Arizona: The Cardinals went 13-3 in 2015 and advanced to the NFC championship game, losing at Carolina. The Cardinals were again one of the NFC favorites to make the Super Bowl entering 2016 but as the team hits the road on a short week for a Thursday night game in San Francisco, the Cards are hoping to avoid falling to 1-4 on the current season. To add insult to injury, QB Carson Palmer left the team's Week 4 loss to the LA Rams with a head injury and entered the week in concussion protocol. The short week gives him even less time to recover, so Arizona is likely to start Drew Stanton at QB. He was able to pull a 5-3 mark out of his hat during a stint in 2014 but he struggled mightily in taking over for Palmer this past Sunday. He completing just 4-of-11 passes for 37 yards in a 17-13 loss and his two interceptions upped Arizona's turnover total to nine during its two-game skid. RB David Johnson (64 attempts, 300 yards, three TDs) leads the NFL with 510 yards from scrimmage and has recorded 100 or more total yards in all four contests this season and eight of his last nine games. Arizona's "D" has been steady, ranking 8th in total yards allowed (313.5 YPG) and 11th in points allowed (20.0 PPG)

San Francisco: While the NFL world is surprised to see the Cardinals at 1-3, no one is surprised that the 49ers are 1-3. They opened with a 28-0 shutout over the Rams in Week 1 but it's been three losses in a row since then, with the defense allowing 35.7 PPG during the skid. The offense ranks 30th (of 32 teams) in total yards (292.8 per), including dead-last in passing (178.8 YPG) with QB Blaine Gabbert completing a modest 58.0 percent with four TDs and four INTs, giving him a QB rating of 73.1. Colin Kaepernick had offseason shoulder surgery and head coach Chip Kelly said last week health is still holding Kaepernick back. Is that really true or is the controversial Kaepernick being kept out of games for oether reasons? Carlos Hyde (73 attempts, 299 yards, NFC-best five TDs) is averaging 4.9 YPC over his last two games.

The pick: The short week has left little time for manipulating the Cardinals' game plan against the 49ers and head coach Bruce Arians said Tuesday before the team packed for Santa Clara, Calif., that his plan would not change much if Drew Stanton was under center Thursday. After all, the 49ers are a familiar NFC West foe. Arizona RB Johnson will benefit from facing the NFL's worst rushing defense, as San Francisco is allowing 140.5 YPG. Being able to effectively run the ball will make Stanton's job easier. The again, Palmer is a tough guy and just maybe, he'll be able to play. Arians identified the Super Bowl as the team's only acceptable goal this year, so it's more than fair to call this a "must win!" Arizona is a 10* play.