Cardinals vs. 49ers: 5 matchups to watch in Week 11 for San Francisco
By Peter Panacy
No. 4: Tevin Coleman vs. Cardinals Run Defense
Kyle Shanahan isn’t simply going to abandon the run if the Cardinals are attempting to shut it down early and often throughout the game.
Despite Arizona holding the Niners to an average of 3.3 yards per rush back in Week 9, running the ball remains the prime staple of Shanahan’s system, and it’s also the No. 1 way to keep Jimmy Garoppolo and the offense functioning at a good level.
But there are some caveats here affecting San Francisco.
Running back Matt Breida is dealing with an ankle injury, and he has been ruled out for this contest. That means fellow running back Tevin Coleman is expected to get the lion’s share of carries against Arizona, which held him to a mere 23 yards on 12 carries the last time these two teams met — an average of just 1.92 yards per attempt.
If there’s good news here, though, it’s the Cardinals are still allowing an average of 4.5 yards per rush, which ranks 20th best.
Regardless, Coleman and San Francisco’s support tailbacks need to be effective in Week 11, however.