The San Francisco 49ers have not beaten the Arizona Cardinals since 2014, which was a home game. Their last win in the desert came the year before.
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and the 49ers hope to end the losing streak on Thursday night at State Farm Stadium.
San Francisco is 7-0 and sitting atop the NFC West. Arizona is 3-4-1 and at the bottom of the division standings. The Cardinals, however, have won three of their last four games, and shouldn't be overlooked.
The 49ers don't have any media availability on Wednesday, but Shanahan still joined KNBR for his weekly interview and discussed the upcoming opponent.
"We haven't beat Arizona since I've been here," Shanahan said on the "Murph and Mac" show. "I don't think we have a lot of guys in the room who have. I think it happened a couple of years before I got here, also, so it's been way too long.
"But they are a good team. They're playing very well. I know their numbers aren't there on defense, which surprises me because they played the Saints extremely tough this weekend. It got a little out of hand at the end with a couple of turnovers, but it was 10-9 going almost into the fourth quarter.
"And their offense is scary. I mean, that quarterback (rookie Kyler Murray) can run around, he can do a lot. He can make any throw, and I think they're doing a good job with him. They're a lot better than people realize."
San Francisco heads into the matchup with the No. 2 ranked rushing offense and the No. 3 ranked scoring offense. The defense ranks No. 1 in total yards allowed and passing yards allowed, and No. 2 in points allowed.
The matchup also pits the No. 1 overall pick in April's draft, Murray, against the No. 2 selection, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa. Murray has passed for nearly 2,000 yards through eight games and rushed for 279. Bosa has seven sacks through seven games and is among the most disruptive pass rushers in the NFL — maybe the most disruptive. He's not only a candidate for NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year but maybe even NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors.
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.
