Hopkins helps Cardinals rally past 49ers 24-20
SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) Kyler Murray used the new toy Arizona got him this offseason to get his second season off to a rousing start.
Murray connected on 14 passes to newcomer DeAndre Hopkins, including the throw that set up Kenyan Drake's go-ahead 1-yard score with 5:03 to play that led the Cardinals over the San Francisco 49ers 24-20 on Sunday.
Murray threw for 230 yards and a touchdown and ran for 91 yards and another score to help the Cardinals overcome a pair of fourth-quarter deficits to beat the defending NFC champion 49ers in a smoky opener at an empty stadium.
''I knew we had something special the day I walked into this building,'' Hopkins said. ''This team works. How Kyler and this team work. I've been around a lot of great people and Kyler works like it's his last day on this Earth ... Nothing is a surprise about what happened today.''
Hopkins was acquired in a trade this offseason from Houston and took little time to make an impact. His 151 yards receiving made him one of five players with at least 14 catches and 100 yards receiving in the season opener
His 33-yard pass to Hopkins got the ball down to the 1 and then Drake ran it in on the next play to give Arizona the lead.
Jimmy Garoppolo led the 49ers down to the 16 before throwing an incomplete pass to Trent Taylor on fourth-and-5 that ended the comeback attempt.
''We were in that situation plenty of times last year,'' Garoppolo said. ''When you get in those situations, obviously it's a little different today without the crowd, that game-day feel wasn't there. It just comes down to execution. In the last minutes like that, every play is crucial, every yard is crucial. We just didn't execute.''
Garoppolo threw a 5-yard TD pass to Jerick McKinnon to give San Francisco a 20-17 lead with 8:38 to play before Murray led a late comeback.
Murray had given the Cardinals the lead earlier in the fourth with a 22-yard scramble and his running ability wore down San Francisco's defense as the game went on.
''This is the most proud I've been of him to date because that's a tough defense,'' coach Kliff Kingsbury said. ''You get those monsters coming after you for four quarters, it's not easy to sit back there and continue to hang in the pocket, continue to make plays with your feet and he just kept fighting.''
Garoppolo finished 19 for 33 for 259 yards and two scores, also connecting on a 76-yarder to Raheem Mostert in the first quarter.
SMOKY SKIES
There had been concern all week about the status of the game because of poor air conditions from fires across Northern California. The Air Quality Index remained below the 200 threshold and the game was played as scheduled.
RACIAL JUSTICE
The 49ers stood on the goal line as a team during the playing of ''Lift Every Voice and Sing.'' McKinnon and receiver Richie James Jr. kneeled during the national anthem. The Cardinals remained in the locker room for both.
BLOCKED
The Niners were in control of the game early with a 10-0 lead until Ezekiel Turner broke through and blocked a punt by Mitch Wishnowsky. The Cardinals recovered at the 10 and scored on the next play on a pass from Murray to Chase Edmonds.
SAFETY FIRST
San Francisco got its first interception from a safety in nearly two years when Jaquiski Tartt came up with a tip from teammate Dre Greenlaw. Tartt also had the previous interception from a Niners safety on Oct. 28, 2018, against Arizona's Josh Rosen.
SWITCHING SIDES
Niners CB Richard Sherman moved around and mostly played the wide side of the field rather than spending the day on the defensive left side. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Sherman had 23 snaps on the right side, nearly twice as many as he had all last season. Hopkins had three catches for 22 yards on 15 plays going against Sherman, compared to 10 catches for 96 yards against Emmanuel Moseley.
INJURY REPORT
Cardinals: S Jalen Thompson left the game with an ankle injury in the first half. ... C Mason Cole left in the second half with a hamstring injury.
49ers: James left in the second half with a hamstring injury, leaving San Francisco with just three healthy receivers. ... TE George Kittle played the second half despite a lower-leg injury but wasn't targeted in 30 snaps after halftime.
UP NEXT
Cardinals: Host Washington on Sunday.
49ers: Visit New York Jets on Sunday.
