3 biggest takeaways from the Cardinals win over the 49ers in Week 9

Conner can handle a heavier workload

Heading into Sunday’s game against the 49ers, the Cardinals were already running the ball more than most teams in the NFL this season. But when it was revealed that Kyler Murray wasn’t going to play, most assumed Arizona would depend on their rushing attack even more in San Francisco.

Thanks to the tremendous effort by running back James Conner, the Cardinals finished Sunday’s game against the 49ers with 163 yards on the ground. That total is currently good enough to be the third-most rushing yards Arizona has had in a matchup so far this season.

Conner led the way with 96 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. His 21 carries were a season-high and this was mostly due to fellow Cardinals running back Chase Edmonds not being available for the majority of the game after he went down with an injury early in the contest.

In addition to his efforts on the ground, Conner also caught five passes for 77 yards and a score. It was a really impressive showing for the running back that is in his first year with Arizona and it’s something that could potentially lead to him moving up to the top spot on the team’s running back depth chart.