San Francisco 49ers: Why They Must Be Ready for War vs. the Arizona Cardinals

In a recent article written by San Francisco 49ers featured columnist Joe Levitt, Levitt explained why the Arizona Cardinals are not a legitimate threat and that they would be swept by the 49ers.

For those unaware, the Cardinals-49ers rivalry is one of the biggest in the league, especially over the past few seasons, with Arizona making a Super Bowl and San Francisco reaching the NFC championship.

There is no doubt that this rivalry will continue on into 2012.

Over the next few slides, I will explain why the Arizona Cardinals are a legitimate threat to the San Francisco 49ers this season.

Last Season

One thing that is funny about most 49ers fans is how quick they are to bring up the past. Prior to the 2011 season, most of them were still caught up in the Montana-to-Rice magic from decades ago. Now, with one good season in the past nine years, they view themselves as some untouchable team.

If you want to point to last year as a reason why San Francisco will sweep Arizona, then any Cardinals fan can point to the most recent matchup between the two teams, which the Cardinals won.

49ers Defense

I will give the San Francisco defense a lot of credit for what they accomplished last season. Patrick Willis is a top-10 player in this league, and Justin Smith is not far behind him.

However, the 49ers defense had problems when facing Cardinals quarterback John Skelton last year.

Skelton’s best statistical game in 2011 came against the 49ers, when he completed 68 percent of his passes for 282 yards. He also added three touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of over 100.

San Francisco will still have a great defense in 2012. But with players like Michael Floyd and Ryan Williams added to the Cardinals offense, it is not a guarantee that the 49ers will stop them.

Cardinals Defense

San Francisco did a pretty good job of adding weapons to their offense this offseason, picking up players like Mario Manningham, Brandon Jacobs, AJ Jenkins and LaMichael James. Their offense has the potential to do big things.

However, as the 49ers added offensive weapons, the Cardinals matched it defensively.

Focusing on their secondary, Arizona will get back safety Kerry Rhodes and corner Greg Toler. They will also have William Gay and Jamell Fleming.

Up front, Dan Williams is returning from injury, Nick Eason has dropped 40 pounds and is ready to step up and Quentin Groves will be a solid situational player.

In Summary

By no means am I saying that Arizona will be the team to finish 13-3 this season. Nor am I saying that they will sweep San Francisco. All I'm saying here is that the 49ers better be ready for war.

The Cardinals will be quicker, faster and stronger in 2012. And given the variables that are in play, it is asinine to say that the San Francisco 49ers will sweep the Arizona Cardinals next season.