Carved up. That’s about the best way to explain what Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray did to the San Francisco 49ers last year.

Highlighted by a four-touchdown effort to close out last season, Murray got after Nick Bosa and the 49ers defense to the tune of 437 passing yards and five touchdowns to one interception on 67.7% passing across two games played.

And that’s before even mentioning his 105 rushing yards and a score on 10 carries.

The 49ers, however, believe they have the right gameplan to avoid a repeat performance from the signal caller.

Nick Bosa is excited for the gameplan that Robert Saleh has put together to combat Kyler Murray.

Murray had 542 all-purpose yards and 6 touchdowns last season in the Cardinals 2 wins over the #49ers. pic.twitter.com/F01eDTIoAU

— Matt Lively (@mattblively) September 17, 2025

“Our what-it-takes meeting is very much about him and what he brings to the table and how we need to rush him, how we need to take care of the QB run game and their run game as a whole,” Bosa told reporters Wednesday.

“I’m excited about the plan this week and I think (49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh) has been good at it before. He’s got some good tricks up his sleeve.”

Kyler Murray’s track record vs. 49ers DC Robert Saleh

Excited, however, might be the wrong word given what Murray’s done to Saleh-led defenses over the years.

The battles started in 2019 with Murray completing 71.93% of his passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns on top of 13 carries for 101 yards and another score across two meetings.

The following season was similar situation, with Murray throwing for 477 yards and a touchdown to two interceptions on 63.3% passing. He added another 166 yards and a score on 21 carries.

Murray took it to Saleh and the New York Jets last season, too, behind 266 yards and a touchdown on 91.7% passing. The signal caller also scored twice on the ground on three carries.

“He’s fast, he’s elusive, he’s a jitterbug and he’s also a passer first,” Saleh told reporters on Thursday. “He’s not just looking to run. He’s looking to buy some time to be able to put the ball in the air. He’s as challenging as it gets.”

The record against those Saleh-led squads doesn’t quite line up with the production, though, with Arizona 2-3 in the five games.

We’re also talking about Murray in a completely different system outside of last year. Saleh is going to have his wrinkles, especially after what his unit put on tape so far.

Through two games against the Seattle Seahawks and New Orleans Saints, the 49ers are sixth in the league in yards allowed per game (268.5) and passing yards allowed per game (166).

It’s ninth in points per game (17) and is 10th in total takeaways (three fumbles).

As for where the Cardinals could get the upperhand? The run game, which has failed to soar like it did the past two years.

While San Francisco isn’t a slouch against the run, it does sit outside the top 10 at 13th with 102.5 yards per game and is eighth in team rushing yards allowed at 3.7.

And if there was one area that wasn’t exploited through the first two weeks is the quarterback running the rock.

The extra wrinkle has worked for Murray in seasons past as noted above. It could be the very well be the difference in a win or a loss come Sunday.

After all, this was just last year.

Bye bye Ky 👋 @AZCardinals take an early lead!

📺: #AZvsSF on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/EUHKDDLEoO

— NFL (@NFL) October 6, 2024