Arizona in thick of playoffs push
Cardinals in rare role as contenders; 49ers already are eliminated
The Arizona Cardinals are in the middle of the playoff race for the first time in years, while the San Francisco 49ers have been eliminated from the postseason one year after playing in the Super Bowl.
Saturday ’s game between the two teams is yet another example of how quickly things can change in pro football.
“This is the NFL, it’s competitive, it’s really close,” Arizona quarterback Kyler Murray said. “The fact that we’re still where we want to be in the thick of things is all you can ask for at this point in the season.”
Arizona (8-6) is trying for its fifth season sweep in the past six years over San Francisco (5-9), which lost to the Cardinals 24-20 in Week 1 and has lost six of its past seven games overall.
The Cardinals are currently in the No. 7 and final spot in the
NFC playoff race.
They can clinch a spot in the postseason for the first time since 2015 if they win on Saturday and the Chicago Bears lose or tie against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.
C.J. Beathard will make his first start at quarterback for the 49ers since 2018 with both Jimmy Garoppolo and Nick Mullens out injured.
“I’ve got nothing to lose at this point,” Beathard said. “I’m going to go out and have some fun. This team has nothing to lose at this point. We’re not going to make the playoffs. We’ve really got nothing to lose. We’ve got to go out there and leave it all on the field and just have some fun with it. So, I’m excited for the opportunity.”