Golden Nuggets: Showdown In The Desert

The 49ers travel to the desert to face off with the division leading Arizona Cardinals in their 1st division game of the new season. The Cardinals currently possess a 2-0 record while scoring 31 and 48 points in those wins. The Cardinals defense has been one of the best the last few years, but now they have an offense that can put up points in a hurry. With the division possibly being the best in football, these division games are that much more important.

For the Niners to win on Sunday, the Niners offensive line will have to bounce back in a big way. They are going up against a good defensive unit. They will need to open up lanes for Carlos Hyde to run through as well as give time for Colin Kaepernick to throw the ball. Against the Steelers, Colin had no time which resulted in him getting sacked 5 times. If he has time to throw and is able to make runs when needed, the Niners should have a good game.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Niners need to get pressure on Carson Palmer. Most QBs will have a field day passing the football if given the time that Ben Roethlisberger was given last Sunday. Carson Palmer currently has 7 touchdowns to 1 intercepetion and has yet to be sacked. If the pass rush can get to Palmer, the secondary will have an easier time dealing with the big plays. Against the Steelers, the defense was burned by the big plays and the Cardinals have the players to generate those big plays. Eyes will have to be on John Brown. He is the deep threat for the Cardinals.

As an aside, I'd like to note that going forward the links for the Nuggets will no longer open in a new tab. Turns out, most people don't like that so if you're used to that, and you want to open in a new tab or window, right click on the link or use whatever shortcut works for your operating system. That's been your boring site update for the day. (Note, there is a strong chance that muscle memory will mean I forget this on some links -- the big thing here is that we're phasing that out going forward). Onto your links!

49ers Links

Run to the left side | Issues On Right Side Of O-Line (Gutierrez)

The Arizona WRs will be a tall order | Secondary Could Be An Issue In Arizona (Williams)

Dual Sport Athletes (Barnes)

The Good News (Barrows)

Not hard to see why | Worst Pass Protecting O-Line (Maiocco)

6 Players To Watch For On Arizona (Fann)

Team Drops One In Ranking (Gutierrez)

Not easy to be ready for those runs | Arizona Ready For Kap's Scrambles (Maiocco)

Anatomy Of Kap's TD Pass To Torrey Smith (Emerick)

Weaknesses Revealed (BASG)

Video

VD Mic'd Up (49ers Video)

Niners Talk (49ers Video)

Block somebody and don't give up big plays | Keys To A Niners Victory (49ers Video)

Misc

Stadium Lights Hurting Pilots (Stock, Bott, Carroll)

Enough with this nonsense at the stadium | Violent Fans Charged (Associated Press)