The zig-zagging continued this past week for the San Francisco 49ers, who have not won consecutive games since Weeks 2 and 3. That’s somewhat to be expected when you have a backup quarterback, are without
your WR1 and TE1 for a good chunk, if not all of those games, and no longer have your two best players on defense.
Week 10 was the bottom for the 49ers’ defense after allowing 42 points to the Los Angeles Rams. There are no moral victories when you give up 40+ at home. Everybody is suffering injuries in the NFL, but it didn’t look like there was any hope for the Niners defensively against that offense.
The good news for San Francisco is that they get an Arizona Cardinals team that also gave up 40+ to a divisional opponent. Jacoby Brissett lost two fumbles, and before Sam Darnold could throw double-digit passes, the Seattle Seahawks were up 35-0.
As we head into Week 11, the 49ers are sitting third in the NFC West, with the Cardinals fourth. The Niners are 2.5-point road favorites on FanDuel Sportsbook, with the total of 48.5. Oddsmakers have caught onto the Niners’ defense, as this is the second-highest total in Week 11.
As inconsistent as the 49ers have been since October, the Cardinals have one win under Brissett and Kyler Murray during that stretch. Arizona kept it close against the Green Bay Packers. But after Monday Night Football, that’s not exactly a feather in the cap. A win over the Dallas Cowboys deserves nothing more than a yawn. The Cowboys lost to the Panthers and the Bears.
So what will we see this week? Marvin Harrison Jr. and Trey McBride figure to give San Francisco fits defensively. McBride had 78 yards in Week 3 with Fred Warner.
The Cardinals have the edge defensively, thanks to their pass rush, but a potential return of Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall, paired with an offensive line trending in the right direction, should mean the offense continues to hum. Mac Jones threw for 284 yards in Week 3. Pearsall was responsible for 117 of those.
The score was 16-15 the last time these two teams played. That could be the halftime score this time around.
