The Week 1 slate of the 2020 NFL season is going to start off with a bang. There will be a ton of rivalry games, which means some great competition. However, the matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers may the most intriguing game of them all.
While there isn’t much playoff history between the two, unlike the Houston Texans and Kansas City Chiefs, the division rivals will surely make for a tight playoff race next season. The Cardinals are the sexy new team on the rise while the 49ers are the reigning NFC champions.
The 49ers are going to come into this season with a target on their back. After a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss, it will be interesting to see how they respond. San Francisco made an effort to add a more dynamic element on offense by drafting big-play wideout Brandon Aiyuk and also Jordan Reed could help as TE2.
The Cardinals landed one of the NFL’s top wideouts with the addition of DeAndre Hopkins. He will surely bring a lot of firepower to an already exciting offense. However, rookie linebacker Isaiah Simmons will make a big impact as he makes his NFL debut and could be an immediate difference-maker on defense.
While the 49ers did trade DeForest Buckner to the Indianapolis Colts, the 49ers quickly found his replacement in Javon Kinlaw. The defense is likely to be as dominant as ever. However, this Cardinals offense is full of playmakers. This matchup will be a battle of a dominant defense going up against a high powered offense.
With that being said, here are my five bold predictions for 49ers vs. Cardinals in Week 1 of the 2020 NFL season.
