Recent Arizona Cardinals vs. San Francisco 49ers history: By The Numbers
Sep 18, 2014, 9:39 PM | Updated: 10:26 pm
The first 35 meetings between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers saw a fairly even split, with Arizona going 16-19 in the rivalry.
But for a matchup to be considered a rivalry, both teams need to be winning at nearly the same rate. And in that case, the meetings between Arizona and San Francisco over the last five years resemble more of a fly vs. fly swatter rivalry.
The 49ers are 9-1 in their last 10 games against the Cardinals, with wins ranging from a game-winning field goal as time expires to their more-frequent blowout victories.
As the Cardinals and 49ers prepare for Sunday’s divisional battle in Arizona, we give you some of the numbers that have defined the last 10 games between these NFC West opponents:
7:
The Cardinals have struggled mightily with even keeping the last 10 games close against the 49ers, as seven of the meetings, all San Francisco wins, have been decided by double-digits.
106.4:
Niners quarterback Colin Kaepernick has not been fazed by Arizona’s normally stout defense, averaging a 106.4 passer rating in his three career games against the team. San Francisco has won all of Kaepernick’s starts, with the quarterback throwing six touchdowns and only two interceptions over that time.
2:
Passing yards have been at a premium in these last 10 meetings, with Carson Palmer and Colin Kaepernick, both in last season’s finale, being the only quarterbacks to exceed 300 passing yards in a game.
5-1:
Niners coach Jim Harbaugh has made the most of his games against Arizona, going 5-1 against the team since he joined San Francisco in 2011. The Cardinals haven’t even kept the games very close against Harbaugh’s Niners, losing by an average of 13.2 points in those games.
– 23:
The turnover battle is often considered a massive factor in the outcome of games, and lately the Cardinals have failed at this miserably against the 49ers. Arizona has a -23 turnover margin over their last 10 games against San Francisco, losing the turnover battle in every game during that span.
129.9:
From Frank Gore to Brian Westbrook to Anthony Dixon, 49ers who run the ball against the Cardinals do not seem to find much resistance. The Niners have averaged 129.9 rushing yards per game over the last five years against Arizona, more than doubling the Cardinals 60.5 rushing yards per game over the same period.
6:
Arizona pass-catchers have been able to make their presence known in the matchups despite the losses, with six individual 100-yard receiving games over the last five seasons. Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has had four such games over that span, personally matching the 49ers’ total in the category.
14:
Who needs to get to the red zone when you can score from anywhere on the field? This could be the mantra for both teams, as they have scored 14 offensive touchdowns from more than 30 yards out in their last 10 meetings.
5:
A key to outscoring opponents is, you know, scoring. The Cardinals have not been able to reach double digits in five of their games against San Francisco since 2009.
