49ers vs. Cardinals, first quarter thread: Welcome back, Brandon Aiyuk

The 49ers will look to get out to a fast start and not give the Arizona Cardinals any hope this afternoon. The longer the underdog stays alive, the more they believe they can win.

Keep an eye on how the Niners defense does against the run, as the Cardinals had plenty of success on the ground in the first half last week. I’m expecting Steve Wilks to be prepared for any quarterback runs or jet sweeps to the likes of Rondale Moore.

Offensively, the 49ers must force a young and inexperienced Cardinals defense to make tackles in the open field. It’s San Francisco’s strength, and Arizona’s weakness.

You have to imagine that Kyle Shanahan is hopeful his team will race out to a big lead, and he can have a light workload day for Christian McCaffrey.

Look for the home team to showcase why they’re the best team in the conference.