With their two best offensive starters (Carson Palmer and David Johnson) out on injured-reserve, the defense needed to show that they can still carry this team. On Sunday, against the win-less 49ers, they showed flashes of what once was a dominating defense.
Facing a dilapidated offensive line and a rookie quarterback, James Bettcher and his defense executed a great game plan. Albeit C.J. Beathard threw for 294 passing yards, he was forced to throw 51 times, completing just 24 passes (47%) on the afternoon. Constantly harassed by an aggressive front, he was hit a total of 16 times and brought down for a sack 5 times as well.