What did we learn about the Arizona Cardinals following their impressive win on the road over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9?
Despite only having one loss after the first eight weeks of the 2021 season, the Arizona Cardinals were not the team that was expected to win in their road matchup with the San Francisco 49ers in Week 9.
Those doubts quickly vanished as the Cardinals stormed out to an early 17-0 lead on Sunday and never looked back. Arizona eventually left the field with a 31-17 victory over the 49ers and it might have been one of the more impressive wins they’ve had all season long, given the circumstances.
Now that most of the dust has settled since Sunday’s NFC West battle, what are some of the biggest takeaways from the Cardinals‘ most recent victory?
Takeaway No. 1
Arizona can win without Murray
The level of optimism about the Cardinals beating San Francisco this past weekend certainly took a hit when Arizona announced that quarterback Kyler Murray and wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would not be active for the matchup.
But once the opening whistle blew, it was clear that the Cardinals had been preparing for Murray to sit out on Sunday. Veteran signal-caller Colt McCoy got the start in place of Murray and he pretty much did everything he was supposed to do.
McCoy was efficient with the football (84.6 completion percentage) and he didn’t turn the ball over. There’s not much more a team can ask for from their backup than that.
Could things turn out differently if McCoy has to start against a team that is better than the 49ers? Sure, but Arizona proved on Sunday that they’ve got a backup that is capable of keeping their ship afloat when needed.
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.
Arizona’s defense deserves more attention
When one looks around at some of the national coverage about the Cardinals this season, a bunch of it has to do with the team’s explosive offense. Rightfully so, however, since Arizona currently ranks second in the NFL in scoring with 30.8 points per game.
But the guys on the other side of the ball for the Cardinals are deserving of just as much recognition as well.
Arizona’s defense has taken a tremendous leap in their third year with Vance Joseph running the show. Joseph has the Cardinals ranking third in points allowed, fourth in yards allowed, third in turnovers forced, sixth in passing yards allowed, and fourth in sacks.
Arizona was recently forced to put defensive lineman J.J. Watt on injured reserve, and while his loss is a big one, the Cardinals have plenty of other defensive playmakers to make up for his absence.
Guys like Markus Golden, Jordan Hicks, Isaiah Simmons, Budda Baker, Byron Murphy, and Jalen Thompson have all been making a huge impact for Arizona on the defensive side of the ball all season long.
So while the Cardinals’ offense is playing a big role in the team’s success this year, the performance of the defense is also a major reason why Arizona only has one loss this season.