What worked, what didn’t from the 49ers defense in Week 5 vs. Cardinals
What didn’t
The start
The long bomb from Josh Rosen to wide receiver Christian Kirk ended up being a deficit the 49ers could not recover from.
It was disappointing, since the defense was pretty miserly especially in the passing game.
Unfortunately, that one play was a backbreaker.
Tackling… kind of
I sort of have to nitpick as the 49ers defense played pretty well, but we did see some tackling problems again.
But at least it wasn’t quite as bad this time around. We didn’t see the wholesale missed tackles, as was the case in Week 3 versus the Kansas City Chiefs or in the second half of Week 4 against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Pass rush
As usual, the defense could not get to the quarterback. EDGE Cassius Marsh, who is supposed to be the team’s primary outside pass-rusher, got his first sack of the year. And it was a bit of a gimmie. By this rate, he’ll have three when the 2018 season is done.
That was the only quarterback takedown San Francisco had in the game too, and Arizona’s offensive line isn’t exactly stellar.
Next. 49ers vs. Cardinals: Position grades and analysis for San Francisco. dark
One sack a game is not good enough, but the team lacks a real threat outside of DeForest Buckner.
Luckily the draft is full of elite talent, and the 49ers will probably get a good range to choose from.