Official Game Day Thread SF @ ARZ Saturday December 26
Dec 21, 2020 7:49:56 GMT -7
thomas cat likes this
Post by End Zone on Dec 21, 2020 7:49:56 GMT -7
The GDT is completed. Enjoy!
C. J. Beathard Biography.pdf (818.91 KB)
Hello and welcome to the Forum’s 15th Game Day thread of 2020. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to be a “Good Santa” in someone’s life this week. Giving and sharing are probably the most rewarding things a person can do for another person. Perhaps the 49ers will read this GDT and be in a sharing mood on Saturday, December 26th. If the 49ers Offense shares the football often, that would be so thoughtful. I can think of no team more deserving of 49ers freebies than the Cardinals!
A lot happened last Sunday. Because of the Cardinals (8-6) nail-bitter win over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 20th, the team is in complete control of its post-season future. The Cardinals do not need another team to win or lose in order for the Cardinals to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. If the standings did not change at all, the Cardinals would travel to New Orleans for the first WC game in 3 weeks.
Beating the 49ers and Rams the next 2 weekends is certainly a difficult task but not beyond the Cardinals abilities; much will change across the NFL rankings in the next week or so. Another milestone also was achieved on December 20th: The Cardinals are accurately and safely a ‘winning’ team again. The Cardinals will finish the 2020 regular season at .500 or above for the first time since 2017, when the team finished 8-8. 2017 was Bruce Arians final year as Cardinals HC. He then ‘retired’ to Tampa, FL. Lastly, I share this important fact: For the first time in the Cardinals century-long history, the Cardinals beat the 4 NFC East teams in the same season. The Washington Football Team, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles all lost to the mighty Arizona Cardinals. Now it is those teams’ turn to pay respects to the superior Cardinals. I love it!
*** Game Day Viewing Head Up ***. Saturday’s game is the Cardinals final regular season home game. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved forward 24 hours and into a primetime Saturday viewing slot due to a new NFL contract with billionaire Jeff Bezos and Amazon, Inc, signed last April. The new mega-millions contract is exclusive, meaning the game broadcast is restricted to Amazon Prime Video and maybe some Verizon customers with Yahoo Sports apps. I will sign up for Amazon Prime and the 30-day free trial so that I can watch the game. I do not know if the NFL's Red Zone can even carry parts of the game--I doubt it though. Alternate viewing methods maybe be available to members – I leave that up to you to figure out.
Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. Venue of course is State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. Coverage is provided by Amazon Prime Video. Per early-week Vegas money guys, Arizona is giving -2.5 points as of December 21st. I don’t see that line moving unless a COVID-19 catastrophe hits either team. ARZ had 2 key injuries vs. the Eagles. LB Gardeck “The Barbarian” and TE Maxx Williams are questionable for Saturday. I have no injury info on SF. O/U is not yet announced, but should come in at about 49.5-50.5. ESPN's Matchup Predictor (Dec 23rd) projects the Cardinals with a 59.2% chance of winning, and the 49ers with a 40.5% chance of winning, and a .03% chance of a tie game -- that prediction is based on Mullens starting, and he is already ruled "OUT" for Saturday's game. ESPN is behind in its work. Other sports sites give the Cardinals a .78% chance of winning, and the 49ers a .22% chance of winning. *** I also just saw this line change on December 21st – the odds of the Cardinals winning Super Bowl LV has moved, now at 1/5500. A $1 bet could return $5500, if you can find anyone take the bet. Some more early-week Vegas numbers to consider: SF is just 1-5 against the spread in the last 6 games, meaning the team is having increased O/D/ST problems. ARZ is not doing much better, just 2-4 beating the spread in its last 6 games.
49ers QB Update. Most of you know by now that QB C. J. Beathard, #3, will start for the 49ers-- his biography is provided at the top of this GDT (see .pdf). QB Mullens was ruled OUT per latest injury report and QB Garrapolo is on IR. QB Josh Rosen was signed as Beathard's backup on Tuesday this past week. Rosen was on the Tampa Bay Buc's Practice Squad (PS) and has yet to play a single down in 2020. In 2019, Rosen played with the Dolphins, appearing in 6 games and starting 3 games. Rosen's career statistics: Played in 20 games, started 16 games, completed 54.8% of his passes, averaged 142.3 yards per game, and a QB rating of 63.5. He has 12 TDs and 19 INTs. Rosen was the Cardinals NFL Draft first round pick (#10) in 2018.
