The San Francisco 49ers face off against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football in Mexico City for their first matchup of the season in Week 11.
Currently, the 49ers stand at 5-4, coming off a win at home against the Los Angeles Chargers, while the Cardinals are 4-6, coming off a road victory against the Los Angeles Rams where both starting quarterbacks missed the game due to injury.
With the game coming soon, here are some important stats to know that could decide the outcome of the game/
1. Efficient Offense
The 49ers currently hold one of the most efficient offensive attacks in the NFL, averaging 5.9 yards per play, which ranks sixth in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the Cardinals' offense isn't nearly at that mark, ranking 29th in the NFL at 4.9 yards per play.
That mark has led the 49ers to average 360 yards per game offensively, which is ninth in the NFL, while the Cardinals are 19th in the NFL at 333.7 yards per play.
A big factor in those numbers? San Francisco currently ranks third in the NFL at 8.0 yards per attempt, while the Cardinals are dead last at 6.0 yards per attempt.
Defensively, San Francisco also ranks third in the NFL at 4.7 yards per play and first in the NFL allowing just 280.6 yards per game, while Arizona is 21st at 5.7 yards per play and 23rd in the NFL allowing 357.6 yards per game.
So, the 49ers average a lot of yards per play, while the Cardinals allow many yards per play. On the other hand, the Cardinals average few yards per play, while the 49ers allow a few yards per play.
Additionally, the 49ers average a good amount of yards per game, while the Cardinals give up significant yards per game. Meanwhile, the Cardinals are a below-average offense, while the 49ers are a stout defense in terms of yards.
2. Third downs
The 49ers have been one of the league's best teams at third down conversions in 2022, ranking fifth with a 45.61% conversion rate. On the other hand, the Cardinals complete just 34.78% of their third downs, as they struggle to remain on the field in those situations.
San Francisco is around league average in defending third downs, allowing a 40.98% conversion rate, which is 17th in the NFL. The Cardinals, however, struggle to defend third downs, allowing a 43.97% conversion rate that is 26th in the NFL.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been extremely efficient in 3rd & 10+ situations, completing 76.5% of his passes for 181 yards, averaging 10.6 yards per attempt in these situations.
Kyler Murray has also performed well in these situations, completing 70.8% of his passes, but only averages 6.8 yards per attempt and has a first down conversion rate of 20.8% as opposed to Garoppolo's 41.1%.
However, overall, Murray has struggled on third downs this season, completing just 51.8% of his passes and converting first downs on just 29.6% of his opportunities.
Garoppolo, on the other hand, has completed 63.5% of his third downs, converting first downs at a 47.6% rate, which has kept San Francisco's offense on the field.
The 49ers have a clear advantage on third downs, which will be a huge factor in the time of possession that could help control the game pace in this bout.
3. Redzone offense
While their offense has struggled at times, the Arizona Cardinals are fairly efficient in the redzone, converting 60% of their opportunities into touchdowns, which ranks 11th in the NFL.
The 49ers, whose redzone struggles have been well-noted this season, are converting just 54.8% of their opportunities into touchdowns, which ranks 17th in the NFL.
Interestingly, both defenses struggle in the redzone, as the 49ers allow 61.9% of opposing redzone drives to turn into touchdowns, which ranks 24th in the NFL, while the Cardinals allow 67.5% of opposing redzone drives to go for touchdowns, which ranks 28th in the NFL.
Moreover, both times will need to capitalize on the opposing defense and convert their opportunities in the redzone in this game.
4. First half scoring vs second half scoring
The San Francisco 49ers are a fairly good opening team, scoring 12.4 points in the first half, which ranks 12th in the NFL. Meanwhile, the Cardinals struggle in the first half, ranking 26th in the NFL at just 9.1 points on average.
However, the tides turn in the second half as the Cardinals average 13.3 second-half points, which ranks third in the NFL, while the 49ers rank 24th in the NFL with 9.6 points on average in the second half.
Defensively, the 49ers are a strong first-half team, allowing 8.6 points on average, which ranks fourth in the NFL, while the Cardinals rank 27th in the NFL, allowing 13 points on average in the first half.
In the second half, the 49ers slightly regress defensively, allowing 9.6 points on average, which ranks 13th in the NFL, while the Cardinals rank 27th again, allowing 12.8 points on average.
Overall, the Cardinals will need to step up defensively, while the 49ers will have to play strong defense in the second half if these trends are to continue.