Third down defense
What the Cardinals are offering up on third downs is working finally. If they can get the 49ers off the field after third down attempts, they will remain fresh throughout the game.
Against the Seahawks, they held Seattle to 0-10 on third downs. They shut them out. They did convert one fourth down however.
One of the things the Cardinals could not do the first three weeks was get the defense off the field. Last Sunday started shaky because they were giving up big runs on first and second downs and didn’t even get Seattle to a third down attempt.
If they can slow those runs down too, they can easily handle the 49ers. If they hold the 49ers to similar numbers this Sunday, they have a great chance to win their first game of the season.
They will have to contain 49ers running back Matt Brieda. He could see a heavy workload with no Jimmy Garoppolo to throw the ball.