Official Game Day Thread - ARZ @ SF September 13, 2020
Sept 12, 2020 4:00:23 GMT -7
Dry Heat, In the Cards, and 1 more like this
Post by End Zone on Sept 12, 2020 4:00:23 GMT -7
Hello, everyone. Welcome to the Forum’s first Game Day thread of 2020. Today’s Game Day thread is dedicated to “Westgate”, a valued and long-time Arizona Cardinals Fan Forum member and avid Cardinals fan for many years.
The Arizona Cardinals open the 2020 season on the road at the San Francisco 49ers on September 13, 2020. This will be the 58th game between the two franchises. Game start time is 4:25pm, EDT. The game will be broadcast on FOX network at local stations only. Check your satellite TV and radio networks for other options. I’ll be plugged in at SiriusXM and the NFL Network Red Zone. Team records: Arizona, 0 W and 0 L; San Francisco, 0 W and 0 L. As of Thursday night, the Las Vegas betting line has SF giving 7 points (-7). The over/under (o/u) is 48.
Due to COVID-19 concerns and State of California crowd size restrictions, there is no in-person attendance at this game. Additionally, the game is threatened by poor air quality due to wildfires near the stadium and city of Santa Clara. As of late Friday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was optimistic the situation would not worsen and the Sunday afternoon game can be played. He reported “It looks a little worse where we’re at right now than it actually is…it all depends on which way the wind is blowing…the sky looks really bad where we’re at, but the air quality [index] is under 100.” If the index hits 200, Shanahan said the team is not allowed to be outside nor play football. Game day weather forecast at Levi Stadium: 76F, sunny (w/ haze and smoke), wind NW 6 mph, humidity 50%. Chance of rain: zero.
Civil unrest, COVID-19, wildfires, and apocalyptic skies cannot dampen true American football fans’ enthusiasm for the national pastime, the NFL. The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers are excited about the home opener against the upgraded and confident Arizona Cardinals. However, some big-name players from the 2019 team are gone and pre-season injuries have unsettled the opening day roster. Still, the 49ers remain potent on both sides of the ball. Equally excited about the season and establishing winner credentials is the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray starts his sophomore year with a potent supporting cast on offense ready to rumble down the field on every play and score points. DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Kenyan Drake headline Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid juggernaut. On defense, Chandler Jones is set to break the NFL sack record in 2020. And the sky is the limit on rookie Isaiah Simmons potential to wreak havoc all over the field of play.
For those members interested in big data analytics, the Cardinals have a projected Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) of 1.0% and ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) score of -1.2. The Niners have a projected DVOA of 4.7% and ESPN FPI of 4.9. The Las Vegas guys know these numbers and set predictions accordingly. In 2019, the Cardinals scored 361 points while the 49ers scored 479 points. 5-win teams typically do not score over 360 points in a season—clearly, the Cardinals had other issues than just scoring points. First downs on offense were close, 314 compared to 336. A glaring deficiency for the Cardinals offense was 3rd down conversions at 36% compared to the 49ers 45%. Worse for the Cardinals was the wishy-washy defense, allowing opponents to convert on a whopping 46.7% of 3rd down attempts. QB times sacked – Yards lost comparisons were notable, 50-320 versus 36-237. Rack that gross statistic up to a rookie QB (Kyler Murray) learning the faster pro game and him working behind a terrible Offensive line for 16 games. Here’s a statistic that the Cardinals would love to exploit again: Fumbles-Lost. Cardinals had 9 fumbles and just 6 lost, while the 49ers had 19 fumbles and 10 lost. For 2019 rankings, if anyone cares, the Cardinals offense averaged 341.7 YPG (ranked 21st), and the 49ers offense averaged 381.1 YPG (ranked 4th). Are you sitting down Cardinals fans? On defense, the Cardinals yielded 402.0 YPG (ranked 32nd), while the 49ers yielded 281.8 YPG (ranked 2nd). The Cardinals defense could not get its butt off the field in 2019. That’s the history.
