Keys to victory: How 49ers offense can get back on track vs. Cardinals

The 49ers offense is in desperate need of a bounce back game after stumbling against the Seahawks.

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.

Azeez Al-Shaair officially ruled out vs. Cardinals

The 49ers may already have their seven inactive players for Sunday vs. the Cardinals.

The already banged up 49ers got more bad injury news Saturday when linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair was unable to clear concussion protocol. By not doing so Saturday, he’s officially been ruled out for Sunday’s matchup with the Arizona Cardinals.

Al-Shaair left Monday night’s game in the second half to be evaluated for a concussion, and was later placed into concussion protocol. One of the disadvantages of playing Monday night is the short week to recoup from injuries and clear concussion protocol.

San Francisco’s linebacker depth was already a little thin following Kwon Alexander’s season-ending pec tear. Elijah Lee was behind Al-Shaair on the depth chart and will likely slide into a Sam linebacker role in base, while contributing on special teams.

Al-Shaair, an undrafted rookie, has played about 59 percent of the team’s special teams snaps this season as one of their core players on that unit. He’s also logged 41 defensive snaps, most of them coming the last three weeks with a blowout win over Carolina, then two games with Alexander hurt.

San Francisco has already ruled out DJ Jones and Joe Staley. With George Kittle, Robbie Gould and Matt Breida all doubtful, Al-Shaair ruled out, and CJ Beathard as the third quarterback, we likely have all seven of the 49ers’ required inactive players for Sunday. If anyone else gets hurt, they’ll have to operate with fewer than the 46-player maximum.

Behind Enemy Lines: Previewing 49ers-Cardinals with Cards Wire

The Cardinals aren’t in the NFC playoff picture, but they can play spoiler for the 49ers.

The 49ers face the Cardinals on Sunday for the second time in three weeks. San Francisco won the first meeting 28-25, but the showing left some doubt as to whether Arizona is as bad as their now 3-6-1 record indicates.

We caught up with Jess Root, the managing editor of Cards Wire, to chat with him about Sunday’s matchup and how the Cardinals have gotten to this point in head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s first season.

Niners Wire: How much does having a healthy David Johnson change the Cardinals’ game plan on offense?

Jess Root: Well, it doesn’t really change much. With Kenyan Drake, it allows the Cardinals to do more or less everything they normally do. However, it does allow them to put both Johnson and Drake on the field at the same time. We saw a little of that against the Bucs, but it wasn’t used to the fullest degree with one motioning out of the backfield to receiver. That would be ideal in my opinion and would allow Johnson to get more involved successfully.

NW: Christian Kirk is coming off a huge three-touchdown game vs. Tampa Bay. Is he going to be the focal point of the Cards’ passing attack as long as he’s healthy?

JR: The Cardinals were really high on Kirk entering this season. Before his ankle injury against the Seahawks, he was really beginning to produce. Now, the Bucs are terrible in defending the pass, but his performance last week is the type of ceiling we expect. The team believes he has the juice to be a No. 1 receiver, and his positional flexibility makes him a tough matchup.

NW: Arizona is 27th in points allowed and 31st in yards allowed. Is their defense just missing talent, or is there something bigger going on?

JR: Well, since changing schemes back to a supposed “attacking 3-4 defense” didn’t yield better results, one would think that talent is the issue, rather than coaching or scheme, as they have been bad in a 4-3 and a 3-4 under two different coaches. That said, the Cardinals do have talent. Chandler Jones and Patrick Peterson are among the best at their position. Jordan Hicks is solid. The problem is everywhere else is either manned by OK guys or young players who haven’t developed.

They brought in D.J. Swearinger last season, who was a borderline Pro Bowler. He was terrible. Robert Nkemdiche showed up fat and out of shape before he was cut. Darius Philon, a big free agent addition, allegedly pulled a gun on strippers and threatened them, leading to his arrest and release from the team. Linebacker Haason Reddick just hasn’t developed as an off-the-ball linebacker.

