The 49ers offense stumbled a bit vs. the Seahawks for a variety of reasons. It was the first time all year that unit appeared to be in a rut they couldn’t quite get out of.
That’ll have to change Sunday when Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals’ offense visit Levi’s Stadium. Here are three keys for San Francisco’s offense getting back on track:
1. Don’t drop passes
This is self explanatory. The 49ers dropped somewhere in the range of seven passes against the Seahawks, including one that led to an interception, and multiple that would’ve extended drives on third downs. Converting third downs and sustaining drives has been a key component of the 49ers’ offense this year. Catching the ball Sunday would be a good start to bouncing back.
2. Get the tight ends involved
While the 49ers will likely be without star tight end George Kittle, they have to ensure they’re getting Ross Dwelley and Garrett Celek involved in the passing game. Neither player is close to as dynamic as Kittle, but the Cardinals defense struggles badly to cover tight ends. Getting Dwelley and Kittle open could be an easy way to get completions for Jimmy Garoppolo and open up the rest of the passing attack.
3. A Jimmy G-peat
Garoppolo played the best game of his career against the Cardinals in Arizona two weeks ago. He completed 75.7 percent of his throws for 317 yards and four touchdowns. It’s tough to post those kinds of numbers with receivers dropping balls, but his decision-making was superb, and he didn’t make nearly as many bad throws as he did Monday night against Seattle. Getting the quarterback back on track will be the quickest way for San Francisco to kickstart their offense after a down game.