The No. 1 problem 49ers must fix prior to Week 5 game vs. Cardinals

The 49ers aren't playing perfect football, but there's one lone problem they've got to address prior to Week 5's tilt versus the Cardinals.

The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a convincing win in Week 4 over a lowly New England Patriots squad.

A 30-13 victory suggested the Niners were finally back to playing at a Super Bowl-caliber level, but even the casual observer could notice flaws within head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad.

Few are equal to San Francisco's issues on special teams.

Special teams have cost the 49ers games, both this year and last. Whether it be kicker Jake Moody's Week 3 miss against the Los Angeles Rams or whiffs on punt-return coverage in the same game, the Niners' third unit is shaping up to be the biggest liability in 2024 and could be a prime reason why the team falls victim to another inferior team, the Arizona Cardinals, in Week 5.

And it's a unit that needs a wholesale attention grab leading up to Sunday's contest.

Concerning stats surround 49ers' special teams woes

We won't dive into every single statistical issue San Francisco has shown on special teams over the first four weeks. Niner Noise's own, Jeremy Wohlfart, did that for you right here.

Aside from multiple muffed punts, including a lost one last week against the Pats that briefly shifted momentum, the 49ers have a few that should be accounted for right here, and they highlight the glaring problems facing the third phase of the game.

For starters, the Niners entered Week 4 with a league-high allowance in average punt yards returned. After the week, San Francisco dropped slightly to second-highest, trailing only the Dallas Cowboys, by two-tenths of a yards (15.2 yards to 15.4).

Still, it's a problem.

In direct correlation, 49ers opponents are starting their drives, on average, on their own 34.9-yard line, which is worst in the NFL through four weeks.

It's not hard to understand how this puts increased pressure on the defense, which is already dealing with injuries and facing its own concerns over the course of the young season.

To cap it all off, there's this:

Ouch.

Can 49ers fix special teams issues?

Turnover toward the bottom of any roster typically means great fluctuation for any given team's special teams group. About the only constants are coordinators and specialists, of which the Niners have remained consistent over the last year-plus.

Aside from Moody's growing pains, specialists haven't been much of an issue. But the return game is woefully inadequate, while coordinator Brian Schneider has to be feeling some heat for not generating adequate results to date.

Exactly how this gets fixed is anyone's guess. Perhaps it'd involve demoting primarily special teams aces who are doubling on defense, namely linebacker Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles and safety George Odum, to strictly special teams roles so they can focus on their specialty.

Perhaps it involves some other roster moves, too, namely those that'd improve punt-coverage units.

Arizona is suspect, particularly against the pass, while quarterback Kyler Murray and the Cardinals offense have scored a combined 27 points over the last two weeks. Putting things bluntly, it's a team San Francisco should soundly beat.

However, allowing the red birds to take advantage of a weak 49ers special teams unit is about the only way the Niners could let their NFC West rivals pull off a surprising victory on Sunday when the two teams square off at Levi's Stadium.

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