San Francisco 49ers (4-0) – Arizona Cardinals (1-3): 35-16
NFC West duel this Sunday between the Californians of San Francisco and the Arizonians of Phoenix. If the Niners had been flawless in the month of September, Jonathan Gannon’s men had been far from the image of expiatory victim announced at the start of the season. At the dawn of the meeting, the duel is therefore more balanced than it seems on paper.
At the cost of Christian McCaffrey once again unstoppable with four touchdowns, San Francisco continues its flawless performance and maintains its invincibility.
CMC power 4
If the meeting had several dynamics, only one constant in the match: Christian McCaffrey is hot and hot at the start of the season. In Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system that suits him, the former Stanford player (whose stadium is less than 20 kilometers from Levi’s Stadium) is a puzzle without a solution for the Arizona defense. Too fast for the linebackers, too powerful for the cornerbacks, the Swiss army knife accumulates yards. Sometimes receiving (7 receptions, 71 yards), sometimes running (20 races, 106 yards), but especially in the end zone: 4 touchdowns!
As is often the case with San Francisco, this domination of Ed McCaffrey’s son (a former Niner!) facilitates the task of a still almost perfect Brock Purdy (20/21, 283 yards, 1 touchdown). The thrower is content to take what the defense gives him before shooting long arrows towards a returning Brandon Aiyuk: 6 receptions, 148 yards.
Joshua Dobbs, far from ridiculous
With the Niners attack in steamroller mode, Joshua Dobbs’ task is difficult, if not impossible. Quickly trailing 21-3 even before halftime, Dobbs did not lay down his arms and slowly climbed back up the slope. He took advantage of the aggressiveness of the Californian defense to rely on his double-threat qualities: 12 races, 48 yards. When passing, the exercise is more laborious (28/41, 268 yards) but Marquise “ Hollywood » Brown manages to get out of his box several times: 7 receptions, 96 yards.
The Cardinals even managed to come back to within five points of the locals in the third quarter (21-16), before the red and gold machine got back into working order. As usual, the Niners stepped up the pace at the end of the match, confiscating the ball and counting down the clock until the end of the match. Final score: 35-16.
The following
Defeated once again, the Cardinals will have every chance in week 5 against the Bengals (1-3) in distress on both sides of the ball.
The locals will play a shock at the top of the NFC against historic rivals Dallas. The winner of the meeting could take a significant option with a view to the intra-conference ranking which defines the playoff schedule.
