The San Francisco 49ers seemed to get off to a good start last week against the Dallas Cowboys. However, the game did not play out in the Niners favor. In Week five the 49ers will face another difficult test in divisional opponent Arizona Cardinals. Arizona has also had a rough start to the season and they will come into Thursday night’s game Levi’s Stadium at 1-3. That is not how a team with Super Bowl aspirations wants to start its run. Both the 49ers and Cardinals are sitting at the bottom of the NFC West. If either hopes to keep their playoff hopes alive they must win this game. Below are the 49ers Week five keys to victory.
San Francisco 49ers Week Five Keys to Victory
Pressure Drew Stanton
Carson Palmer suffered an unfortunate concussion last week in a loss to the Los Angeles Rams. Palmer’s status for Thursday Night Football is uncertain, but as of now it looks as though Drew Stanton will get the start. Stanton is no slouch at quarterback, and is a quality backup for Arizona. Stanton is tall and has a strong arm. Despite his size, Stanton has good feet and moves well in the pocket. San Francisco must try and bring pressure to force Stanton into mistakes.
The Cardinals offensive line has under achieved so far this year. The 49ers need to take advantage of this and get to Stanton early. If the 49ers can force Stanton into errant throws and interceptions he will get down on himself. One knock on Stanton coming out of college was his mentality. Stanton tends to get down on himself after he makes a critical mistake and he has trouble recovering. The best thing San Francisco can do is get into Stanton’s head in the first quarter. If they can, it is likely to be a long day for Stanton.
Double Cover Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is by far the biggest receiving threat the Cardinals have. In fact, it has been that way in Arizona since 2004 when the former Pittsburgh wideout entered the league. Stopping Fitzgerald will be a must for San Francisco. The 49ers secondary has been lackluster, at best, this season. Fitzgerald has over one thousand receptions and over 13,600 yards in his NFL career. The 49ers will likely play a zone defense against Arizona as they would not match up well man-to-man.
Safeties Eric Reid and Antoine Bethea must not allow Fitzgerald to get behind them. It will be important for San Francisco to roll or disguise coverage to Fitzgerald’s side of the field. The goal will be to limit or take away Fitzgerald as an option for Stanton. Michael Floyd is a good receiver but he does not have the ability to carry a game like Fitzgerald does. Eventually, Stanton may become frustrated and try to force some throws to Fitzgerald. This is when the 49ers need to be ready and come away with an interception.
Blaine Gabbert Must Protect the Football
Blaine Gabbert has thrown four interceptions already this season. That is one interception for each game played. If Gabbert and the 49ers hope to have any chance of coming away with a victory on Thursday the former Missouri Tiger cannot turn the ball over. This will be a tough test for Gabbert considering the opposition’s defensive strength is their secondary.
Corner back Patrick Peterson and safety Tyrann Mathieu are among some of the best in the league at forcing interceptions. Chip Kelly and the 49ers coaching staff can help Gabbert protect the ball by calling plays that have Gabbert getting it out of his hands quickly, with quick drops because short routes that are hard to intercept. The more time Gabbert has to think the more likely he is to make an error. He needs to play off his instincts and focus on ball security if San Francisco is to have any chance against Arizona.
If the 49ers can follow these keys they could come away with a victory Thursday night.
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