49ers Advance Scouting: 5 Questions for a Cardinals Insider

The 49ers play the Cardinals this Sunday in Arizona. To learn more about the 49ers' opponent, I asked Cardinals Insider Donnie Druin five questions about the team he covers.

ME: How is the Cardinals offense different with Kyler Murray at quarterback as opposed to Josh Dobbs?

DRUIN: "Kyler loves to use his legs. Dobbs was mobile, and they would dial up a handful of quarterback runs for him, but Murray really thrives in creating chaos, getting out of the pocket, making plays for himself, whereas Dobbs tried to be a little bit more of that pocket passer. More than anything, the ceiling of the Cardinals offense has been raised with Kyler's athletic prowess, with his ability to make plays both with his arm pushing the ball down the field and getting it done on the ground with his legs as well."

ME: What's your evaluation of Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon?

DRUIN: "When everybody said Gannon was a high energy guy, they were not kidding. Every single day, this man walks into the media room full of energy, always a 10 out of 10, ready to go. And I can only imagine what the players meetings are like, I can only imagine what the staff meetings are like and I can only imagine what the locker room is like before and after the game, win or loss. Arizona desperately needed a culture change, going from a guy like Kingsberry who is very monotone."

Q: Tell me the Cardinals' biggest strengths on offense and defense.

DRUIN: "When you look at their strengths on the offensive side of the ball, look no further than James Conner. When he was healthy earlier in the year, they were a top five rushing attack. When you run a guy like James Conner 20, 25 times a game, not only are you going to move the ball down the field, that opens up play action in the middle of the field for a monster guy like Trey McBride to go and work underneath. So I think the biggest strength for the Cardinals offense is definitely establishing the run. As for the defensive side of the ball, they have a very good tandem at safety with Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker. I feel like there have not been a lot of big explosive plays.

Q: Now give me the Cardinals' biggest weaknesses on offense and defense.

DRUIN: "On the offensive side of the ball, it feels like there's no Alpha in the receivers room. The Cardinals thought they were going to get that guy in Marquise Brown, but that's not necessarily the case. They're seeing if Trey McBride can evolve into that Alpha mentality, but there's nobody at the receiver position. I think that's why you're seeing so much of the Marvin Harrison Jr. to the Arizona Cardinals in mock drafts, which I think would be phenomenal. Flip it over to the defensive side of the ball, what isn't a weakness for this team? Their front seven has absolutely nobody in it. In their cornerback room, Marco Wilson is not a starting cornerback in the NFL. It really feels like other than Jalen Thompson and Budda Baker, it's just nine other dudes on the football field for Arizona.

ME: Do the Cardinals have any chance to win this game?

DRUIN: "Never say never. I didn't think they were going to beat the Cowboys earlier in the season. I didn't think they were going to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers before they went into their bye week. But it would take a lot. It feels like the 49ers would have to lose the game, like they would have to make very rare mistakes multiple times on both sides of the ball. But it's a divisional battle, they're familiar with the 49ers after playing them in Week 4, so I don't want to say never, but there's a reason why that's the biggest spread in in Week 15."