49ers-Cardinals: The Importance Of Starting Strong

After the second touchdown of the night to put the 49ers up 14-3, the Cardinals looked like a defeated football team. I mean, they weren't looking great from the onset, but looking at the face of Larry FItzgerald, seeing the body language of Beanie Wells and the almost tired laughing from Derek Anderson made me realize that they knew what was going on. They were a beaten team, at least that's what I saw from where I was sitting.

It's open to interpretation as to whether or not they really were beaten, and I'm certainly no expert on reading body language, but I'll stick to guns on this front. The 49ers got things started with 14 points in the first quarter, Frank Gore and Brian Westbrook doing things on the opening drive like they should. Shane Andrus then missed a field goal, but they proved they could move downfield and proceeded to do it again twice in the quarter.

Their fast start took the Cardinals out of their gameplan, and they had to stop running the ball completely. They had 11 rushing attempts yesterday and probably would have had more if they were allowed to play their game. They did only have 13 rushing yards, so it might not have made much of a difference, but the important thing is that the 49ers kept the ball in Derek Anderson's less-than-capable hands, and didn't have to worry much about stopping the run. They focused all their efforts to stop Anderson, and it paid off.

They need to continue doing that going forward. Against the Green Bay Packers, knowing what they're going to be doing on the offensive side of the ball will be key. They're a very talented team who can beat you a number of ways offensively, taking away some of those options will be one of the best things the Niners can do to help their cause, and scoring early will do that.