Game Overview ::
By mike johnson >>
- The 49ers will be without QB Brock Purdy and will instead turn to dual-threat QB Joshua Dobbs in their season finale.
- These teams met earlier this season with Arizona pulling out a 23-22 victory in San Francisco.
- Cardinals tight end Trey McBride finally had his first receiving touchdown last week and has at least nine receptions in five of his last nine games, with 104 on the season.
- 49ers rookie WR Ricky Pearsall had a breakout game against the Lions last week with 8 receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
How san Francisco Will Try To Win ::
The 49ers were knocked out of the playoffs a couple of weeks ago, but continue to compete and are coming off a strong showing against the Lions on Monday Night Football. San Francisco showed that, at heart, they are still one of the stronger organizations in football and can compete with anyone. Unfortunately, they came up short and their efforts don’t change the fact that their season has been a disappointment from the four NFC Championship games they’ve been in over the past five seasons.
San Francisco QB Brock Purdy suffered an arm injury on Monday night and has been ruled out, leaving veteran journeyman Joshua Dobbs as their starter. Dobbs is a fun player for fantasy purposes and has dual-threat rushing ability. His mobility is something that Kyle Shanahan should be able to find creative ways to use as he should be able to get him out of the pocket to make throws and/or find one or two read passing options to attack the Cardinals. As we have discussed regularly throughout the season, Arizona’s defense is a zone-heavy coverage unit that often uses two-high safety looks and blitzes at a low rate. In theory, this should limit the big runs Dobbs can break off, but should allow him time to throw and let him extend plays without a lot of defenders rushing. This is a homecoming of sorts for Dobbs, who started in Arizona during the first half of 2023 while Kyler Murray recovered from his knee injury.
For the rest of the 49ers, exciting rookie RB Isaac Guerendo dominated the backfield work in Week 17 with all 13 of the RB opportunities, which he turned into 99 total yards, and should be given the full treatment once again. In 2023, Dobbs targeted the tight end position at an EXTREMELY high rate and all pro TE George Kittle should be busy this week as the low blitz rate of the Cardinals should keep him from needing to chip before going out on routes, the Arizona 2-high zone coverage should give him openings in the short to intermediate areas to get open for Dobbs, and Dobbs will be looking for him early and often. As for the receivers, veteran Deebo Samuel Sr. is reportedly likely on his way out of town and may have played his last snap for the team as he has not been practicing this week. Rookie WR Ricky Pearsall had a breakout performance in Week 17 and the team appears to wisely be featuring their first round rookie to end the season. We can’t forget about veteran WR Jauan Jennings, either, as he has had a breakout season and runs a high percentage of routes from the slot and has a big body similar to a tight end, potentially making him an appealing target for Dobbs. It is notable that when Dobbs entered the game on the last drive on Monday night he attempted four passes and three of them targeted Jennings. Expect a more run-heavy game plan for the 49ers that leverages the threats of both Guerendo and Dobbs, with Kittle and Jennings the focal points of the passing game.
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