3 favorable matchups for the Cardinals in Week 5 vs. the 49ers
By Sion Fawkes
The Arizona Cardinals return home to face the division rival San Francisco 49ers in Week 5.
On Sunday, the 2-2 San Francisco 49ers come into town to face a red-hot Arizona Cardinals team looking to start the 2021 season 5-0. And so far, no one has stopped the Arizona offense, which has scored at least 31 points in each of its first four games.
However, the Cardinals have also shown vulnerability over the first month of the season. They almost, and probably should have lost to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 2, and the offense stagnated in Week 3 before they found their rhythm in the third quarter.
And it won’t get any easier facing a 49ers defense that ranks 10th in the league in both total and passing defense. However, there are a couple of caveats on the 49ers’ defense the Cardinals can exploit.
Jimmy Garropolo had to hand the reins to Trey Lance in Week 4 because of an injury. And while Lance has a perfect touchdown to interception ratio, his accuracy, at best, has been spotty. On Friday, it was confirmed that Lance would start in favor of Garoppolo, which will serve as the rookie’s first-ever start.