It is prediction time!
How will the regular season end for the Arizona Cardinals against the San Francisco 49ers? The ROTB writing staff gives their thoughts.
Randy Fields:
Oh man, after last week's debacle and our Ryan Lindley out there I can see one TD and three FGs compared to two TDs and two FGs for the 49ers. The Cards have not faired well against running QBs. Cards lose 20-16.
Jesse Reynolds:
I see the defense showing up after being embarrassed by Seattle. They are going to play their tails off looking for redemption.
The 49ers are beat up in their secondary and so should allow more opportunity for Lindley to miss open recievers but maybe connect on one or two more big plays.
If Arians decides to actually run the ball I see the Cardinals eeking out a win over the downtrodden Niners. If Arians decides to throw the ball 40+ times again, we'll get to see another ugly loss in which the defense keeps it close until the fourth when the Niners make enough plays to pull out a W.
So hopefully Arians remembers he had a garbage QB and focuses on the run game.
BigRedBilly:
A low scoring affair with any and all touchdowns being a bonus for the Cardinals. The game figures to come down to the Big Red defense rebounding from last week's fiasco (including producing turnovers) and the leg of Chandler 'Cat Man' Catanzaro. Cards 16 - 49ers 13.
Michael Oliver:
In a pretty meaningless game for both teams in the grand scheme of things, the only think that got me exited was the prospect of starting QB Logan Thomas, but that was cruelly snatched away from me.
The Niners will likely want to go out on a high in the Jim Harbaugh era, and I see them being just as stout defensively as the Seahawks against a Ryan Lindley-ran offense. I'm also officially setting the line at over/under 2.5 total QB changes for the Cards on Sunday. 24-9 49ers.
Seth Cox:
This game is one of the hardest games of the year to figure out.
San Francisco is in a funk right now, while Arizona is now owner of the worst offense in the NFL.
Something has to give, and for the Cardinals sake, they better hope it is scoring a touchdown on offense.
Defensively, the Cardinals have to show up, if they do not, the season is basically over, with a formality of a game against a terrible NFC South division winner (and they are not terrible, I just am going for effect).
When all is said and done, someone has to win this game, and for the Cardinals sake, let's go AZ 10-7.
Jess Root:
I see a depleted 49ers defense and a hungry Cardinals team. Even with Lindley at QB, Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor will shoulder the load with the running game, the defense will step up and Lindley will get his first passing score. Cards win ugly 16-13.