- Oct 9, 1999
- 12,513
- 49
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Arizona Cardinals at San Francisco 49ers: This one is for the division lead. I repeat. The Cardinals are battling the 49ers for the NFC West. This is not a misprint. Of course, it will be up to the Cardinals to prove they are up to this task in what should be an interesting test. The Cardinals are coming off one of the worst games played in years -- a 9-6 overtime victory over the Cowboys last week. A lot of what the Cardinals are doing is great coaching. Coach Dave McGinnis has a light defensive line that lacks stars, but the Cardinals are holding up against teams that run the ball. Despite Jake Plummer's presence on offense, the Cardinals aren't high scoring but they can get a running game going behind their big offensive line. The 49ers have had a chance to regroup after their loss to the Saints last week. They run the ball about as well as any team in the NFL, and their mission will be to try to gash the middle of the Cardinals defense with running plays. If they can do that successfully, quarterback Jeff Garcia can open up more passing plays, particularly with the expected return of wide receiver J.J. Stokes, who missed two games because of a knee injury. The Cardinals are serious contenders for the wild-card because a sixth team hasn't emerged in the NFC. But are they contenders for a division title? They can answer that question Sunday.
- John Clayton
Pro Football Weekly's Game of the Week
My call? 20-17 Cards, David Boston has 120+ yards receiving.