Cardinals Find Recipe for Turning Season Around in Gut-Check Win Over 49ers

October 7, 2016   ·   Gary Davenport   ·   Jump to comments

The Arizona Cardinals entered Week 5 with a simple mandate. Defeat the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night, or watch any realistic hopes of the deep playoff run the team envisioned when the season began disappear.
The Cardinals accomplished that goal, downing San Francisco 33-21. In doing so, the Redbirds did much more than win a game that elevated them to 2-3 and got them out of the NFC West basement.
Arizona also happened upon a blueprint for how to turn a disappointing season around and get things back on track.
The Cardinals played the game without one of their offensive leaders. Quarterback Carson Palmer, who led the team to a franchise-record 13 wins a season ago, sat out the contest courtesy of a concussion suffered Sunday in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
With backup Drew Stanton under center and the 49ers without star linebacker NaVorro Bowman, the belief going in was the Cardinals would lean more heavily than usual on the ground game and tailback David ...

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