The Arizona Cardinals will face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in Santa Clara. As we do almost every game, we get together with the lead writer from our sister site who covers the Cardinals' opponent.
Leading up to the Cardinals' Week 3 game against the Niners, Niners Wire lead writer Kyle Madson takes us "behind enemy lines" to know a little more about the 49ers, what they have done this season and what to expect in this Week 3 matchup.
The Niners' 2-0 start
What has contributed to the 49ers' fast start?
I'll stick with the football and ignore the Rams' insane travel plans for Australia and the Dolphins being the worst team in the sport. Brock Purdy has been outstanding through the first two weeks. That's been the driving force behind their plus-42 point differential.
Getting ahead early has pushed teams into being one-dimensional which hasn't allowed them to exploit a soft 49ers run defense, and the 49ers offense has been good enough to pull away when their defense gets a couple of stops.
Complementary back?
Have the Niners perhaps found their complement to Christian McCaffrey in Kaelon Black?
It sure looks like it. Black is playing 39 percent of the offensive snaps so far this season which far out-paces the other backup running backs the 49ers have had behind McCaffrey. The 49ers are primarily using Black as a runner between the 20s. He leads the team in carries 21-20, but only two of his carries have come in the red zone and none of them have been inside the 10. For comparison, McCaffrey has six carries in the red zone including five inside the 10. McCaffrey is also running a ton of routes. He's run 29 routes and leads the team with 12 targets. Black has just one target in 18 routes run.
Defensive injuries
How can the defense weather their losses on defensive line?
The real answer is probably by scoring more points. Their defensive line was a question mark even before losing DE Nick Bosa, DT Alfred Collins, DT James Thompson Jr., DT CJ West and DE Sam Okuayinonu. Rookie DE Romello Height is also nursing a broken hand that could keep him out for Week 3. There just aren't enough players on their roster or practice squad who can realistically step in and perform at a high level. Some of the onus will fall on the linebackers and secondary to help the team get stops, but it will likely come down to whether the offense can continue racking up 30-plus points per game until they get healthy on the D-line. If they can't put up a ton of points it's tough to envision them stringing stops together.
Passing production
Christian Kirk is hurt, Mike Evans is hurt, Demarcus Robinson is hurt, so is Stribling. Where is the passing production going to come from?
It sounds like Evans will play against Arizona. Regardless, the pass-catching onus will largely fall on McCaffrey and tight end George Kittle even if Evans does play. KhaDarel Hodge is primarily a special teams player, but he's probably going to see a ton of snaps Sunday. Third-year WR and punt returner Jacob Cowing could get some looks as a runner and as a deep threat. Second-year WR Jordan Watkins has been a healthy scratch the first two weeks and could be in the mix if Brandin Cooks isn't elevated off the practice squad. Either way expect a heavy dose of the RB and TE no matter what Evans' status is. Also keep an eye on backup TE Luke Farrell. He had a nice camp while the team dealt with a bunch of injuries to pass catchers.
Matchups
What matchups are you watching this weekend in particular?
I'm interested in how the 49ers balance dealing with all the Cardinals' pass-catching weapons and selling out to stop the run. They'll need to devote a ton of resources to stopping the Cardinals' ground game which may lead to some one-on-one looks for Trey McBride against the 49ers' safeties. Advantage Arizona there. Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson and Kendrick Bourne should also see plenty of one-on-one looks vs. the 49ers cornerbacks which is more of a wash than anything. McBride is the guy I'm watching closest, though. I don't think Arizona can win if he's limited. I don't think San Francisco can win if he has a big day.W
Prediction
Who wins, and how does it go down?
The 49ers probably just have enough to get over the hump against an Arizona team I don't think is bad. I'm expecting a much better offensive day for Arizona than they had last week, but the 49ers' offense is operating on a high enough level right now that they'll be able to come out on the winning side of a high-octane offensive game. 49ers 33, Cardinals 28
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: Cardinals vs. 49ers opponent preview: Keys, matchups, predictions
