Thursday Night Football: Cardinals @ 49ers

Who would of thought in week 5 of the NFL season we would see the Arizona Cardinals who many ‘experts’ (myself included) picked to be a force, not only in NFC West but also the NFC conference. Now starting with a record of 1-3 record the Cardinals travel to San Francisco to avoid the dreaded hole of a 1-4 record against a feisty yet wounded 49ers side, who will march on without their best player in Navorro Bowman.

The Cardinals barely won last year in San Francisco which propelled the team to a 9-2 record and all kinds of momentum. Now without Carson Palmer and a losing record this game will rely heavily on the ground game featuring David Johnson (leads the NFL with 510 scrimmage yards) who will carry the bulk of the load even more so with Chris Johnson sidelined for the season.

Matchups To Watch:

Carlos Hyde Vs Arizona’s Run Defense: Carlos Hyde is second only to Melvin Gordon for five rushing touchdowns so far this season so the Cardinals must be up for the challenge. This Cards defense is strong up front, and will prove to be a challenge to run on. If Arizona gets an early lead then this will inhibit Hyde’s volume, but can Drew Stanton get them up early?

Drew Stanton Vs Himself: The 49ers lost its best player and has an overall defense that wasn't spectacular to begin with. However, from the small sample size we saw so far this season and from a statistical standpoint, Stanton turns the ball over too much. So if interceptions come in droves then this will be the 49ers cue to get their offense running early to force more throwing attempts and less carries for David Johnson

Prediction:

Due to recent injuries, the Loss of Palmer is more devastating than the loss of Bowman, however the talent of the Cardinals overall is too much to ignore. Look for the Arizona’s defense to carry the offense with some timely turnovers enabling the NFL’s leader in scrimmage yards (David Johnson) to add to his already impressive total.

Cardinals 23, 49ers 17