3 Things Learned From San Francisco 49ers 28-25 win vs. Cardinals
It took a few possessions for the San Francisco 49ers to shake the complications that come with Thursday Night road games, but the team persevered. The Arizona Cardinals looked overmatched for much of the game as 49ers continue to assert their dominance over the rest of the NFC West.
Outside of a first possession touchdown, the Cardinals offense couldn't get anything going in the first half. Far too often quarterback Kyler Murray was put in third and long situations which played into the strength of San Francisco's defense, pass rush. Arizona managed to move the ball more effectively in the second half, but it still wasn't enough.
San Francisco's offense got off to a bit of a slow start but eventually, put it together and played from ahead for the majority of the game. Unsurprisingly, the team's offensive production increased when tight end George Kittle got more touches.
With a nationally televised game, the football world learned a lot about the 49ers and below are three of the most significant lessons.
Kittle vs. Baker could be a fun matchup moving forward
While the tight end finished the game with a more productive night than the safety, the battle between these two was very entertaining. In the first quarter, Budda Baker got the best of George Kittle with a couple of impressive pass breakups. However, the Iowa product got the last laugh with an impressive stiff-arm en route to a touchdown.
Baker and Kittle have two years left on their respective contracts, so there should at least be three more matchups between the two. Hopefully, when their contracts expire both players remain with their current teams because this was one of the best one-on-one matchups of the game.
49ers pass rush against the Cardinals offensive line is unfair
On paper, San Francisco's defensive line against Arizona's pass protectors is a mismatch and it might have been even more lopsided on the field. The Red and Gold sacked Kyler Murray three times for a loss of 37 yards and hit him three more times.
What makes the three sacks even more impressive, is all of them came from different players who play different positions. Edge defender Dee Ford, defensive tackle DeForest Bucker, and linebacker Dre Greenlaw all got to Murray making Thursday night a dominating effort for San Francisco. It felt like every time the rookie dropped back to pass, someone was in his face.
Jimmy G can put the team on his back
Statistically, this was Garoppolo's best game of the season. The quarterback finished with a completion percentage of 75.7, 317 yards, and four touchdowns. He also spread the love well as every touchdown pass was thrown to a different receiver.
Beyond the stat sheet, Garoppolo stepped up when the team needed him most. On the last drive of the game, he strung together a few beautiful throws, including one on third down to shut the door on Arizona. The handsome one was clutch all night helping the Red and Gold convert 11 out of 17 third downs.
Performances like the one on Thursday night are part of the reason the 49ers traded for Garoppolo. Hopefully, this game is a sign of what's to come.
