Niners Nation
Victory Monday is always easier when the San Francisco 49ers don’t just win, aren’t just in contention for something, but are in first place in the NFC West.
The 16-15 win over the Cardinals capped what was a boring game. The play on the field was sloppy, and the 49ers still have a lot of work to do if they want to make any noise in January. That said, they are 3-0, one game ahead in the NFC West, and words cannot begin to describe what wins like the first three of 2025 will do for the younger players and the team morale as a whole. Blowouts are fun, but these kinds of games build confidence.
It’s also important to note the 49ers are 3-0 and they. Aren’t. Healthy! To critique them now means you have to acknowledge that this team is a massive work in progress. Once they get those pieces back on offense and defense, we might see a different team.
So the 49ers are 3-0, with two division wins. So a quarter of the divisional games are done, and the 49ers are halfway to their win total of 2024. Unless they lose the rest of the schedule, the 49ers’ 2025 season isn’t the nightmare it was in 2024.
We’ve seen this movie before. If you recall 2024, the Cardinals were the team that revealed something was seriously off with the 2024 49ers. And with the way their 16-15 loss against the 49ers was playing out Sunday, you felt like you knew the ending. This sequel had a few differences:
The obvious one is that the 49ers won the game. But there also wasn’t a defense not knowing if they should chase Kyler Murray or let him lollipop the ball in the air.
It is worth mentioning that the 49ers benefited from numerous Cardinals miscues. A few crucial drops would have changed the outcome of the game. The 49ers also had some key drops, but they won, so it’s just a matter of who made the fewest mistakes.
This is important to keep in mind because when the teams meet again, the 49ers might not be so lucky. The Cardinals might drill that field goal early on. They might complete those deep throws on busted coverages rather than drop it. They might not have their star running back carted off the field in a brutal injury.
Kyler Murray had a very Kyler Murray day, completing 22 of 35 attempts for 159 yards. The Cardinals had 259 yards of total offense, including a touchdown that resulted from a 49ers pass interference call. That makes it three straight games the Cardinals have failed to get over 300 yards of offense. Before we heap praise on the 49ers defense (which did have themselves a day), it’s important to note the context of the Cardinals offense—because it was pretty bad.
In any case, the Cardinals are now 2-1 with their loss to the 49ers. A game that you...
