3 Keys to Victory for the 49ers Against the Cardinals
After suffering their first loss of the season, the San Francisco 49ers look to bounce back against the Arizona Cardinals. These two teams are very familiar with each other because not only do they see each other twice a year, but also this is the second matchup in three weeks. On Halloween, the Red and Gold left the desert with a three-point victory and Sunday projects to be another interesting contest.
The Cardinals are lead by two rookies: head coach Kliff Kingsbury and quarterback Kyler Murray. With so much youth leading the way, it makes sense that the team’s performance has fluctuated throughout the season. Arizona started the year losing three of their first four contests with the outlier being a tie, then went on a three-game winning streak, and are currently sitting on a three-game skid.
If the pattern above continues, that could mean bad news for the 49ers. Luckily the team is well equipped to buck that trend.
Even with last week’s loss, the Red and Gold still are the division leaders but with a marginal half-game lead, the team cannot afford any more setbacks. If the 49ers can accomplish these three keys, they will avoid an upset.
Garoppolo, earn your keep
Two weeks ago, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo had one of the best games of his career, however, last week was a completely different story. On Monday the signal-caller looked like he was flustered by Seattle’s defense and San Francisco’s passing attack struggled. A banged-up offensive line and receiving core certainly didn’t help matters, but the quarterback’s play wasn’t pretty either.
When a team has as many injuries as the 49ers do, the hope is that the rest of the players will rise to the occasion and elevate their play. Given his position and contract, the Red and Gold desperately need Garoppolo to play like the 20 million dollar man he is.
Tight end George Kittle is unlikely to play and Emmanuel Sanders missed the first two practices of the week, so for the second week in a row, there will be a lot of pressure on Handsome Jim to succeed. Hopefully facing a team that allows the second-most passing yards per game will help the quarterback find his groove.
Stop Outside Runs
The first time these two teams squared off, Arizona averaged 6.7 yards per carry en route to racking up 153 rushing yards. For reference, the Red Birds average 116 rushing yards per game and San Francisco surrenders 107.8. Since the game was slightly out of character for both teams, the Cardinals may have found the recipe for success against the 49ers' defense.
With a lot of production on outside running plays, running back Kenyan Drake had a career day finishing with 15 carries for 110 yards and one touchdown. The rushing attack was a big reason why Arizona was able to come back and keep the game close.
Expect Kingsbury to dial up some sweeps and outside zone plays for Drake on Sunday. The Red and Gold’s outside linebackers and edge defenders better be up for the task otherwise, the defense will have another less than stellar performance.
Slam the Door Shut
The common theme with the keys to victory this week is how the 49ers improve upon their week nine performance. As mentioned above, the game ended up being a close one. Surrendering 18 second-half points, 11 of those coming in the fourth quarter was a big reason why the Faithful had to sweat the game out.
This week San Francisco can’t afford to let Arizona hang around because upsets happen with the favorite leaves the door open for the underdog. With three playoff teams coming up on the schedule, week 11 is a must-win for the 49ers. For comparison’s sake, only two of Seattle’s six remaining opponents currently hold a postseason spot.
The Red and Gold have put together an impressive season so far, but a loss on Sunday could undo just about everything the team has accomplished. Coach Shanahan’s gameplan should be simple: get an early lead, don’t let up, and slam the door shut as violently as possible!