What is there to know about C. J. Beathard? He is 6.2", 215lbs, age 27, and has 4 years in the NFL. He played college football at Iowa. In his first career start vs. Dallas on October 22, 2017, Beathard completed 22 of 38 passes for 235 yards. Beathard later played vs. the NY Giants on November 12, 2017, hitting long passes for 83 and 47 yards.
Beathard's career statistics since 2017. Games played: 17. Started: 10. Passes completed: 253. Attempts: 438. Total yards: 3014. Avg yards per pass: 6.88. Total TDs: 14. Total INTs: 13. Bottom line: C. J. Beathard can be effective vs. average-to-weak pass defenses.
For 2020, Beathard has 2 TDs, 0 INTs, for 332 yards, and a 99.5 Rating. Last week vs. Dallas, Beathard hit 5 of 7 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD. On the final play of the game, he tossed a successful "Hail Mary" 49-yard TD pass to #84, TE Kendrick bourne. Early in the season, vs. the Dolphins, Beathard hit 9 of 18 passes for 94 yards and 1 TD, and vs. the Eagles, Beathard hit 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards. Beathard was sacked 3 times this season; however, he will run if the DLine breaks down.
O/D/ST Statistics. SF is averaging 23.1 points per game, tied for 20th in the NFL, and giving up 23.9 points per game, 14th in the NFL. ARZ is averaging 27.5 PPG, 10th in the NFL, and giving up 23.3 PPG, 13th in the NFL.
SF played an interesting game at DAL on December 20th, scoring 33 points in a losing effort. Some key takeaways from SF’s O/D/ST last week: (Rushing) Mostert 14/68, Wilson 16/60, Coleman 3/11, Mullens 1/7. Mullens is almost strictly a pocket QB. (Passing) Mullens 21/36 219 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, rating 71.4. (Receiving) Aiyuk 13 targets, 9 receptions, 73 yards, Bourne 4 targets, 4 receptions, 86 yards, James 7 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards, Reed 5 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards. (Punting) Wishnowsky 4, 46.5 avg. Offense 3rd down efficiency 6-15 40%. Penalties 4 for 39 yards. FGs 2 for 2. Red Zone efficiency 3 of 4, 75%. Sacks 2 by Armstead. SF TOP 34:56. 2 SF turnovers early in the game forced SF to play catchup with DAL all day.
The Cardinals and 49ers last played on September 13, 2020, with the Cardinals stunning the 49ers in their house, 24-20, and with a heroic 4th quarter defensive effort deep in the Cardinals end of the field led by DB Budda Baker & Crew as time ran out. At that time, the 49ers were picked by most sports media sites to crush the Cardinals and many other teams and easily repeat as the NFC champions. Hey 49ers fans, how did that media suck-up turn out? I really feel sorry for all 49ers fans. Just kidding! Let me review how things were 4 months ago. COVID-19 was scaring the bejesus out of many folks. Civil unrest, wildfires, and hurricanes were frontpage stuff. Per Vegas, SF was giving -7.0 points to the ARZ at that game. Supposed powerful SF (4th ranked offense, 479 total points scored, 45% 3rd down efficiency in 2019) and QB Garoppolo was picked to bury ARZ (21st ranked offense, 361 points scored, 36% 3rd down efficiency) and sophomore QB Kyler Murray who was sacked over 50 times behind a terrible Offensive line. The stingy 2nd ranked SF Defense had given up just 281.8 YPG while the porous 32nd ranked ARZ Defense had donated 402 YPG in 2019. That is all changed by 2020.
