Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
The San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a massive advantage over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, thanks to a sea of The Faithful packing State Farm Stadium. Despite playing on the road, the crowd felt overwhelmingly pro-49ers—so much so that it was more challenging to spot the Cardinals fans in the stands.
This isn’t new for San Francisco. The 49ers have long benefited from their national fanbase, with supporters across the country eager to catch the team whenever it comes to town. Plenty of fans also make the trip from the Bay Area, turning many road games into near-home environments.
Safety Malik Mustapha joined Bay Area radio station KNBR on Tuesday and discussed the overwhelming 49ers presence at away games. He recalled his favorite example from last season’s matchup against the Seattle Seahawks—typically one of the loudest environments in the NFL. In that instance at Lumen Field, he said the crowd noise made it feel like a home game.
“I was kind of worried about the 12th Man or whatever going into it, but 49ers fans travel well,” Mustapha said. “And even this past game, there was a moment, I think it was before Upton’s (CB Upton Stout) forced fumble, where it was like a TV timeout, and I just saw the crowd, just started pumping my hands, and the rest of the defense started trying to get the crowd going. And then, the next thing you know, the crowd just starts getting super loud.”
Mustapha added that he could sense the takeover even before kickoff.
“Even during the intros, when we took the field, and then, when the Cardinals took the field, you heard the boos more than you heard the cheering. So I was like, ‘Wow, this is insane.’ I never got that in college, so it’s definitely awesome to experience that in the league. I don’t think any other team does it like us.”
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After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan praised the impact of 49ers fans who routinely flood opposing stadiums.
“It means a ton. It’s really cool,” Shanahan said. “I think it’s one of the coolest things about our franchise, just the fact that, all week, we can watch on film, other people using silent cadence, and we can sit and talk that we probably won’t have to on first and second down because we know our fans will show up.”
Shanahan even gets early intel from his wife on just how many 49ers fans might be traveling for the road games.
“When my wife flies out commercial with my son on Saturday morning and tells me that, when they land, the whole plane’s doing a Niner chant, it makes me feel better telling everyone during meetings two hours later that we probably don’t have to use silent cadence because of my wife’s plane ride,” Shanahan said. “So, it’s awesome. They do it everywhere, and I haven’t had that in any organization I’ve ever been at.”
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