Six-Pack of Facts about 49ers Week 1 Matchup with Cardinals

The 49ers begin the season Sunday at home against the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s what you need to know about this matchup.

1. Jimmy Garoppolo eviscerated the Cardinals twice last season.

He completed 62 of 82 pass attempts for a completion percentage 75.6. He also passed for 741 yards and averaged 9 yards per attempt, threw eight touchdowns and two picks, and his quarterback rating was a gaudy 125.1. Couldn’t ask him to play much better.

Plus the 49ers offensive line protected him. Gave up only three sacks in two games despite facing one of the best edge rushers in the NFL -- Chandler Jones. Now the 49ers have Trent Williams to block Jones, and Williams has shut him down in the past. Garoppolo should have another big game against Arizona.

2. Garoppolo’s favorite target against the Cardinals in 2019 was Deebo Samuel.

Samuel caught 12 passes for 174 yards in two games against Arizona. None of the Cardinals cornerbacks could cover him -- not Patrick Peterson, not Byron Murphy. Not nobody.

Samuel played the Cardinals before he had become an integral part of the 49ers running game, so he didn’t have any rushing yards against them. Meaning he could play even better against the Cardinals this season than last season.

If he’s healthy.

Samuel missed all of training camp with a Jones fracture in his foot. The 49ers are hopeful he’ll be healthy enough to play Week 1 against the Cardinals, but will he be in football shape? How effective will be during his first live action in months? We’ll see if he even suits up.

3. The 49ers running game struggled against Arizona’s defense last season.

The 49ers ran 50 times against Arizona in 2019, gained just 135 yards and scored no rushing touchdowns. The 49ers’ longest carry was a 31-yard run by Matt Breida, who now is on the Dolphins.

That means Tevin Coleman rushed 12 times for 37 yards against the Cardinals, while Raheem Mostert rushed 7 times for 11 yards. Yikes.

The Cardinals sold out to stop the run both times they faced the 49ers, and probably will use the same strategy this season. So they’ll bite hard on play-action passes and give up big plays through the air if the 49ers can take advantage.

4. Kyler Murray played his best against the 49ers defense last season.

He didn’t win, but kept the Cardinals in both games until the end, completed 41 of 57 passes (71.9 percent), threw for 391 yards, four touchdowns and zero interceptions and his quarterback rating was 114. Against the rest of the league, Murray’s rating was just 87.4. The 49ers brought out the best in him.

He also ran 13 times for 101 yards and one touchdown against the 49ers. They had trouble containing him. And he was just a rookie. And he didn’t have All Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Now he does.

5. DeAndre Hopkins had 11 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns the last time he faced the 49ers.

Granted, that was 2017, before Richard Sherman joined the 49ers. Still, Hopkins’ quarterbacks in that game were Tom Savage and T.J. Yates. Now he’s playing with one of the most physically gifted quarterbacks in the league.

And the 49ers have had trouble defending teams with one elite wide receiver. Last season, they gave up 13 catches, 134 receiving yards and two touchdown catches to Julio Jones, who was the Falcons’ only real receiving threat in the game. The 49ers still couldn’t stop him. Granted, Sherman didn’t play in that game, either.

Will Sherman cover Hopkins Week 1? That will be a matchup to watch.

6. The Cardinals offense averaged six yards per carry against the 49ers defense in 2019.

And their starting running back, Kenyan Drake, averaged 5.7 yards per carry.

The 49ers use a Wide 9 defense, meaning they put lots and lots of space between each of the four defensive linemen to supercharge the pass rush. But this alignment leaves the 49ers defense vulnerable to runs between the tackles.

And the Cardinals exploited this vulnerability by putting extra space between each of their five offensive linemen, meaning they forced the 49ers defensive linemen to spread out even farther than usual. And the Cardinals gashed them.

The 49ers may have to scrap the Wide 9 when they play Arizona. It will be fascinating to see how defensive coordinator Robert Saleh adjusts.