49ers schedule release: Ranking 5 most challenging games in 2021
By Peter Panacy
No. 3: Week 5 — 49ers at Cardinals
Cardinals record in 2020: 8-8, third place in NFC West
The Arizona Cardinals have given the Niners some serious fits in the last two years. And outside San Francisco’s surprising upset win over Arizona in Week 16 last year, all the games over that span have been awfully close, including the 49ers’ season-opening loss to the Cardinals in Week 1 last year and the come-from-behind victories head coach Kyle Shanahan’s squad had to engineer in 2019.
Much of that was predicated on trying to defend quarterback Kyler Murray, who easily made good use of wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins in Week 1 a season ago.
Whether or not the Niners can contain Murray and Hopkins as they did in Week 16 last year is anyone’s guess. But with some notable defensive reinforcements on the Arizona side of the ball, namely veteran EDGE J.J. Watt, this Week 5 tilt at State Farm Stadium could be just as big a nailbiter as many of the other contests these two NFC West rivals have faced.
Granted, head coach Kliff Kingsbury still has a long way to go to develop as a quality NFL-level head coach. But the talent he has available on the field is good enough to make a run into the postseason, and however the Cardinals match up against San Francisco in this particular game could say a lot about their chances.
Oh, and it doesn’t help the 49ers are coming off a game facing one of their biggest archrivals, the Seattle Seahawks, the previous week.