49ers vs. Cardinals: Full Arizona Game Preview
The Arizona Cardinals will look to live up to the hype and extend their record to 3-0 as they open their NFC West schedule against the San Francisco 49ers at home on Sunday afternoon.
Led by the stellar play of Carson Palmer, Arizona announced its Super Bowl intentions with a 48-23 destruction of the Chicago Bears in Week 2. The veteran QB's seven touchdown passes have him tied for first across the NFL through two weeks.
San Francisco has opted for a decidedly more Jekyll-and-Hyde approach to start the season. Coming off an impressive win over the Vikings in Week 1, the 49ers were crushed 43-18 by the Pittsburgh Steelers last Sunday.
The game obviously takes on greater importance as an intradivisional matchup, with both teams looking to keep ahead of the 0-2 Seattle Seahawks.
Click ahead for the full preview.
News and Notes
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Ellington out; Johnson and Johnson Battle for Hearts, Minds and Snaps
During an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday, Bruce Arians ruled Andre Ellington out for Sunday, meaning much of the lead-up to the game against San Francisco will focus on Chris and David Johnson.
Two weeks into his career, David Johnson has proven to be Arizona's most explosive back, scoring touchdowns as a runner, receiver and returner.
Once he's figured everything out, he looks like he's going to be a heck of a player.
But he hasn't figured everything out just yet, which is why Chris Johnson saw more snaps against Chicago and should continue to do so with Ellington out. The elder Johnson doesn't have the rookie's dynamism, but he's steady and likely a reassuring face for Palmer to see next to him when the opposition shows blitz.
As exciting and talented as David Johnson is, this offense is all about Palmer right now. The first and last goal is making sure he has time to throw.
Eventually, the rookie will earn everyone's trust, but there's no reason to put him into such a key role this early into his career.
5 Guys Will Start Along the Offensive Line; More Cannot Be Said
According to the team's Twitter account, guard Mike Iupati could be ready for Sunday, while no starter has been named at right tackle.
For the sake of patience, let's not jump to any conclusions about Iupati. There's both plenty of time for him to get in even better shape and for his knee to swell up again. Anything can happen.
At right tackle, assumed starter Bobby Massie has returned from suspension. Earl Watford started in his absence, posting an overall negative grade from Pro Football Focus and struggling badly in pass protection.
Arians has a tough decision to make, as Massie is the better talent, but the play of the offensive line as a whole has been passable. Look for Massie to get the nod, but that's only a hunch.
Carlos Hyde on Track to Play for San Francisco
The talented second-year back left last Sunday's game with leg and head injuries, leaving a massive hole in the 49ers' backfield.
Hyde was a full participant in practice Wednesday, according to San Francisco's injury report, which means he'll be fine to play barring a setback. That's huge news for the 49ers, as Hyde proved during his Week 1 outburst that he's their most talented offensive player.
Latest Injury News
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The Cardinals released the injury report below following Wednesday's practice.
| S Deone Bucannon | Groin |
| RB Andre Ellington | Knee |
| G Mike Iupati | Knee |
| S Tony Jefferson | Hamstring |
| WR J.J. Nelson | Shoulder |
| LB Alex Okafor | Shoulder |
| LB LaMarr Woodley | Shoulder |
Ellington, Nelson and Woodley did not practice, whereas the rest were limited participants. As mentioned in the previous slide, Iupati is expected to make his Cardinals debut this week.
The big question mark at the moment is the status (and efficacy) of the Cardinals' starting linebackers. Paul Calvisi of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM said Woodley is likely to practice on Thursday, putting him on track to play Sunday.
If he can't go, that would mean an expanded role for either Kareem Martin or Markus Golden, which would be a less than ideal situation for defensive coordinator James Bettcher. Arizona is already short on pass-rushers and can't afford to lose either Okafor or Woodley, at least until Martin or Golden prove ready.
Both Bucannon and Jefferson played against Chicago after appearing on last week's injury report. Expect both to be fine come Sunday.
According to ESPN's Josh Weinfuss, Nelson is out for up to a month.
Key Matchup
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Aaron Lynch vs. Bobby Massie/Earl Watford
Whomever Arians names as the starter at right tackle will have their hands full on Sunday with Lynch. The second-year edge-rusher is big (6'5", 270 lbs), long and athletic.
With NaVorro Bowman not practicing, Lynch becomes the player to watch on the 49ers defense. If someone is going to make life difficult for Arizona's offense, it's him.
Following a rookie season in which he recorded six sacks, Lynch has gotten off to a solid start in his sophomore campaign. He picked up a sack of Teddy Bridgewater in Week 1 and leads the team with five quarterback hurries.
That's troubling news for Arizona. Watford has an alarming pass protection grade of minus-6.5, while Massie wasn't much better last season. Expect the tight ends and running backs to get their hands dirty keeping Lynch away from Palmer.
If Arizona can stymie Lynch, Palmer should have plenty of time to pick apart the 49ers secondary.
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3 Things to Watch
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Has Larry Fitzgerald Found the Fountain of Youth?
This was supposed to be the season when Fitzgerald started ceding the spotlight to Michael Floyd and John Brown. Instead, we've gotten a much-rejuvenated Fitzgerald.
Through two weeks, Fitzgerald has 14 receptions for 199 yards and three touchdowns, the last of which leads all wide receivers. It's almost pointless to make projections based on two weeks, but to give you a sense of how well he's played, extrapolated over 16 games, Fitzgerald would shatter his career bests in all three categories.
It'll be curious to see just how much attention teams give Fitzgerald going forward. Attempting to neutralize one of the three receivers only opens to the door for the other two to beat you.
Will Sean Weatherspoon See More Snaps?
Weatherspoon has only seen 30 defensive snaps this season. That number might go up substantially against San Francisco.
Hyde is the 49ers' biggest threat on offense, so defensive coordinator James Bettcher may opt to take one of his safeties off the field in favor of a second true middle linebacker. Weatherspoon is more capable of dealing with a power-run game than Deone Bucannon.
We'll take a closer look at Bettcher's options on Friday when we post the game plan/preview column.
How's Chandler Catanzaro's focus?
It meant nothing, but Catanzaro missed his final extra-point attempt against Chicago. Coming off a shaky preseason, that could be cause for concern.
He's only had one field-goal attempt this season—a 43-yarder he made against New Orleans—so it's difficult to gauge how well he's bounced back from his preseason struggles.
Catanzaro can allay fears with a confident performance against San Francisco.
Prediction: Cardinals 31, 49ers 13
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The Cardinals had two weeks to fly under the radar, but now the secret is out. With Seattle struggling, Arizona is the team to beat thus far in the NFC West, and it better be prepared to deal with those expectations.
As Fox Sports 910's Mike Jurecki tweeted, Arians isn't letting success go to his team's collective head. It should be ready for this one.
San Francisco dominated the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1, but it was on the receiving end of an ugly scoreline in Week 2. This is an uneven, inconsistent football team with a lot of question marks.
As long as Arizona treats this game like the divisional matchup it is, it should have no problem pushing its record to 3-0.
Be sure to check back on Friday night for a look at the Cardinals' game plan.
Final prediction: Cardinals 31, 49ers 13
Unless otherwise noted, advanced statistics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and Football Outsiders.
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