Arizona
Cardinals Exposed: What We Learned From Their Blowout Loss to the 49ers
Another week, another loss for the Arizona Cardinals, as they took a brutal defeat at the hands of the San Francisco 49ers. The Niners won 41-22, with Arizona dominated in all phases for the second straight week against a divisional opponent.
With the 19-point loss to San Francisco, the Cardinals drop to 3-7, and their playoff hopes are almost completely gone. It was another extremely frustrating performance, and another example of Arizona getting overmatched by a team it was supposed to contend with for the division.
While losses are becoming commonplace for the Cardinals, each game presents its own set of takeaways, and the defeat to San Francisco is no different. Even if most of them are negative, we still learned a lot about the Cardinals on Sunday.
With that, here are three takeaways from the latest Arizona loss.
Just like last week’s matchup with the Seahawks, the Cardinals found themselves down early. They didn’t appear ready once 2:05 p.m. rolled around at State Farm Stadium.
On the opening kickoff, Skyy Moore returned Chad Ryland’s kick 98 yards to the 1-yard line, and one play later, Christian McCaffrey punched it in to give the 49ers a 7-0 lead.
Arizona’s offense didn’t respond, and the Niners scored a touchdown on their next drive, making it 13-0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter. Barely five minutes in, the Cardinals were down two scores — marking the second straight game they trailed by two touchdowns before the first quarter was halfway through.
The Cardinals did get on the board on the ensuing series, but they never truly made a game out of it after falling behind 13-0 so early. At halftime, San Francisco led 25-10, and by the end of the third quarter, it was 35-10.
That’s the second straight week an opponent scored 35-plus before the fourth quarter began, as Arizona’s defense simply couldn’t keep up. From the very beginning, the Cardinals were outplayed. The Niners were ready for action, while Arizona looked like it was sleepwalking through the first three quarters.
RECAP: 49ers Dominate Week 11 as Cardinals Exposed Again
The Cardinals set a new franchise record for penalties and penalty yards, making it painfully clear that they hurt themselves throughout Sunday’s contest.
Jonathan Gannon’s team committed 17 penalties for 130 yards, while the 49ers were called for just one flag for 15 yards — an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. Arizona, meanwhile, was flagged for those all afternoon.
And that’s all about discipline. The Cardinals showed almost no composure once the 49ers took a big lead, and the penalties reflected that. It wasn’t just late in the game either — 11 of their 17 penalties came in the first half.
When Arizona was trying to stay competitive, it killed its own momentum with drive-stalling mistakes. While the scoreboard shows that San Francisco beat the Cardinals, you could argue they beat themselves just as badly.
Sunday marked the sixth time Arizona has totaled double-digit penalties during Gannon’s tenure, as coaching issues have continued to surface. While change is a hotly debated topic, the facts are the facts — and 17 penalties, a franchise record, says plenty about how this coaching staff is performing.
READ: Key Stats Expose How Cardinals Lost to the 49ers
This is a big-picture takeaway, but still an important one: Arizona’s divisional record is now 0-4, with sweeps by both Seattle and San Francisco.
This was supposed to be a team in the thick of the divisional race, but after Week 11, the Cardinals have been left behind while the Rams, Seahawks and 49ers fight for the NFC West crown.
And this is nothing new. If the standings hold, 2025 will be the eighth time in the last nine seasons that Arizona finishes either third or fourth in the division. The Cardinals haven’t won the NFC West since 2015, while all three of their rivals have made a Super Bowl in the last 12 years.
A win Sunday wouldn’t have vaulted them back into the race, but it would’ve shown they can at least compete within the division. Instead, they’re 0-4 — and there’s not much optimism they’ll avoid a sweep by the Rams. In a league where divisional games matter so much, Gannon’s team has repeatedly failed in the most important moments.
There’s plenty of frustration stemming from Arizona’s loss to San Francisco, but their continued inability to compete within the division might be the biggest takeaway of all.
Gannon is now 3-13 against the NFC West in his career, and if you include the 2021 playoff game against the Rams, he’s 3-14. That’s unacceptable for an NFL head coach, and if you take nothing else away from Sunday, that’s the statistic that should stick with you as the Cardinals decide whether to make changes moving forward.
