By: Joe Lami

The San Francisco 49ers are 1-1 in the Blaine Gabbert era, as they fell last week 29-13 to the Seahawks. Their record now stands at 3-7 on the season, tied for last in the NFC.

This week the 49ers get a rematch against the (8-2) Arizona Cardinals, a team that blew them out 47-7 in the third week of the season. However, there is a different quarterback under center from the blowout that saw Colin Kaepernick throw four interceptions, including two for touchdowns in the first two drives of the game.

Kaepernick won’t be facing one of the best defenses this week, as he has been placed on the injured reserve list after receiving surgery on his non-throwing shoulder earlier this week. Instead, Gabbert will get the start against the Cardinals, a team he has never faced in his NFL career.

Earlier in the week, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu commented on the difference of having Gabbert under center for the 49ers, “it seems like Gabbert has a little better grip on what’s going on. He knows where the ball needs to go. I think he gives the [49ers] a better option going forward”.

The Cardinals have been on a tear this year, with the second best point differential at +120 and the highest scoring offense, averaging 33.6 points per game. Quarterback, Carson Palmer, is returning to old form, as he passed the 3,000-yard mark on the season in last week’s win over the Bengals.

It will be interesting to see how Gabbert handles the Cardinals, but like last week Arizona is too strong for the 49ers. However, with a different quarterback it will be a much closer game, assuming Gabbert doesn’t throw four picks as well.

Arizona 24 San Francisco 17