The Arizona Cardinals are preparing for a crucial NFC West showdown with the San Francisco 49ers. Arizona’s season has not gotten off to a good start. The Cardinals played the Bills very tightly in Week 1 and got their first win in Week 2. Unfortunately, they’ve gone on a losing streak and dropped the last two games, giving them a record of 1-3. Fortunately, the Cardinals are getting one of their best offensive weapons back for Week 5.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said on Friday that tight end Trey McBride has cleared concussion protocol, per Dani Sureck. He is reportedly “good to go” for the team’s Week 5 matchup against the 49ers.
Trey McBride had a breakout season in 2023, which was his sophomore campaign in the NFL. McBride hauled in 81 receptions for 825 yards and three touchdowns last year. This had many Cardinals fans excited to see McBride take another leap forward in 2024.
Unfortunately, that has not happened yet in 2024. McBride has 14 catches for 122 yards and no touchdowns through four weeks. He did not play in Week 4 because of his concussion, so his stats are really just through three games. Either way, it leaves Cardinals fans begging for McBride to become a larger part of the team’s gameplan on offense.
In other Cardinals injury news, kicker Matt Prater’s status for Week 5 is currently up in the air. Prater is reportedly dealing with soreness in his knee. He will know over the next few days if he’ll be good go for Sunday’s game.
Previewing Week 5’s NFC West showdown: Cardinals vs. 49ers
The Cardinals are nearing must-win territory as their record has fallen to 1-3. Week 5’s matchup against the 49ers is a huge opportunity for the Cardinals to get back into NFC West contention.
The 49ers are one game ahead of the Cardinals with a 2-2 record. That means that a win for Arizona would give both teams a 2-3 record and would because of the tiebreaker, Arizona would pass San Francisco in the standings.
The Cardinals have a shot at winning this important road game. San Francisco is banged up with Christian McCaffrey on IR and multiple other players, including George Kittle and Fred Warner, nursing injuries.
Still, playing a banged up 49ers squad is no cake walk. Arizona will need a stellar offensive performance from Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr., Trey McBride, and James Conner if they want to get past a solid 49ers team.
The 49ers are -7.5 favorites at home.
