I guess everyone saw the 49ers’ 20-12 win over the Cardinals coming, right?
At kickoff, we had the floundering, 5-9 Niners, losers of the last three in a row, and defeated in six of the previous seven. They were on a month-long camping trip to Arizona. They had so many injuries the team bus is an ambulance. They were dis-invited to the playoffs last week. They were basically playing for exercise.
Opposing them were the 8-6 Cardinals, previously known as the NFL’s Next Big Thing, but now considered more middle of the pack. Still, they were definitely in the playoff hunt, had an electric talent in QB Kyler Murray and motivation was expected to be sky-high because this was a clear, must-win game.