Cards (

20.75) at
49ers (

27.75)

Game Overview ::

By Mike Johnson >>

• The 49ers offense is back to full health and is a dynamic unit once again.
• Brock Purdy is throwing the ball down the field as well as he has at any point during his career, while Jordan Mason and the 49ers running game got back on track in Week 4.
• Arizona has scored 14 total points on their two opening drives the last two weeks while scoring only 13 points on their other 18 drives during that time frame.
• Arizona inexplicably ranked last in the league in pass rate over expectation in Week 4 despite playing in a game that they trailed by 2+ scores for the majority of.
• The Cardinals chances of being competitive in this game will be much higher if TE Trey McBride is cleared from his Week 3 concussion.

How arizona Will Try To Win ::

The Cardinals have been somewhat disappointing the last two weeks after a promising start to the year. They led for much of their opening week game in Buffalo against a very good Bills team prior to demolishing the Rams in Week 2. The last two weeks have left a lot to be desired from Arizona, however, as they have scored on the opening drive each week and then basically been inept offensively the rest of the game. Two weeks ago against Detroit, it made sense that they struggled as the Lions run defense made them one dimensional, and they struggled to get things going. However, this last week, against a previously futile defense by the Commanders, it was disheartening to see Arizona struggle so much. Perhaps the loss of TE Trey McBride was a much bigger deal than we realized, but Arizona put up one of the least inspiring offensive performances of the season in Week 4. 

The Cardinals have shown they can put together a solid, scripted opening drive as they have scored touchdowns to start every game so far. However, this week, against a familiar and talented 49ers defense, it seems likely that they will have a tougher time even in that area. The Cardinals struggled to protect Kyler Murray last week and while their running game has been solid this year outside of the Detroit game, they once again face a strong run defense in San Francisco. The 49ers rank 3rd in the NFL in QB pressure rate despite ranking 28th in blitz rate. This means they are getting into backfields consistently without exposing themselves in coverage. Murray’s elusiveness may buy him some time, but he will undoubtedly have trouble finding places to go with the ball as Arizona’s offensive scheme has been uninspiring in creating open receivers quickly, leading to Murray holding the ball too long and trying to ad-lib to create offense. That plan is unlikely to be fruitful against the 49ers. The strengths of the Cardinals offense so far this season have been the running of James Conner and the playmaking of Kyler Murray with his legs against undisciplined defenses (mainly just the Rams). San Francisco is likely to neutralize both of those areas, so the Cardinals are going to have to open up their toolbox and find something new if they want to keep up in this one. Making Trey McBride a focal point of the offense may be their best bet.

How san francisco Will Try To Win ::