The Arizona Cardinals are 4-6 and have lost four of their last six games. However, they got a much-needed victory this past weekend against the Los Angeles Rams, who dropped to the bottom of the NFC West standings.
The San Francisco 49ers have won two straight and look to extend that streak on Monday night against the Cardinals. Arizona has had the Niners' number of late, though. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has lost three of his last four meetings with the Cardinals, so he isn't looking past them in Week 11.
The coach joined KNBR this morning and tried to explain why the 49ers have struggled in recent years against the Cardinals.
"The Cardinals, I always look at [them] as a real good team," Shanahan said on the Murph & Mac show. "They've got a lot of talent. I think during the COVID year (2020), we split. They beat us in that opening game at home (2020). [When] we were living in Arizona, we got them in that game (2020) when it was there.
"Last year, it was [Trey Lance]'s first game. It was a tight game. I thought we held them good, and then I think we lost 17-10. And then the next game was one of our worst games. We just got down way behind. I thought we turned it over early. I haven't got to that game [in film review] yet."
The 49ers are at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, just south of Denver, to get acclimated to the high altitude. They will start their three-day practice schedule on Thursday and travel to Mexico City on Sunday for their international game against the Cardinals at Estadio Azteca.
The three losses over the last two years weren't just because of missed opportunities by the 49ers. Instead, Shanahan credits a talented Cardinals roster that seems to match up well against his squad.
"Those guys have got some players," Shanahan said. "Whether we've faced them with [quarterback] Kyler [Murray], we've faced them with Colt [McCoy]—I thought last year we did better in the first game with Kyler, but not that that's a difference. They're two guys who are a threat. A little bit different offenses when they are in."
It's not just the quarterbacks that are worrisome. Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins has 396 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the four games since coming off his suspension. He can be a handful for opposing defenses.
"It's always a pain going against Hopkins," Shanahan continued. "He's as good of a receiver as there is. The talent they have on defense at the linebacker level. I was shocked to see [safety] Budda [Baker] playing. I heard he had a high-ankle sprain, which, to me, is usually a minimum of a month, and he didn't miss one game. To turn on the tape Monday morning after our game and to see him in there was a little surprising. He's a hell of a player.
"Those guys, I know their record's not there, but they're just two games away from being right there, just like us. We won these last two games, and now things are looking positive, and that can happen with those guys quick. So they're going to be right in the thick of this, and we've got to make sure we take care of this win this week."
You can listen to the entire conversation with Shanahan below.