Arizona Cardinals Opponent Preview: San Francisco 49ers
By Omar Soussi
The Arizona Cardinals will end their regular season schedule by facing the 49ers in San Francisco. This game really won’t amount too much for either team unless the Seahawks lose their game to the Rams. If that happens, the Cardinals will regain home field advantage.
In order for that to happen, Arizona will have to earn a win with rookie signal caller Logan Thomas running the offense. Let’s take a look at the strengths and weaknesses of the 49ers.
Good Front Seven
The 49ers have been a mess on offense this season, but their defense has still quietly been a top five overall unit. With all the injuries they’ve dealt with this season (Patrick Willis, Navarro Bowman) they still have played great, especially with guys like Justin Smith and Aldon Smith rushing the passer.
This is a unit that could create all sorts of problems for the Cardinals rookie starter. The front seven easily has the most talent on the defensive unit and remains one of the best in football.
More from Arizona Cardinals
- Arizona Cardinals Paid Sam Bradford $6.75 Million Per TD Pass
- Larry Fitzgerald Bailed Out the Arizona Cardinals Offense in Week 8
- Byron Leftwich Brings a Little Bruce Arians to Arizona Cardinals OC Gig
- Arizona Cardinals: Why Offensive Coordinator Mike McCoy Was Fired
- Arizona Cardinals: Getting Ready For Thursday Night Football
Sneaky Good Secondary Play
The team has had their secondary attacked throughout most of the season but they have been sneaky good this year, ranked fifth in the league against the pass. The 49ers secondary may not be as loaded as the Cardinals or the Seahawks but they have been good throughout the season.
San Francisco’s D is second in the league with 20 interceptions and though they have had bad games before (against Denver and San Diego), they will give the Cards even more problems on the offensive side.
Colin Kaepernick
The 49ers flashy QB has had a sub par season thus far. Kaepernick has put up just 17 touchdowns while throwing 10 picks in 2014, despite all the talent that he has at his disposal.
It almost seems as if Kaepernick has stopped playing his game by shying away from running the ball and trying to turn into more of a pocket passer. Being a pocket passer hasn’t really worked out as Kaepernick as he has struggled to hit wide open receivers at times this season. Kap still can be deadly running the ball (just look at what he did against San Diego) but he doesn’t run as much as he did in the past.
The 49ers are also a team in turmoil. Fox Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer reported that Jim Harbaugh will be fired at the end of the season. An outgoing head coach and an uncertain future for the 49ers could be just what the Cardinals need to get back on the winning track.