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49ers vs. Cardinals: Week 9 Thursday Night Football preview for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Strong safety Tyvon Branch #27 of the Arizona Cardinals knocks the ball away from running back Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers during overtime of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona won 18-15. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - OCTOBER 01: Strong safety Tyvon Branch #27 of the Arizona Cardinals knocks the ball away from running back Carlos Hyde #28 of the San Francisco 49ers during overtime of the NFL game at the University of Phoenix Stadium on October 1, 2017 in Glendale, Arizona. Arizona won 18-15. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a reception against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 28: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald #11 of the Arizona Cardinals makes a reception against the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL game at State Farm Stadium on October 28, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. The Cardinals defeated the 49ers 18-15. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers have a short turnaround in Week 9, visiting the feisty Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. Niner Noise dishes out your prime-time preview.

While some of the San Francisco 49ers‘ tougher challenges in 2019 appear to be ahead on the horizon in a few weeks, another under-the-radar challenge for head coach Kyle Shanahan and Co. will be to not stoop down to the level of their Week 9 opponent, the Arizona Cardinals, on Thursday Night Football.

Oh, and it’s also imperative the Niners absorb the short week and quick turnaround before heading to University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.

The 7-0 49ers are riding high after their dominant 51-13 home win over the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, while the 3-4-1 Cardinals were walloped 31-9 on the road by the one-loss New Orleans Saints.

Despite being below the .500 mark, rookie head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s squad has shown some pluck and feisty abilities this season, outperforming plenty of the expectations many had for a team which ended up with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s NFL Draft.

Speaking of that pick, rookie quarterback Kyler Murray has also shown signs of being a true franchise-caliber signal-caller. He’s not quite there yet, but there are more than a few reasons to be excited about Murray.

All told, however, divisional matchups can be weird, and life can be difficult for the traveling team on Thursday Night Football bouts.

San Francisco is, pound for pound, a far superior team than its NFC West foes. But that doesn’t eliminate Shanahan’s need to get his players prepared for this showdown in Arizona on Thursday.

Niner Noise dives headlong into this contest with your Week 9 preview.