WK 1 PREVIEW: ARI @ SF 4:15 PM (EST) KICKOFF
NFL Week 1 Matchup: Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers
Overview: It’s deja vu all over again, as the Cardinals return to the site of their heartbreaking 20-17 loss to the 49ers in Week 1 of the 2007 season.
The Cardinals 2007 playoff dreams were crippled by a second loss to the 49ers in Week 12, this time a gut-wrenching 37-31 OT home loss. The Cardinals (8-8) clearly outmatched the 49ers (5-11) on paper, but lost the turnover battle 6 to 1.
If the Cardinals intend to be 2008 playoff contenders, they must finish at least .500 against their first four opponents, who had a combined record of 19-64 (.297 winning %) in 2007.
Offensive Keys:
* Average 3.5 yards rushing per attempt to keep linebacker Patrick Willis honest against the run.
* Use Kurt Warner’s strong arm to exploit favorable matchups for Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin on the sidelines, and 6-8″ Leonard Pope up the middle.
* Eliminate turnovers.
Defensive Keys:
* Travis LaBoy and Darnell Dockett must pressure Mike Martz’s strong-armed QB J.T. Sullivan into mistakes.
* Use Adrian Wilson to shadow Frank Gore, who burned the Cardinals for a combined 214 yards (116 rushing) and 2 TDs in Week 12 last year.
* Win the battle for field position by shutting down punt and kickoff returns.
Predicted Outcome:
* The Cardinals “Red Storm” defense will pressure J.T. Sullivan into 2 interceptions.
* The offense will score just enough behind a Tim Hightower rushing TD and a Leonard Pope TD catch.
* The Cardinals will edge the 49ers 23-17.
