PLAYER NOTES
–QB C.J. Beathard threw for a career-best 298 yards and a career-best-tying two touchdowns in his first start of the season in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers. He fell to 1-5 in his starts for the 49ers.
–RB Matt Breida (strained shoulder) was limited at practice Wednesday, an indication he will try to play again in the Week 5 game against the Cardinals. Breida got only nine carries for 39 yards in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers, but retained the NFL lead in yards per carry at 7.6.
–WR Marquise Goodwin (strained quad/hamstring) was held out of practice Wednesday as the 49ers began preparations for the Cardinals. Due to injury, the 49ers’ leader in targets last season (105 in 16 games) hasn’t been much of a factor so far this year (nine targets in three games).
–WR/KR Dante Pettis (strained knee) is unlikely to play in the Week 5 matchup with the Cardinals after sustaining the injury in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers.
–TE George Kittle caught an 82-yard touchdown pass from QB C.J. Beathard in Week 4 against the Chargers, which was the longest TD reception by a tight end in franchise history and the longest non-return TD in the NFL this season. Kittle leads the team in receptions (18) and receiving yards (316).
–LT Joe Staley (knee) did not practice Wednesday and is very questionable for the Week 5 game against the Cardinals. He left the Week 4 loss against the Chargers in the second quarter and could not return, a bad sign for an ironman who has missed just three games in the past seven seasons.
–RT Mike McGlinchey (strained knee) was held out of practice Wednesday because of an injury sustained in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers. The rookie was able to play through the pain for the most part against the Chargers, staying on the field for 57 of the team’s 60 offensive snaps.
–G Joshua Garnett (dislocated toe) returned to practice on Wednesday, an indication he could be returning to action in Week 5 after missing three straight games. He was injured in the opener against the Vikings.
–C Weston Richburg (strained knee) did not practice Wednesday after being able to play the whole game in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers. He is questionable for the Week 5 game against the Cardinals.
–MLB Fred Warner made a game-high 10 tackles in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers and now ranks third in the NFL in total tackles with 43, trailing only LB Darius Leonard (54) and ILB Kiko Alonso (46).
–CB Richard Sherman (strained left calf) almost surely will miss a second straight game in Week 5 when the 49ers host the Cardinals. He got hurt in the Week 3 loss at Kansas City.
–SS Jaquiski Tartt (shoulder stinger) returned to practice Wednesday and is expected to return to his starting position for the Week 5 game against the Cardinals. Tartt has missed the past two games.
–FS Adrian Colbert (strained hip) returned to practice Wednesday after having missed the Week 4 loss to the Chargers. Head coach Kyle Shanahan indicated that while Colbert would duel with FS/KR D.J. Reed for the start against the Chargers, Colbert would be given an edge because it was his position previously.
–FS/KR D.J. Reed was pressed into duty at safety in the Week 4 loss to the Chargers because of several injuries in the 49ers’ secondary. Reed also returned four kickoffs for 91 yards, giving him 273 yards this season. Only KR Jakeem Grant (289) has more.
–K Robbie Gould extended his streak of consecutive field goals to 33 with two in Week 4 against the Chargers. He’s 10-for-10 this season and tied with Mason Crosby and Wil Lutz for the most made this year.
PLAYER SPOTLIGHT: C/G/T Erik Magnuson. Head coach Kyle Shanahan admires versatility in his offensive linemen, which helps explain Magnuson’s importance to the team, even as a backup. He began the practice week as the probable starting center should C Weston Richburg not be able to return from his knee injury. That would put him in the important position of calling out blitzes by the Cardinals’ aggressive defense. But if Richburg is able to play, it’s likely Magnuson would move out to an equally important position — tackle — where both LT Joe Staley and RT Mike McGlinchey are less likely to play than Westburg.
GAME PLAN: Keep it simple. Up against arguably the worst team in the league, the 49ers would like to believe they could grind out a victory. But with a banged-up offensive line, that might be harder than expected. Then again, the Seahawks played it conservatively and ran a guy named running back Mike Davis at the Cardinals 21 times last week, and it worked.
The 49ers have held their own defensively ever since giving up 35 points to the Chiefs in the first half in Week 3. A similar effort should be good enough to smother the Cardinals, who so far have been equally bad running the ball (31st in the NFL) as they have been passing it (31st). If quarterback Josh Rosen can beat them with his arm in his second NFL start, possibly without the aid of wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, then the 49ers have bigger problems than they realize.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH
–49ers RB Alfred Morris vs. Cardinals MLB Josh Bynes. Arizona’s opponents have run between the tackles so often this season, Bynes already has equaled his 2017 season tackle total (24). With RB Matt Breida limited by a shoulder injury, the 49ers would be wise to give their up-and-comer the week off and just pound Morris as much as possible against a defense that’s already given up seven rushing touchdowns, two more than any other team.
–49ers DB Jimmie Ward vs. Cardinals WR Christian Kirk. The Cardinals have thrown 15 balls in Kirk’s direction the past two weeks, after just seven the first two. Now with WR Larry Fitzgerald hampered by a hamstring injury, QB Josh Rosen would be wise to seek out his fellow rookie even more often against a secondary that figures to be missing standout CB Richard Sherman again.
