The Arizona Cardinals travel to face the San Francisco 49ers in a crucial Week 5 NFC West battle that can see the squad either claim back some momentum or fall into a 1-4 hole to begin the year.

Both sides of the ball have tough tasks ahead of them when it comes to containing the 49ers – can Jonathan Gannon’s squad come out on top?

Our staff predictions reveal…. probably not.

Donnie Druin – Which Cardinals squad will show up? If we see what the Cardinals flashed in Week 2 against the Rams, we could be in business. However, Arizona’s been far too inconsistent to give any faith as road underdogs – especially against a 49ers team regardless of who suits up on the other side. Unless the Cardinals truly solved their defensive woes in one week, this could get bad. SF 30, AZ 17

Kevin Hicks – This could be something of a trap game for San Francisco – who handled a clearly inferior New England Patriots offense last week. The overall injury outlook is looking worse for them, and although the Cardinals aren’t the ‘07 Patriots, they have competed against two of the top five squads in the league this season. Expect a bounce back week for Kyler Murray, and for James Conner to make a mark, but the home field advantage and Brock Purdy’s MVP-level play this season result in the Niners pulling away in the 4th frame. SF 30, AZ 23

Jack London – it’s hard to come back from a game like the one Arizona had against a Super Bowl Contender. It’s not the offense I’m worried about in this game, but the defense, as Brock Purdy and Kyle Shanahan’s scheme had no issues putting up points last year. I don’t see that changing this year, even though I expect Kyler to play better along with the whole offense. Still not enough for an Arizona win though. SF 33 AZ 21

Kyler Burd – We are now three weeks out from an offensive performance against the Rams that is looking more and more like a flash in the pan. The offense and defense have alternated periods of decency with full quarters of dysfunction. This inability to get both phases operating at once has led to two straight losses, a close one against a very good Lions squad and an abysmal, embarrassing one against the Washington Commanders and former head coach Kliff Kingsbury. With as much flack as the offense has received from fans this past week, I do think Kyler Murray and the offense as a whole will look more competent, but expecting this sieve of a defense to do much against one of the most consistently good teams in the NFC is a fool’s errand. On the road, against a great roster and coach in Kyle Shanahan, I can’t see a way the Cardinals come out with a win. SF 34, AZ 21

Richard Bradshaw – The Cardinals were humiliated at home by the Commanders. To their defense, Jayden Daniels is playing like a legitimate league MVP candidate as a rookie, but there’s no excuse for the way the Washington defense bullied the Cards. I am worried about the direction of this team moving forward and a trip to The Bay to play a 49ers team that is trying to get their season back on track is not remotely ideal. Even if this game was in the desert, I’d still have the 49ers big. The Cards offense COULD rebound, but I’m not betting on it against a defense hosting Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, and company. I also doubt Arizona’s defense is prepared for San Francisco’s almighty offense. I got the Niners big in this one. SF 38, AZ 10

For the 11th time in the NFL’s Super Bowl era on Sunday, a quarterback threw at least 25 passes and had no more than 60 passing yards in a game. But the Denver Broncos’ Bo Nix walked off the field with something none of the other quarterbacks in the group got – a victory.

The Broncos defeated the New York Jets 10-9 to even their record at 2-2 with the rookie under center.

The former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn QB also came away from the game with the first touchdown pass of his NFL career.

“It’ll be at the house,” Nix said of the ball from the milestone. “Hopefully, it’ll be up for a while. Until my wife gets tired of it, I guess.”

Nix completed 13-of-25 passes for 60 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions against the Jets on a rainy day in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

“I think it was a lot to do with the weather,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said, “and I think it impacted both quarterbacks. I’m not making an excuse, but it was different, it was difficult.”

Nix said he thought the weather affected the game “probably a lot.”

“I think some of the call sheets are limited when you have weather like that,” Nix said, “and they can play a little bit more aggressively and things change. But I feel like we adapted well, especially in the second half, and we adjusted, and we found ways to score points when we needed to.”

Nix joined Denver from Oregon as the 12th choice in the NFL Draft on April 25. Through four games, Nix has completed 83-of-138 passes for 660 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions and run for 110 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries.

“He’s real sharp with his location,” Payton said of Nix, “and I would say that’s something that’s been pretty consistent long before he arrived here. He’s doing a good job getting through his progressions, where he’s going. I like what I’ve seen.”

But October will tell the tale on Nix and the Broncos for 2024, Payton said.

“There’s really not this plateau,” Payton said. “You’re getting better or you’re it’s the other, so this is an important month of football. …

“The execution, the details still have to get better with younger players, and that’s what we’re working on. I’ve said this before: If everyone else canpaint the right picture, then you truly get to evaluate and watch a real good quarterback. It’s that mix of running game, passing game, third down. It gets back to this month — ascending or going the other way. We’ve got to be stepping on the gas right now.”

The October schedule starts for Denver on Sunday, when the Las Vegas Raiders visit at 3:05 p.m. CDT for the Broncos’ first AFC West game of the season. Including two playoff games, Sunday’s contest will be Denver’s 130th against the Raiders.

“I’ve been able to get a sense of it a little bit,” Nix said of the rivalry that started with the founding of the AFL in 1960, “but I don’t think you really truly understand it until you play in your first one. So I’m excited to play Sunday, and I know it’s important for this organization. I know it has been for a long time, and the players, we don’t take it lightly, so we’re going to go out there and compete at a high level, and I know they will, too, so it’s going to be a fun football game.”

The Broncos will wear throwback uniforms honoring the 1977 team when they play Las Vegas.

“I think they’re awesome,” Nix said. “I think anytime you can pay a little tribute to former teams that have come before you and have kind of laid the foundation for the opportunity that you have, I think that’s really important.

“And it’s fun to wear throwbacks. I think that’s always a neat thing that teams are able to do, and ours are pretty cool.”

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.

Spirit of the Beehive had been on tour in support of their new album, You’ll Have to Lose Something, when they got to Seattle for a planned show at the Crocodile. While in the Seattle area, their van, trailer, gear, and merchandise were stolen, they wrote on social media. The trailer was located, but “it was virtually empty,” the band shared.

After losing their van and gear, Spirit of the Beehive have been forced to cancel the rest of their tour. The North American trek had been scheduled to stretch into November.

Spirit of the Beehive have said that they’ve lost “over $100,000 of gear and work,” and, to offset the losses, they’re launching a fundraiser on GoFundMe. The band is also asking people to keep an eye out for the stolen van, a navy blue 2012 Ford E-350 that has the license plate LTB3679.