Refereeing and penalty calls are major unknowns this 2020 season. 10% of the zebras are new faces and none of the crews have practiced at game day situations until now. Pass interference rules are again changed; results pending. Last season, the Cardinals offense committed 121 penalties for 956 yards. The 49ers offense committed 105 penalties for 939 yards. On defense, the Cardinals committed 114 penalties for 1041 yards. The 49ers defense committed 116 penalties for 957 yards.
San Francisco owns the overall series record versus Arizona, 31-26. The teams have played 57 contests across the decades. Since 2014, Arizona beat San Francisco at 9 of 12 games, but lost both games in 2019, 28 to 25 and 36 to 26. Most games are competitive. There have been 5 overtime (OT) games since 2003, with Arizona winning 2 of 5. The last OT game was October 1, 2017, won by Arizona at home, 18 to 15.
Injury report (9/12). Arizona: Out – Josh Jones, ankle. Maxx Williams experienced a slight ankle sprain early in the week but was at full strength by Friday.
Injury report (9/12). San Francisco: Out – Deebo Samuel, foot; Jason Verrett, hamstring. Questionable – Brandon Aiyuk, hamstring, and Ben Garland, ankle.
The San Francisco 49ers is the team to beat in the NFC West. The team expects to win the Division and return to the Super Bowl and avenge its 4th quarter meltdown and shocking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether the Super Bowl hangover is myth or real, the upstart Cardinals will play tough against the 49ers at their house and give them no credit that is not earned. Fact: The 49ers have failed to cover the spread versus the Cardinals in 5 straight games (warning -- don’t bet the house mortgage payment on a -7 spread!). And most recent 49ers wins were aided by miracle acts or odd ball bounces. Meaning, if the Cardinals execute all plays well, especially on offense where they have distinct WR advantages, the teams are balanced. Bottom line: This will be a close game on the scoreboard with many points scored. My o/u is 60+. I like the Cardinals chances to open minds and win a close game on the road at the 49ers house. Murray is a legitimate All-Pro QB threat along with All-Pro Hopkins. Both men are ready to play pitch and catch all day long against a top-flight 49ers defense.
Let’s all have a fun and an entertaining game on Sunday. No major injuries to any players. The NFL will highlight social justice issues and the players will acknowledge current events at the start of the game. Otherwise, it’s GAME ON!
The Arizona Cardinals open the 2020 season on the road at the San Francisco 49ers on September 13, 2020. This will be the 58th game between the two franchises. Game start time is 4:25pm, EDT. The game will be broadcast on FOX network at local stations only. Check your satellite TV and radio networks for other options. I’ll be plugged in at SiriusXM and the NFL Network Red Zone. Team records: Arizona, 0 W and 0 L; San Francisco, 0 W and 0 L. As of Thursday night, the Las Vegas betting line has SF giving 7 points (-7). The over/under (o/u) is 48.
Due to COVID-19 concerns and State of California crowd size restrictions, there is no in-person attendance at this game. Additionally, the game is threatened by poor air quality due to wildfires near the stadium and city of Santa Clara. As of late Friday, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan was optimistic the situation would not worsen and the Sunday afternoon game can be played. He reported “It looks a little worse where we’re at right now than it actually is…it all depends on which way the wind is blowing…the sky looks really bad where we’re at, but the air quality [index] is under 100.” If the index hits 200, Shanahan said the team is not allowed to be outside nor play football. Game day weather forecast at Levi Stadium: 76F, sunny (w/ haze and smoke), wind NW 6 mph, humidity 50%. Chance of rain: zero.
Civil unrest, COVID-19, wildfires, and apocalyptic skies cannot dampen true American football fans’ enthusiasm for the national pastime, the NFL. The defending NFC champion San Francisco 49ers are excited about the home opener against the upgraded and confident Arizona Cardinals. However, some big-name players from the 2019 team are gone and pre-season injuries have unsettled the opening day roster. Still, the 49ers remain potent on both sides of the ball. Equally excited about the season and establishing winner credentials is the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterback Kyler Murray starts his sophomore year with a potent supporting cast on offense ready to rumble down the field on every play and score points. DeAndre Hopkins, Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, and Kenyan Drake headline Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid juggernaut. On defense, Chandler Jones is set to break the NFL sack record in 2020. And the sky is the limit on rookie Isaiah Simmons potential to wreak havoc all over the field of play.
