How Cardinals Can End Season on High Note

The Arizona Cardinals can do these things to gain a win over the San Francisco 49ers.

Dec 28, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) looks to throw the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals host the San Francisco 49ers to close out the season, and I can’t blame anyone who doesn’t want to watch this.

My expectations aren’t even low for this game; they flat out do not exist. I know I speak for many when I say, “Let’s just get this over with.”

The Cardinals and Niners lost their shot at the playoffs weeks ago and all that’s left to play for now is pride.

Let the battle begin!

If the Cardinals would like to end this nightmarish season with a win, then fear not for, I have yet another full-proof game plan to secure that W… although it’s about the most bland game plan I’ve ever made.

Why is that you ask? Because the less I ask out of this team, the better they seem to do. I don’t make up the rules, I just write articles and hope people don’t dox me.

Anyways, here’s how you win and show off to 49ers fans that you’re better than them for the next eight months:

Ask the bare minimum from Kyler Murray and Drew Petzing

If Petzing stays with the Cardinals for the 2025 season we have a problem, and the same can be said of Murray to a lesser degree. Both have been bad this season and changes are needed if Arizona wants to win football games again. But with one last game of the year, I’m sure these two will be all-in on proving those like me wrong.

And I know the easiest way for them to do it – do the absolute bare minimum.

Petzing and Murray are self-destructive and play off each other in the most toxic way possible. We’ve seen them lose games all season long, so at this point we know that the less they must do collectively, the better position Arizona is in to win the game. So, let’s just do that then.

Run the ball, get the ball out quick and beyond the line of scrimmage, and don’t turn the ball over. Should be simple enough, but we’ve asked them to do this all year…

Get after Joshua Dobbs and don’t be polite about it

Cardinals fans will hopefully give Dobbs some love considering what he gave to the team last season. The Cardinals were watchable with Dobbs and I’m curious if any fans missed him this year after the circus Murray put fans on.

However, we know who Dobbs is as a player and he’s easy to beat. The journeyman is limited across the board and the Cardinals know him intimately, which should make this a great game for Nick Rallis to dial up his best work as the team’s defensive coordinator.

As is the case with most quarterbacks, Arizona should get the pass rush going early and get Dobbs as uncomfortable as possible behind an offensive line that is mediocre at best and is now without future Hall of Famer Trent Williams. The Niners are also banged up across the board and may have a terrible time trying to get anything going, which could play into Arizona’s hands and create chaos.

Bad quarterback play = losses. The Cardinals know this better than anyone, and it’ll be the biggest key to beating the 49ers…

…although, there’s one last key to victory that matters most.

Just be less bad than the other guys

Look, these are two bad football teams playing football for the last time this season. There’s next to nothing to lose for either team or minimal to gain with a win. Everyone wants this season to end so we can enter the offseason.

With that in mind, I certainly doubt either team will be playing 100 mph, making the key to victory as simple as this – don’t suck.

The only thing on the line in this game is final draft seeding. There’s not likely to be any head coach firings and both teams are likely moved on to next year anyways with both franchises securing losing records. So, if you want a win, it’s yours to take.

Don’t make too many bone-headed mistakes and make your opponent make them for you instead. Victory is assured this way… or at least it should be, but who knows anymore?