After coughing up an ugly Week 1 loss to the Cardinals, the SF 49ers must rebound against the Jets in Week 2 and can use these vital lessons.
The Arizona Cardinals are likely going to be one of those teams the SF 49ers have trouble with time and time again for the foreseeable future.
After barely getting by in both NFC West divisional contests in 2019, the Niners ended up losing an ugly and poorly played Week 1 home bout against Arizona in their 2020 season opener at Levi’s Stadium, losing 24-20 to Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and Co. in a game which saw head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad sputter in the second half and cough up multiple leads.
Doom and gloom, yes, at least for the immediate few days after the loss. But if there’s a silver lining for the defending NFC champions, it’s twofold: The Cardinals exposed some improvements San Francisco better consider making right away if it wants to back up its Super Bowl appearance this season, and Shanahan’s team will have the opportunity to proverbially “right the ship” against a hapless and lowly New York Jets squad in Week 2.
Yes, it’s a road matchup for the SF 49ers, and those shouldn’t be taken lightly regardless of the opponent.
But the Jets are coming off their own ugly 27-17 Week 1 performance against the Buffalo Bills, and New York’s head coach, Adam Gase, is already facing criticism for how he’s handling his team early this season.
Sounds like the perfect opportunity for the SF 49ers, right?
Most definitely. Yet Shanahan and Co. still must apply some of the key lessons learned from their Week 1 loss to Arizona in this road matchup if they want to get back to the .500 mark.
Here are five the Niners need to learn from heading into Week 2.