How far back can we trace the history between the Cardinals and the 49ers? Well, how about to November 18, 1951, the second year that the 49ers were in the NFL (I was almost 1 year-old that November). The then Chicago Cardinals visited the San Francisco 49ers at Kezar Stadium, CA, and literally ran away with the game, 27-21, on the legs of Halfback Charley Trippi wearing jersey #62. Mr. Trippi, a member of the Cardinals championship team of 1947, would later be enshrined in the NFL HOF and have his name permanently placed on the Cardinals Ring of Honor. In that first meeting between the Cardinals and 49ers, both teams averaged more than 5 yards per carry as the visiting Cardinals out-rushed the 49ers, 248 yards to 231 yards—479 yards total on the ground! Trivia Question: What 2 teams set the record for most yards gained rushing in a single game and what was the yardage? The answer is at the end of this GDT. The Cardinals would not revisit the 49ers at Kezar Stadium until 1964, when again the Cardinals had their way with the 49ers, this time 23-13. Perhaps the most amazing game between the two teams occurred in 2007, when QB Kurt Warner hit 34 of 48 passes for 484 yards, WR Larry Fitzgerald pulled down 2 TD passes and amassed 156 yards, and K Neil Rackers hit a FG at the end of regulation time to win the game.
The two teams have never met in the playoffs. To this day, the Cardinals and 49ers still share the 1-game fan attendance record of 103,000 fans at Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, the NFL’s foreign debut in 2005. The Cardinals won that game, 31-14, and became the first NFL team to win a game on foreign soil.
Where are the 2 teams today? SF is the NFC West doormat and will own that collar at least until the next season ends. Awwww, shucks. Dormat SF! Say it isn’t so! ARZ can do no worse than 3rd place in the tough NFC West Division and might even move up to the 2nd spot if LAR or SEA stumbles in the next 2 weeks. SF continues to own the overall 58-game head-to-head record, 31-27. ARZ always plays SF tough, having now won 10 of the last 13 contests. ARZ can sweep SF 2-0 on Saturday and return the 0-2 favor from 2019. Of note, SF and ARZ seem to like OT games. Since 2003, there have been 5 OT games, with the Cardinals winning 2 of 5. The last OT game was October 1, 2017, with ARZ winning, 18-15. No game ever ended in a tie.
The “White Hat” Referee for the game is Clete Blakeman, #34. He has officiated since 2008 and refereed NFL games since 2010. He worked at Super Bowl XLVIII, and refereed Super Bowl 50 in 2016 when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. His Referee record is superb. Clete Blakeman last worked a Cardinals game on October 19, 2020, when the Cardinals played the Cowboys at Dallas. Blakeman's crew tossed 7 flags (-43 yards) on the Cowboys, and toss 6 flags (-36 yards) on the Cardinals. The Cardinals easily dominated and won that game, 38-10.
Game day weather for State Farm Stadium on December 26th: kickoff temperature 67F, skies sunny, wind almost calm, and zero chance of rain. I bet a Benjamin that the roof will be open and the cool fresh desert air flowing. The stadium will be mostly empty except for players and a few staff and families. There will be the usual piped-in friendly crowd noise.
As of December 26th, FLCF and I will ensure the injury reports and active rosters are posted prior to kickoff. At this point in the season, the player active roster and PS roster merry-go-round is spinning fast. Injuries can be positive COVID hits. Players must pass pre-game and game day COVID tests to travel and play. There can be roster churn at the last minute.
NFL confirms that the game can be seen at Amazon Prime Video and heard at NFL Game Pass, Westwood One
, and Sirius XM.
SFS has excellent grass turf with a reputation for high speed and low drag. Conditions will be perfect for the final regular season football game. Let’s not have any injuries to 49ers and Cardinals players. Be safe. Stay safe. Go Cardinals! Win #9 by any means possible.
Trivia Answer: Most yards gained rushing by 2 teams and when? The Los Angeles Rams piled up 371 yards. The now defunct New York Yanks piled up 224 yards. This feat occurred on November 18, 1951. The record of 595 combined rushing yards for 2 teams stands today and is very unlikely to ever be broken. That record romp coincidentally occurred the same day the Cardinals and 49ers also set their head-to-head combined rushing record of 497 yards.
Go Cardinals! 2020 Playoffs, here we come!
