Since he was drafted in 2019, few signal-callers have given the 49ers’ defense as many headaches as Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray.
Though he has just a 4-4 career record in starts against San Francisco, Murray’s speed and elusiveness give Arizona another layer of attack that the Red and Gold need to prepare for twice a year.
“Kyler is always a really tough player to go against man, one of the best in this league,” linebacker Fred Warner told reporters before Wednesday’s practice in Santa Clara. “I think the thing with Kyler obviously is his legs, the ability to make the off-scheduled plays, that’s always kind of given us fits.”
Murray averages 52.8 rush yards per game in his career against the 49ers, the most of any quarterback with at least three games against San Francisco. In Week 5 of the 2024 NFL season, Murray gashed the 49ers for 83 yards on the ground, including a 50-yard rushing touchdown on a read-option play.
“He’s slippery. He obviously has really great quickness and speed,” Warner said. “You could feel it out there on that field when you’re trying to run after him and he’s separating.”
Murray has proved to be tough to bring down, especially on dropbacks. The 49ers only sacked him once in two games last season.
“Somebody said… be patient while rushing. And it is kind of counterintuitive when you’re rushing something, to be patient,” defensive end Nick Bosa said Wednesday. “He likes to bail back, he likes to spin out, so you just have to be aware.”
Bosa has been relatively successful against Murray in his career. In seven head-to-head matchups, Bosa has recorded two sacks and five hits on 16 pressures. But, last season, Bosa had just two pressures in his two games against Murray and the Cardinals.
“I’m excited about the plan this week and I think [defensive coordinator Robert] Saleh’s been good at it before, so he’s got some good tricks up his sleeve,” Bosa said.
Murray has been limited to 219.4 passing yards per game in his career against the 49ers, but his playmaking ability in broken plays has been deadly. When scrambling, Murray rushed for 182 yards in 20 attempts, eight of which went for 10 or more yards.
“The ability to continue to look down the field and still be able to throw the football… he’s just very dynamic in a lot of ways,” Warner said.
Containing Murray’s explosiveness is a key concern for the 49ers for the home-opener Sunday against the Cardinals. San Francisco would be the first NFC West team to reach two division wins with a victory over Arizona, who they haven’t beaten since Week 15 of 2023.
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