Arizona Cardinals’ Game Plan to Beat the San Francisco 49ers

The Arizona Cardinals are looking to upset the San Francisco 49ers - here's how they'll do it.

Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle (85) gestures after a catch against the Arizona Cardinals during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images

Stop me if you've heard this before: The Arizona Cardinals are facing a must-win game against the San Francisco 49ers.

It's no doubt true, but for a much different reason than previous games. The Cardinals must win this game because a loss guarantees them a losing season in NFC West play and would eliminate even the slimmest possibility to win the division.

For a team with playoff hopes already on life support, losing an avenue to get to the postseason is the last thing they need. So again, this is a must-win game for the Cardinals, but in a much different way than before. Every win counts, but this one more than most.

To get the win, Arizona needs the perfect game plan, and I've once again come up with a foolproof method to get this victory. I've yet to miss this year (as far as I'm concerned), and I'm sure this three-step plan will lead the Cardinals to a much-needed win to keep the smallest of hopes alive for at least another week.

Keep Brock Purdy off rhythm

Purdy is back under center for the 49ers after nearly two months of recovering from injury. He wasn't playing at an elite level before he went down, throwing as many touchdowns (4) as interceptions, but we've seen how well he can play in this offense.

The Cardinals must make sure that his unsteady start to the season stays intact for at least one more game.

The 49ers are depleted with injuries across the roster from starters to role players, and their offense is no exception. This points to Kyle Shanahan shrinking the offense even more to account for injuries while also easing Purdy back. Arizona has to come out with their defense ready to play quick and make sure San Francisco can't get anything going early.

By keeping Purdy uncomfortable out the gate, the Cardinals could find a way to slow down the 49ers offense as a whole and keep the game low-scoring.

Have a game plan for George Kittle

This goes hand-in-hand with key number one, as Kittle has, and always will be, a massive factor to the 49ers' offensive success. But like Purdy, Kittle has also been dealing with injuries all season, and he still doesn't look quite himself yet.

His last two outings since his return have seen him grab each of his 13 targets with a score. With how great Kittle is, he may be ready to break back out with more confidence and the return of his starting quarterback.

The Cardinals are no stranger to Kittle's dominance, and he's torn them up throughout his career. No matter if he's 100% or 75%, Arizona cannot assume he is suddenly incapable of pummeling them single-handedly. Kittle is exactly the guy the Niners need to get their offense on track, so game-planning for him alone is pivotal.

Don't underestimate this defense

Not many defenses have been dealt the blows the 49ers have this year. Former Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa is out for the season, and All-Pro Fred Warner joined him not long ago. First-round pick Mykel Williams is also done for the year, and the rest of the group is seemingly banged up somewhere.

That should lead to a walk in the park for most offenses, and the Cardinals have been humming for the most part since Jacoby Brissett took over under center. But I highly advise they remain cautious of this defense even with their best players out for one reason: Robert Saleh.

Despite the endless amount of wrinkles he's been dealt, Saleh makes the 49ers defense a stout unit every week. He's an excellent coordinator, and he's more than familiar with the Cardinals following years of coaching against them.

Things may be different since last we saw him, and that includes earlier this year, but Saleh is the type of coach I'll never discount as someone who can turn everything against you in a hurry.

If the Cardinals don't take Saleh seriously, he can and will make them pay.