Arizona
2026 NFL draft: 3 potential trades back from No. 3 for Arizona Cardinals
Since the Arizona Cardinals want to trade back from the No. 3 picks, here are three deals that could work.
The Arizona Cardinals have the third pick in the 2026 NFL draft, which begins this week on Thursday. All the reports coming out are saying that they want to trade out of the pick to acquire more draft picks.
But what does a trade look like and who could be involved?
The Kansas City Chiefs are involved in talks at some level. ESPN’s Adam Schefter expects trade talks to heat up this week.
NFL teams use a variation of a trade value chart when it comes to draft picks. Now, what a team actually is willing to give up can be influenced by potential competition with other teams, but we can’t count on that.
Here is the general trade value chart teams use.
Here are some potential deals that could be done.
Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs have two first-round picks, which would be appealing to the Cardinals, who reportedly want to make a move for quarterback Ty Simpson, and the 29th pick might be just the spot to get him.
The third overall pick is worth 514 points.
The Chiefs’ picks at No. 9 (387 points) and No. 29 (202 points) together are worth 589.
To make up the difference, the Cardinals could give up No. 65 (78 points) for a total of 592 points.
One deal could be:
- Cardinals receive get No. 9 and No. 29 (589 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 65 (592 points)
Another could be:
- Cardinals receive No. 9, No. 29, No. 74 and 2027 third-round pick (653 points + value of future third-round pick, which is 36-78 points)
- Chiefs receive No. 3 and No. 34 (689 points)
The Cardinals keep their third-round pick and the Chiefs essentially move back five spots from No. 29.
Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys have the 12th and 20th picks but no pick in the second round.
Pick No. 12 is 347 points and No. 20 is 269 for a total of 616.
This deal is close:
- Cardinals receive No. 12, No. 20 (616 points)
- Cowboys receive No. 3, No. 65 (592 points)
New Orleans Saints
The Saints are perhaps a dark horse to move up, although they do not have two first-round picks. They have the No. 8 pick, worth 406 points. Their second-round pick, at No. 42, is worth 142 points.
This deal could work:
- Cardinals receive No. 8, No. 42 (548 points)
- Saints receive No. 3, No. 104 (547 points)
Then the Cardinals could use their two second-round picks to then move back into Round 1 to get Ty Simpson.
They could trade No. 34, No. 42 and No. 65 (395 points) for No. 28, No. 38 and No. 106 (398 total points).
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
Arizona
Dust returns to Phoenix area after hazy weekend – KTAR.com
PHOENIX — Breezy winds kicked up a blanket of dust across the Valley on Sunday, and forecasters say more is on the way this week.
Visibility in Phoenix became so bad on Sunday that Sky Harbor airport stopped flights for over an hour
The wind and dust peaked Sunday afternoon and gradually improved into the evening, said Michael Graves, an air quality meteorologist with the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality.
“You might’ve seen the mountains a bit obscured in the distance,” Graves told KTAR News 92.3 FM on Monday. “A lot of haze in the air.”
By Monday morning, skies had largely cleared and dust levels near the ground had dropped significantly.
Expect more gusty, dusty days this week
The relief may be short-lived.
ADEQ is watching for increased afternoon breezes Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, this time from the west and southwest. Though the winds are expected to be weaker than Sunday’s, Graves said forecasters cannot rule out dust.
“I wouldn’t say windstorm,” Graves said. “I would just say we’ve got some waves coming in. They’re going to increase our afternoon breeziness.”
It’s enough to kick up dry, exposed dirt, which could create pockets of dust. There is a slight chance of broader regional dust transport, Graves said.
It will impact people with asthma, COPD or respiratory conditions the most. Graves advised those with issues to monitor conditions and stay indoors during the dustiest hours.
“If you’re going to be outside, be outside during the times when it’s less dusty or hazy,” Graves said.
Graves noted that spring weather systems typically pass to the north of the Phoenix area, delivering wind and slight temperature drops but little to no rain, a pattern likely to continue.
