Arizona Cardinals: Looking to contain 49ers QB Kaepernick

The Arizona Cardinals host QB Colin Kaepernick and his San Francisco 49ers this Sunday

Let’s face it, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has been a knife in the Arizona Cardinals back for the most part since Kaepernick came into the NFL in 2011.  However last year the Cardinals beat him for the first time as a starter.  Has a corner turned?

Well that was in the first game of the season between the two teams in Arizona.  The Cardinals won that one 23-14.  The Niners won the matchup in week 17 in San Francisco 20-17.  He threw two touchdowns that afternoon, barely beating the Cardinals with Ryan Lindley at the helm.

Kaepernick is 4-1 as a starter against the Cardinals in his brief career.  He has thrown for 1,287 yards and nine touchdowns against the Cardinals.  That is the second-most yards and the most touchdowns he has thrown against any one team so far.  Only the St. Louis Rams (1,347) have given up more yards to him.

He has rushed for more yards against the Rams and the Seattle Seahawks but with as many yards as the Cardinals have been known to give up, the rushing yardage still is at 164 in the five games. With the Cardinals still giving up yards in the air, will we see a lot of the same approach from the Niners this Sunday?  I expect it.

For the Cardinals themselves, they expect nothing different either.

With Kaepernick attempting to become more of a pocket passer though, I do see some things possibly changing starting this Sunday.  For one, I think the Cardinals manage to get to Kaepernick more.  They only had two sacks against the Chicago Bears last week but I see at least four in the Cardinals near future.

If Kaepernick is pushed out of the pocket though without going down, then I could see where things might not appear to have changed.  He has a crafty way of getting those first downs when he needs them.

The Cardinals defense though will bring it on every play.  They managed one sack in the second game against the Niners in 2014 and just one in the first game last season.  I do see that stat changing.

That’s what Kaepernick said on Wednesday.  He didn’t elaborate, and everyone is speculating, but I suspect he meant that he will continue to be that guy that can’t give you a straight answer and will probably lose in Arizona for the second year in a row.  I mean, that has to be it, right?  Seriously though, four sacks this Sunday for the Cardinals defense.  You can count on it.