San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals - Monday night football brings another ultimate action as the Arizona Cardinals hosts the San Francisco 49ers in a battle for first place. The 49ers are on top of the division at 5-2, and will have a two-game lead if they beat the Cardinals (4-3).
It's a good start, hence bad road for Arizona as the have lost three straight since a 4-0 start. San Francisco finished 13-3 last season, but one of those losses was at Arizona (21-19). San Francisco had held the Cardinals to 9.0 points during a five-game win streak in this series before falling 21-19 in Arizona on Dec. 11.
San Francisco is tied with Chicago as the best defensive team. Both have allowed 14.3 points per game. Arizona is not far behind, giving up 16.9 points per contest
With the Cardinals having virtually no threat of a run game, San Francisco has the option of playing mostly coverage schemes. The 49ers have an excellent secondary, which is physical and excels at press techniques. The corners can jam Arizona's receivers, including Larry Fitzgerald, off the snap and really disrupt their routes. That either leads to more time for the pass rush to get there and/or coverage sacks. The 49ers can play their safeties back in some Cover 2 looks to give the corners deep help because they do not have to play close to the line of scrimmage to stop the run. Look for the 49ers to also change up their coverage looks in pre-snap to confuse QB John Skelton.
The San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals live stream will air on ESPN at 8:30 p.m. ET live from U of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