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Cardinals vs. 49ers: 5 Arizona Weaknesses San Francisco Needs to Exploit in Week 5

By Peter Panacy

Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) intercepts the pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2015; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals free safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) intercepts the pass intended for San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton (11) during the first quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden (44) and linebacker Kareem Martin (96) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) is sacked by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Markus Golden (44) and linebacker Kareem Martin (96) during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports /

No. 4: Don’t Allow Cardinals Defensive Ends Markus Golden and Chandler Jones to Be Effective in the Pass Rush

Arizona defensive ends Markus Golden and Chandler Jones are both tied for the team lead in sacks (four).

Their combined pass rush still makes for a very effective Cardinals front-seven defense. And it’s a primary reason opposing offenses are averaging just 203.5 passing yards this year — seventh best in the NFL.

Now the 49ers offensive line has been solid in pass protection through three weeks. This unit has allowed just three sacks on the year, although this doesn’t mean pressure won’t be a factor.

We’ll get to Niners quarterback Blaine Gabbert’s accuracy issues in a moment. Instead, let’s focus on what the rest of San Francisco’s offense needs to avoid.

On this play, we see Jones (No. 55) scoot around Los Angeles’ left tackle and converge on quarterback Case Keenum for a strip sack:

Using a high-tech, smartphone stopwatch, the time from the snap to the forced fumble is 3.53 seconds — too long for a great pass-rusher like Jones to not be a factor.

So this means smart, effective protection as well as quick reads and releases from Gabbert. Maybe head coach Chip Kelly dials up some slant plays and puts some of Arizona’s linebackers into coverage situations, which leads us to our next topic.