It’s a mess, and one has to wonder if they will have to change coordinators again.

NW: Three of Arizona’s six losses are by a combined 12 points. Two of those were vs. playoff teams, Baltimore and San Francisco. What’s the main reason the Cardinals are finding ways to stay in games with a middling offense and a bottom-of-the-league defense?

JR: Well, Kyler Murray is a playmaker. And the defense isn’t always bad. It is very good for about two-thirds of most games. Their middling offense is mostly the result of kicking field goals in the red zone instead of scoring touchdowns. They are scoring often, just not touchdowns. They also are the best at taking care of the ball, so they stay in ballgames that way.

NW: Prediction time. Do we get another close one, or does one team figure it out and run away with a win?

JR: With as many players out or expected to be out as there will be for the Niners, I expect another close game. San Fran will still make plays, but the Cardinals will once again move the ball against the 49ers defense. Kicker Chase McLaughlin’s made extra point will be the difference. 49ers 28, Cardinals 27

Candlestick Chronicles: Previewing 49ers bounce-back opportunity vs. Cardinals

Previewing the 49ers’ Week 11 matchup vs. the Arizona Cardinals with looks at Kyler Murray and David Johnson, as well as predictions.

The 49ers suffered their first loss of the year in Week 10, but bouncing back isn’t going to be easy. They welcome the Arizona Cardinals to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday just two weeks removed from a nail-biting 28-25 49ers victory in Arizona.

Chris Biderman of the Sacramento Bee is joined by Jess Root of the Cardinals Wire to discuss Kyler Murray’s progress, the return of running back David Johnson, and give their predictions for Sunday’s showdown.

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George Kittle, Matt Breida doubtful for 49ers vs. Cardinals

The 49ers injury situation isn’t getting much better going into their matchup with the Cardinals.

The 49ers injury situation was supposed to get better during the second half of the season. It’s gone the other direction.

San Francisco faces the Cardinals on Sunday, a team they snuck past 28-25 two weeks ago. This time they’ll likely do so without tight end George Kittle, running back Matt Breida, and kicker Robbie Gould. All three are officially ‘doubtful’ on the Week 11 injury report after missing practice all week.

Kittle is working through ankle and knee injuries he suffered in Week 9 against Arizona. Breida is resting an ankle ailment he aggravated in the Week 10 loss to the Seahawks, and Gould is nursing a sore quad he hurt in practice leading up to the Seattle game.

The good news is cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is expected to return, although he’s officially questionable. Witherspoon has been out since spraining his foot in Week 3. Wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders suffered a rib cartilage injury against the Seahawks. He’s questionable, but told reporters he’s going to try and play, per Matt Barrows of the Athletic.

Here is the full injury report:

Out

DT D.J. Jones (groin)
OT Joe Staley (finger)

Doubtful

RB Matt Breida (ankle)
K Robbie Gould (right quadricep)
TE George Kittle (knee, ankle)

Questionable

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion)
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (foot, quad)
RB Raheem Mostert (knee)
WR Dante Pettis (back)
WR Emmanuel Sanders (ribs)

NFL Week 11 picks against the spread

Every Week 11 picked and predicted against the spread.

Getting Thursday night picks right apparently mean having terrible afternoons. That’s two weeks in a row where the afternoon games sunk a great week. Back to the .500 mark though.

To the picks!

Point spreads were provided by Bet MGM.

Week 8 record: 7-6

Season record: 73-73

CLEVELAND (-2.5) vs. Pittsburgh

These teams are having this weird Freaky Friday season where the Steelers have the record the Browns should have, and the Browns have the record the Steelers should have. There’s an off chance this is Freddie Kitchens’ final game as the Browns’ head coach.

Pick: Browns (-2.5)

New Orleans (-5.5) vs. TAMPA BAY

The Saints lost to the Falcons last week, which either means they’re not very good, or they’re due to bounce back in a big way in Tampa.

