The San Francisco 49ers haven’t beat the Arizona Cardinals since 2014, Jim Harbaugh’s last season in San Francisco. A win Thursday night wouldn’t only end the streak, but it would also leave the 49ers undefeated halfway through the season. This will be a different Cardinals team than they’ve faced before, featuring rookie quarterback Kyler Murray and rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury.
It’s the first matchup between the division rivals in 2019. Here are the three key matchups that could decide the Thursday night game:
DL Nick Bosa vs. QB Kyler Murray
Bosa’s huge game against Carolina has been well-documented. The rookie pass rusher finished with three sacks and an interception. Bosa has been far-and-away the 49ers’ best defensive lineman, and is leading the team with seven sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and 13 quarterback hits.
Murray might be a different challenge for Bosa. The 49ers haven’t faced a quarterback who has the ability to escape the pocket and the mobility that Murray holds. The 2019 No. 1 overall pick has more rushing yards this season (279) than the seven quarterbacks the 49ers have faced combined (253).
Bosa has been able to get to the quarterback all season, but he struggled finishing sacks in the early weeks. He had just one sack the first three games of the season, but he’s exploded with six the last four weeks. Murray’s mobility could bring Bosa’s finishing issues back to light.
RB Kenyan Drake vs. LB Fred Warner
Warner is the 49ers’ leader with 39 tackles, and he’s been a stalwart against the run game. He doesn’t disrupt plays behind the line of scrimmage with only two tackles for loss this season, but he’s prevented running backs from breaking huge runs. The 49ers had their toughest test of the season against Christian McCaffrey, and Warner may have had one of his best performances. Of his six tackles, three came on McCaffrey runs with the longest going for eight yards.
Warner will line up against Drake, who the Cardinals acquired Monday in a trade with the Miami Dolphins. Drake’s career-high in rushing yards is 644 yards, but he spent most of his career in Miami in a split backfield. With David Johnson and Chase Edmonds likely missing Thursday night, Drake will carry the workload for Arizona.
Drake will enter Thursday with something to prove in his first game for the Cardinals. The 49ers defense will present a tough task for the fourth-year running back, and Warner will be the leader against Drake as a rusher and receiver.
HC Kliff Kingsbury vs. HC Kyle Shanahan
Both Kingsbury and Shanahan are offensive-minded head coaches with different styles. Shanahan uses 12 and 21 personnel most frequently and uses a fullback in his offense. While he’s known for his passing attack with the Atlanta Falcons, the running game has been the catalyst to the 49ers offense this year. San Francisco has run the ball the second-most times in the league while throwing the fewest passes. With the use of pre-snap motion, the 49ers have been able to open holes all season to produce a running game that averages 181 yards per game.
Kingsbury’s offensive scheme was fairly successful at Texas Tech and it earned him the offensive coordinator job at USC before he bolted to the NFL. The Cardinals run what is considered to be a college-style offense that uses 10 personnel a lot (one running back, no tight ends, and four receivers). According to Sharp Football Stats, Arizona has run 216 plays out of the 10 personnel while the rest of the NFL has used it 263 times combined. The 49ers have used 10 personnel once this season.
Two efficient offenses with totally different ideas of scheme. Thursday night could be the first of many battles between the two young head coaches.