KTAR News reporter Kellen Shover contributed to this report.
Arizona
Trying to beat the heat: Addressing rising temperatures in Southern Arizona
The University of Arizona and Tucson are known for yearlong warm weather, but when is it too much? With temperature reaching record highs in March, the city of Tucson has already reported increased temperatures for this year.
In the wake of the third annual Southern Arizona Heat Summit, integrating voices throughout the City of Tucson, community stakeholders and experts from UA gather to speak about possible solutions and policies to address rising temperatures and extreme heat.
The summit strives to ensure that the lived experiences of Southern Arizona residents are voiced. The first summit commenced in 2024, in response to the declaration of an extreme heat emergency in Arizona by Gov. Katie Hobbs, as part of a larger plan called Arizona’s Extreme Heat Response Plan.
With representation from organizations such as the American Red Cross, the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, Arizona Jobs with Justice, Tucson Indian Center and many more, the summit emphasized the importance of the perspective and concerns of stakeholder groups throughout the community.
The summit included a variety of UA experts, including faculty representing the School of Geography, Development and Environment; the Udall Center for Studies in Public Policy; the Mel & Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and the College of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture.
One particular project, led by Ladd Keith at the School of Landscape Architecture and Planning, is a part of the Southwest Urban Corridor Integrated Field Laboratory, which is funded by the United States’ Department of Energy to explore extreme heat throughout Arizona. SW-IFL works in collaboration with other national laboratories including those at ASU and NAU.
The team works to analyze extreme heat in the southwest and rural areas, and how communities deal with heat by conducting interviews. The team has also prescribed policy to Pima County and the City of Tucson regarding more effective strategies to combat rising temperatures, such as green stormwater infrastructure.
Anne-Lise Boyer, a post-doctoral researcher with the Climate Assessment for the Southwest, shared that the team particularly analyzed extreme heat in three parts: heat mitigation, heat management and heat governance.
Mitigation deals with prevention through strategies such as green infrastructure and planting trees, while management includes cooling sensors and heat warning systems. Governance allows these measures to be enacted through policy.
In Tucson, some of the most meaningful work the team has engaged in has been drafting the City of Tucson’s Heat Action Roadmap in 2024, which outlines goals to mitigate and mandate extreme heat and its impacts while prioritizing community voices.
The goals of the roadmap include informing and educating citizens of Tucson on the adverse effects of extreme heat and cooling people’s homes and neighborhoods by incorporating heat risk in regional planning. These steps are essential to practicing heat management, especially as the city of Tucson grows.
“I think the most interesting thing about being based in Tucson is that because the heat has been here for a long time, it’s like a laboratory in itself,” Boyer said. “We have all this research and all this collaboration happening with local actors because it’s a pressing issue in Arizona.”
As the annual heat summit recurs, new ideas and perspectives continue to be shared throughout the community. Boyer shared that this year, the Southern Arizona Heat Summit focused on the youth perspective, highlighting middle school and high school students and how heat impacts their everyday lives. Many students spoke about how heat shaped their lives at home, school and sports.
“That’s one of the goals, to have community members participate and give their input in how they wish the city will deal with the heat,” Boyer said.
Boyer and Kirsten Lake, a program coordinator for the SW-IFL team, also shared how the impacts of extreme heat impact some neighborhoods and communities in Tucson more than others, and that their research often evaluates these factors to determine where heat management efforts would make the greatest impact.
“Its important when you’re putting into effect some of these measures, that you make sure you put it where it’s going to make the biggest difference,” Lake said.
The work of the SW-IFL team is not just locally known. The Brookhaven National Lab based in New York deployed a specialized truck to Tucson to collect information on the atmosphere and rising temperatures. The SW-IFL team hosted the Brookhaven team.
Additionally, Keith’s work has led to a guidebook called “Planning for Urban Heat Resilience” which focuses on the adverse effects extreme heat poses to marginalized communities across the country.
“It is so different from place to place and neighborhood to neighborhood because you have to take the whole context into account,” Boyer said. “They recommend first to document the heat impacts in your communities.”
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