Dreadful in the Desert...
31 OCT 2019
49ers @ Cardinals
Scary hours. We are at the halfway mark of the NFL’s 100th season & the NFC’s finest is headed to the Desert to kickoff Week 9 against their NFC West divisional rivals. The 49ers are 7-0 for the first time since the 1990 season & are coming off a dominant 51-13 win (most points scored in franchise history since 1993) over the Carolina Panthers. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals began their season 0-3-1 & have won 3 of their last 4 games. The last time the 49ers bested the Cardinals was Week 17 of 2014… here’s the rundown for this week’s Thursday night thriller!
Dreadful Defense…
Notice how this headline is singular, not plural. We are referring to one defense in this game and it sure is not the one ranked 29th in the league… Kliff Kingsbury is going to have his hands full with his dual-threat rookie QB in not only trying to identify simple coverages, but pass rush. I am convinced the 49ers defense are preparing differently for this game as they are set to go up against a legitimate dual-threat QB for the first time this season. 49ers defensive coordinator, Robert Saleh stated that “the play doesn’t start until he starts moving around.”
via Sports illustrated
Saleh is one of the smartest defensive minds in the game now & he’s ready to make “Halloween” a year-round holiday for opposing offenses. Best believe that he is doing his due diligence when it comes to containing Kyler Murray. One thing Kyler has been aware of as an “on the run” passer is if/when he rolls right or left, he limits himself to only half the field. Certainly not the formula to victory against a 49er defense that ranks #1 against the pass allowing a mere 128.7 Pass Yds/Game to opposing offenses. Here’s a more in-depth breakdown of how good this 49er defense really is, matched up against the Cardinals offense.
Head to Head STAT breakdown
Outside of the numbers, Saleh’s Niner defense ranks #2 in scoring. Since 1970, rookie QBs selected 1st overall have a combined record of 2-17 against top 2 scoring defenses…
The Golden Ticket
Unfinished business. There are some loose ends that need some tightening & Thursday night is going to give Nick Bosa a chance to do that.. Yup, the 2nd overall pick has a chip on his shoulder this game! Fortunately, for Bosa, the football gods have blessed him with a Halloween primetime game to haunt the signal-caller who was taken ahead of him in the 2019 NFL Draft. Quite frankly, I was not surprised that the Cards passed on Nick Bosa to nab, Kyler Murray. It’s nothing personal from the Cardinals front office towards Bosa, however, when it comes to draft day, anyone taken ahead of you is your motivation to be a better player than them. For Bosa, that’s Kyler Murray. Murray as the first overall pick simply has to live up to it! On the contrary, Nick Bosa is already household name in the city by the bay & he is free to roam the Cardinal backfield on Halloween night. His dream is Murray’s nightmare.
USA TODAY Sports
