3 Bold Predictions: Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers – Week 9

Jones gets back on track

Chandler Jones has been quiet in the statistics column since Week 1. Since his epic performance against the Tennessee Titans, Jones has just four combined tackles, one tackle for a loss, and no sacks. To his credit, he has had eight quarterback hits, and he currently ranks 38th out of 108 edge rushers by Pro Football Focus.

Not half-bad, but his stats have dwindled since his five-sack and four tackle-for-loss performance against the Titans. And there are a lot of correlations heading into Week 9 between this game and the one at Tennessee.

For one, Arizona is on the road, once again, facing adversity as they had early in the season. Instead of being considered the odd-team-out in the NFC West, injuries have derailed the Cardinals, and there is the chance their star quarterback doesn’t suit up.

Add to the fact J.J. Watt might not be coming back this season, and it shows that someone needs to step up for Arizona. Jones did it once already in 2021 and he can do it again against a 49ers quarterback in Jimmy Garoppolo who, in his last four appearances, has been very up and down.

There is also the possibility Jones could face rookie San Francisco passer Trey Lance, who, as of Wednesday, November 4, was not listed on this week’s injury report.