Arizona Cardinals vs 49ers preview: Four critical areas

SANTA CLARA, CA - NOVEMBER 05: C.J. Beathard #3 of the San Francisco 49ers celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on November 5, 2017 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images) /

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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 21: Matt Breida #22 of the San Francisco 49ers rushes with the ball against the Los Angeles Rams during their NFL game at Levi’s Stadium on October 21, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Lesson #1 in Defense: Stop the Run

As bad as the Cardinals have been at running the football, the SF 49ers have been the total opposite. Surprisingly, the 1-6 Niners are number 2 in the league in rushing. Matt Breida is leading the team with 445 yards, which is only 7 yards short of the rushing total for the entire Cardinals squad!

So we all know the Niners are going to run. This is problematic when you realize the Cardinals are next to last in the league in stopping the run and their defense has been on the field longer than any other team in the league except the Dolphins. Let that sink in for a few moments . . .

Stopping the run will be critical for Arizona. Hopefully, Leftwich can now keep the offense on the field much longer, giving the defense some time to rest. A rested defense combined with Patrick Peterson now trying to “prove his loyalty” after requesting a trade earlier this week could spell trouble for SF.

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