49ers schedule: Predicting record vs. NFC West in 2022
By Peter Panacy
32. Prediction. 28. 42. 17
Week 11: 49ers @ Cardinals (Mexico City)
San Francisco is going to partake in the NFL International Series this season, heading off to Mexico City, Mexico, to face off against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11.
Technically, this is a road game for the 49ers. But since it’s being played at a neutral site, one might figure the home crowd at Estadio Azteca would be in favor of the team with the slightly bigger profile.
Hint: That’s not the Red Birds.
The Cardinals are going through their own weirdness entering 2022, too, especially with quarterback Kyler Murray demanding his own lofty contract extension and threatening a holdout if he doesn’t receive it. And while wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins will have returned from his six-game PED-related suspension by this point, it’s still hard to look at Arizona as a bona fide favorite for this Monday Night Football showdown.
Yes, the altitude in Mexico City will make things tough for both teams. No questioning that. And both the Niners and Cardinals will have slugfests the prior weeks, too, against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Rams, respectively.
Let’s give the edge to San Francisco in this one, though, as it pulls off a decisive win over Murray and Co. to gain a solid 3-1 edge within the division.