Tuesday, November 7, 2017

Tempers Flare in 49ers Loss to Cards

Week 9 - Returning home to Levi's Stadium for the first leg of a three game homestand, the 49ers would renew rivalries with division foe (3-4) Arizona. Looking to both take advantage of the absence of Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer who's been placed on injured reserve with a broken arm and avenge a 3-point overtime loss suffered the last time these two teams met in Week 4, the San Francisco defense would have their hands full with running back Adrian Peterson who the 49ers have had a good history against in the 4 games they've faced him. But seeing Peterson for the first time in a Cardinals uniform, however, the former league MVP who tallied 27 carries in four games with the Saints before being traded to Arizona, would record a career-high 37 carries for 159 yards on Sunday. And while the San Francisco defense was able to keep Peterson out of the end zone once again, leaving him searching for his first career touchdown versus the Niners, they weren't able to make that claim against the Cardinals' passing attack.

Facing their third opponent coming off a BYE in four weeks, it would be a frustrating day all around for San Francisco as the offense generated only a single touchdown for the third consecutive game. Meanwhile, the defense would fail to log a single sack for the fourth time this season as Cardinals backup QB Drew Stanton threw for 201 yards and a pair of touchdowns on the afternoon while completing half of his passes (15 for 30) and under minimum pressure from San Francisco's defense. Stanton and the Arizona offense would come out of the gates firing as the former Michigan State product connected on a 52-yard pass to receiver John Brown on the first play from scrimmage. Though it would be the only reception on the day for Brown, it would appear to be enough to at least set up a field goal try for the 42 year old Phil Dawson who had spent the last four seasons as a reliable kicker with the 49ers before signing with Arizona in the offseason. But having struggled mightily thus far in a Cardinals uniform despite now playing his home games indoors, Dawson who missed six field goals combined over the last two seasons with San Francisco, would miss his sixth field goal already this season as the game remained scoreless.
Like they've done so often this season, self-inflicted miscues would harm the 49ers and benefit the opposition once again. A fumbled carry near midfield by fullback Kyle Juszczyk on San Francisco's first possession of the game would help setup the Arizona offense who would strike first just three plays later on a touchdown pass to receiver Jaron Brown. Stanton would later connect with tight-end Jermaine Gresham for a second Arizona touchdown and nearly threw for a third before being picked off in the end zone by linebacker Eric Reid who had made the transition from the safety position just a week ago. Trailing 14-3 entering the second half, San Francisco's one and only trip to the end zone on Sunday would come on a 14-play drive that rookie quarterback C.J. Beathard capitalized with a 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 14-10 ballgame. Inspired by Stanton's 52-yard pass on the first play of the game, Beathard would show off his own arm strength with a 55-yard bomb to Marquise Goodwin as the speedy receiver used his Olympic speed to blow by both Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu for the big gain. But the highlights and lowlights for San Francisco would be few and far between as Beathard received little support from his offensive-line and was constantly under pressure all afternoon long.

After failing to pick up a first down on 4th and 3 near midfield, the 49ers would get another chance after forcing a fumble on Adrian Peterson the very next play. But the 9-yard line would be as far as the offense would get as Beathard threw an absolute clunker off his own man's helmet as the pass intended for Garrett Celek failed to make it over the head of his 6' 8" guard Trent Brown, allowing Arizona's Karlos Dansby to come up with the easy interception, sealing the 20-10 win. With his family in attendance watching from the stands, the boneheaded turnover would be the cherry on top of a miserable day for Beathard who received a beating under center to the tune of 5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. Perhaps none harder than the lick he took from former 49er Antoine Bethea who was flagged for unnecessary roughness on a hit he made while Beathard was sliding. The hit would lead to a scuffle that resulted in three players being ejected including Niners running back Carlos Hyde, but not before he hauled in 9 receptions for 84-yards, both career-highs. The shellacking endured by Beathard who threw for 294 yards in the loss, would draw the attention of Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians who described the rookie QB as, "tough as nails."
Following their first 0-8 start in franchise history a week ago, the 49ers have now dropped to 0-9 on the season as Arizona completed their third straight season sweep of their division rivals. The game wouldn't be the only thing the 49ers would lose as strong-safety Jaquiski Tartt was injured during the 2nd quarter and lost for the season after suffering a fractured arm, the same injury free-safety Jimmie Ward would suffer a week ago. San Francisco has had terrible luck in the injury department this year season and now has an NFL-leading 16 players on Injured Reserve. However, there would be some good news on Sunday as rookie linebacker Reuben Foster who has had his fair share of injuries this season not only completed the first full game of his career, but racked up a game-high 14 tackles in doing so, 13 solo and 1 assisted.

Week 10 Preview - Before heading into their Week 11 BYE, San Francisco will play host to Eli Manning and the struggling (1-7) New York Giants. Coming off a 51-17 shellacking at home to the L.A. Rams, the Giants have been one of the biggest disappointments of 2017 and their struggles are something nobody saw coming as New York entered the season expected to cause fits for the Cowboys and at least pose a threat in the NFC East. Instead, the Giants have gotten off to a sluggish start that has not only begged the question of whether or not head coach Ben McAdoo isn't the man for the job, but also if it's time to move on from longtime quarterback Eli Manning. Sure they're without their star receiver in Odell Beckham Jr. who was lost for the season after fracturing his ankle, but the 2017 Giants have been a far cry from their 2016 self after making it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team via a 11-5 record just a season ago. Averaging just 16.1 points per game (29th in the league) compared to San Francisco's 15.9 (30th), the Giants trail the 49ers in all three of the following categories: total yards per game, passing yards per game, and rushing yards per game. At this point, their meeting with the Giants this week appears to be their best chance at recording a win this season. And what better way for head coach Kyle Shanahan to head into the BYE week with than after a win.


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