For those members interested in big data analytics, the Cardinals have a projected Defense-Adjusted Value Over Average (DVOA) of 1.0% and ESPN Football Power Index (FPI) score of -1.2. The Niners have a projected DVOA of 4.7% and ESPN FPI of 4.9. The Las Vegas guys know these numbers and set predictions accordingly. In 2019, the Cardinals scored 361 points while the 49ers scored 479 points. 5-win teams typically do not score over 360 points in a season—clearly, the Cardinals had other issues than just scoring points. First downs on offense were close, 314 compared to 336. A glaring deficiency for the Cardinals offense was 3rd down conversions at 36% compared to the 49ers 45%. Worse for the Cardinals was the wishy-washy defense, allowing opponents to convert on a whopping 46.7% of 3rd down attempts. QB times sacked – Yards lost comparisons were notable, 50-320 versus 36-237. Rack that gross statistic up to a rookie QB (Kyler Murray) learning the faster pro game and him working behind a terrible Offensive line for 16 games. Here’s a statistic that the Cardinals would love to exploit again: Fumbles-Lost. Cardinals had 9 fumbles and just 6 lost, while the 49ers had 19 fumbles and 10 lost. For 2019 rankings, if anyone cares, the Cardinals offense averaged 341.7 YPG (ranked 21st), and the 49ers offense averaged 381.1 YPG (ranked 4th). Are you sitting down Cardinals fans? On defense, the Cardinals yielded 402.0 YPG (ranked 32nd), while the 49ers yielded 281.8 YPG (ranked 2nd). The Cardinals defense could not get its butt off the field in 2019. That’s the history.
Refereeing and penalty calls are major unknowns this 2020 season. 10% of the zebras are new faces and none of the crews have practiced at game day situations until now. Pass interference rules are again changed; results pending. Last season, the Cardinals offense committed 121 penalties for 956 yards. The 49ers offense committed 105 penalties for 939 yards. On defense, the Cardinals committed 114 penalties for 1041 yards. The 49ers defense committed 116 penalties for 957 yards.
San Francisco owns the overall series record versus Arizona, 31-26. The teams have played 57 contests across the decades. Since 2014, Arizona beat San Francisco at 9 of 12 games, but lost both games in 2019, 28 to 25 and 36 to 26. Most games are competitive. There have been 5 overtime (OT) games since 2003, with Arizona winning 2 of 5. The last OT game was October 1, 2017, won by Arizona at home, 18 to 15.
Injury report (9/12). Arizona: Out – Josh Jones, ankle. Maxx Williams experienced a slight ankle sprain early in the week but was at full strength by Friday.
Injury report (9/12). San Francisco: Out – Deebo Samuel, foot; Jason Verrett, hamstring. Questionable – Brandon Aiyuk, hamstring, and Ben Garland, ankle.
The San Francisco 49ers is the team to beat in the NFC West. The team expects to win the Division and return to the Super Bowl and avenge its 4th quarter meltdown and shocking loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Whether the Super Bowl hangover is myth or real, the upstart Cardinals will play tough against the 49ers at their house and give them no credit that is not earned. Fact: The 49ers have failed to cover the spread versus the Cardinals in 5 straight games (warning -- don’t bet the house mortgage payment on a -7 spread!). And most recent 49ers wins were aided by miracle acts or odd ball bounces. Meaning, if the Cardinals execute all plays well, especially on offense where they have distinct WR advantages, the teams are balanced. Bottom line: This will be a close game on the scoreboard with many points scored. My o/u is 60+. I like the Cardinals chances to open minds and win a close game on the road at the 49ers house. Murray is a legitimate All-Pro QB threat along with All-Pro Hopkins. Both men are ready to play pitch and catch all day long against a top-flight 49ers defense.
Let’s all have a fun and an entertaining game on Sunday. No major injuries to any players. The NFL will highlight social justice issues and the players will acknowledge current events at the start of the game. Otherwise, it’s GAME ON!