Cardinals Find Recipe for Turning Season Around in Gut-Check Win Over 49ers

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 5 with a simple mandate. Defeat the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, or watch any realistic hopes of the deep playoff run the team envisioned when the season began disappear.

The Cardinals accomplished that goal, downing San Francisco 33-21. In doing so, the Redbirds did much more than win a game that elevated them to 2-3 and got them out of the NFC West basement.

Arizona also happened upon a blueprint for how to turn a disappointing season around and get things back on track.

The Cardinals played the game without one of their offensive leaders. Quarterback Carson Palmer, who led the team to a franchise-record 13 wins a season ago, sat out the contest courtesy of a concussion suffered Sunday in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

With backup Drew Stanton under center and the 49ers without star linebacker NaVorro Bowman, the belief going in was the Cardinals would lean more heavily than usual on the ground game and tailback David Johnson.

Sure enough, that's exactly what happened—and Johnson delivered in a big way.

Johnson didn't just go over 100 yards on the ground. Or top 100 total yards for the fifth time in five games this year. Or have his best game of the season with 185 total yards.

In gaining 157 yards on 27 carries with two touchdowns, Johnson had the best game on the ground of any tailback in the National Football League so far in 2016.

The Cardinals passing game, on the other hand, wasn't as effective. Stanton managed to complete only 11 of 28 passes for 124 yards. However, Stanton also found the end zone twice, and, most importantly, he avoided the kinds of turnovers that have killed Arizona the past two games.

In successive losses in Week 3 and Week 4, the Cardinals turned the ball over 10 times. Against the 49ers, Arizona didn't turn it over once.

It wasn't an entirely quiet night for the Arizona aerial attack. The Cardinals' elder statesman had himself a game.

Of Stanton's 11 completions, six went to Larry Fitzgerald for 81 yards. Fitz was on the receiving end of both scoring strikes, including a 29-yard touchdown that was easily Stanton's best throw of the night.

Defensively, coordinator James Bettcher isn't going to be happy about giving up 21 points to an anemic San Francisco offense. Or the fact Niners quarterback Blaine Gabbert ran for 70 yards and a touchdown.

But the Arizona defense made plays when it needed to. The Cardinals notched a season-high seven sacks, including a safety by Calais Campbell (who had a monster game with two sacks and an interception) that put a fork in things. They also forced a pair of Gabbert turnovers.

Still, it was avoiding turnovers and Johnson's big game on the ground that were the evening's biggest takeaways.

The second-year tailback, who has quickly emerged as one of the league's best at what he does, told the NFL Network's LaDainian Tomlinson after the game the team came into Thursday looking to establish the run, and he also praised the folks who opened the gaping holes he rumbled through.

"We were ready to run the ball and pound it," he said. "They [the offensive linemen] did a great job. They made my life a lot easier. All five of those guys, even the tight ends and receivers—they were all blocking for me downfield and making sure I was getting all the yards I could get."

Fitzgerald lauded the entire team's ability to circle the proverbial wagons while speaking to Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports afterward.

"Drew did a great job of stepping in [for Palmer]," Fitzgerald said, "and I don't think anybody pressed. I think that everybody understood that getting yourself in a 1-4 hole is something that's pretty much insurmountable. Being able to get to 2-3 really is encouraging."

It goes without saying that an NFL team can't turn the ball over five times a game and have success, and Arizona's ability to avoid those backbreaking gaffes was a huge part of the difference between this game and its last two.

But head coach Bruce Arians would also be well served to think about bringing more of Thursday's game plan into next Monday's home tilt with the New York Jets. Yes, the Jets are a much different kettle of fish where their run defense is concerned, but the next team to hold Johnson under 100 total yards will be the first this season.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Last year, the Arizona Cardinals had great success throwing the ball all over the field. This year, they haven't been as successful in that regard. Opponents have done a good job taking the Cardinals out of their game, taking away the vertical passes Arians loves so much.

So let them. Let them drop players into zone coverage. Let them play soft at the line of scrimmage. And then hand the ball to Johnson and cram said ball down their throats.

In doing so, the Cardinals can take pressure off Palmer, who has struggled at times this season. They can also open up the vertical passing game—sooner or later those safeties are going to have to creep closer to the line.

Arians is a two-time Coach of the Year. One of the best in the business both at leading a team and running an offense. The offense he ran Thursday night wasn't what he's used to, but it was arguably their best showing of the season on that side of the ball, especially when you consider who was playing quarterback.

It was a big win. It was also a blueprint. A recipe for future success.

And it showed the Cardinals a path that could get them right back into the playoff hunt in the NFC.

Gary Davenport is an NFL analyst at Bleacher Report and a member of the Fantasy Sports Writers Association and Pro Football Writers of America. You can follow Gary on Twitter @IDPSharks.