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Sep 14, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Luke Farrell (89) celebrates a touchdown with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Mac Jones (10) during the first quarter against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Cardinals Must Contain These 49ers in Week 3

Originally posted on Arizona Cardinals on SI
By Richie Bradshaw | Last updated Sep 21, 2025 1:00 PM ET

This Sunday marks the first NFC West division battle for the Arizona Cardinals as they head to the Bay Area to play the San Francisco 49ers. This series is tied at five wins each since 2020, but the Cardinals swept the Niners last season, including a 23-point blowout to end the season.

Since then, both teams have gotten better. Unfortunately, they've both been dealt tough hands to start the season due to injuries. It makes this early season matchup more important than some may realize, as capitalizing on this game between beat-up rosters could define their success in division play by the time they play again in mid-November.

If the Cardinals want to get the win, they will need to be prepared for the healthy stars that the 49ers still have. They are 2-0 by accident, and they still have great players at their disposal.

We're going to highlight three players that Arizona must keep an eye out on, as well as a quick look at their quarterback. And I'll save you some time and let you know out of the gate that neither Nick Bosa or Fred Warner are included here.

We're all aware of two of the best players in the league, so they don't need an introduction. Instead, we'll preview other guys who could alter this game in the 49ers favor.

We'll start with Mac Jones, who is currently slated to start, pending Brock Purdy's health status.

Mac Jones
It was quite the debut for Jones with San Francisco, completing more than 66% of his passes with three touchdowns and no turnovers. Jones is historically inconsistent, but Kyle Shanahan dialed up a perfect game plan for him last week, albeit against a bad football team.

Ricky Pearsall
The 49ers' wide receiver room is going through the motions, but Jauan Jennings and Ricky Pearsall have held up their end of the bargain. Jennings has broken out big time over the last 12 months, but Pearsall is who I'm looking out for, specifically. His game-breaking speed will be the difference in this game. With the Cardinals cornerback room banged up, Pearsall could turn into a massive difference-maker in this game, with a few big plays derailing what Arizona wants to do.

Bryce Huff
How quickly Huff has fallen from grace after a 10-sack campaign with the Jets in 2023. He was non-existent for the Eagles last season, but he's made an impact through two games for the Niners. We all know that Bosa will get his in this game, but Arizona has to make sure the rest of the 49ers' pass rush stays honest. Huff likely leads the charge, and it's not out of the realm of possibility that he keeps his strong start going in a potential rebound season.

Renardo Green
San Francisco's cornerback room has some of the most overlooked players in the league. Deommondore Lenoir has blossomed into an ace cornerback and was rewarded as such with a nice contract extension. Green has my full attention after a terrific, yet quiet rookie season. He's already broken up three passes this season, and he will have a chance to go up against Marvin Harrison Jr. in a test to see who has improved most from year one to two. Green could be the difference in whether the Cardinals can effectively pass the football farther than 10 yards downfield.