With their season on the line, the Arizona Cardinals came out of Levi’s Stadium victorious against the San Francisco 49ers 33-21 on Thursday Night Football.

Defense rules the first half

Markus Golden celebrates a sack against the San Francisco 49ers (Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)
Markus Golden celebrates a sack against the San Francisco 49ers | Source: Ezra Shaw - Getty Images North America

Both the Arizona and San Francisco defenses were active early. The San Francisco defense was able to keep Arizona’s pointless first quarter streak alive, allowing just 26 passing yards in the first quarter.

The 49ers biggest task was slowing down David Johnson and the Arizona run game. In the firsts half, Johnson carried the ball 12 times for 65 yards. The San Francisco defense stalled the Cardinal offense for the majority of the half, forcing the Arizona to punt the ball seven times.

Drew Stanton went just 7-20, throwing for a mere 61 yards. Arizona’s only score of the half came off of a 21-yard pass from Stanton to Larry Fitzgerald just before halftime tying the game 7-7.

Arizona’s defense looked evenly impressive, limiting Carlos Hyde to just 42 yards on the ground. Running quarterback continued their success against the Cardinals, with Blaine Gabbert rushing for 30 yards.

Linebacker Markus Golden continued his streak, now having a sack in each game of the season far. Chandler Jones continues to be a dominant force for Arizona, tipping a pass that was caught by Calais Campbell, setting up the Cardinals touchdown.

The score for the 49ers also came late in the second quarter, with Gabbert tossing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Kerley, giving San Francisco the first lead of the game.  

All Arizona in the second half

Calais Campbell sacks 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert for a safety (Source: Michael Chow/azcentral sports
Calais Campbell sacks 49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert for a safety | Source: Michael Chow - azcentral sports

On the opening kick of the second half, Arizona set the tempo, forcing and recovering a fumble.

In the second half, Johnson ran for two touchdowns, one on a four-yard run and another on a two-yard touchdown. Fitzgerald scored another touchdown, this one off of a 29-yard pass. Chandler Catanzaro kicked a field goal minutes into the fourth quarter extending the lead.

San Francisco did their best to keep the game close, driving down the field to score off of a rushing touchdown from Hyde. San Francisco managed to score again late in the fourth quarter, with Gabbert running the ball in on the goal line.

The Cardinal defense kept control of the game, forcing Gabbert to throw another interception late in the third and even recovered the ball in the end zone for a safety late in the fourth quarter.

With four tackles, including the sack for a safety, Calais Campbell had himself quite the game. The production that Arizona got from Campbell has been a long time coming. Arizona will need this type of production from Campbell going forward.

This was Tyrann Mathieu’s first game playing his normal position of slot corner. There were moments in the game where he disrupted plays in the back field, almost getting to the quarterback for a sack and had three tackles playing in the box. Earlier in the week, Mathieu had hinted he was ready to get back to being himself, showing glimpses of it tonight.

Going forward

Will Colin Kaepernick get the start next week against the Bills? (Source: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images North America)
Will Colin Kaepernick get the start next week against the Bills? | Source: Ezra Shaw - Getty Images North America

Looking ahead, the Arizona Cardinals next matchup will be against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. This will be the first time that Jets head coach Todd Bowles will return to the University of Phoenix Stadium to take his former team. The last time these two teams squared off was in 2012, when the Cardinals won in a 7-6 victory at MetLife Stadium.

As for the San Francisco 49ers, they will try to bounce back against the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers defense will be going up against another one of the NFL’s top running backs, going against LeSean McCoy. Another story line to watch going into the game is the quarterback situation San Francisco faces. Fans are calling for Colin Kaepernick to step in and take over under center. It will be interesting to see what the 49ers do.

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