Pick: Saints (-5.5)

CAROLINA (-5.5) vs. Atlanta

PREDICTION: Christian McCaffrey goes off and we really ramp up the “McCaffrey for MVP” conversation where everyone jumps back on the ‘running backs are valuable again’ train way too fast.

Pick: Panthers (-5.5)

INDIANAPOLIS (-3.5) vs. Jacksonville

This game is the Nick Foles of NFL games.

Pick: Jags (+3.5)

MINNESOTA (-10.5) vs. Denver

There’s a really strong chance John Elway vastly overpays Kirk Cousins sometime in the very near future.

Pick: Vikings (-10.5)

WASHINGTON (-1.5) vs. New York Jets

Do you know who’s going to be the loser in this game? Everyone who watches it.

Pick: Jets (+1.5)

Buffalo (-5.5) vs. MIAMI

The combined winning percentage of teams the Bills have beaten is .214. That is the lowest mark in the AFC by a pretty substantial margin.

Pick: Dolphins (+5.5)

BALTIMORE (-4.5) vs. Houston

There’s not a more fun matchup all year than Lamar Jackson vs. Deshaun Watson. Two young, exciting quarterbacks playing at MVP-caliber levels. Sign me up.

Pick: Ravens (-4.5)

SAN FRANCISCO (-11.5) vs. Arizona

11.5 points is a lot for a team as beat up as the 49ers are, especially since they only beat the Cardinals by three two weeks ago.

Pick: Cardinals (+11.5)

New England (-3.5) vs. PHILADELPHIA

If the Eagles are going to make a Super Bowl run, it’ll have to start Sunday against the Patriots.

Pick: Patriots (-3.5)

OAKLAND (-10.5) vs. Cincinnati

THE RAIDERS ARE FAVORED BY 10.5 POINTS!

Pick: Raiders (-10.5)

LOS ANGELES RAMS (-6.5) vs. Chicago

Mitchell Trubisky has to face a defense with Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey. Hopefully he can turn the TVs off at halftime.

Pick: Rams (-6.5)

KANSAS CITY (-4.5) vs. Los Angeles Chargers

There is not a more confusing team in the league than the Chargers, who are either terrible or a Super Bowl contender.

Pick: Chiefs (-4.5)

49ers take small dip in power rankings after stumble vs. Seahawks

The 49ers’ fall from the top of the NFL Wire power rankings wasn’t bad after they suffered their first loss of the year.

The 49ers were a 47-yard field goal away from beating the Seahawks on Monday night and maintaining an undefeated record. Instead, Chase McLaughlin’s kick hooked wide left (and then some), and the 49ers eventually lost to the Seahawks. The loss was enough to drop San Francisco one spot to No. 2 in the NFL Wire power rankings.

It’s not a surprise the 49ers finally dropped out of the top spot in Doug Farrar’s rankings. He’s had them there since they downed the Rams 20-7 in Week 6. Baltimore also had a dominant win over the Patriots, followed by a dominant win over the Bengals. There’s not a team playing better football than the Ravens going into Week 11.

The key for San Francisco is not letting losses pile up. Monday night was a heartbreaker, but a game they could have (should have?) won even without their two best pass catchers, George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders.

Farrar explained why the loss isn’t as bad as it seemed:

San Francisco’s drop from the undefeated isn’t that big a deal in the grand scheme of things — they lost to a very good team playing at its best (especially on defense) and did so seriously shorthanded. Kyle Shanahan’s team will try to get things back together against the Cardinals next week.

This is where things get more tough for the 49ers though. They face Arizona in Week 11, Green Bay (No. 5 in the rankings) in Week 12, and then Baltimore (No. 1) and New Orleans (No. 4) in back-to-back road games. Then they’re home for the Rams and Falcons before wrapping up the season in Seattle (No. 6).

With injuries piling up and the schedule getting tougher, it’s going to be an uphill climb for the 49ers to keep themselves ranked among the team’s elite. However, they’ll have ample opportunities to prove themselves worthy, and if things go right the rest of the way, they’ll have a real claim to be the NFL’s best team at the end of the 2019 season.

