Cardinals and 49ers face off in Week 3 matchup of undefeated teams

BetMGM NFL Odds: 49ers by 2 1/2.

Against the spread: Cardinals 1-1; 49ers 2-0.

Series record: 49ers lead 36-31.

Last week: Cardinals beat Panthers 27-22; 49ers beat Saints 26-21.

Last meeting: Cardinals beat 49ers 47-24 at Glendale, Ariz., Jan. 5, 2025.

Cardinals offense: overall (24), rush (13), pass (27), scoring (11).

Cardinals defense: overall (21), rush (6), pass (26), scoring (10).

49ers offense: overall (8), rush (22), pass (6), scoring (18).

49erss defense: overall (6), rush (13), pass (6), scoring (7).

Turnover differential: Cardinals plus-1; 49ers even.

Cardinals player to watch

Edge rusher Josh Sweat made his first big play as a member of the Cardinals when his strip-sack of Panthers QB Bryce Young resulted in an early touchdown and a 7-0 lead. The 28-year-old Sweat was the crown jewel of Arizona’s defensive rebuild this offseason, signing a $76.4 million, four-year deal. The Cardinals are counting on him to continue having game-changing moments.

49ers player to watch

WR Ricky Pearsall has eight catches for 164 yards so far this season with all of his catches going for first downs. Pearsall's eight catches have all come on throws at least 10 yards downfield, tied for the second most in the NFL this season.

Key matchup

Cardinals QB Kyler Murray vs. 49ers D. Murray shined last season against San Francisco, scoring on a 50-yard run and leading a double-digit comeback in the fourth quarter in the first meeting and tying a career high with four TD passes in the second game. He is 4-4 overall in his career against the Niners, averaging 272.1 yards of offense with 15 TDs combined rushing and passing.

Key injuries

Cardinals: CB Garrett Williams (knee) and DL L.J. Collier (knee) were both placed on IR after getting hurt against the Panthers. Two other CBs Max Melton (knee) and rookie Will Johnson (groin) are day to day. ... TE Tip Reiman (foot) is trying to return after missing the Panthers game.

49ers: QB Brock Purdy could return after missing last week's game with a toe injury. ... LG Ben Bartch (ankle) went on IR this week. ... FB Kyle Juszczyk (concussion) and DB Siran Neal (concussion) could be out this week.

Series notes

The Cardinals swept the series last season. ... The past four seasons have featured sweeps in the series with Arizona winning both games in the 2021 and ‘24 seasons and San Francisco doing it in 2022 and ’23. ... The Cardinals are the only NFC West team with a winning record in the regular season and playoffs against Niners coach Kyle Shanahan with a 9-7 record. ... The Cardinals have a 7-4 record at Levi’s Stadium.

Stats and stuff

The 49ers-Cardinals game is just one of two Week 3 games between teams that have a 2-0 record. … Arizona DL Calais Campbell is coming off a two-sack performance against the Panthers, including one that sealed the win with 26 seconds left. The 39-year-old Campbell has 112 ½ sacks, which ranks 37th in NFL history. … Murray had a 30-yard run against the Panthers. It was the 10th run of 30-plus yards in his career. Going back to Murray’s rookie season in 2019, only Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson has more with 17. … LB Zaven Collins had a career-high four QB hits for Arizona against the Panthers and added a fumble recovery that he returned 3 yards for his second career TD. … Punt returner Greg Dortch already has returns of 23 and 29 yards this season for the Cardinals. … Arizona TE Trey McBride has 18 games of at least five catches and 50 receiving yards since 2023. That leads all NFL tight ends over that span. ... The 49ers are seeking their ninth 3-0 start in the Super Bowl era. They reached the Super Bowl in four of those eight seasons, winning it all in the 1984 and '89 seasons. ... The 49ers became the first team since the 2016 Vikings to start a season 2-0 with a different starting QB in both games. ... San Francisco RB Christian McCaffrey caught a TD pass last week to join LaDainian Tomlinson and Lenny Moore as the only players with at least 30 TD catches and 50 or more TD runs. ... Niners LB Fred Warner had 11 tackles, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery last week. He now leads all Niners LBs since 1994 with 54 passes defensed and is tied with Patrick Willis with 16 forced fumbles.

Fantasy tip

McCaffrey has had at least 100 yards from scrimmage in each of the first two games of the season. He has done it 58 times in his career and 22 times in 33 games with the 49ers.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl