Cardinals vs. SF 49ers: Breaking down Niners defensive game plan
By Peter Panacy
How SF 49ers defend against Kenyan Drake
Kenyan Drake was a force for Arizona when both teams played in Week 9, rushing for 110 yards and 7.3 yards per carry with a touchdown, going along with an additional 52 yards through the air.
The 6-foot-1, 211-pound tailback is notably fast for a player his size, and San Francisco sure had issues containing him if he got into open space on the outside, as shown in the video below:
Drake typically enjoys outside runs, as 63 of his 122 rush attempts with the Cardinals last year were outside the tackles, according to Pro Football Focus, putting extra pressure on linebacker Kwon Alexander in this particular game to maintain contain if the defensive ends aren’t able to.
Alexander tore his pectoral when Drake reached his big numbers in Week 9, so one has to wonder if that played a factor in the breakout performance.
As for those screens? Well, it wouldn’t be shocking if Robert Saleh calls for some soft-zone coverage by Alexander and the 49ers linebackers over in the flats to prevent this kind of dump-off feature Murray likes to use when downfield options aren’t open.
It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Niners use more big-nickel packages, putting in defensive back Tarvarius Moore as a third safety, using his speed and size to prevent the large-bodied Drake from gaining chunk yardage.