49ers Drop Season Opener to Arizona, 23-13

San Francisco’s (0-1) performance wasn’t horrible in its opening-day loss to Arizona, but the game contained all those familiar qualities that plagued the team last season. The 49ers’ defense played admirably, especially after halftime, which saw them remain on the field for the majority of the minutes. San Francisco had possession for 7:22 in the second half, while Arizona had the ball for over 22 minutes. The defense bent, but didn’t break as the offense stumbled about. As has been seen before, the team’s defense played well enough to keep the score close, but failed to absorb the entire burden of a sluggish offensive attack.

Quarterback J.T. O’Sullivan played as expected and demonstrated why he’s been a career backup in the NFL. He made a few nice throws, scrambled out of trouble at times, but threw an ill-advised interception and lost two fumbles. O’Sullivan will be a mix of good and bad, excellent on one throw, then maddeningly frustrating on another. In the end, he is what he is, a 29-year old journeyman quarterback who won’t bloom into a star.

Against the Cardinals, he went 14-for-20 for 195 yards. The 49ers had to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns in the red zone, which will make a Pro Bowl kicker out of Joe Nedney if the trend continues.

In fairness to O’Sullivan, he’s surrounded by a mediocre of cast of offensive talent, which severely limited coordinator Mike Martz’s usual high-flying offense. Frank Gore represents one of the 49ers’ only offensive threats. Gore’s 41-yard touchdown run put the 49ers up 7-3 in the first quarter. The running back rushed for 96 yards and caught four passes for 55 yards. Gore led the 49ers in rushing and receiving against Arizona. It’s clear Martz will utilize the versatile back whenever possible.

The 49ers’ receiving corps appeared to be much improved, but had little impact against the Cardinals. Bryant Johnson had three catches and Arnaz Battle had one, but free-agent addition Isaac Bruce didn’t record a catch. Tight end Vernon Davis had three catches for 51 yards, blocked well for Gore, but has yet to establish himself a dangerous offensive player.

Turnovers Hurt:

The 49ers had five turnovers on Sunday, which didn’t help their cause much. O’Sullivan threw a bad interception as he rolled out of the pocket then threw across his body over the middle and into the hands of Arizona’s Adrian Wilson. He also lost two fumbles on sacks, which aren’t completely his fault, but better pocket presence might have allowed him to elude oncoming defenders or at least protect the ball before they arrived. The 49ers’ costliest turnover came after Takeo Spikes fumbled a pooch kick. Arizona recovered and scored on offense for a 20-10 lead.

Smith Story Almost Complete:

Alex Smith’s tumultuous tenure is San Francisco has probably come to a sad and unfortunate end. 49ers’ general manager Scot McCloughan admitted Smith would be too costly to keep as a backup, but now the quarterback appears to be injured, which casts his future with the team in complete darkness. Smith has a fracture in his throwing shoulder, the same shoulder he injured and had surgery on last year. Though Smith’s future with the 49ers isn’t clear, in all likelihood, he’s probably thrown his last pass in San Francisco, which is too bad, especially for a team in such desperate need for a young quarterback. At 24, Smith’s career is far from done, unless his troublesome shoulder persists.

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Decent Defensive Effort:

It’s hard to find fault with a San Francisco defense that played almost the entire second half and only gave up twenty-three points. The 49ers’ defense is decent, not great or terrible, but average. They’ll keep the team in the game, but probably won’t win many games or make too many big plays. Justin Smith, the 49ers’ big free-agent acquisition, moved around the field and played some at defensive end, tackle and linebacker, but didn’t make much of an impact. Smith had three solo tackles and four assists. Surprisingly, super linebacker Patrick Willis didn’t record a tackle. San Francisco allowed Arizona’s Edgerrin James to rush for 100 yards and gave up eight second half catches to Anquan Boldin.

Tough Schedule:

San Francisco’s front-loaded schedule doesn’t get any easier with a game next Sunday at Seattle. The 49ers’ tough stretch to begin the year will see them travel to New Orleans, host New England and Philadelphia, play at the New York Giants and host Seattle before a bye week on October 2. The 49ers second half actually isn’t much easier with a road game at Dallas and a home content against the New York Jets.

By Jim Bucci
ProFootball-fans.com San Francisco 49ers Correspondent