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The Arizona Cardinals have won eight straight games against the San Francisco 49ers. Their last defeat came at Levi's Stadium in 2014, in Jim Harbaugh's final season with the Niners.
The 49ers have struggled since but have found their identity this season. They currently sit at 7-0 and are one of just two remaining undefeated NFL teams (New England).
Kliff Kingsbury was named the Cardinals head coach on January 8, and his squad will face a 49ers team that is much better than any Arizona has faced since its last loss to them. At the helm of the reform in San Francisco is head coach Kyle Shanahan, who, along with general manager John Lynch, has rebuilt a once talent-deprived roster.
Kingsbury, who will face the revamped 49ers for the first time on Thursday night, discussed Shanahan on Monday.
"I just have a ton of respect for Kyle, watching him through the years," Kingsbury said. "No matter who his quarterback was or his personnel, he adapted to it and was able to move the football. He's on the cutting edge of a bunch of things that you see throughout the NFL now. He kind of was at the front end of that.
"Tremendous offensive line, and it's going to be a huge challenge for our defense."
Kingsbury made quarterback
Kyler Murray the No. 1 overall draft pick in April. One spot later, Shanahan and the 49ers made defensive end
Nick Bosa the No. 2 overall pick. For much of last season, the feeling was that Bosa would not be there by the time San Francisco selected. He was long thought to be the near-unanimous choice to become the first player drafted.
That was until around the NFL Scouting Combine when Murray's name started to emerge as a possibility for the Cardinals, and Bosa fell into the 49ers' laps.
"He is a tremendous football player," Kingsbury said of Bosa. "High effort, high motor, great personality. You can see those guys are excited for him when he makes plays. He's having a heck of a year."
Kingsbury and the Cardinals did their homework on Bosa during the pre-draft evaluation process. The defensive end has proven to be a difference-maker for San Francisco this season.
"He's changed the entire culture,"
NFL Network analyst Brian Baldinger said on Monday. "Not of just the defense but of that entire team, and you can feel it. It starts with Nick Bosa, right now. Everybody is playing better on the team, I think, because of what Nick Bosa is doing."
Kingsbury was a Bosa fan heading into the draft, but Murray proved too tempting for the Cardinals to pass up.
"Loved him," Kingsbury said of Bosa. "We got to, I think, have two dinners with him, and he's one of those guys you want on your team, want in your locker room, and plays his tail off. He's as relentless as they come, and a real guy's guy. You can tell all his teammates like him. We had him graded very highly, and San Francisco made a great pick."
NFL Network host Rhett Lewis released his first mock draft of the year on NFL.com. What does he project the San Francisco 49ers doing with the No. 31 overall pick? Lewis has the team acquiring some edge-rushing help, bolstering a group that already includes Nick Bosa and newly signed Leonard Floyd.
The host has the 49ers selecting former Penn State edge rusher Chop Robinson.
According to Sports Reference, Robinson registered 41 tackles, including 17.5 for a loss, 9.5 sacks, three passes defensed, and three forced fumbles in two
San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy threw for a franchise-record 4,280 yards last season, leading the team to the Super Bowl and earning his first Pro Bowl selection. He held onto the football 39 times on the ground, rushing for 144 yards and scoring twice. This marked a significant improvement over his rookie 2022 campaign when he had 22 carries for 13 yards and a score.
Purdy further displayed his athleticism during the 49ers' playoff game against the Detroit Lions last season, helping engineer a comeback victory while rushing for 48 yards on five carries.
On Tuesday morning, Purdy joined the "Pat McAfee Show," acknowledging that he believes he can contribute more rushing yards if called upon. However, that decision rests with head coach Kyle Shanahan,
The San Francisco 49ers announced the signing of wide receiver Trent Taylor to a one-year deal, reuniting with the team's former fifth-round draft pick out of Louisiana Tech.
Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area was the first to report that the 49ers were discussing a potential reunion with Taylor. The receiver was part of head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch's first draft class in 2017 and spent his first four NFL seasons with the team.
The #49ers are talking with free-agent slot receiver/return man
The San Francisco 49ers are hosting several draft prospects this week as the deadline for pre-draft visits draws near. According to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2, the team will host former Western Kentucky wide receiver Malachi Corley on Wednesday.
Corley is expected to be a Day 2 pick. San Francisco owns two selections on Day 2—the No. 63 overall pick in the second round and the No. 94 overall pick in the third round. Currently, the receiver is visiting with the Seattle Seahawks.
Western Kentucky @WKUFootball receiver Malachi Worley