C. J. Beathard Biography.pdf (818.91 KB)
Hello and welcome to the Forum’s 15th Game Day thread of 2020. I hope that everyone has the opportunity to be a “Good Santa” in someone’s life this week. Giving and sharing are probably the most rewarding things a person can do for another person. Perhaps the 49ers will read this GDT and be in a sharing mood on Saturday, December 26th. If the 49ers Offense shares the football often, that would be so thoughtful. I can think of no team more deserving of 49ers freebies than the Cardinals!
A lot happened last Sunday. Because of the Cardinals (8-6) nail-bitter win over the Philadelphia Eagles on December 20th, the team is in complete control of its post-season future. The Cardinals do not need another team to win or lose in order for the Cardinals to make the playoffs as a Wild Card team. If the standings did not change at all, the Cardinals would travel to New Orleans for the first WC game in 3 weeks.
Beating the 49ers and Rams the next 2 weekends is certainly a difficult task but not beyond the Cardinals abilities; much will change across the NFL rankings in the next week or so. Another milestone also was achieved on December 20th: The Cardinals are accurately and safely a ‘winning’ team again. The Cardinals will finish the 2020 regular season at .500 or above for the first time since 2017, when the team finished 8-8. 2017 was Bruce Arians final year as Cardinals HC. He then ‘retired’ to Tampa, FL. Lastly, I share this important fact: For the first time in the Cardinals century-long history, the Cardinals beat the 4 NFC East teams in the same season. The Washington Football Team, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, and Philadelphia Eagles all lost to the mighty Arizona Cardinals. Now it is those teams’ turn to pay respects to the superior Cardinals. I love it!
*** Game Day Viewing Head Up ***. Saturday’s game is the Cardinals final regular season home game. The game was originally scheduled for Sunday, but was moved forward 24 hours and into a primetime Saturday viewing slot due to a new NFL contract with billionaire Jeff Bezos and Amazon, Inc, signed last April. The new mega-millions contract is exclusive, meaning the game broadcast is restricted to Amazon Prime Video and maybe some Verizon customers with Yahoo Sports apps. I will sign up for Amazon Prime and the 30-day free trial so that I can watch the game. I do not know if the NFL's Red Zone can even carry parts of the game--I doubt it though. Alternate viewing methods maybe be available to members – I leave that up to you to figure out.
Kickoff is 4:30 p.m. EST on Saturday. Venue of course is State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ. Coverage is provided by Amazon Prime Video. Per early-week Vegas money guys, Arizona is giving -2.5 points as of December 21st. I don’t see that line moving unless a COVID-19 catastrophe hits either team. ARZ had 2 key injuries vs. the Eagles. LB Gardeck “The Barbarian” and TE Maxx Williams are questionable for Saturday. I have no injury info on SF. O/U is not yet announced, but should come in at about 49.5-50.5. ESPN's Matchup Predictor (Dec 23rd) projects the Cardinals with a 59.2% chance of winning, and the 49ers with a 40.5% chance of winning, and a .03% chance of a tie game -- that prediction is based on Mullens starting, and he is already ruled "OUT" for Saturday's game. ESPN is behind in its work. Other sports sites give the Cardinals a .78% chance of winning, and the 49ers a .22% chance of winning. *** I also just saw this line change on December 21st – the odds of the Cardinals winning Super Bowl LV has moved, now at 1/5500. A $1 bet could return $5500, if you can find anyone take the bet. Some more early-week Vegas numbers to consider: SF is just 1-5 against the spread in the last 6 games, meaning the team is having increased O/D/ST problems. ARZ is not doing much better, just 2-4 beating the spread in its last 6 games.
49ers QB Update. Most of you know by now that QB C. J. Beathard, #3, will start for the 49ers-- his biography is provided at the top of this GDT (see .pdf). QB Mullens was ruled OUT per latest injury report and QB Garrapolo is on IR. QB Josh Rosen was signed as Beathard's backup on Tuesday this past week. Rosen was on the Tampa Bay Buc's Practice Squad (PS) and has yet to play a single down in 2020. In 2019, Rosen played with the Dolphins, appearing in 6 games and starting 3 games. Rosen's career statistics: Played in 20 games, started 16 games, completed 54.8% of his passes, averaged 142.3 yards per game, and a QB rating of 63.5. He has 12 TDs and 19 INTs. Rosen was the Cardinals NFL Draft first round pick (#10) in 2018.
