The Defense showed a lot of improvement in this game
Other than the poor start on the first play for the defense, they played a phenomenal game.
- They held Josh Rosen to only 170 passing yards on only 10 completions (25 attempts).
- The Arizona rushing game was held to only 56 rushing yards on 23 carries (2.4 yards per attempt). They didn’t allow a rush for more than 10 yards throughout the game.
- Arizona’s offense only gained 145 total offensive yards after the first drive.
- The 49ers defense limited the Cardinals to only two conversions on third down on 12 attempts.
What won’t show up on the stat sheet is how the front seven played in the 49 plays they were in against the opposing offense. They put constant pressure on Rosen all game and limited the running game as well.
It’s unfortunate that they were put into bad situations because of the offensive mistakes. But it’s a great sign to see the defense putting in this kind of effort and showing that they can keep the offense in the game if the offense does their job.
