After a blowout loss in Week 4 and two-straight defeats, the Arizona Cardinals will attempt to get back on track Sunday afternoon on the road against a divisional rival in the San Francisco 49ers.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!The Cardinals (1-3) were demolished by the Washington Commanders 42-14 in Week 4, as they were outplayed in virtually every aspect of the game, getting outgained 449-296 in total yards. Kyler Murray only managed 142 yards and a touchdown in the air, completing 16-of-22 throws. Arizona did record 182 rushing yards, led by James Conner who had 18 carries for 104 yards and a touchdown. Marvin Harrison Jr. was not able to do much after the first quarter, but still ended the afternoon as the team’s leading receiver with five catches for 45 yards and a touchdown.
The Cardinals entered the game tied for the league lead in tackles for loss through three weeks, but only mustered one tackle for loss. The Commanders averaged 6.7 yards per play and scored on seven of their nine possessions, while the Cardinals only scored twice on nine drives.
After the loss, the Cardinals’ offense fell from top-10 in several categories to the middle of the pack overall, while the defense faltered from being middle of the pack to bottom-10 in the league overall statistically.
Here are Arizona’s team stats and rankings per teamrankings.com:
The 49ers (2-2) have not had the start to the season they would have hoped after making the Super Bowl last season, dealing with injuries to several key players, most notably Christian McCaffrey, who has been on IR since the start of the season. Jordan Mason has stepped up big in McCaffrey’s place, as he has a league-high 91 carries for the 2nd-most rushing yards at 447 and three touchdowns.
Last week, San Francisco looked to get back to form with a 30-13 win over the New England Patriots following a two-game losing skid. Gilbert native Brock Purdy completed 15-of-27 passes for 288 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Mason rushed 24 times for 123 yards and a touchdown. The 49ers defense had six sacks, a pick-6 and two fumble recoveries in the win.
Here are the 49ers’ team stats and rankings on the year per teamrankings.com:
San Francisco notably listed tight end George Kittle (ribs) and linebacker Fred Warner (ankle) as questionable, but both are reportedly expected to play, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Cardinals tight end Trey McBride was a late add to the injury report as questionable with a ribs injury, but is also expected to be good to go, per Schefter.Â
The 49ers have beaten the Cardinals four-straight times and lead the all-time head-to-head series 36-29.
Local Game Information
Start Time: 1:05 p.m. MST
Location: Levi’s Stadium
TV Channel: FOX
Radio:Â Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Spanish on Fuego 106.7 FM
Spread: 49ers -7
Over/Under: 48.5
There is very good reason Arizona enters this game as massive underdogs in my opinion.
Prediction: Brendan Mau (@Brendan_Mau/ X) – Suns and Cardinals Reporter (2-2 on predictions)
49ers win 34-20
Going against a Super Bowl contender on the road after a loss like Arizona suffered in Week 4 makes it very hard to pick the Cardinals to even be that close against the 49ers. Purdy has been playing excellent all year, and Arizona has not shown it can put any resistance on quarterbacks, hence why it allows the highest completion percentage to opponents in the league. This will be a big game for Murray to see how he will personally respond to a poor performance after he had a great start to the year.
The Cardinals have not proven anything, and with how bad they lost last week, they arguably have underachieved so far, while the 49ers are one of the most proven teams in the NFL because of how good they have been the past few years. Even if the Cardinals don’t win, they need to show much more fight and potential than they did in Week 4.
Cardinals downgrade Trey McBride to questionable against 49ers
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