Fooch’s update: SB Nation worked a deal with the NFL and Twitter and has an official live stream of the game!
Welcome back for another week of football! The San Francisco 49ers will be televised to the world in Week 5, as they host the Arizona Cardinals on Thursday Night Football. The game kicks off at 5:30 p.m. PT on CBS, with Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, and Tracy Wolfson on the call. The game will be broadcast nationally, but you can also stream it via Twitter. The NFL launched a deal with Twitter this year where they will live stream ten TNF games.
The 1-3 49ers head into this game coming off their third straight loss. They took a 14-0 lead on the Dallas Cowboys, only to drop a 24-17 loss as the offense fell apart. More importantly, they lost NaVorro Bowman to an Achilles injury, and he is headed to injured reserve.
The injury report is not pretty for the 49ers. They have most of their players ready, but they will be missing two big cogs on defense. DeForest Buckner suffered a foot injury against the Cowboys and sat out practice all week. Jimmie Ward suffered a quad strain in Week 3 against the Seahawks, and has been a DNP at practice since then. The ten days after TNF will be helpful for getting them back, but they are not going to play against the Cardinals.
The Cardinals are also 1-3, and their fans are unsure what to make of things. The team lost at home to the Jimmy Garoppolo-led New England Patriots. They bounced back with a big home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They went on the road in Week 3 and were embarrassed by the Buffalo Bills, and followed that up with a bad home loss to the suddenly surging Los Angeles Rams. Oh, and they lost Carson Palmer to a concussion, and placed RB Chris Johnson and DB Tyvon Branch on injured reserve. Not a good week for them either!
The 49ers are ranging between a three- and four-point underdog in this game. They opened at +2.5, but the line quickly moved up to four. After the final word that Carson Palmer was out, the line dropped at most sites to three or 3.5 points. I thought it was pretty obvious Palmer would miss the game due to his concussion entering a short week, but it seems like the final injury report resulted in the move.
And so, the 49ers and Cardinals both look to get what would be a critical divisional win. I am a little more skeptical about the 49ers playoff chances, but it is worth noting 1-3 teams have rebounded to get into the playoffs at a fairly good clip. Last year, the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs made that happen. We did not see it in 2014, but in 2013, the Carolina Panthers and Philadelphia Eagles turned around from 1-3 to get to the playoffs. That was Chip Kelly’s first year in Philadelphia, so clearly it’s going to happen again, right?
Nuts and bolts
Location: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Game time: Thursday, October 6, 5:30 p.m. PT
TV channel: CBS,
Online streaming: Twitter, NFL Game Pass
Radio: 810-AM, 107.7 (Ted Robinson, Tim Ryan) | Full listings
Spanish Radio: KTRB 860-AM (Jesus Zarate, Luis Landero/Gabriel Sotelo)
Matchup history: 8-11
Announcers: Jim Nantz, Phil Simms, Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter)
Enemy blog: Revenge of the Birds
Twitter: @ninersnation
Facebook: Go ahead and give us a like!
49ers regular season schedule
Week 1: vs. Los Angeles Rams - 28-0 WIN
Week 2: @ Carolina Panthers - 46-27 LOSS
Week 3: @ Seattle Seahawks - 37-18 LOSS
Week 4: vs. Dallas Cowboys - 24-17 LOSS
Week 5: vs. Arizona Cardinals, 5:25 p.m., CBS Thursday, October 6
Week 6: @ Buffalo Bills, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, October 16
Week 7: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, October 23
Week 8: BYE
Week 9: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 6
Week 10: @ Arizona Cardinals, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, November 13
Week 11: vs. New England Patriots, 1:25 p.m., CBS Sunday, November 20
Week 12: @ Miami Dolphins, 10:00 a.m., FOX, Sunday, November 27
Week 13: @ Chicago Bears, 10:00 a.m., FOX Sunday, December 4
Week 14: vs. New York Jets, 1:05 p.m., CBS Sunday, December 11
Week 15: @ Atlanta Falcons, 1:05 p.m., FOX, Sunday, December 18
Week 16: @ Los Angeles Rams, 1:25 p.m., FOX Saturday, December 24
Week 17: vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1:25 p.m., FOX, Sunday, January 1