Arizona Cardinals 20 San Francisco 49ers 10: Good, bad, ugly

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: The San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals scuffle after a late hit on C.J. Beathard
SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: The San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals scuffle after a late hit on C.J. Beathard
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SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Adrian Peterson #23 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – NOVEMBER 05: Adrian Peterson #23 of the Arizona Cardinals is tackled by Dontae Johnson #36 of the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images)

The Good

Adrian Peterson

Peterson came in and did exactly what the Cardinals needed him to do on Sunday.  He provided offensive balance.

He found holes often on Sunday.  Even when he didn’t, he still created enough room to keep the ball moving.  For the day, he carried the ball 37 times for 159-yards.

Drew Stanton

He did what the Cardinals asked him to.  He managed the game well.  Short of calling him a game manager, he certainly kept his mistakes to a minimum.

He also made plays happen.  His first touchdown pass to receiver Jaron Brown had him scrambling away from the rush to find him open near the sidelines.

While he did throw one interception, it was a ball that Jermaine Gresham still almost was able to pry away.  Still, he threw two touchdown passes and that’s all the Cardinals offense needed on the board to secure a win.

Related Story: Arizona Cardinals: Get back on winning track 20-10

Cardinals pass rush

The pass rush created five sacks of 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard on Sunday.  They could have had more.  Sacks came from Chandler Jones, Rodney Gunter, Karlos Dansby, Corey Peters, and a shared sack by Olsen Pierre and Haason Reddick.

They could have and should have had more.  Credit Beathard for avoiding some of that.  He competed hard on Sunday.

Schedule