A matchup against the struggling New England Patriots was just what the San Francisco 49ers’ defense needed to regain their momentum.
A better test of whether their early season difficulties were just a small issue or a bigger concern will happen on Sunday when the Niners (2-2) face Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals (1-3).
“He’s hard,” said San Francisco defensive coordinator Nick Sorensen about dealing with Murray’s dual threat. “Those guys are tough to handle because he has strong arm strength and can escape like a punt returner.
He’s very quick and doesn’t need to have his feet set to throw the ball. So, you have to be disciplined. … It’s going to be one of those track shoe-type days.”
San Francisco had six sacks and two takeaways last week when they shut down the Patriots after allowing 6.1 yards per play in their first three games.
Now, they need to handle Murray.
Murray looks much more comfortable running Arizona’s offense this year compared to last year when he returned late in the season from a knee injury. However, his performance has still been a bit inconsistent.
He showed some good moments in the opener against Buffalo and then performed well the next week in a win over the Rams, throwing for three touchdowns and making big plays with his legs.
Murray has been less effective in the past two weeks, with the Cardinals scoring only 27 points in losses to Detroit and Washington, adding pressure to this week’s game for Arizona.
“I have to be better,” Murray said. “To go out there and score 14 points, that’s not the standard we hold ourselves to. I feel like I’m surrounded by a lot of great players, so I wouldn’t expect us to only score 14 points. We don’t practice for 14 points, but this is the NFL. It’s not easy, and I definitely expect to have a better week this week.”
