SF 49ers: Film doesn’t lie from Week 1 vs. Cardinals

Niner Noise analyzes the film after the SF 49ers loss to the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.

Yes, this was an ugly loss for the SF 49ers.

The offense was sloppy and ineffective, and the defense couldn’t stop the Arizona Cardinals’ two best and most important offensive players, quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins.

However, the Niners had an impressive debut from one of their first-round NFL Draft picks, defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw.

There were not many, if any, positives San Francisco can take from this defeat, apart from the fact the 49ers had to play so badly to only lose by four points and still have a chance to win the game in the last two minutes.

Even though it was an ugly game, there were some key themes that played out throughout the contest and should make future personnel and schematic thought processes easier to make and game plan for.

This, to give the Niners a distinct advantage for the next matchup against the Cardinals in Week 16.

Two of those personnel decisions are on the defensive side of the ball. It was evident to anyone who watched the majority of the game San Francisco’s second-best linebacker wasn’t on the field nearly as much as the third-best linebacker.

That was the obvious part. The not so obvious decision comes on the defensive line. Kinlaw was the second-best defensive lineman, clearly behind EDGE Nick Bosa, who else? Kinlaw was a nightmare to deal with for the Cardinals offensive line when compared with the impact the rest of the defensive line made.

Anyway, into a more in-depth look at the effort of the defense, with Kinlaw starring.