defense.
The 49ers defense suffered thru a long first half. The 49ers offense struggled to get anything going. After Cardinals managed to put together their first scoring drive, the 49ers executed a 4-minute field goal drive of their own. In a rare occurrence, the 49ers defense managed to get a three and out on the Cardinals and the 49ers executed a two-minute drive to close out the half with the lead, six to three.
Despite the long first half of play, the 49ers defense found a way to make plays in the right moments giving the 49ers a chance for victory. After the 49ers failed to score on a fourth and goal, the defense ran on to the field salivating at the idea of a safety. They almost achieved their goal. The 49ers had to settle for a Cardinals punt that allowed the 49ers to start on the 50 yard-line. A few plays later, the 49ers were dancing in the end-zone after Kyle Juszczyk’s touchdown reception.
At the end of the game, the 49ers offense gave up a safety. With three minutes left in the game, the Cardinals were hoping to drain the clock out. Coach Shanahan wisely called timeouts after the Cardinals run plays. At the two-minute warning, it was 3rd and 9. Kyler Murray dropped back to pass and released the ball towards Zay Jones. Upton Stout plastered Zay Jones and knocked the would-be reception away. A few plays later, Eddy Pineiro hit the game winning field goal.
Mac Jones Finds a Way to Win.
When the chips were down, Mac Jones finds a way to make a play. His game was not perfect. He missed throws. He threw an interception. Yet, when the team needed him most, he led the team in two very key two-minute drives. His end of half two-minute drive led to a go-ahead field goal.
Mac Jones showed his resiliency today. Arizona was stout against the run, forcing Jones to throw. Multiple times Connor Colby was called for holding after the 49ers made a great offensive play. Several other offensive players committed penalties. Finally, after Mac Jones tossed his only touchdown pass of the game, he hobbled off the field.
With ten minutes left in the game, he put on a knee brace, hobbled onto the field, and threw an interception. Then, on the next possession, Dominic Puni committed a holding penalty in the end-zone giving the Cardinals a safety. Neither of those plays fazed Mac Jones.
When he led the team back on the field again, there was 1:46 left on the clock and the 49ers had one timeout left. Jones threw lasers to Jake Tonges, Skyy Moore, Kendrick Bourne and Christian McCaffrey to put his team in position for the winning field goal. Jones played with grit and gumption. His experience at Alabama, New England and the Jaguars is paying off here as he executes Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
Ricky Pearsall is Number 1.
Though Pearsall wears number one on his jersey, it is obvious that he is the number one receiver on the roster. Today he led the team with eight receptions and 117 yards. He runs nifty routes and has excellent hands. His 34-yard reception on a go route put the Niners in position to score their only touchdown today. He is quietly growing into a leader on the field and in the locker-room. Though many criticized the front office for drafting Pearsall when Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk were on the roster, their decision was on target.
Defensive Line Dominance
Unfortunately, Nick Bosa went down in the first half with a knee injury. Despite that, the 49ers defensive line found a way to perform well. They constantly pressured Kyler Murray. They knocked down passes, and they stuffed runs. There were times the line was gashed, and the linebackers and safeties failed to fill their gaps. Yet, the defensive line remained relentless and executed plays when they absolutely needed it.
The 49ers depth at the defensive line allows them to create different configurations to stress opposing offensive lines. Yetur Gross-Matos is primarily an over the guard interior pass rusher. However, when Bosa went down, Gross-Matos kicked out to the outside providing pressure and run stops. Similarly, Mykel Williams moved around the defensive line depending on the down and distance.
Big men C.J. West, Kalia Davis, Sam Okuayinonu, Jordan Elliott and Alfred Collins rotated constantly to stay fresh and provide constant pressure on the Cardinals line. Notably, Bryce Huff earned a sack without Bosa on the field. If the 49ers must play without Nick Bosa, they will be just fine given the depth and rotation of their defensive line.
Special Teams.
Enough cannot be said about the 49er’s special teams. Eddy Pineiro hit all three of his field goal attempts, including a 51 yarder. Skyy Moore made a key non-catch on the last kick off the game allowing the 49ers to start on the 20 yard-line instead of the ten yard-line. Moore called for a fair catch, and then at the last minute he deftly moved out of the way and let the ball land in the end-zone. Finally, Thomas Morstead kicked two key punts inside the Cardinal’s 20 yard-line allowing the defense to pin their ears back and cause chaos.
Today’s victory puts the 49ers on top of the NFC West as the lone undefeated team. Next week, Jacksonville comes to town.
