Shanahan has lost six of his ten defensive linemen. Arizona gets the rest.
Kickoff is 1:05 p.m. Pacific at Levi's Stadium on FOX. Nick Bosa, Romello Height and James Thompson Jr. are out, and two of the nine defensive linemen in line to dress have never played in an NFL game. Brock Purdy has not been sacked this season, and Arizona brings Josh Sweat and Walter Nolen.

San Francisco plays Arizona at Levi's Stadium on Sunday at 1:05 p.m. Pacific, on FOX, with the radio call on KSFO 810 AM and KSAN 107.7 FM. The 49ers are 2-0 after beating the Rams 27-7 in Melbourne and Miami 35-13 at home. The Cardinals are 1-1: they won 26-14 at the Chargers in Week 1 and lost 31-7 to Seattle last Sunday.
Kyle Shanahan put the week in one sentence after Friday's practice. "Losing six out of the 10 D-Linemen in the last two weeks that have made our team is a little unusual," he said, per the club's transcript. "I don't think I've been a part of that."
The line that plays Arizona#
Four of the nine defensive linemen who took snaps against Miami will not play Sunday. Bosa hurt his calf in his own warmup before Thursday's walk-through. Height broke his hand against Miami and had surgery. Thompson has a high-ankle sprain. West went on injured reserve Wednesday. By the Week 2 game book, those four took 119 of the 251 snaps the nine linemen played.
The club kept Bosa off injured reserve on Saturday and put receiver Demarcus Robinson there instead. It promoted Viliami Fehoko Jr. from the practice squad to the 53 and elevated Kevin Givens and Sebastian Valdez for the game. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area expects all three to play in a nine-man rotation: Osa Odighizuwa, Gracen Halton, Keion White, Ogbo Okoronkwo, Khalid Kareem, Naquan Jones, Fehoko, Givens and Valdez. The club's newsroom carries no further move after Saturday's release.
Raheem Morris, the defensive coordinator, was asked Thursday whether Halton can line up beside Odighizuwa in a four-man front. The rookie from Oklahoma can play nose or three technique, Morris said: "He can multitask."
The other side of the ball#
Purdy has not been sacked in two games. The Week 2 game book has him 20 of 22 for 287 yards with no sacks taken, and ESPN's Week 1 team statistics show none against the Rams either.
Klay Kubiak, the offensive coordinator, spent part of Thursday on Arizona's interior. "Five-down looks where they're getting us into five-0s and they're making everyone block one-on-one, it's a challenge," he said. He named Sweat, "a really good pass rusher," and Nolen: "Nolen's jumping out."
Mike Evans is questionable with a hip. He missed Wednesday and Thursday and returned as a limited participant Friday, per the club. With Robinson on injured reserve, the 53 carries five receivers: Evans, Deebo Samuel, KhaDarel Hodge, Jacob Cowing and Jordan Watkins. Brandin Cooks, signed to the practice squad Wednesday, was not elevated.
Arizona#
Jacoby Brissett threw for 277 yards at the Chargers and 95 against Seattle, per ESPN. Trey McBride led the Cardinals in receiving yards both weeks. Morris on him: "He's awesome."
Arizona put cornerback Will Johnson on injured reserve this week with a neck injury that may cost him the season, per Arizona Sports. Garrett Williams, who tore his Achilles last December, practiced in full Friday for the first time this season and carries no designation. Safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson is out. Defensive lineman Roy Lopez and cornerback Max Melton are questionable.
Ten to watch#
- Viliami Fehoko Jr., defensive line. Promoted Saturday. Dallas took him in the fourth round in 2023 out of San Jose State, and he has not played in an NFL game, per Maiocco.
- Sebastian Valdez, defensive line. Elevated for the game. An undrafted rookie out of Washington in 2025 who spent that whole season on the practice squad. Also a debut.
- Kevin Givens, defensive line. Elevated. The other end of the scale: 70 games, 14 starts and eight sacks, per Maiocco, and set to play for San Francisco for an eighth straight season.
- Osa Odighizuwa, defensive line. Played 41 of the 59 defensive snaps against Miami, the most snaps of any 49ers lineman. "He's a natural dog," Morris said.
- Gracen Halton, defensive line. A rookie who played 32 of the 59 against Miami. Morris: "Plays bigger than his actual stature."
- Keion White, defensive end. Also 32 of 59, with a sack, and one of three healthy defensive ends Nick Wagoner of ESPN counted this week, with Kareem and Okoronkwo.
- Upton Stout, cornerback. Morris called him the defense's player of the game against Miami: "He's a dog."
- Mike Evans, receiver. Questionable. The decision comes with the inactive list, 90 minutes before kickoff.
- Jordan Watkins, receiver. Inactive for both games and in line to debut. Shanahan on why: "I think him not being up these last couple games has been more because of special teams than a receiver deal."
- Connor Colby, left guard. Purdy called left guard the one spot on the line that is "a little new." Kubiak on Colby: "Connor's been consistent. He's been steady."
Bosa goes on the inactive list rather than injured reserve, so the club has not used one of its return designations on him. Shanahan, Friday, on Bosa and the other linemen in the same boat: "Because of the number we have on it, we won't be able to do all of them."
Sources: 49ers.com schedule, injury report and roster-move release; ESPN schedules and team statistics; the official NFL game book for Miami at San Francisco, Week 2; Kyle Shanahan, Raheem Morris and Klay Kubiak transcripts, via 49ers Webzone; Matt Maiocco, NBC Sports Bay Area; Nick Wagoner, ESPN; Arizona Sports.








