That hasn't stopped them from finding success. It's true that the 49ers have had to deal with several injuries, but so have the Cardinals.

How are you going to allow Colt McCoy to out-score your offense and let Conner look like LaDainian Tomlinson? The defense was both run around and in some cases ran over, as Arizona did whatever it wanted with the ball. It's fair to want more from Garoppolo and the offense but the reason the 49ers lost on Sunday was because of the defense. The stats say the Cardinals have a top five defense, and it definitely appeared that way on Sunday. The defense completely bottled up San Francisco's run game and the two turnovers they forced in the first half allowed the Cards to jump out to a quick lead. They sacked Garoppolo five times, recorded seven tackles for loss, intercepted a pass and forced two fumbles. Credit to McCoy for leading a short-handed unit which racked up 437 yards of total offense and credit to Conner for his career day, but the defense definitely stood out on Sunday. This was one of the most impressive victories the Cardinals have recorded this season, as it shows they are a complete team not just carried by some of their bigger names. There wasn't one reason why the Cardinals won on Sunday, I think you just have to point to their resiliency. Let's take a look at what exactly happened at Levi's Stadium on Sunday. The 49ers also turned the ball over three times, which helped the Cardinals jump out to a quick lead in the first half. Garoppolo wasn't terrible, as he threw for 326 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, but San Francisco recorded just 39 total rushing yards. Not much went right for the 49ers on Sunday. Chandler Jones passed Freddie Joe Nunn as the Cardinals' all-time sack leader with his one takedown in the first half. Markus Golden was in the backfield all day, and accounted for three of those quarterback takedowns. The defense dominated as well, as it sacked Jimmy Garoppolo five times.

He also caught five passes for 77 yards and another touchdown - a 45-yard screen pass he took to the house in the third quarter. James Conner was the star of the game, as he rushed for 96 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. But, both the offense and defense were able to focus in and dominate San Fran on Sunday. Coming off of their first loss of the season and dealing with numerous injuries against a familiar foe, this really seemed like a letdown spot for the Cardinals. Colt McCoy stepped in and led this team to a 31-17 win over the San Francisco 49ers. The Arizona Cardinals did not have star quarterback Kyler Murray or DeAndre Hopkins on Sunday, but it didn't matter.

Cardinals score