After theAAFC-NFL merger, the 49ers and Cardinals faced off for the first time in the1951 season, when the Cardinals were based inChicago. Both teams engaged in sporadic matchups leading up to the2000 season. During that period, the Cardinals relocated toSt. Louis and subsequently, in the1988 season, they relocated toPhoenix,Arizona, establishing themselves as a Western team. Following the NFL realignment in2002, the Cardinals joined theNFC West, thus becoming divisional rivals with the 49ers. The rivalry is a closely contested series, particularly after the realignment. The Cardinals are the only team in the NFC the 49ers have not met in the playoffs.
The 49ers lead the overall series, 38–31. The two teams have not met in theplayoffs.[1]
Following the 1987 season, the Cardinals relocated toPhoenix, Arizona. In the 49ers' first trip to Phoenix, they blundered a 23–0 lead. The Cardinals came back and won 24–23, scoring a touchdown in the final seconds of the game.[7][8]
During a1999 game between the two teams, Cardinals cornerbackAeneas Williams delivered a sack on 49ers quarterbackSteve Young. Young was concussed on the play, with his injury ultimately being a career-ending one.[7]
Anquan Boldin had multiple 1,000 receiving yard seasons with both the 49ers and Cardinals
The two teams became division rivals when the Cardinals moved to theNFC West, as part of the NFL's2002 realignment. In2004, the 49ers finished with a dismal 2–14 record; both of their 2 wins, however, came against the Cardinals.[7] The following season, the two teams played the first NFL regular season game held outside of the United States.[9] DubbedFútbol Americano, the game was played atEstadio Azteca, inMexico City; the Cardinals won 31–14.[10][11]
During the late 2000s and early 2010s, the 49ers and Cardinals were commonMonday Night Football (MNF) opponents, having played each other five times in six years (from 2007 to 2012).[12] In the 2007 matchup, quarterbackAlex Smith led the 49ers to a comeback victory over the Cardinals to kick off the season.[13] Also during this period, Cardinals and 49ers players were noted as often sharing hateful sentiments about the opposing side.[14][15] 49ers tight endVernon Davis and Cardinals defensive tackleDarnell Dockett were also noted exchanging barbs onTwitter.[16] The results between the two teams were lopsided during this period, with the Cardinals winning one of ten matchups from 2009 to 2013. Then-Cardinals head coachBruce Arians likened the rivalry to theBrowns–Steelers rivalry.[17] However, shifting into the mid-2010s, the Cardinals dominated the 49ers, winning eight straight games in the rivalry from2015 to2018.[18][19]
The two teams once again met in Mexico for anotherMonday Night Football matchup in2022.[20] 49ers quarterbackJimmy Garoppolo passed for 4 touchdowns in the game, leading his team to a 38–10 victory.[21]
Season-by-season results
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago/St. Louis/Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals Season-by-Season Results[1]
Last game 49ers faced the Cardinals as aChicago-based team, as the Cardinals relocated toSt. Louis in the1960 season. The two teams never faced off against each other in Chicago.
In San Francisco, 49ers record their largest victory over the Cardinals with a 36–point differential and scored their most points in a game against the Cardinals.
In San Francisco, 49ers overcame a 28–12 fourth-quarter deficit. 49ers' victories against the Cardinals would be their only victories in their2004 season.
Cardinals' home game was played at theEstadio Azteca inMexico City onMonday Night Football in the first NFL regular season game played outside the United States, marketed asFútbol Americano. The game drew a crowd of 103,467, setting an NFL regular-season attendance record (broken in2009).
In Arizona, Cardinals record their largest victory over the 49ers with a 40–point differential and scored their most points in a game against the 49ers.
In San Francisco, 49ers' kickerEddy Piñeiro kicked a game-winning 35-yard field goal on the game's final play. In Arizona, Cardinals' quarterbackJacoby Brissett set an NFL record with 47 completions, while the Cardinals were called for 17 penalties, setting a franchise record for the most penalties in a game.
49ers have a 4–2 record inSt. Louis. Cardinals currently have a 13–12 record inArizona. Both teams are tied 1–1 at theEstadio Azteca inMexico City (2005), (2022), both accounted for as Arizona Cardinals home games.
