Sep 14, 2014; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Drew Stanton (5) throws a pass against the New York Giants during the game at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports
This week the Arizona Cardinals take on the San Francisco 49ers. Here are my five keys for them winning this game.
1. Contain Colin Kaepernick. The Cardinals defense must keep Kaepernick inside the pocket. They must not let him get yards with his legs or extend the play. If the defense can make Kaepernick be a pocket passer. They must might make him make mistakes.
2. Stop Frank Gore. Gore is one back who the Cardinals have not been able to stop. He has been a beast against the Cardinals defense and that must stop. The Cardinals have the third best rush defense in the league and that must show on Sunday.
3. If Drew Stanton plays, being on point is a must. Last week against the Giants, Stanton made some nice passes. He also made throws that made him look like a back up QB. Stanton was 14-29 with a completion rating of 48.3 percent. He needs to put the ball only where his receivers can get it or it will be a long day.
4. Coverage and tackling. Last week the Cardinals secondary looked horrible against the Giants receivers. This week they`re facing Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin. Boldin has been an absolute beast against the Cardinals averaging 107 yards a game. The past four games Crabtree has 30 receptions for 456 yards and four touchdowns.
5. Special teams. The past two games the special teams have not looked good. Trouble tackling, trouble returning just a lack of everything. I know Ted Ginn Jr returned a punt for a touchdown and they forced a fumble. They must keep it up because they just have not looked good.
If the Cardinals defense can at least contain Kaepernick. They have half the battle won right there. If they can stop Gore in the process, then they can allow the offense to take it easy. If they can`t do one of these two. The Cardinals offense will have to go full throttle the whole game.