49ers emerge as legit NFC threat after showing out against Cardinals

MEXICO CITY -- The San Francisco 49ers are headed location with a triumph -- and tied for archetypal successful the NFC West -- aft defeating the Arizona Cardinals 38-10 astatine Estadio Azteca connected Monday night.

With 78,427 fans successful attendance for the NFL's last planetary crippled of the season, the Niners (6-4) extended their triumph streak to 3 games and leaned heavy connected wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and moving backs Deebo Samuel and Christian McCaffrey. The Cardinals fell to 4-7 arsenic backup backmost Colt McCoy started successful spot of the injured Kyler Murray for the 2nd consecutive week.

The Niners moved to 4-0 against part rivals, including a Week 2 triumph implicit the Seattle Seahawks that gives San Francisco power of its playoff positioning.

San Francisco 49ers

For overmuch of this season, the San Francisco 49ers person hovered successful the grey country betwixt NFC contender and pretender.

On Monday night, they loudly proclaimed they are, successful fact, a squad to beryllium feared.

All 3 phases yet came unneurotic successful a thrashing of the Arizona Cardinals. The 6-4 Niners person won 3 successful a enactment and are 4-0 successful the NFC West.

On paper, galore observers person viewed the Niners arsenic a existent menace successful the NFC each play but galore were inactive waiting for that each to gel. And though the Los Angeles Rams, Los Angeles Chargers and Cardinals aren't precisely challenging opponents, the Niners handled each with comparative ease.

Now that their week-long travel to Colorado and Mexico City is over, the Niners caput location for the holidays, playing 5 of their last 7 games astatine Levi's Stadium and nary extracurricular of the Pacific clip zone.

San Francisco won 7 of 9 to adjacent past play earlier making a tally to the NFC Championship Game. As November nears its end, the Niners look acceptable to bash it again.

QB breakdown: In a departure from their mean approach, the Niners leaned heavy connected backmost Jimmy Garoppolo successful the archetypal half. Garoppolo attempted 21 passes, including 9 successful a enactment astatine 1 constituent and 3 times much than the Niners ran it successful the opening 30 minutes. He went 14-of-21 for 153 yards with 2 touchdowns for a 119.7 passer rating.

It was conscionable the 3rd clip successful the past 2 seasons helium had 100-plus passing yards and astatine slightest 2 touchdown tosses successful the archetypal half. That output acceptable the Niners up to travel retired of the locker country astatine fractional and tally the shot close astatine Arizona. San Francisco ran 7 of 8 times connected its opening possession of the 3rd quarter, finishing with Deebo Samuel's 39-yard touchdown run.

Garoppolo finished 20-of-29 for 228 yards with 4 touchdowns and nary interceptions for a standing of 131.9.

Describe the crippled successful 2 words: Total dominance. Those clamoring for the 49ers to beryllium taken earnestly successful the NFC by blowing idiosyncratic retired got what they wanted Monday night.

Buy the 49ers two-headed backfield monster: Christian McCaffrey played 25 snaps to Elijah Mitchell's 3 successful the archetypal half, but it turned retired that was Kyle Shanahan's program each along. The Niners utilized the much bruising Mitchell arsenic a second-half person of sorts and helium joined McCaffrey successful salting the crippled away.

McCaffrey's versatility paired with Mitchell's velocity and powerfulness gives the Niners a operation that could marque them a pugnacious postseason out.

Under the radar stat: According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Deebo Samuel reached a max velocity of 19.94 MPH connected his 39-yard unreserved touchdown, the highest velocity helium has reached arsenic a shot bearer this season.

Next game: vs. New Orleans Saints, Nov. 27.

Arizona Cardinals

A atrocious play conscionable got adjacent worse for the Arizona Cardinals.

It's been 1 happening for them to suffer connected Sundays stateside. It was different for them to get blown retired connected "Monday Night Football" successful beforehand of an planetary assemblage astatine Estadio Azteca successful Mexico City.

The Cardinals fell to 4-7 aft a crippled that could person been the changing constituent successful an different dismal play for Arizona. Instead of pulling themselves wrong closing region of the past playoff spot, the Cardinals showed again that their discourtesy is inactive a enactment successful advancement -- 4 years into Kliff Kingsbury's tenure.

With Kyler Murray's hamstring inactive not astatine 100 percent, the commencement went to backup backmost Colt McCoy for a 2nd consecutive week. The Cardinals ran for conscionable 67 yards and mustered 1 touchdown with McCoy down an violative enactment that featured conscionable 1 opening time starter, close tackle Kelvin Beachum. Arizona's defence couldn't incorporate the 49ers' 3 astir almighty weapons: choky extremity George Kittle, moving backmost Christian McCaffrey and wide receiver Deebo Samuel.

Unable to get their moving crippled going, the Cardinals near the load of the discourtesy connected McCoy, who took deed aft deed down the patchwork violative line. And it near the Cardinals pummeled, looking for answers connected some sides of the shot with six games left.

Troubling trend: The Cardinals mislaid yards connected 5 runs successful the archetypal half, each of which happened connected archetypal down, putting them successful second-and-long situations earlier they adjacent had a accidental to interruption a sweat. Three of them happened connected the aforesaid drive. Those 5 archetypal downs that went for antagonistic runs were connected drives that produced a full of 3 points and an interception.

QB breakdown: When McCoy was upright, helium threw for 218 yards and an interception connected 24-for-34 passing, adjacent aft being sacked 3 times. He was seen successful symptom aft a mates hits and his inability to evade unit and marque plays with his feet was an contented for the Cardinals each game.

Pivotal play: DeAndre Hopkins' taunting punishment aboriginal successful the 2nd 4th moved Arizona from 49ers territory backmost into its ain territory. Two plays later, Colt McCoy threw an interception, which San Francisco turned into a touchdown to instrumentality a 14-3 pb and ne'er looked back.

Under the radar stat: After catching 7 passes for 77 yards successful the archetypal half, DeAndre Hopkins had conscionable 2 catches for 14 yards successful the 2nd half.

Next game: vs. Los Angeles Chargers, Nov. 27.