Opposition Aftermath: What they’re saying in San Francisco about Cardinals’ win over 49ers
Oct 7, 2016, 9:35 AM | Updated: 10:23 am
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert (2) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden (44) as defensive end Frostee Rucker (92) follows during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Thursday, Oct. 6, 2016. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
(AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Every week, we give you updates on the opponents of the Arizona Cardinals leading into a game with Behind Enemy Lines.
What do those same people say after the contest?
It’s Opposition Aftermath — a look at what the Bay Area media has to say about the Cardinals’ 33-21 win over the San Francisco 49ers Thursday night in Santa Clara.
• Mistake-prone 49ers lose to Cardinals (SF Gate)
The 49ers appear destined to endure their second straight dumpster-fire season.
That was probably obvious before kickoff Thursday night, but plenty more evidence was provided in a 33-21 loss to the once-reeling Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium in a game that featured another forgettable performance by quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
• Bad record: 49ers allow fourth straight 100-yard RB (SF Gate)
The 49ers have allowed a 100-yard rusher for the fourth straight game for the first time since at least 1960. Tonight, Cardinals running back David Johnson became the latest to top the century mark with a 23-yard run in the third quarter. The 49ers entered the game having allowed three straight 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2004.
• 49ers’ stats and facts against Arizona (SF Gate)
Number of the day: 9
Plays the Cardinals needed to score their 17 points off three turnovers. In the second quarter, Arizona scored a touchdown one play after a Blaine Gabbert interception. It took four plays for Arizona to score in the third quarter after recovering a fumble on the second-half kickoff. Another four-play drive followed Gabbert’s second pick and led to a fourth-quarter field goal.
• 49ers’ game grades against Cardinals (San Francisco Chronicle)
QB Blaine Gabbert’s stat line was actually better than his desultory performance. He’s routinely blasted for his third-down checkdowns, but his airmailed deep throws might be the bigger issue: His overthrow to WR Rod Streater could have been a 70-yard TD, and his misfire to TE Garrett Celek on their first offensive play set the tone. He wasn’t assisted by an offensive line (seven sacks allowed) that was befuddled by Arizona’s blitzes.
• 49ers’ run defense continues to struggle (San Francisco Chronicle)
The 49ers allowed a 100-yard rusher for the fourth straight game for the first time since at least 1960, as Arizona’s David Johnson topped the mark in San Francisco’s 33-21 loss Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium.
Johnson (27 carries, 157 yards) became the latest to reach the century mark on a 23-yard run with just less than 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The 49ers entered the game having allowed three straight 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2004.
• Stephen A. thinks 49ers need to fire Kelly, Baalke (ESPN.com)
• 49ers must consider benching Blaine Gabbert for Colin Kaepernick (ESPN.com)
Tired of seeing San Francisco 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert airmail enough open receivers to make FedEx jealous, the chants rang out loud enough they could be heard clearly in the upper reaches of Levi’s Stadium. Even behind the thick glass walls of the press box, it wasn’t hard to make out the repeated pleas of “We want Kap, we want Kap, we want Kap.”
Even twice-retired former 49ers offensive lineman Anthony Davis took to Twitter to throw his support behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick.
• 49ers can’t overcome themselves — or Cardinals — in fourth straight loss (ESPN.com)
As hard as it is to believe, the San Francisco 49ers could have been 3-2 heading into a long weekend with extra time to heal from myriad injuries. You don’t have to believe it, because it isn’t the case.
For the second week in a row, the 49ers let a winnable game slip through their fingers as they lost to the Arizona Cardinals 33-21 on Thursday night at Levi’s Stadium. It’s the Niners’ fourth consecutive loss, dropping them to 1-4.
• Top 5 Takeaways from 49ers’ 33-21 loss to Cardinals (CSN Bay Area)
The 49ers are a team with very little margin for error. But the errors kept piling up – one on top of another and another and another – in the team’s 33-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium. The 49ers were bad in every imaginable way on Thursday night. They entered with the fewest passing yards in the league, and their average only got worse. The 49ers committed three turnovers, and the defense allowed an opposing running back to rush for 100-plus yards for the fourth consecutive game.
• 49ers faithful-ish watching while Kelly refuses to make change at QB (CSN Bay Area)
Chip Kelly injured his left ear before Thursday night’s Cardinals-49ers game and had to hold a towel against it to stanch the flow of blood.
He did not, however, have enough terrycloth to cauterize what came next – another standard substandard performance by the San Francisco, a 33-21 loss to Arizona that lowered the 49ers’ record to Gabbert Watch.
• It’s time to see what Colin Kaepernick can do for the 49ers, and Chip Kelly seems to know this (Mercury News)
After Thursday’s 33-21 debacle of a defeat to Arizona at Levi’s Stadium, it’s time for Kelly to either seize control of this franchise or let us know that general manager Trent Baalke won’t let him take over.
It’s time for Kelly to start proving that he’s worth the $24-million deal owner Jed York gave him, that he can get the 49ers out of the NFL depths, and that Kelly can shove aside York and all his cronies, too.
It’s time for Kelly to show that he’s better and more significant than Jim Tomsula, basically, and Kelly hasn’t done that yet, on the way to this free-fall 1-4 start to the 2016 season and Kelly’s 49ers’ tenure.
• Grading 49ers 33-21 loss to Arizona Cardinals (Mercury News)
So the 49ers are 1-4 and riding a four-game losing streak, as was the case a year ago, in case you needed a reminder after Thursday night’s 33-21 loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Here is how the 49ers graded.
• The 49ers hustle: what Blaine Gabbert, Jim Tomsula and knockoff purses have in common (Mercury News)
Niners’ faithful started that chant for Colin Kaepernick in Thursday’s 33-21 loss to NFC West foe Arizona. But it was less an endorsement of the old starter and more an indictment on general manager Trent Baalke. That’s how bad the quarterback play has been: fans are begging for the same player they were just booing last year.
