Cardinals vs. SF 49ers: 5 battles to watch in 2020 season opener

SF 49ers Battle No. 5: Kwon Alexander vs. Kenyan Drake

The 49ers lost linebacker Kwon Alexander to what was thought to be a season-ending pectoral injury during their Week 9 bout against the Cardinals last year, and one can only wonder if running back Kenyan Drake would have had the same kind of impact he did during that game if Alexander had avoided the injury.

But Alexander didn’t, and Drake subsequently rushed for 110 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown, averaging over 7 yards per attempt, while adding an additional 52 yards on four receptions for a total of 162 yards from scrimmage on 11 touches.

That’s called being in position to take over a game.

The Niners did a better job limiting Drake in Week 11, fortunately, holding him to just 67 rush yards on 16 carries and prevented him from being a major factor in the receiving game even though Alexander was still out.

Yes, the Cardinals have some prolific weapons in their Air-Raid offense. But Drake still poses a great threat against a San Francisco defense that gave up an average of 4.5 rush yards per carry last season — 23rd in the league.

Alexander, fortunately, is one of the SF 49ers’ best run stoppers, meaning he’ll have to be on point when Drake gets the ball this Sunday.