Golden Nuggets: Off To The Desert

The Niners head to Arizona this week to take on the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals. The Niners will have to shake off their loss against the Bears because the Cardinals are no slouches. Their defense will come prepared to play. We don't know who the QB for Arizona will be, but neither strikes much fear. The Niners defense have played reasonably well until the 4th quarter Sunday and they weren't helped by the offense. The defense is definitely missing Aldon Smith. They couldn't get to Jay Cutler much on Sunday. They recorded only 1 sack. Skuta, Lemonier, and Lynch will need to step up their game and get some pressure on QBs.

The offense will need to jumpstart itself in Arizona and they may have to do it without Vernon Davis. According to reports, he escaped any serious injuries, but he may still not be ready this week. They could also be without his backup Vance McDonald, which means Derek Carrier could be the man. The offensive line needs to step it up and protect Kap. At times, he was running for his life on Sunday. That is not to take blame from Colin. He played terrible. He needs to make better decisions with the ball. Turnovers will kill any team.

But with all that being said, the coaching staff needs to be better. A top team like the 49ers should not be outscored so badly in the second half the first 2 games of this season after holding significant leads. The coaching staff hasn't adjusted well to the opponent's 2nd half adjustments. Hopefully the coaching staff does a much better job this week.

On to the links!

49ers Links

You Know You're A Niners Fan.... (SFGate)

Everyone wants to know | Niners Want To Know What Kap Said (Smith)

NFL To Review Kap's Language Flag (Werder)

1st Half Offense Evaluation (Lynch)

Good news. Hopefully he'll be back really soon | Niners Hopeful Davis Can Practice Soon (Maiocco)

The early signs are that Bethea will fit well with the team. Should have had an INT on Sunday | Bethea Vs. Hitner (BASG)

Ward Endured Rough Game, Hopes To Learn (Williams)

Bethea On Willis (49ers Video)

Wilhoite: Tough, Physical Football (49ers Video)

C'mon fans. The noise level was good sometimes, but very inconsistent | Levi's Sound Level Not So Good (Barrows)

Vernon's Injury Not Serious (Maiocco)

TE Davis Not Ruled Out Sunday (Corkran)

Willis: A Fan Of Bethea's (49ers Video)

Bruce: Spoke About Cardinals (49ers Video)

Willis Talks (Corkran)

Team Hopeful Both Davis And McDonald Back Soon (Kroichick)

Locker Room Observations (49ers Staff)

The last time Aldon faced Chicago he had 5+ sacks. You could say we could use him right about.....now | Pass Rush Could Use Aldon Right Now (Kroichick)

Many penalties were iffy | Not Just One Controversial Call (Maiocco)

Jerod-Eddie: Have To Play Better (49ers Video)

Tape: Kap's Rough Night (Biderman)

SF Vs. AZ Breakdown (Price)

Updated Power Ranking (Gutierrez)

Harbaugh: On Cardinals (49ers Radio)

They played well. Much better against the run, but they had a few opportunities for turnovers and failed quite miserably | Defense To Bounce Back (McCauley)

Team Gets Good News (Corkran)