49ers vs. Cardinals: San Francisco hosts Arizona in must-win game

Week 5 by the numbers

Over the first quarter of the 2018 season, the Arizona Cardinals’ relative strength has been their mid-level defense, highlighted by a passing defense that has allowed a league-low three touchdown receptions.

However, the Cardinals’ defensive passing statistics are somewhat skewed due to the fact that the team has continued to play from behind for the majority of the year; while they’ve allowed less than 1,000 passing yards this season, opposing quarterbacks have completed 71.5 percent of their passes while averaging 8.1 yards per attempt.

The Cardinals still have star cornerback Patrick Peterson, who has continued to play at a high level in 2018, but Arizona’s defense has suffered from disappointing play by a number of key contributors from past seasons, including hybrid linebacker Deone Bucannon. If 49ers wide receiver Marquise Goodwin suits up on Sunday, Peterson could shadow the Niners’ top wideout. Update: ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that Goodwin will not play in today’s matchup.

Since Arizona has continued to play from behind, their defense has faced a league-high 140 rushing attempts. The Cardinals have given up 565 rushing yards on those attempts, which ranks third-worst in the NFL, and have allowed an NFL-worst seven touchdowns on the ground.

The Cardinals’ biggest problem in 2018 has been their lack of offense. Arizona currently rivals the Buffalo Bills for the worst offensive attack in the NFL in the majority of offensive metrics, from yardage, to expected points, to Football Outsiders’ DVOA.

Arizona is losing this battle in the most important offensive metric; the Cardinals have averaged less than 10 points scored per game, which is easily the lowest number in the NFL — although the team has seen an uptick with Rosen under center.

Arizona ranks last in the NFL in total yardage, and 31st in passing yardage, which is shocking due to the Cardinals’ consistent negative game scripts. In addition to poor quarterback play, the team has lacked productivity at wide receiver, as top wideout Larry Fitzgerald — who is nearing the end of his 14-year career at age 35 — has been forced to play injured throughout the season.

Arizona’s offense has compiled the second-fewest yards on the ground, due to a combination of limited attempts and a 3.5 yards-per-carry average. The team’s rushing numbers have actually been bolstered by scrambles from their pair of slow quarterbacks, as star running back David Johnson has averaged just 3.3 yards per attempt.

It’s certainly been a rough year for Arizona fans over the first four games the season, but the Cardinals are a better team than they’ve shown so far in 2018. And San Francisco fans know that it’s possible for a single player to totally turn a team’s season around.

If the Cardinals are going to get the spark they need from one player in 2018, it’s their rookie quarterback.