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Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | FPTS |
K. Murray
1 QB
28 FPTS
|
K. Murray | 26/40 | 230 | 1 | 1 | 28 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
K. Murray
1 QB
28 FPTS
|
K. Murray | 13 | 91 | 1 | 25 | 28 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Drake
41 RB
12 FPTS
|
K. Drake | 16 | 60 | 1 | 11 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Edmonds
29 RB
9 FPTS
|
C. Edmonds | 6 | 26 | 0 | 20 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Streveler
15 QB
0 FPTS
|
C. Streveler | 1 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
D. Hopkins
10 WR
15 FPTS
|
D. Hopkins | 16 | 14 | 151 | 0 | 33 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
L. Fitzgerald
11 WR
3 FPTS
|
L. Fitzgerald | 5 | 4 | 34 | 0 | 10 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Arnold
85 TE
2 FPTS
|
D. Arnold | 2 | 2 | 21 | 0 | 13 | 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Edmonds
29 RB
9 FPTS
|
C. Edmonds | 5 | 3 | 19 | 1 | 10 | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Drake
41 RB
12 FPTS
|
K. Drake | 2 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 12 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
C. Kirk
13 WR
0 FPTS
|
C. Kirk | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
M. Williams
87 TE
0 FPTS
|
M. Williams | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT | FF |
B. Baker
32 SS
|
B. Baker | 10-5 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Campbell
59 OLB
|
D. Campbell | 5-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Hicks
58 MLB
|
J. Hicks | 4-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Kirkpatrick
20 CB
|
D. Kirkpatrick | 3-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Banjo
31 SAF
|
C. Banjo | 3-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
I. Simmons
48 LB
|
I. Simmons | 3-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Z. Allen
94 DE
|
Z. Allen | 2-0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
H. Reddick
43 OLB
|
H. Reddick | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Blackson
96 DE
|
A. Blackson | 2-0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Vallejo
51 LB
|
T. Vallejo | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Kennard
42 OLB
|
D. Kennard | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Jones
55 LB
|
C. Jones | 1-1 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Hopkins
10 WR
|
D. Hopkins | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Thompson
34 FS
|
J. Thompson | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Peters
98 DT
|
C. Peters | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Z. Turner
47 LB
|
Z. Turner | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Gardeck
45 LB
|
D. Gardeck | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
B. Murphy
33 CB
|
B. Murphy | 0-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
C. Washington
28 SAF
|
C. Washington | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Fitts
49 LB
|
K. Fitts | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
Z. Gonzalez
5 K
6 FPTS
|
Z. Gonzalez | 1/3 | 56 | 3/3 | 6 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
A. Lee
4 P
|
A. Lee | 4 | 47.8 | 1 | 53 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
C. Edmonds
29 RB
9 FPTS
|
C. Edmonds | 1 | 42.0 | 42 | 0 |
Punt Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
C. Kirk 13 WR
0 FPTS
|
C. Kirk | 2 | 4.0 | 8 | 0 |
Passing | CP/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | FPTS |
J. Garoppolo
10 QB
22 FPTS
|
J. Garoppolo | 19/33 | 259 | 2 | 0 | 22 |
Rushing | ATT | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
R. Mostert
31 RB
20 FPTS
|
R. Mostert | 15 | 56 | 0 | 14 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. McKinnon
28 RB
10 FPTS
|
J. McKinnon | 3 | 24 | 0 | 16 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Coleman
26 RB
1 FPTS
|
T. Coleman | 4 | 18 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
G. Kittle
85 TE
4 FPTS
|
G. Kittle | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Garoppolo
10 QB
22 FPTS
|
J. Garoppolo | 1 | 9 | 0 | 9 | 22 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Juszczyk
44 FB
4 FPTS
|
K. Juszczyk | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 4 |
Receiving | TAR | REC | YDS | TD | LG | FPTS |
R. Mostert
31 RB
20 FPTS
|
R. Mostert | 5 | 4 | 95 | 1 | 76 | 20 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
G. Kittle
85 TE
4 FPTS
|
G. Kittle | 5 | 4 | 44 | 0 | 14 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Juszczyk
44 FB
4 FPTS
|
K. Juszczyk | 3 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 41 | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
K. Bourne
84 WR
3 FPTS
|
K. Bourne | 5 | 2 | 34 | 0 | 18 | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
J. McKinnon
28 RB
10 FPTS
|
J. McKinnon | 5 | 3 | 20 | 1 | 9 | 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
J. Reed
81 TE
1 FPTS
|
J. Reed | 2 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Taylor
15 WR
0 FPTS
|
T. Taylor | 5 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
T. Coleman
26 RB
1 FPTS
|
T. Coleman | 2 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
D. Pettis
18 WR
0 FPTS
|
D. Pettis | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Defense | T-A | SACK | INT | FF |
E. Moseley
41 CB
|
E. Moseley | 11-4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
F. Warner
54 MLB
|
F. Warner | 6-4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Alexander
56 MLB
|
K. Alexander | 6-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
R. Sherman
25 CB
|
R. Sherman | 4-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Hyder
92 DE
|
K. Hyder | 3-0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
N. Bosa
97 DE
|
N. Bosa | 3-3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Greenlaw
57 LB
|
D. Greenlaw | 3-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Tartt
29 SS
|
J. Tartt | 3-1 | 0.0 | 1 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Williams
24 CB
|
K. Williams | 2-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Ward
20 FS
|
J. Ward | 2-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
T. Moore
33 DB
|
T. Moore | 1-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
M. Wishnowsky
6 P
|
M. Wishnowsky | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Givens
90 DT
|
K. Givens | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Jones
93 DT
|
D. Jones | 1-0 | 1.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Ford
55 DE
|
D. Ford | 1-2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
K. Nelson
86 LS
|
K. Nelson | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Witherspoon
23 CB
|
A. Witherspoon | 1-0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
J. Kinlaw
99 DT
|
J. Kinlaw | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
A. Armstead
91 DE
|
A. Armstead | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||
D. Johnson
27 CB
|
D. Johnson | 0-1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking | FG | LG | XP | PTS |
R. Gould
9 K
8 FPTS
|
R. Gould | 2/2 | 52 | 2/2 | 8 |
Punting | NO | AVG | IN20 | LG |
M. Wishnowsky
6 P
|
M. Wishnowsky | 4 | 44.5 | 3 | 51 |
Kickoff Returns | NO | AVG | LG | TD |
J. McKinnon
28 RB
10 FPTS
|
J. McKinnon | 1 | 16.0 | 16 | 0 |