SANTA CLARA – Here is how the 49ers (0-1) graded in Sunday’s 24-20 season-opening loss at home to the Arizona Cardinals (1-0):
PASS OFFENSE: D-
What an indictment on the 49ers’ wide receiver unit, which missed potential starters Deebo Samuel (injured reserve) and Brandon Aiyuk (inactive; hamstring). If only the 49ers could have won it on Jerick McKinnon’s TD catch. If only George Kittle didn’t get his knee banged and been shut out after halftime. Instead, they relied on another Jimmy Garoppolo-led comeback, and neither Kendrick Bourne nor Trent Taylor could make the hero catch on passes underthrown or late, respectively. Dante Pettis, one target, no true shot at the deep ball. Raheem Mostert’s 76-yard touchdown catch was the fourth-longest all-time by a 49ers running back, and he topped out at 22.73 mph, fastest by any NFL ball carrier since 2018. Garoppolo was 8-of-17 for 89 yards after halftime. “He’s got to play better,” Shanahan said. “We’ve all got to play better on offense, especially, and it starts with me.”
RUN OFFENSE: C
Averaging 4.9 yards per carry for a run-oriented offense should equal a victory, especially when left tackle Trent Williams is showing what a road grader he could be. Nope. Raheem Mostert (15 carries, 56 yards), Jerick McKinnon (three carries, 24 yards) and Tevin Coleman (four carries, 18 yards) did not find a cool rhythm. Max out Mostert, next time. It probably didn’t help juggling the line’s interior and summoning Hroniss Grasu to start at center, while Daniel Brunskill had mixed moments at right guard.
PASS DEFENSE: D
Emmanuel Moseley had a career-high 15 tackles, and not one pass defense. Moseley surrendered 96 of DeAndre Hopkins’ 151 yards, and Richard Sherman’s coverage accounted for 22 yards as he played more snaps on the right side (23) than all of 2019 (12), according to NextGen Stats. The 49ers’ two sacks came … from Kerry Hyder and D.J. Jones. Wait, what? Nick Bosa had a forced fumble, a QB hit, six tackles and two near sacks. The 49ers needed more, and they certainly did not get it from Dee Ford (three tackles) or Arik Armstead (one tackle). Jaquiski Tartt recorded the first regular-season interception by a 49ers safety since his last one in 2018.
RUN DEFENSE: D
Top pick Javon Kinlaw assisted on one tackle in his debut, and 2017 top pick Solomon Thomas had no stats in a starting role. The 49ers had too many missed tackles, whether it was against Murray (91 yards, 13 carries, TD) or Kenyan Drake (60 yards, 16 carries, TD). “The guys that they have over there, getting up field, have a tendency to sometimes get out of rush lanes, get tired,” Murray said. Dre Greenlaw, whose deflection set up Tartt’s pick, played best among the linebackers. Captain Fred Warner had 10 tackles, missed a couple others and, maturely, did not express panic afterward. But by allowing the Cardinals to convert 7-of-14 third downs, that meant Arizona’s 78 total offensive plays were 17 more than the 49ers.
SPECIAL TEAMS: D+
A blocked punt ignited the Cardinals’ comeback from a 10-0 deficit. It’s never a great sign when Mitch Wishnowsky is making the tackle on his own kickoff. Three of Wishnowsky’s four punts pinned Arizona inside their 20. Neither Trent Taylor nor Dante Pettis looked dangerous as punt returners. This unit’s saving grace: Robbie Gould, who made both of his field-goal attempts, including his first over 50 yards since 2018.
COACHING: D
Kyle Shanahan, 1-3 in season openers, acknowledged “we didn’t have a good enough plan,” as best reflected by offensive failures on third down (2-of-11) and in the red zone (1-for-4). No running plays on final six snaps after the 2-minute warning, inside Cardinals territory with all timeouts remaining. The 49ers looked discombobulated on offense, defense and special teams – and it wasn’t so much the lack of an exhibition season than it was cramming on-field practice time into a month with an injury-laden cast.
