Arizona Cardinals: Big plays fuel 28-18 victory over 49ers

Big plays provided the fuel as the Arizona Cardinals defeated the San Francisco 49ers, 28-18, in a Week 5 NFC West clash.

The Arizona Cardinals won their first game of the season, 28-18, in San Francisco on Sunday in Week 5 action. In a total team effort, Arizona came from behind for the win. Big plays were the keys to defeating the San Francisco 49ers.

San Francisco jumped out to take an opening scoring drive to lead, 6-0. The Niners went for the two-point conversion, but failed. After the kickoff, the first big play happened as fast as lightning. Josh Rosen threw deep on first down. He connected with Christian Kirk for a 75-yard touchdown pass. The Redbirds took the lead 7-6 and never looked back.

Early in the second quarter, Patrick Peterson scooped a Niners fumble and ran it back 49 yards to set up the next Cardinals score. Four plays later, the Red Birds pushed their lead to 14-6. David Johnson scored his first of two rushing touchdowns on the day, the first from two yards out.

After a flurry of action in the first half, the third quarter became a defensive struggle. Arizona forced a Niners turnover, but did not capitalize with a score. Arizona led 14-6 still as the third quarter ended.

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San Francisco scored to cut the Cardinals lead to 14-12 after missing another two-point conversion. The Niners looked to be taking control of the game as they began their next offensive drive. Then, lightning struck again in a Cardinals uniform.

Haason Reddick strip sacked the C.J. Beathard, forcing a fumble. Josh Bynes scooped and scored from 23 yards to extend the Cardinals lead to 21-12. The Cardinals defense made yet another big play on San Francisco’s next possession.

Bene Benwikere intercepted a fourth-down pass to set up another Cardinals touchdown. Five plays later, Johnson scored his second rushing touchdown to seal the victory. The Niners closed the game with a late touchdown to make the final score, 28-18.

Statistically, the Niners had more total yards than Arizona. However, the biggest statistic favored the Cardinals. The Arizona defense forced five turnovers. Those big plays sparked the team to the victory.

Let’s hope that this momentum carries through practice and Week 6. There are lots of positives to build from this victory.