Today, the San Francisco 49ers (7-8) will host the Arizona Cardinals (11-4) at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The 49ers are coming off of a 38-35 overtime home loss to the San Diego Chargers. The Cardinals are coming off of a 35-6 home loss to the Seattle Seahawks.
At one point, the 49ers lead the Chargers by 21 points against the Chargers in last weekend's contest. As has been the case for much of the season, the team underachieved during the second half of the game and let that lead slip away.
However, the biggest story in this game for San Francisco isn't actually anything going on within the game. Today's contest against Arizona will be head coach Jim Harbaugh's final game with the 49ers.
It has been reported that the team has agreed to let Harbaugh out of his contract and that he will be announced as the new head coach of the University of Michigan on Tuesday in Ann Arbor. However, he will still be on the sidelines for today's game.
Word out of Ann Arbor is that Michigan has offered Harbaugh a 6-year, $48 million deal to become their next head coach.
A number of 49ers players could be seeing their last action with the team today. Some of those players include running back
Frank Gore, although the team has expressed some interest in having him return, Michael Crabtree, who will be a free agent, and Justin Smith, who is contemplating retirement.
The 49ers' current four-game losing streak is the longest since Jim Harbaugh has taken over as head coach.
For Arizona, they have some issues at quarterback. Rookie Logan Thomas was briefly scheduled to make his first career start, but head coach Bruce Arians appears to have changed his mind stating that Ryan Lindley, who has yet to throw a touchdown pass, would get the start against the 49ers. The team has failed to score a touchdown in their last two games.
The Cardinals could have won the NFC West last week with a victory, but instead were routed at home by the Seahawks. Now they need a win against the 49ers and a little help from the St. Louis Rams to win the division.
As usual, you can visit 49erswebzone.com for the latest news and updates during and after the game.
Quick Hits:
With a win, the 49ers would improve to 29-18 all-time against the Cardinals, including a 17-8 record at home.
The 49ers can win their sixth-consecutive home game against the Cardinals.
Frank Gore needs just 38 rushing yards this week to register his fourth consecutive season with 1,000 rushing yards in a season and the eighth time in his 10-year career.
With 19 receiving yards against the Cardinals, Anquan Boldin would reach 1,000 on the season. He would become the 4th player in franchise history with multiple seasons of 1,000-or-more receiving yards.
Offensive Rankings:
The 49ers rank 23rd with 322.9 yards-per-game. The Cardinals rank 28th with 314.6 yards-per-game.
Defensive Rankings:
The 49ers rank 5th, allowing 316.4 yards-per-game. The Cardinals rank 24th, allowing 366.4 yards-per-game.
Last Meeting:
The Cardinals beat the 49ers 23-14 at the University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona.
Kickoff:
The game kicks off at 1:25 PM PT.
Betting:
The 49ers are 6.5 point favorites.
Fan Picks:
At Yahoo! Sports, 60% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game. Within our
Pick 'em contest, 79% of fans believe that the 49ers will win this game.
Follow the Game:
You can follow the game live on
NFL.com's Game Center.
Social Media:
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Television:
The game will be televised on FOX. Check
506 Sports to see if the game is being aired locally for you.
Rohan Chakravarthi and Jessie Naylor break down Day 1 of the San Francisco 49ers OTAs that was available to media.
The audio for the show is embedded above, while the video is available below.
You can listen to "The Rohan Chakravarthi Show" from our dedicated podcast page, on
Lance Johnson fought through injuries to play in the Philadelphia Eagles' three playoff games, including the Super Bowl. The offensive lineman suffered a torn adductor injury late in the regular season but held off on undergoing surgery to participate in the Eagles' playoff run.
Johnson was in pain throughout the run, which included an NFC Championship Game win over the San Francisco 49ers. However, the two-time All-Pro wasn't the only one fighting through an injury. Both of the 49ers' quarterbacks suffered injuries in the game. First, Brock Purdy left after tearing the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in his right elbow. Then, he was forced to return to the field after his backup, Josh Johnson, suffered a concussion.
Purdy couldn't throw the football, though,
The NFL has reportedly approved a bylaw allowing teams to have a third quarterback active on game days without teams needing to use a roster spot for them.
The NFL bylaw on allowing a third QB to be active without burning a roster spot was approved, per source.— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 22, 2023
This would have helped the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game last season. The team's starter,
Kyle Shanahan praises his quarterback room every year. Last season, the San Francisco 49ers went through three starting quarterbacks and still made it to the NFC Championship Game. Trey Lance was the Week 1 starter but suffered a season-ending ankle injury during his second game. Eleven weeks later, Jimmy Garoppolo sustained a broken foot.
That opened the door for rookie Brock Purdy to show his coaches and the NFL world that he belonged, despite being the last overall pick in the draft. Purdy guided the 49ers to eight consecutive wins before suffering a severe injury in that NFC title game matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Two of the quarterbacks from last season—Lance and Purdy—remain. Both are just 23 years old. They are joined by Sam
