It didn’t come easy for the 49ers on Thursday night in Arizona. They fended off a furious Cardinals comeback to cling to a 28-25 victory and maintain a perfect 8-0 record for the season.
Here’s what we took away from a wild game in the desert:
A new way to win
The 49ers are 8-0, but they’ve been finding different ways to win. Thursday night was a completely different victory than any of their other seven wins. They averaged 3.3 yards per carry, gave up 25 points and needed to get it done through the air. They did that behind four touchdown passes from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and proved that they can win when their defense and run game elude them.
49ers defense isn’t perfect
San Francisco’s defense had been historically great the previous three weeks. They had a rough time Thursday night against the Cardinals’ spread offense. Arizona ran the ball at will, and quarterback Kyler Murray came up with some huge throws. The 49ers defense really started struggling late in the third quarter when linebacker Kwon Alexander was ruled out with a chest injury. They have some big-time adjustments to make when they face another mobile quarterback, the Seattle Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, next Monday night.
Jimmy Garoppolo gets promotion
The biggest lingering question about the 49ers was under center. Could Garoppolo win them a game with his arm? He came out throwing Thursday night and put up a season-high 37 attempts, 317 yards and four touchdowns. This wasn’t head coach Kyle Shanahan hiding his quarterback with easy throws. Garoppolo was standing in the pocket, directing the offense, ripping throws down the field and converting on third downs and in the red zone. He was elite when his team needed it most.
Emmanuel Sanders is a difference-maker
Garoppolo has never trusted a receiver the way he trusts Sanders. He’s already anticipating throws to his new receiver, and it’s not a coincidence the 49ers passing attack has gotten rolling since his arrival. He caught seven of his nine targets for 112 yards and a touchdown. Sanders isn’t a prototypical No. 1 receiver, but he’s good enough to elevate the 49ers offense.
Tevin Coleman may be the steal of the offseason
The 49ers signed Coleman late in free agency, and they got him on a cheap two-year, $10 million deal. It seemed like overkill in an already crowded backfield, but Coleman’s been a difference-maker for San Francisco. He had only 23 yards on 12 carries, but he picked up a huge first down on third-and-6 late in the game, and picked up tough yards on a second-and-long to put the 49ers in a spot to convert a third down to ice the game. Coleman wasn’t great against the Cardinals on the stat sheet, but his value shone with Matt Breida nursing a sore ankle.
Injury bug is back
It was a bad omen that tight end George Kittle left the game after the 49ers’ first offensive snap. He took a helmet to the knee and limped off for the final two plays of the series. Kittle re-entered and had a terrific game with six catches for 79 yards and a touchdown, but he was clearly experiencing discomfort and wound up missing the entire final series. Kwon Alexander also left the game in the third quarter with a chest injury. He was ruled out immediately, which is not a good sign for his long-term status, but Shanahan didn’t have an update after the game.
