Comparing each offense in Week 5: Do the Cardinals have any advantages over the Niners?

The 49ers kick off two consecutive NFC West matchups with a meeting at Levi’s Stadium against the Arizona Cardinals. Last season, the 49ers swept the Cardinals, but Arizona has proven to be a tough out for the team in years past. Coming off a blowout loss to Washington, Arizona will surely put their best foot forward on Sunday.

The 49ers are looking to continue winning after a convincing victory over New England and climb to the top of the NFC West after two divisional wins in seven days.

Let’s examine each offensive position group for Arizona and San Francisco and determine which team has the advantage.

Quarterback

Kyler Murray - 75/108, 69.4%, 777 yards, 7.2 YPA, 6 TD, 1 INT, 104.6 QB rating

Brock Purdy - 84/122, 68.9%, 1,136 yards, 9.3 YPA, 5 TD, 2 INT, 105.1 QB rating

Running quarterbacks have been a problem for the 49ers historically. The key to containing Murray is just to keep him in the pocket and force him to make throws. Murray has racked up 164 yards on 16 rushes with a long run of 29. While Purdy doesn’t have designed runs in his arsenal, his legs are an underrated aspect of his game. On 18 rushes, Purdy has gained 75 yards as more of a last-ditch effort to keep plays alive.

Murray may be the better runner, but Purdy is playing the best football of his career, especially throwing the football.

Advantage: 49ers

Running Back

James Conner - 63 attempts, 288 yards, 3 TD, 6 receptions, 52 yards

Jordan Mason - 91 attempts, 447 yards, 3 TD, 6 receptions, 57 yards

The 49ers commitment to the running game will always be a staple of their offense. Conner has handled the majority of the rushing attempts for Arizona, but with the team trailing in games, the Cardinals haven’t been able to stick to running the football. Mason has shined in his opportunity to replace Christian McCaffrey.

Trey Benson has been the change of pace back for Arizona, but Mason has been the unquestioned bell-cow with only Isaac Guerendo (seven rushes) and Deebo Samuel (12 carries) asked to spell Mason. Mason separates himself because of his inability to go down from initial contact. Mason doubles Conner’s broken tackle number from 21 to Conner’s ten.

Advantage: 49ers

Wide Receiver

Marvin Harrison, Jr - 15 receptions, 243 yards, 4 TD

Greg Dortch - 15 receptions, 131 yards

Michael Wilson - 14 receptions, 138 yards, 1 TD

Deebo Samuel - 16 receptions, 222 yards

Brandon Aiyuk - 13 receptions, 167 yards

Jauan Jennings - 21 receptions, 364 yards, 3 TD

Harrison Jr. was the talk of the NFL draft and, following a slow start in Week 1, looks every bit the part as a dominant receiver. Mooney Ward and the 49ers secondary will have their hands full with the rookie receiver. Dortch is a prototypical slot receiver, running 69.7% of his routes from the slot. Wilson runs nearly 72% of his routes out wide opposite Harrison, Jr.

Jennings leading the 49ers receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns is a surprise. An even bigger surprise is that Jennings ranks fourth in the NFL in receiving yards. Partly to do with the absence of Samuel, but Jennings has reached a new level in 2024. Aiyuk is still rounding into shape and is on the verge of breaking out. Spoiler alert: it will be this week against the porous Arizona secondary. Samuel will be heavily involved as usual and used all over the field.

Advantage: 49ers

Tight End

Trey McBride - 14 receptions, 122 yards

George Kittle - 15 receptions, 161 yards, 2 TD

Kittle and McBride have played the same number of games but missed each game. Following a stellar finish to 2023, McBride is an ascending talent who will be near the top of any tight-end ranking soon enough. Kittle is still the best overall tight end in football. Although both players function differently in their respective offenses, McBride has been asked to block (run and pass) 67 times to Kittle’s 88. While McBride is no slouch, Kittle still has the advantage as a blocker.

Advantage: 49ers, but it’s closer than expected

Offensive Line

LT Paris Johnson, Jr, LG Evan Brown, C Hjalte Froholdt, RG Will Hernandez, RT Kelvin Beachum

LT Trent Williams, LG Aaron Banks, C Jake Brendel, RG Dominick Puni, RT Colton McKivitz

While the 49ers’ offensive line has been a popular topic of discussion, the comparison to Arizona’s offensive line is interesting. Even with Kyler Murray’s mobility, Brown, Johnson, Jr, and Beachum have combined for seven sacks allowed. The 49ers have allowed three sacks combined. The discrepancy comes with the pressure numbers. With a total of 44 pressures for the 49ers offensive line, the discussion is Purdy playing from the pocket more than Murray, but the Cardinals have allowed 31 pressures.

The 49ers are graded higher as run blockers than Arizona, but Arizona’s group is graded higher as pass blockers.

Advantage: Push

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