WEEK 15: 9ERS VS ARIZONA:

 by Geep

* 1. BP is putting up MVP numbers, Aiyuk has 56 receptions, 1,053 yards and 6 TD's He leads the NFL with 18.8 yards per reception on the season, Deebo Samuel has 45 receptions, 739 yards and 5 TD's. * Christian McCaffrey is the most electric player in the game, with 226 carries, 1177 yards, averaging 5.2 YPC and 12 TD's. He also has 52 reception, 437 receiving yards and 5 TD.
* Then there's TE Kittle, with 811 yards on 53 receptions, ranks 17th in the NFL with 15.3 yards per catch and 6 TD's .
* The 9ers are (10W - 3L) VS Arizona, (3W - 10L). It should be a walk in the park, BUT...Coming off 2 emotional wins over the Eagles and the Seahawks, will the 9ers get caught in a TRAP GAME looking ahead to the Ravens?
* The 9er defense will be missing S Talanoa Hufanga, out with a torn ACL. Rookie safety Ji'Ayir Brown has replaced him. Both starting DT's, Hargrave (hamstring), and Armstead (foot/knee).
* Armstead and Hargrave will be replaced by J. Kinlaw and K. Givens
while Kalia Davis is expected to see action as a rotation player.
* Also, linebacker Dre Greenlaw and cornerback Charvarius Ward are questionable. If Ward is unable to play, Deommodore Lenoir and Ambry Thomas will start on the outside, with Isaiah Oliver sliding in at NB in passing situations.
* Fred Warner has picked off a team-leading 4 passes. He also has 107 tackles, five TFL, 2 sacks, and 9 passes defended.
* In terms of passing yards conceded, the 9ers have given up 2,887 (222.1 per game), ranking 15th in the league.
The 49ers are allowing 15.8 points per game, the fewest in the NFL.
* The 9ers have only allowed 6 players to pile up more than 100 receiving yards in a game this season.
* The 9ers have only allowed 12 players to catch a touchdown pass against them this season.
* On offense, Both OG's, S. Burford and A. Banks are questionable. Veteran Jon Feliciano will be in line to start.

* ARIZONA IS RESTED AND COMING OFF A BYE WEEK: * The Cardinals QB Kyler Murray, will be starting! He'll be trying to prove to his FO they should keep him as their future staring QB. After beating the Steelers, the Arizona players will be on an emotional high and will see the 9ers as their chance to show the FO how good they are and why they should remain part of the team!

THE KEY TO BEATING ARIZONA: STOP QB KYLER MURRAY!
* Historically, Kyler Murray is the type of mobile QB that the 9ers have had problems containing. The 9er D-Line will need to play disciplined and keep him in the pocket. DC Steve Wilks explained the keys to defending against Murray.
* "I think it’s a combination of a lot of things," said Wilks. "Number one, we’ve got to be sound in our defensive responsibilities as far as the zone-read, not allowing him to be able to get outside the pocket because he's definitely going to pull it. LAnd then also his ability to be able to scramble and go make a big play.
"I think it's a little different than [Eagles QB] Jalen [Hurts] than what we faced a couple of weeks ago, but it's still the same premise that we’ve got to make sure that we contain him. And once again, I think he's doing an excellent job of going through his progression, trying to stay in the pocket, going through his different reads and putting the ball where it needs to go.”
* Murray is a bigger challenge in space than Hurst, with his speed and elusiveness. Not to mention that he does damage from the pocket and excels on the run for the scramble drill to deliver to his wide receivers. It's crazy to even fathom it initially, but Murray presents challenges that Hurst doesn't.

* PLAYERS NOT NAMED MURRAY THE 9ER D MUST STOP TO WIN
Stop the run: The Cardinals rank 9th in rushing, averaging 123.9 yards per game. Running the ball is the strength of their team, so the 49ers must take away the run to make the Cardinals one-dimensional.
RB Conner James: 129 carries, 631 yards, averages per carry 4.9 yards and 4 TD's.
The 9ers must also be aware of WR Rondale Moore out of the backfield. He's responsible for 156 rushing yards.
TE Trey McBride: Leads Ariz with 56 receptions, 610 yards and 2 TD's
and he'll be matched up against 9er LB F. Warner.
# 1 WR Hollywood Brown: 51 receptions, 574 yards and 4 TD's.
# 2 WR Rondale Moore: 29 receptions, 260 yards and 1 TD
If Ward is unable to play, they'll be matched up by D. Lenoir and Ambry Thomas.
* The Cardinals' offense has had trouble finding the end zone this season, as it ranks 27th in the league with 17.7 points per contest. When it comes to yards, the team ranks 27th with 3,852 total yards (296.3 per game). In the red zone, the Cardinals are not airing it out very often compared to the rest of the league, ranking 6th in the NFL with 39 total red-zone pass attempts (50.6% red-zone pass rate). BUT REMEMBER....The Cardinals QB is Kyler Murray!
I see the 9ers starting slow the first half and having trouble containing
Murray! The key to 9ers winning the game will be Wilks making half time adjustments......
9ers 31 VS Ariz. 17