49ers’ 5 keys to victory without Nick Bosa against Arizona Cardinals

SANTA CLARA – Kyle Shanahan never met Bill Walsh, only vicariously through archived film of Walsh’s offensive tutorials from the 49ers’ 1980s dynasty.

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A replica of Walsh’s office, complete with red-binder playbooks atop a wooden desk, is in the franchise’s museum, about 200 yards away from Shanahan’s own corner office, sans the 1980s wood paneling.

Shanahan will match Walsh’s record this Sunday for the most games coached in franchise history, including playoffs. No. 166 comes with the 49ers (2-0) hosting the Arizona Cardinals (1-1) at Levi’s Stadium.

“Bill Walsh is the man, so I didn’t look at it as really being compared to Bill Walsh,” Shanahan said. “. … It just made me realize how old I’ve gotten because that’s a lot of games.”

Shanahan is in his 10th season, which is how long Walsh’s tenure lasted through to his third Super Bowl win in as many tries. Shanahan is 0-2 in Super Bowls, but with an 84-67 regular-season record, he’s on track to pass Walsh (92-59-1) this season for the 49ers’ most wins.

Two months ago, no one knew whether Shanahan would be in such a position, having endured a concussion and other injuries from a two-car, at-fault collision in Palo Alto. He recovered through training camp and is back to his play-calling wizardry.

Here are five ways to secure a victory against the Cardinals, who are 7-5 all-time at Levi’s Stadium, 5-4 here vs. Shanahan, and coached by Shanahan’s former assistant Mike LaFleur:

1. SCORE, SCORE, SCORE

The best defense is having a high-scoring offense (31 points per game) that can outscore opponents by at least 20 points, right? The 49ers’ injury-riddled defense needs such help.

Losing Nick Bosa to a calf injury is a massive blow to an already skeleton crew on the front line. Mind you, the Cardinals’ offense shouldn’t present a massive challenge, with or without Bosa.

It’s an immense help if the 49ers’ offense continues to pile up touchdowns, as opposed to field goals, punts, or turnovers. The Cardinals got outscored by the Seattle Seahawks 24-0 after halftime Sunday in a 31-7 win.

Klay Kubiak, the 49ers’ offensive coordinator, are leery of the Cardinals’ swarming defense and its “multiplicity” in fronts, pressures and coverages. “t’s always a challenge versus these guys,” Kubiak said. “They know us pretty well too. It’s a divisional opponent. So, we definitely have our work cut out for us.”

2. IMPROVE RUN DEFENSE

Jacoby Brissett set a NFL single-game record with 47 completions in last November’s meeting with the 49ers, who still prevailed 41-22 loss in Arizona. The Cardinals’ strategy this time around should be to attack a run defense that’s had too many first-half lapses.

Rookie Jeremiyah Love and Tyler Allgeier could cause issues as a tandem. They have run for 71 and 70 yards, respectively.

The 49ers counter with the linebacker tandem of Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, plus an improved safety combination of Marques Sigle and Ji’Ayir Brown. The question is how fast the Cardinals can breach a Bosa-less defensive front, and while Bosa had no sacks through two games, he applied pressure on quarterbacks and impressed more in run defense.

3. McBRIDE VS. KITTLE

Two of the NFL’s premier tight ends match up yet again: the 49ers’ George Kittle vs. the Cardinals’ Trey McBride (vs. linebackers, safeties, and any other potential mismatches).

Cardinals safety Budda Baker and Kittle are 10th-year veterans who’ve had big encounters, although Kittle noted that Baker hasn’t covered him as much in recent seasons. Kittle was Brock Purdy’s popular target in their opening drives in Australia, and in last Sunday’s first drive after halftime. Script it and Kittle will catch it.

McBride had 11 touchdowns last season en route to his first AP First-Team All-Pro honors, and he’s scored in each of the Cardinals’ games this season. He’s produced 22 catches, 223 yards and three touchdowns in his past three games against the 49ers, the last game of which he got under cornerback Renardo Green’s skin. McBride has at least five receptions in his last 11 road games, the longest streak ever by a tight end.

4. RECEIVER OPTIONS

Purdy obviously will target Kittle and running back Christian McCaffrey, but the ever-depleting wide receiver unit now must figure out who is a No. 3 option behind Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, presuming Evans can play enough through a hip issue.

Injuries have taken out Ricky Pearsall, De’Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson. Jacob Cowing’s playing time ramped up last game. Jordan Watson was a healthy scratch through two games. And Brandin Cooks just arrived Wednesday but could be a plug-and-play, veteran speedster.

In contrast, the Cardinals’ wide receiver corps includes Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne and Marvin Harrison Jr., the latter of whom has just one catch on four targets for 33 yards.

5. GROUND, POUND

Limited possessions and Miami’s inviting pass defense kept the 49ers away from their run-oriented roots. Well, that has to change this game.

The Cardinals’ run defense won’t be easy to conquer but McCaffrey and complementary back Kaelon Black must get to the second level on runs. Bolstering that is an offensive line that’s getting kudos for not allowing a sack this season, but one that’s also shoving folks in the run game as needed.

“They’re playing incredible. They’re playing together, extremely fast, very physical,” McCaffrey said. “You can just kind of feel it when you’re in the huddle, they have great camaraderie. They’re communicating all the time. It’s fun to work with those guys.”

Owning the time of possession is critical as it keeps the 49ers’ maligned defensive front off the field.