Arizona Cardinals vs San Francisco 49ers: Preview, Prediction

Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi
Oct 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson (31) scores a touchdown against the San Francisco 49ers during the fourth quarter at Levi /
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October 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor (57) celebrates after tackling San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) during the third quarter at Levi
October 6, 2016; Santa Clara, CA, USA; Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Alex Okafor (57) celebrates after tackling San Francisco 49ers running back Carlos Hyde (28) during the third quarter at Levi /

The Cardinals time is now.  They are back out of the national spotlight.  No more prime time games for the time being.

The Cardinals may have already suffered too many injuries to do anything significant in 2016 but then again, the next man up mantra may already be working.

Left tackle John Wetzel will be replacing Jared Veldheer who is out for the season.  He played well in his absence a couple of weeks ago against the Panthers.  He was about the only offensive lineman though to say anything positive about.

To say the offensive line struggled against Carolina would be an understatement.  They proved successful against the 49ers the first time around however.

The 49ers give up a lot of rushing yards.  Cardinals running back David Johnson could have another field day on Sunday.  He could become the eighth straight back to rush over 100 yards over the 49ers defense.

The Cardinals need to take advantage of this one.  This is just one of three games left at home this season.  The next two weeks are at the Minnesota Vikings and the Atlanta Falcons.

A complete game would also be nice.  The closest the Cardinals came to that this season was the Monday Night Football victory over the New York Jets.  That was also the only game this season in which the Cardinals have scored in the first quarter.

So on Sunday, the outcome can be nothing but a victory for the Cardinals if they wish to continue any playoff talk beyond tomorrow.  For the 49ers, it’s a chance to ruin a divison-rival’s chance to reach their end-goals.

In the end the Cardinals will win this one and they will score in the first quarter.  Both sides of the ball will come up big on Sunday.  Arizona 37 San Francisco 14