A 49ers-Cardinals rock fight in Arizona to close dreadful 2024 season

Jess Root: It’s a weird mix of both better and worse. If they win on Sunday, the 8-9 record will be exactly what I predicted back in May. Big picture, they achieved what was the best-case scenario for even the most optimistic projections — they would be better and still be not quite there.They were more inconsistent offensively than I expected. They had stretches when they were way better defensively than I expected.At 6-4, I thought they were gonna finish with 10-11 wins and win the division, and then they fell apart. So it was a roller coaster of being surprised and then fully disapointed.

JR: Man, he can be so good. He didn’t live up to incredibly lofty hopes for him. The projections of 1,100-1,200 yards were just too much.He looks so good at times and also has looked very much like a rookie. He has not gotten on the same page as Kyler Murray consistently. He has not been as great at contested balls as expected.But he is could flirt with 900 receiving yards. He will end up with better numbers as a rookie than his Hall of Fame father and future Hall of Famer Larry Fitzgerald. He will have nearly (if not more than) 900 yards when there he has a 100-catch, 1,100-yard teammate in Trey McBride. He will likely have the second-most receiving yards for any Cardinals rookie ever. He needs one score to match legends Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for the most rookie touchdown catches. He’s had a pretty solid rookie campaign.I do think he needs a little more edge and “dog” to his game to take his production to the  next level. He has to want the ball with the same intensity as many of the greats, at least when it comes to attacking the football coming his way. But my guess is he will be really, really good as early as next season.

JR: Yeah, it stinks when someone in the division does well, although it does bring a little satisfaction when they do more than flame out in the first round as a sort of justification for them eliminating the Cardinals.

JR: There is beginning to be a little bit of doubt from the public. Thus far, that doubt has not crept into the minds of the coaches. What I try to point out is that Murray’s worst is average QB play. The ceiling is there but he isn’t hitting in consistently. And he is showing he can’t be a consistent top-five guy. But he has the tools to be great year in and year out.So as for moving on, one must tread lightly because it will be hard to do better.

JR: I’m a Patrick Mahomes fan and, as long as it isn’t a team I actively root against, historically great things are something I love to watch. I want a three-peat. I want Mahomes to prove to everyone he’s still that guy. After that, I root for players or coaches. I like Baker Mayfield. I like Dan Campbell. I like Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury. I kind of root for Russell Wilson, even though I still have issues with wanting the Steelers to be successful.

JR: Whew this could be gross. The Cardinals are missing tackles. The 49ers will have Josh Dobbs at QB, who is only a threat if he can move. If the Cardinals can’t beat Dobbs….Anyway, the Cardinals should control this game. Cardinals 27, 49ers 19