The 49ers (1-3) host the Arizona Cardinals (1-3) at Levi's Stadium for a 1:25 PT kickoff.
C.J. Beathard continues at quarterback. Sam Bradford starts for the Cardinals with rookie Josh Rosen on the bench. Steve Wilks is the first-year Arizona head coach. Both teams come in with 1-3 records.
Both teams 1-3 entering Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. The Cardinals are coming off the Chase Edmonds rookie year. Sam Bradford continues as the QB1 despite the team having drafted Josh Rosen 10th overall. Steve Wilks's first year as a head coach has not yet produced a stable offense.
The 49ers, with Beathard in his second start of the post-Garoppolo era, will continue to run the same offense Kyle Shanahan designed. Matt Breida continues at lead back. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home game where two 1-3 NFC West rivals meet with both teams in need of a win.
Favored by 4.5 at home. The kind of game the 49ers should handle.
Week 5 is the early-October NFC West sort. The 49ers (1-3) and Cardinals (1-3) meet with both teams in the bottom of the division. The Rams (4-0) lead the NFC West and have been the conference's most consistent team. The Seahawks (2-2) and 49ers/Cardinals are competing for the wild-card scraps. Around the conferences the Patriots, Chiefs, Steelers, and Bengals lead the AFC. The Sunday game is the kind of week the division standings start to clarify.
Through four games the 49ers are 1-3 with a -18 point differential. The Cardinals are 1-3 with a -54. Sam Bradford has 3 TDs and 4 INTs in four games. Josh Rosen remains on the bench behind Bradford. C.J. Beathard 298 passing yards in his Week 4 start. Vegas opens the 49ers as 4.5-point home favorites; total 41.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Miami Dolphins | 3-1 | L1 |
| New England Patriots | 2-2 | W1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1-3 | L1 |
| New York Jets | 1-3 | L3 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Baltimore Ravens | 3-1 | W2 |
| Cincinnati Bengals | 3-1 | W1 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1-2-1 | L1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-2-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 3-1 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 3-1 | W3 |
| Houston Texans | 1-3 | W1 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 1-3 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Kansas City Chiefs | 4-0 | W4 |
| Denver Broncos | 2-2 | L2 |
| Los Angeles Chargers | 2-2 | W1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-3 | W1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles Rams | 4-0 | -- |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2-2 | W2 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-3 | L2 |
| Arizona Cardinals | 0-4 | -- |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Washington Redskins | 2-1 | W1 |
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-2 | W1 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 2-2 | L1 |
| New York Giants | 1-3 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago Bears | 3-1 | W3 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2-1-1 | W1 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-2-1 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 1-3 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans Saints | 3-1 | W3 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-1 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 2-2 | L2 |
| Atlanta Falcons | 1-3 | L2 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Matt Breida 5 yard pass from C.J. Beathard (run failed) | 0-6 |
| Cardinals | Christian Kirk 75 yard pass from Josh Rosen ( Phil Dawson kick) | 7-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | David Johnson 2 yard rush ( Phil Dawson kick) | 14-6 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| No scoring this quarter. | ||
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| 49ers | Trent Taylor 1 yard pass from C.J. Beathard (pass failed) | 14-12 |
| Cardinals | Josh Bynes 23 yard fumble return ( Phil Dawson kick) | 21-12 |
| Cardinals | David Johnson 6 yard rush ( Phil Dawson kick) | 28-12 |
| 49ers | C.J. Beathard 1 yard rush (pass failed) | 28-18 |
Josh Rosen made his first NFL start in place of Sam Bradford and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 28-18 at Levi's Stadium. David Johnson ran for 71 yards and a touchdown. C.J. Beathard threw for 218 yards and two interceptions. Pierre Garcon caught a touchdown. The 49ers' defense produced no sacks. The 49ers fell to 1-4.[1][2][3]
Josh Rosen, the Cardinals' 10th overall pick who had been on the bench through four games, made his first NFL start Sunday afternoon at Levi's Stadium. He won. The Cardinals beat the 49ers 28-18.
