Position grades, analysis from SF 49ers ugly Week 1 loss vs. Cardinals

With Jimmy Garoppolo not performing well under center, the Cardinals focused hard on taking away the running game from the SF 49ers with successful results.

In fact, the team was only able to get 123 yards off 25 carries. Nearly 5 yards a carry sounds good, but they weren’t able to get the running game going for the most part.

The running backs did, however, take up the slack in the running game with the two touchdowns thrown by Jimmy G, going to Raheem Mostert and Jerick McKinnon.

Counting fullbacks into the rotation, 14 of Garoppolo’s 33 targets went to running backs for a combined nine catches for 162 yards and two touchdowns.

It’s hard to be awfully critical of the SF 49ers receivers, given the quarterbacking wasn’t especially potent and the injuries at the position.

But at the end of the day, they just weren’t good enough to break free.

For the tight ends, George Kittle picked up a knock to the leg early in the game and didn’t factor into the game whatsoever afterwards. Jordan Reed was only targeted twice, although it should be said he caught both targets.

The receivers were abysmal. Dante Pettis was invisible. Trent Taylor didn’t look very fast whatsoever, and while Kendrick Bourne was the better performer of the receivers, he still had only two catches for 34 yards.

It should be noted, however, Bourne was the victim of poor reads by Garoppolo, and he could have had a better game otherwise.

Other than Bourne, however, it was a non-factor, and the Niners need their injured stars, Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk, back fast.