What is there to know about C. J. Beathard? He is 6.2", 215lbs, age 27, and has 4 years in the NFL. He played college football at Iowa. In his first career start vs. Dallas on October 22, 2017, Beathard completed 22 of 38 passes for 235 yards. Beathard later played vs. the NY Giants on November 12, 2017, hitting long passes for 83 and 47 yards.
Beathard's career statistics since 2017. Games played: 17. Started: 10. Passes completed: 253. Attempts: 438. Total yards: 3014. Avg yards per pass: 6.88. Total TDs: 14. Total INTs: 13. Bottom line: C. J. Beathard can be effective vs. average-to-weak pass defenses.
For 2020, Beathard has 2 TDs, 0 INTs, for 332 yards, and a 99.5 Rating. Last week vs. Dallas, Beathard hit 5 of 7 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD. On the final play of the game, he tossed a successful "Hail Mary" 49-yard TD pass to #84, TE Kendrick bourne. Early in the season, vs. the Dolphins, Beathard hit 9 of 18 passes for 94 yards and 1 TD, and vs. the Eagles, Beathard hit 14 of 19 passes for 138 yards. Beathard was sacked 3 times this season; however, he will run if the DLine breaks down.
O/D/ST Statistics. SF is averaging 23.1 points per game, tied for 20th in the NFL, and giving up 23.9 points per game, 14th in the NFL. ARZ is averaging 27.5 PPG, 10th in the NFL, and giving up 23.3 PPG, 13th in the NFL.
SF played an interesting game at DAL on December 20th, scoring 33 points in a losing effort. Some key takeaways from SF’s O/D/ST last week: (Rushing) Mostert 14/68, Wilson 16/60, Coleman 3/11, Mullens 1/7. Mullens is almost strictly a pocket QB. (Passing) Mullens 21/36 219 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT, rating 71.4. (Receiving) Aiyuk 13 targets, 9 receptions, 73 yards, Bourne 4 targets, 4 receptions, 86 yards, James 7 targets, 4 receptions, 56 yards, Reed 5 targets, 2 receptions, 18 yards. (Punting) Wishnowsky 4, 46.5 avg. Offense 3rd down efficiency 6-15 40%. Penalties 4 for 39 yards. FGs 2 for 2. Red Zone efficiency 3 of 4, 75%. Sacks 2 by Armstead. SF TOP 34:56. 2 SF turnovers early in the game forced SF to play catchup with DAL all day.
The Cardinals and 49ers last played on September 13, 2020, with the Cardinals stunning the 49ers in their house, 24-20, and with a heroic 4th quarter defensive effort deep in the Cardinals end of the field led by DB Budda Baker & Crew as time ran out. At that time, the 49ers were picked by most sports media sites to crush the Cardinals and many other teams and easily repeat as the NFC champions. Hey 49ers fans, how did that media suck-up turn out? I really feel sorry for all 49ers fans. Just kidding! Let me review how things were 4 months ago. COVID-19 was scaring the bejesus out of many folks. Civil unrest, wildfires, and hurricanes were frontpage stuff. Per Vegas, SF was giving -7.0 points to the ARZ at that game. Supposed powerful SF (4th ranked offense, 479 total points scored, 45% 3rd down efficiency in 2019) and QB Garoppolo was picked to bury ARZ (21st ranked offense, 361 points scored, 36% 3rd down efficiency) and sophomore QB Kyler Murray who was sacked over 50 times behind a terrible Offensive line. The stingy 2nd ranked SF Defense had given up just 281.8 YPG while the porous 32nd ranked ARZ Defense had donated 402 YPG in 2019. That is all changed by 2020.