David Johnson ran in a 1-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals an early lead. Larry Fitzgerald caught a touchdown from Rosen. Christian Kirk caught one of his own. The kind of Sunday-afternoon home loss to a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start that, in real time, has the year-two Shanahan project taking another step toward the kind of season that defines a rebuild's bottom.
C.J. Beathard threw two interceptions. Matt Breida ran for 50. Pierre Garcon caught a touchdown. The kind of game where the 49ers' offense produced 18 points and the defense did not get to a rookie quarterback. 1-4 with the Packers on the road next.
Cardinals 28, 49ers 18. Margin: -10. Five-game record: 1-4, -28 differential.
A 28-18 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers fall to 1-4 in Josh Rosen's first NFL start.
How it unfolded
David Johnson ran in a 1-yard touchdown to give the Cardinals an early 7-0 lead. The 49ers answered with a field goal. Rosen threw a touchdown to Larry Fitzgerald. Beathard threw an interception that led to a Cardinals field goal. Pierre Garcon caught a touchdown to cut it to 17-10. Rosen threw a touchdown to Christian Kirk to make it 24-10. The 49ers added a touchdown drive. The Cardinals' defense closed it out with another stop.
The turning point
Rosen's third-quarter touchdown to Christian Kirk. With the 49ers having cut the deficit to one score, the rookie's pass to Kirk pushed the lead back to two scores and effectively closed the game.
By the numbers
Beathard 19-of-37 for 218 with two INTs. Rosen 10-of-25 for 170 with a TD in his first NFL start. David Johnson 21 carries for 71 with a TD. Garcon 5 catches for 70 with a TD. Goodwin 4 for 63. The 49ers' zero sacks of Rosen.
Personnel watch
Beathard's two interceptions defined the day. The 49ers' defense, which had produced 1 sack per game on average, generated zero pressures on the rookie quarterback. The kind of Sunday home loss that, against a rookie's debut, will be the season's lowest competitive moment.
What it means
1-4 with the Packers on the road next week. The Sunday home loss to a rookie quarterback making his first NFL start confirms that the year-two Shanahan project, without Garoppolo, has lost the kind of identity it had built late in 2017. The Cardinals win at Levi's is the kind of result that defines a season's low-water mark.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| C.J. Beathard | 34/54 | 349 | 2 | 2 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Josh Rosen | 10/25 | 170 | 1 | 0 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Alfred Morris | 18 | 61 | 0 | 13 |
| Matt Breida | 8 | 56 | 0 | 17 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
| Raheem Mostert | 5 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
| C.J. Beathard | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| ARI | ||||
| David Johnson | 18 | 55 | 2 | 10 |
| Christian Kirk | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Chase Edmonds | 1 | -1 | 0 | -1 |
| Josh Rosen | 3 | -3 | 0 | 0 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| George Kittle | 5 | 83 | 0 | 45 |
| Kyle Juszczyk | 6 | 75 | 0 | 25 |
| Trent Taylor | 7 | 61 | 1 | 16 |
| Pierre Garcon | 5 | 47 | 0 | 20 |
| Kendrick Bourne | 4 | 33 | 0 | 10 |
| Alfred Morris | 3 | 30 | 0 | 15 |
| Victor Bolden | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Richie James | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Matt Breida | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 |
| Raheem Mostert | 1 | -2 | 0 | -2 |
| ARI | ||||
| Christian Kirk | 3 | 85 | 1 | 75 |
| Larry Fitzgerald | 2 | 35 | 0 | 20 |
| Chad Williams | 2 | 23 | 0 | 13 |
| David Johnson | 2 | 16 | 0 | 11 |
| Jermaine Gresham | 1 | 11 | 0 | 11 |
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Find the thread Start the threadCanonical title: [Rewatch Party] 2018 W5 - 49ers vs Arizona Cardinals - Game Thread
