Niner Noise
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Cardinals vs. 49ers: Week 11 breakdown, preview for San Francisco

By Peter Panacy

SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 07: The Arizona Cardinals line up against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA - OCTOBER 07: The Arizona Cardinals line up against the San Francisco 49ers during their NFL game at Levi's Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /
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SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 07: Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals throws a 75-yard touchdown to Christian Kirk #13 during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)
SANTA CLARA, CA – OCTOBER 07: Josh Rosen #3 of the Arizona Cardinals throws a 75-yard touchdown to Christian Kirk #13 during their NFL game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on October 7, 2018 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

The San Francisco 49ers look to bounce back after their loss to the Seattle Seahawks by pulling off a win over the visiting Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. Niner Noise previews this NFC West bout.

One could make the argument the San Francisco 49ers‘ Week 11 home game against the 3-6-1 Arizona Cardinals is the most winnable matchup head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad has remaining on its calendar.

Coming off their first loss of the season against the Seattle Seahawks last week on Monday Night Football, the 8-1 Niners no longer have to worry about trying to maintain their perfect record in 2019. But with the Seahawks now closing within half a game of the NFC West lead, San Francisco’s hold on the division is still precarious.

And a tough stretch of contests between now and Week 17 means it’s imperative for the 49ers to bounce back against Arizona on Sunday.

The Niners pulled off a narrow and nail-biting 28-25 victory in Week 9 over the Cardinals the last time these two teams met. And while Arizona isn’t exactly eyeing a playoff berth this season, first-year head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s team is already showing enough pluck and ability to adequately challenge anybody regardless of record.

Pulling off a win on Sunday won’t be easy for San Francisco, either. The team is still dealing with some key injuries, which are likely to impact this NFC West bout in a major way.

Plus, one can expect the Cardinals to exploit some of the success they had on Thursday Night Football a couple of weeks ago.

With this game boasting some sneaky importance for the 49ers, Niner Noise dishes out our preview by looking at the matchup’s backdrop, quarterback comparison, matchups to watch, injuries and much, much more.