How far back can we trace the history between the Cardinals and the 49ers? Well, how about to November 18, 1951, the second year that the 49ers were in the NFL (I was almost 1 year-old that November). The then Chicago Cardinals visited the San Francisco 49ers at Kezar Stadium, CA, and literally ran away with the game, 27-21, on the legs of Halfback Charley Trippi wearing jersey #62. Mr. Trippi, a member of the Cardinals championship team of 1947, would later be enshrined in the NFL HOF and have his name permanently placed on the Cardinals Ring of Honor. In that first meeting between the Cardinals and 49ers, both teams averaged more than 5 yards per carry as the visiting Cardinals out-rushed the 49ers, 248 yards to 231 yards—479 yards total on the ground! Trivia Question: What 2 teams set the record for most yards gained rushing in a single game and what was the yardage? The answer is at the end of this GDT. The Cardinals would not revisit the 49ers at Kezar Stadium until 1964, when again the Cardinals had their way with the 49ers, this time 23-13. Perhaps the most amazing game between the two teams occurred in 2007, when QB Kurt Warner hit 34 of 48 passes for 484 yards, WR Larry Fitzgerald pulled down 2 TD passes and amassed 156 yards, and K Neil Rackers hit a FG at the end of regulation time to win the game.
The two teams have never met in the playoffs. To this day, the Cardinals and 49ers still share the 1-game fan attendance record of 103,000 fans at Azteca Stadium, Mexico City, the NFL’s foreign debut in 2005. The Cardinals won that game, 31-14, and became the first NFL team to win a game on foreign soil.
Where are the 2 teams today? SF is the NFC West doormat and will own that collar at least until the next season ends. Awwww, shucks. Dormat SF! Say it isn’t so! ARZ can do no worse than 3rd place in the tough NFC West Division and might even move up to the 2nd spot if LAR or SEA stumbles in the next 2 weeks. SF continues to own the overall 58-game head-to-head record, 31-27. ARZ always plays SF tough, having now won 10 of the last 13 contests. ARZ can sweep SF 2-0 on Saturday and return the 0-2 favor from 2019. Of note, SF and ARZ seem to like OT games. Since 2003, there have been 5 OT games, with the Cardinals winning 2 of 5. The last OT game was October 1, 2017, with ARZ winning, 18-15. No game ever ended in a tie.
The “White Hat” Referee for the game is Clete Blakeman, #34. He has officiated since 2008 and refereed NFL games since 2010. He worked at Super Bowl XLVIII, and refereed Super Bowl 50 in 2016 when the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers, 24-10. His Referee record is superb. Clete Blakeman last worked a Cardinals game on October 19, 2020, when the Cardinals played the Cowboys at Dallas. Blakeman's crew tossed 7 flags (-43 yards) on the Cowboys, and toss 6 flags (-36 yards) on the Cardinals. The Cardinals easily dominated and won that game, 38-10.
Game day weather for State Farm Stadium on December 26th: kickoff temperature 67F, skies sunny, wind almost calm, and zero chance of rain. I bet a Benjamin that the roof will be open and the cool fresh desert air flowing. The stadium will be mostly empty except for players and a few staff and families. There will be the usual piped-in friendly crowd noise.
As of December 26th, FLCF and I will ensure the injury reports and active rosters are posted prior to kickoff. At this point in the season, the player active roster and PS roster merry-go-round is spinning fast. Injuries can be positive COVID hits. Players must pass pre-game and game day COVID tests to travel and play. There can be roster churn at the last minute.
NFL confirms that the game can be seen at Amazon Prime Video and heard at NFL Game Pass, Westwood One
, and Sirius XM.
SFS has excellent grass turf with a reputation for high speed and low drag. Conditions will be perfect for the final regular season football game. Let’s not have any injuries to 49ers and Cardinals players. Be safe. Stay safe. Go Cardinals! Win #9 by any means possible.
Trivia Answer: Most yards gained rushing by 2 teams and when? The Los Angeles Rams piled up 371 yards. The now defunct New York Yanks piled up 224 yards. This feat occurred on November 18, 1951. The record of 595 combined rushing yards for 2 teams stands today and is very unlikely to ever be broken. That record romp coincidentally occurred the same day the Cardinals and 49ers also set their head-to-head combined rushing record of 497 yards.
Go Cardinals! 2020 Playoffs, here we come!