San Francisco 49ers Week 1 Recap

Next Week: Home Against Saint Louis (4:05p Eastern)

I don’t think many people picked the 49ers to win this game. The 49ers may have been destined to lose this game. There were many negatives going against them coming into the game. The Cardinals were playing in their new $455 million dollar stadium. Edgarin James’s was making his regular season debut as an Arizona Cardinal. And lastly the Cardinals did have Kurt Warner as their Quarterback.

The bottom line? Arizona’s offense as is no surprise is very, very good. Warner had remarked that the stadium reminded him of the one in Saint Louis. He certainly played like the Warner of the old Saint Louis Rams. He went 23 for 37 with 301 yards passing and 3 Touchdowns. Larry Fitzgerald caught 9 passes for 133 yards. Edgarin James had a decent game carrying the ball 26 times for 73 yards.

While a loss is always a loss, there are many positives that can be take n from the perspective of a San Francisco 49ers fan.

First was their determination. They trailed 21-7 early and looked early on as though the Cardinals might rout them. They stayed tough and little by little they picked away at the Cardinals lead. A Hail Mary catch by Antonio Bryant at the end of the game would have probably led to overtime.

Secondly was the play of their three offensive keys: Alex Smith, Frank Gore, and Antonio Bryant. Smith didn’t give a Pro Bowl performance but he play pretty well given what he is working with. He finished 23 for 40 with 288 yards passing and a TD. Frank Gore put up an excellent performance rushing for 87 yards while catching for 83. Antonio Bryant while not being able to make the big catch at the end still put up 114 yards on 4 catches and is more than an adequate replacement for Brandon Lloyd.

The biggest loss for the 49ers in this game may have been the loss of Pro Bowl Offensive Linemen Larry Allen who is expected to miss week 2 against the Rams. He left the game with a sprained right knee.

Make no mistake. The Arizona Cardinals played an excellent game overall and are going to make a serious push to make the postseason. Next week may be a litmus test for that goal as they play the defending NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks at Seattle. Meanwhile next week the 49ers look forward to a Saint Louis Rams team fresh off an upset victory over the Denver Broncos