Will the 49ers Cage the Cardinals or will they Soar in the Altitude of Mexico City?
The Cardinals are pretty banged up. Starting center Rodney Hudson (knee), starting right guard Will Hernandez (pec), starting kick returner Jonathan Ward (hamstring) and starting defensive tackle Rashard Lawrence (shoulder) and are all out on Injured Reserve. Starting tight end Zach Ertz (knee) also is out for the season.
Quarterback Kyler Murray (hamstring), left tackle DJ Humphries (back), left guard Max Garcia (shoulder), kicker Matt Prater and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. are all questionable to play Monday night in Mexico City at 7,349 feet of elevation.
No. 2 wide receiver Marquise Brown (foot) has been designated to return from Injured Reserve, so my guess is that he is questionable as well.
Defensive end JJ Watt is still a game wrecker, even if he doesn't have much help on the Cardinals defensive line. Zaven Collins and Isaiah Simmons have matured quickly to being premier linebackers in the NFL. Marco Wilson and Byron Murphy Jr. are both very solid cornerbacks. Strong safety Jalen Thmpson is underrated and free safety Budda Baker is one the best, who happens to save his best for George Kittle.
Once again, it appears that the best travelling fans in the NFL will take over yet another "away" stadium. This time the Red and Gold Takeover will take place at Estadio Azteca also knows as Levi's South of the Boarder!
It appears to be a not too difficult win for the 49ers, but appearances can be deceiving. Kyler Murray always give the the 49ers defense fits, due to his quickness, speed and strong arm. If they face Colt McCoy, that may not be any easier. McCoy's offense scored 31 points vs the 49ers at Levi's in 2021. He also just led the Cards to victory over the Super Bowl Champion Rams. With DeAndre Hopkins, Rondale Moore, AJ Green and possibly Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, the Cards have one the best wide receiver corps in the NFL. The 49ers secondary hasn't faced anything close to this kind of depth at wide receiver, other than the Chiefs and we saw how that went. Running back James Conner is a beast who ran over and through the 49ers defense in 2021. Tight end Trey McBride was a draft crush of mine coming out of Colorado State, so hopefully he proves me wrong. The Cards always play the the 49ers tough though (2-0 in 2021, 1-1 in 2020).
The 49ers might get Arik Armstead back this week and maybe Samson Ebukam as well, who are both great run-stuffers, but I think the 49ers will Cage the Cards either way. As always, I will reply to this article with my official score prediction, about an hour prior to kickoff, once we know exactly who will play and who won't.
