49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

Kyler Murray ran for a 22-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and Kenyan Drake added a 1-yard score with 5:03 left, and the Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 24-20 in the season opener at an empty Levi's Stadium. Raheem Mostert caught a 76-yard touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo on the 49ers' second possession. DeAndre Hopkins, in his Arizona debut, caught 14 of 16 targets for 151 yards. Garoppolo finished 19-of-33 for 259 yards with one TD and one INT. The 49ers fell to 0-1 in their championship-defense opener.[1][2][3]

The defending NFC champions opened their season Sunday afternoon and lost to a Cardinals team that had not beaten a playoff team on the road since 2015. Kyler Murray ran in a 22-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter and Kenyan Drake plunged in from the 1 with 5:03 left. DeAndre Hopkins, in his first game in Arizona red, caught 14 of 16 targets for 151 yards.

The 49ers led 20-10 at halftime and looked the part. Mostert's 76-yard catch-and-run from Garoppolo was the kind of explosive play that defined the 2019 offense. Then the second half happened. Garoppolo missed on a couple of throws to Deebo Samuel that would have flipped possessions. The defense, missing Solomon Thomas to a calf and rotating Kinlaw in for the traded Buckner, could not get Murray off the field.

No fans in the stands. The PA system pumped in crowd noise. The kind of opener that, in an empty building, felt like a scrimmage that counted. 0-1 with the Jets at MetLife next week.

Cardinals 24, 49ers 20. Margin: -4. Season opener.

• Mostert 76-yard TD reception from Garoppolo (Q1).
• Kyler Murray: 26-of-40 for 230, 1 TD, 1 INT, 13 rushes for 91, 1 rushing TD (22y).
• DeAndre Hopkins: 14 catches on 16 targets for 151 (Arizona debut).
• Garoppolo: 19-of-33 for 259, 1 TD, 1 INT, 2 sacks.
• Kenyan Drake: 16 carries for 60, 1 TD (1y, 5:03 left).
• 49ers led 20-10 at halftime; outscored 14-0 in 4th.
• 49ers 0-1; Cardinals 1-0.

A 24-20 home loss to the Arizona Cardinals to open the championship-defense season. The 49ers fall to 0-1 at an empty Levi's Stadium.

How it unfolded

The 49ers built a 10-7 first-quarter lead behind a Robbie Gould field goal and the Mostert 76-yard catch-and-run. Murray answered with a touchdown drive ending in a 10-yard pass to Chase Edmonds. A short Gould field goal in the second quarter made it 13-7. Arizona kicked a long Zane Gonzalez field goal to make it 13-10. The 49ers extended the lead to 20-10 in the second half on a 5-yard Garoppolo touchdown pass to Jerick McKinnon. The Cardinals scored 14 unanswered in the fourth quarter: Murray's 22-yard scramble for a touchdown, then Drake's 1-yard plunge with 5:03 left to take the lead.

The turning point

Kyler Murray's 22-yard rushing touchdown early in the fourth quarter. With the 49ers up 20-10 and the defense looking like it would hold, Murray escaped the pocket and outran the secondary to the end zone. The play turned the game from a comfortable lead to a one-score contest and gave Arizona the run-game momentum it carried the rest of the way.

By the numbers

Garoppolo 19-of-33 for 259 with one TD, one INT, and two sacks. Mostert 11 carries for 56 plus the 76-yard receiving TD. McKinnon 8 carries for 27 plus the goal-line TD catch. Murray 230 passing on 40 attempts plus 13 carries for 91 and the rushing TD. Hopkins the 14-catch, 151-yard debut.

Personnel watch

Solomon Thomas inactive with a calf. Javon Kinlaw in for the traded DeForest Buckner. Jordan Reed active at tight end. Deebo Samuel still working back from his Jones-fracture foot injury and inactive. The 49ers' defensive front, even short-handed, produced two sacks of Murray but could not get the late stop.

What it means

0-1 with the Jets coming up next at MetLife Stadium on a short week. The Cardinals' offseason move for Hopkins is going to be the storyline that follows the team all year. The 49ers' championship-window team has work to do.