Report: 49ers to send representative to Colin Kaepernick workout

11 teams have committed to being at the Colin Kaepernick workout. The 49ers aren’t among them, but they will be soon per Matt Maiocco.

Former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will work out for NFL teams Thursday in Atlanta. All 32 clubs were invited to attend the session, which was orchestrated by the league. Kaepernick had two hours to accept the non-negotiable terms of the workout.

The NFL on Thursday released a statement that named 11 teams that are committed to attend. The 49ers were not among the 11 listed, but Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports reported San Francisco will have a representative on hand to see the workout in person. A video of the workout and interview will be sent to all 32 teams.

Kaepernick hasn’t played in the NFL since he and the 49ers parted ways prior to the 2017 season. The second-round pick in 2011 played in 69 games and started 58 for San Francisco, including two NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl. He completed 59.8 percent of his throws for 12,271 yards, 72 touchdowns and 30 interceptions. Kaepernick also added 2,300 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, and averaged 6.1 yards per carry.

It’s hard to imagine San Francisco re-signing their former signal caller at this point. They already have three quarterbacks on the roster, and if they thought Kaepernick was a better option than either CJ Beathard or Nick Mullens to back up Jimmy Garoppolo, they likely would have aimed to acquire him already.

However, due diligence is important, especially with quarterback evaluations, so it makes sense the 49ers would want someone in attendance to ensure there’s not something they’ve missed in their evaluation.

49ers have 14 players either out or limited in practice

The 49ers had 14 players out or limited in practice Thursday.

The 49ers list of injured players is long. It may be so long that they can’t suit up 46 players Sunday against the Cardinals.

14 players were either out of practice or limited Thursday, including tight end George Kittle and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders. They were both out of practice for the second consecutive day.

The NFL season becomes a war of attrition through the final half of the year, and the 49ers are in a fierce battle now. Kittle hasn’t been officially ruled out, but Staley will miss a couple weeks, and DJ Jones is out at least for the Cardinals game. Robbie Gould hasn’t practiced since straining his quad early last week, and Matt Breida re-aggravated an ankle injury Monday night against Seattle.

Here’s Thursday’s practice report released by the team:

Did not participate

RB Matt Breida (ankle)
RB Tevin Coleman (not injury related)
K Robbie Gould (quad)
DT D.J. Jones (groin)
TE George Kittle (knee, ankle)
WR Emmanuel Sanders (ribs)
OT Joe Staley (finger)

Limited participation

LB Azeez Al-Shaair (concussion)
TE Garrett Celek (back)
DE Dee Ford (quad)
RB Raheem Mostert (knee)
WR Dante Pettis (back)
TE Levine Toilolo (groin)
CB Ahkello Witherspoon (foot, quad)

49ers heavy favorites over Cardinals despite injuries, last meeting

Injuries didn’t stop the 49ers from giving double-digit points against the Cardinals on Sunday.

The 49ers’ first matchup with the Arizona Cardinals this season was a struggle. San Francisco prevailed 28-25 in the desert, and were holding on for dear life when the clock finally ran out.

Since that game two weeks ago, the 49ers have sustained key injuries, and their task at home Sunday against the Cardinals seems much more daunting than it did prior to their first meeting. None of that played a big role in the betting line though, which started at 13.5, but is down to 11.5 according to BetMGM.

That 11.5 number is still massive, but the quick two-point dip indicates there’s a lot of money coming in on the Cardinals.

It looks like the 49ers won’t have George Kittle again, and wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders is dealing with a rib injury. Left tackle Joe Staley will miss the game, and running back Matt Breida is also expected to sit out.

Given how well the Cardinals played the last time these teams matched up, it’s hard to rule them out of this game early. 11.5 points feels like way too many. San Francisco is undoubtedly the better team, but the slew of injuries to starters handicaps them some against a division rival.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see those 11.5 points come down even further Friday once injuries are officially announced.

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