Transcript of Cardinals STUN 49ers Because of Coaching Edge

Let's go to Santa Clara, where I didn't expect one of the games of the day, but we got one of the games of the day.

First down, snap to Purdy. Straight drop, again, trouble hit, and the ball flusters far aside. And Kheisier White with a diving interception to win the game at midfield. Purdy got hit, the ball fluttered, and Kheisier White caught up to it, pulled it in, and the Cardinals are going to get one in San Fran.

Oh,unbelievable. David, the ball batted into the air. Crazy Carl showed up for the Arizona Cardinals. Bat the pig into the air, and Kysier White comes down with it.

Bat the pig. Bat the pig. Into the air. Let's go. One of the most underrated players in the League, Kyzer White. I can't do that for long. I can't do that at all. 24 to 23. The Cardinals get a stunning victory against the 49ers on the road. Not just stunning because of the recent history between these two teams and where the Cardinals have been at the last few weeks, but stunning because it was a 23 to 10 lead at halftime, and the 49ers don't get another point. Stunning because the Cardinals go for two when they're down four. Spicey ends up winning on a Chad Rylan 35-yard field goal before that interception by my man, Kysear White. Shook, tell me, because you watch this game closer, what do you think was the key to the Cardinals winning the second half, 14 to nothing?

Running game, number one. Everybody knows who's watched the Cardinals this year, that if the running game is going, they have a chance offensively. And James Connor, who got to halftime with nine yards on six attempts, ended up with 86 yards on 19 attempts. He didn't score before, but he paced this offense and balanced it out, which, first off, he kept him on schedule because the Cardinals in third and long are terrible. And it kept them on schedule, which allowed Kyler Murray to just take the short passes, dot the field with completions, and keep the offense moving. So that was the first part, bouncing out the offense. The second part was The Hakaways. They were backed up. First in goal, 49ers with the ball, first and goal, moving right down the field, about to put the game away. Jordan Mason around the left end. And a linebacker you've never heard of because he hadn't played a down before today comes in and knocks the ball out. And it's recovered by the Cardinals, which then gives them the opportunity to go down the field and take the lead with that Chad Reilly. Does he have a name?

Chad Reilly. Oh, yeah. Well, it's going to take me a second to find.

Luketa. Luketa. I don't know his first name.

Jesse Luketa. Jesse Luketa was his name. And he made a phenomenal play. Dennis Gardeck makes a key pass break up on third and 23 because the Niners lose Jake Moody to injury. They're not going to kick however long field goal, very long, out of Mitch Wyshnowski's range. So they have to go for it on fourth and 23. It's all the key little plays in between that stacked up, stacked up, and they capitalized on every single one of them, avoided catastrophe, and came away with a shocking win that nobody saw coming.

A defense that really bothered Brock Purdy, who only had one completion under pressure on the day. When Brock Purdy, we see it all the time, spins away, rolls out to his right, makes a play when he's got time. Over two and a half seconds, Brock Purdy was 10 of 24 in this game with two interceptions. Just making some weird decisions. I'm not sure what Jonathan Gannon's defense did, but it was really a problem for this 49ers offense to make big plays. Jordan Mason was really the only play that the 49ers could make other than a couple of IU plays.

Okay, so one of the theories that I've long believed, there are some of these coordinators that dial up these crazy game plans. Sometimes they really hit, and sometimes they really don't. You know what I mean? If you're a game plan defense, you can have a game where you win 41 to 10. I think this is almost a game play in offense, too, where they're very creative, like they did against the Rams. Or you could have a game like last week where they lose 42 to 14. It's not working. Or you really muddy up the picture. Without the best talent, nick, you end up winning and making enough big plays to keep this 49ers offense down. On the other side, I didn't see a ton of this game, but Kyler Murray has a fourth and 5. The game's on the line. They are driving for what turned out to be the go-ahead game-winning field goal, but they almost certainly lose that game if he doesn't get it. And he has the most Kyler Murray fade away jumper to Marvin Harrison on fourth and five. Not many guys can do that. And that's just your best player is making a great play.

Yeah. And it was a quiet day for Marvin Harrison Jr. Before that fact, they highlighted that he had been targeted six times and had one catch. That ended up being probably the biggest catch of the day as he just throws basically a jump on and out. He knows he's going to be there. He just throws it off his back foot with the rush all in his face. And of course, Marvin Harrison Jr. Comes down with the ball, buys him a fresh set of downs, and then they're suddenly in a position where they can run the ball and start to drain clock because they know they're in field goal range. And again, tip of the cap, new arrival. Chad Rylan shows up to replace Matt Prater, who's injured. Ice in his veins all day, knocks in both of his field goal attempts. Beautiful, beautiful comeback win for them.

I mean, Chad Rylan had one of the worst seasons any kicker has ever had last year for the Patriots was It's on Belichick's 2023 epitaph there that he used the fourth-round pick, but he's back in the league, and I'm happy for him. I guess I'm not that happy for him. You're laughing at me.

Greg was like, Oh, who's their kicker? I'm like, Oh, they got Chad Rylan this week. It's like, Oh, that's over.

There's no way they're going to do it. I want to go back to the Cardinals going for two down four. If they hadn't made that, that's one where people are going to get at them. They won this game partly with an edge in the numbers. I mean, that is a gutsy call. Kyle Shanahan went for a field goal on fourth and goal from the two-yard line. Those are analytics plays, and Kyle Shanaan is not playing by the numbers, and the Cardinals, in those case, decided to, and it really paid off for them. The 49ers are now 0-2 in the NFC West. Both of those games, they had 10-point leads in the second half against the Rams and the Cardinals. They're 0-3 in the NFC. Sets up a very compelling Thursday night game, which these two guys, nick Shook and Patrick Claibon, are taking care of for me while I'm hopefully asleep in the middle of the night in London. That's a big game. No, Gargi's. I mean, the nick, the 49ers got a kick return, or no, a block field goal return, and an interception on a screen pass that set them up on a short field, and they lost this game.

So fair is fair. They had some big things going their advantage, and they did not win.

Yeah, it was one of those games where it just felt like everything was going their way and they were going to cruise to victory. It was almost a formality until the second half arrived and they started to get stymied by the Cardinal's defense. Then they started making plays and the The balance just shifted back in their favor. You knew you were like one or two explosive plays away from suddenly this changing. That never really quite happened. It was just a steady approach. Because they had enough time, that's why they ended up pulling it out. But I mean, yeah, it's one of those games they're going to look back at and think, How did we lose this Because we made all the right plays in the first half, and they went to sleep. I mean, Brandon Ayuk, 147 yards on eight catches. His first breakout, his highest before was under 50 yards. That should be leading toward a victory, and they just didn't get the job.

They're just weird. I mean, Jordan Mason has more yards rushing in the first five games than any running back in the history of the 49ers, but that fumble just absolutely turned the game. And yeah, Ayuk gets going, but then Juan Jennings has 13 yards on fork targets, and Debo Samuel has 11 yards on the game. And so they're just having a hard time putting it all together. That can happen for teams, I don't know, that lose the Super Bowl, and it's a long offseason and a whole lot of injuries.