Cardinals v. 49ers – 5 Questions With Golden Gate Sports
By Tony Burgess
Sep 14, 2014; Santa Clara, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) escapes the grasp of Chicago Bears defensive end Jared Allen (69) in the second half at Levis Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Lance Iversen-USA TODAY Sports
5. In Week 3 of the season is this as big of a game as people are making it out to be?
Marc Grandi: This is about as big as Week Three games get. Division games are always important, but after losing to the Bears last week, the 49ers must beat Arizona and get back into the division race. If Arizona wins, the 49ers would fall two games behind them, with Arizona owning the tiebreak. However, a loss isn’t the end of the world. It’s only Week Three, and the 49ers rebounded from defeats in weeks two and three last year and eventually advanced to the NFC Championship game.
Sean Bialaszek: It may not be as big as people are making it out to be, but this is a big game because of how tight the division looks to be this year. All four NFC West teams have top-notch defenses, and all had at least seven wins last year. A win against a division rival early in the season could go a long way towards building momentum and confidence for the rest of the year. A loss certainly won’t kill anyone’s season, but a win is a huge.
Brendan Kennealy: In the NFL every game is a must-win, especially against a divisional foe. Teams have to take advantage of the opportunity to gain a game on their divisional opponents each chance they get. For the 49ers, it’s not an end-all if they lose and drop to 1-2. A year ago the 49ers started 1-2 and battled back to finish 12-4 and played in the NFC Championship Game. For the Cardinals, it’s a huge opportunity for them to take a bigger lead in the NFC West and having the tie-breaker over San Francisco later on in the year may pay big dividends.
You can see the questions we sent them about the Niners vs. Cardinals matchup here.
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