Niner Noise
FanSided

Cardinals vs. 49ers: 5 Matchups in Week 5 to Watch for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

November 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
November 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals.Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
6 of 6
Next
Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) carries the ball against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi’s Stadium. The Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers 19-13. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /

49ers Run Defense vs. RB David Johnson

Scratch the Niners’ Week 1 performance against Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley out of your minds.

San Francisco’s run defense is terrible. This unit currently ranks dead last in the NFL, averaging 140.5 yards against on the ground. Paltry numbers, which figure to get even worse now All-Pro linebacker NaVorro Bowman (Achilles) is out for the season.

Running against the 49ers’ nickel defense has been especially problematic, per Pro Football Focus’ Jeff Deeney:

Life won’t get any easier for the Niners as they face Cardinals running back David Johnson, who is averaging 4.7 yards per carry.

The 49ers haven’t shown a regular capability of bringing down ball-carriers at the point of attack, based off talent alone, and this has opened up substantial interior rushing lanes for opponents.

More from Niner Noise

So this means defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil might be pressed into scheming against the run while hoping his cover guys can win one-on-one matchups.

This doesn’t bode well for a problematic San Francisco defense.

If the Niners win on Thursday, it will be because they were able to stop the run just enough. But if they don’t, one should expect another big day from an opponent’s ground attack.

Next: 49ers Run Defense Emerging as the No. 1 Problem

All statistics, records and accolades courtesy of ESPN.com, Pro-Football-Reference.com and Sports-Reference.com unless otherwise indicated.