The Arizona Cardinals are now 1-2 in the season after predictably falling to the San Francisco 49ers on the road, 36-30.
Arizona covered the 8.5 spread as massive underdogs in a road contest, suggesting there are positive takeaways despite the loss.
Going forward, Cardinals fans should be excited about the increased volume for No. 3 overall pick Jeremiyah Love. The Notre Dame product was relatively quiet through Arizona's first two games, still recovering from a high-ankle sprain suffered in the preseason.
That firepower was missed in Week 2 when the Cardinals failed to generate anything through the air against the Seattle Seahawks secondary. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett didn't even reach 100 yards passing, showing how much head coach Mike LaFleur wishes he could've fed Love. He totaled just 20 carries through the first two weeks, but now managed 21 carries for 90 yards rushing and 5 receptions for 19 yards and a touchdown.
Jeremiyah Love finally shines in Week 3
This was the first game where the fully healthy Love truly took the keys to Arizona's backfield. Tyler Allgeier has been serviceable in Love's absence, but head coach Mike LaFleur knows this Cardinals offense is far more explosive with Love behind Brissett.
That next-level playmaking was missing in Arizona's loss to Seattle, as essentially everyone besides tight end Trey McBride failed to emerge as a reliable weapon. Despite the predictable loss, this was a moral victory for the Cardinals, as it was the first sign of Love being more than a traditional running back, showcasing the three-down explosiveness that justifies a top-five selection.
Just as importantly, LaFleur finally realized that this rebuilding Cardinals roster realistically doesn't stand a chance against stacked NFC West rivals like the Seahawks and 49ers without getting Love more involved in the offense.
Love is key to Cardinals having an explosive offense
San Francisco dealt with multiple injuries in this contest, headlined by the absence of defensive end Nick Bosa. We predicted the Cardinals offense would bounce back from their mediocre Week 2 performance against the Seahawks. Still, we were concerned their inconsistent defense wouldn't be able to contain the likes of Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey in a Shanahan-led offense.
Purdy showed why he's still one of the most underrated signal callers, even overcoming the injury to veteran wide receiver Mike Evans. Ultimately, the outcome was predictable: the Cardinals offense bounced back from a quiet Week 2, but their defense wasn't reliable enough to contain an underrated 49ers offense at home.
Arizona may have been the talk of the league after pulling off the Week 1 upset over Justin Herbert and the Los Angeles Chargers, but that looks less impressive in retrospect as they are now 0-3 after falling to the Buffalo Bills.
The Cardinals defense remains a general concern and is something they need to keep investing in, but it's encouraging that Arizona's offense has finally shown it's capable of holding its own in a shootout like this.
That was initially the idea behind the Marvin Harrison Jr. selection, who has failed to return value as a No. 4 overall pick in 2024. Love was on a similarly quiet trajectory early in his rookie campaign, largely due to a high ankle sprain and limited role.
This Week 3 loss felt like the first matchup in which Love was fully healthy, and Love felt confident in using him more as that bell cow. If they can keep using Love as part of this explosive Cardinals offense and clean up the defense, this could even prove to be a dark-horse team in 2026.
Add us as a preferred source on Google