Vernon Davis, the targeted receiver on two of Kaepernick’s interceptions, said one of Arizona’s coaches approached him before the game and tipped the tight end off on how the Cardinals were approaching the NFC West matchup.
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With the victory, Arizona has a two-game lead over the rest of the NFC West. San Francisco, St. Louis and Seattle all stand at 1-2 after three games. Coach Bruce Arians won’t let it get to their heads, I promise.
On Thursday, 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst said the teams playbook had been scaled back to focus on plays that quarterback Colin Kaepernick was “most comfortable with”.
It didn’t get any better in the second half. He began the game by throwing interceptions on back to back series’ that the Cardinals took back for touchdowns. He snapped the Cardinals shutout bid when he scored on a 12-yard run with 2:03 left in the half, cutting the 49ers deficit to 28-7. “Very hard to deal with”. However, I don’t see every team going out there and winning 47-7 and 48-23, even against teams they should be beating.
Former rugby star Jarryd Hayne (38), of Australia, is hit out of bounds by Cardinals free safety Rashad Johnson (26) on a punt return during an NFL football game, Sunday, September 27, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz.
They’re taking care of business. Palmer’s injury proved just how vital he is to the offense’s production as the Cardinals would close out the season (including the Wild Card game) 3-5.
They can still count on their old dog coming up with a few tricks. Unfortunately, for the second week in the row, the 49ers fell apart in an opponent’s stadium. Assuming the health of Carson Palmer isn’t in question, this is the team we saw that started off undefeated last season with Palmer at the helm.
Johnson has 222 total yards on 43 touches in his last two games, including a 40-yard reception to set up the Cardinals’ first touchdown of the second half Sunday. Last week against the Bears, Tony Jefferson returned a Jay Cutler interception for a score.
The Cardinals have started the season 3-0, while the 49ers slip to 1-2. Colin Kaepernick completed 33 of 46 passes for 335 yards and two touchdowns, and added 51 yards on the ground to lead the Niners. He was a five-time Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro in 12 seasons with Arizona….
Palmer seems to be in the zone and facing a 49ers defense that is in transition shouldn’t bring him out of it. Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was able to torch the 49ers defense and their is no reason to believe Palmer can’t do the same thing this week. “He is the ultimate team guy”, Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher said.
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“You look at the film, you learn from it, and we have to get ready for Green Bay”. The Cardinals look like they want to be crowned champions this year as they have been rolling offensively and defensively. “We’ve been watching them play in the playoffs for a number of years”, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer said of the 49ers. Arians is a risk-oriented coach in a risk-averse league.
