The Arizona Cardinals’ 24-23 win over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 5 had the makings of a defeat for the visitors early on.

After similar themes that had plagued the Cardinals in recent weeks, Arizona seemed completely on track at halftime despite trailing by just two points (23-10).

After an explosive 50-yard touchdown run by quarterback Kyler Murray to open the game, Arizona’s offense was quiet for most of the first half.

On the other hand, the 49ers did 49er things on both sides of the football. Even though San Francisco’s offense wasn’t firing on all cylinders, it had little trouble moving the rock past 249 yards in the first half. However, the 49ers’ offense was only successful once, having to settle for three field goals.

As for San Francisco’s defense, it more than limited Arizona to 10 points in the first half after a blocked field goal was returned for a touchdown late in the second quarter.

So what has changed?

A look at the key factors that led to the Cardinals’ unlikely comeback win over the 49ers in Week 5:

Back to basics

This week Nauseum said:

For the Cardinals to be successful, Murray will need to be the dual threat that earned him the No. 1 overall draft pick in 2019.

Rushing numbers were missing four games into 2024, particularly when it came to Murray’s carries (16).

The Week 4 loss was particularly bad as Murray only gained three yards on a rushing attempt.

This time, however, Murray kept the defense on its toes for most of the contest behind seven runs for 83 yards and the early touchdown.

Even eliminating his 50-yard TD sprinter that Murray celebrated midway through the game, the QB still averaged 4.7 yards per carry.

.@K1 has the speed to do it pic.twitter.com/gDQzSnksoC

– Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) October 6, 2024

“I didn’t know if he was celebrating early or what he was doing,” running back James Conner told reporters after the game. “I thought ‘score’ and he did. He’s fast enough for that.”

With the win, Murray is now 21-9 when scoring at least seven runs in a game. This is no coincidence.

However, Murray wasn’t the only one moving in the right direction on Sunday.

Conner didn’t get off to a fast start by any means, recording just seven carries for nine yards.

But it was his play in the second half that was one of the deciding factors as Arizona turned the tide in the final two quarters.

Conner was a force in the backfield, averaging 5.9 yards per carry on his way to 77 yards in the second half. And although he didn’t score a touchdown, he did provide a huge two-point conversion late in the game.

“If you stick with it, the game will reward you. Don’t be frustrated, there’s no point in being really frustrated,” Conner said. “We just control what we can control and we stuck with it in the second half. We were able to combine drives and score.”

From suspicious to stingy

Even without running back Christian McCaffrey, the 49ers looked mostly as advertised in the first half.

Offensively, they tried to find ways to score. Defensively it remained advantageous.

But everything changed for San Francisco in the second half. Arizona’s defense was a big part of that.

After allowing 23 points in the first half, the Cardinals posted a shutout in the second half behind the play of Kyzir White, Budda Baker and Mack Wilson Sr.

The duo of White and Wilson, who each grabbed an interception on Sunday, continue to provide a steady but violent presence at inside linebacker.

God, you the greatest 🙏🏾 win tickets!!! Sink or swim Ky White‼️‼️‼️ https://t.co/lz2fZF45rx

— Kyzir (@KyzirWhite8) October 6, 2024

“I feel like there are times when the ball isn’t going my way. “The last time I caught an interception was last year against Dallas,” White told reporters after the game. “I’ve been trying to manifest it all year. Every time I’m in practice or in the walkthrough, I have the guys throw me the ball just to imagine it. Today it has borne fruit.”

Although the 49ers managed 249 yards in the first two quarters, they only managed 135 yards the rest of the way.

Arizona also won the takeaway battle with three turnovers in the final two quarters.

It’s crazy what a week can do.

“Terrible performance last week. We put that on hold, used it as fuel and came here against a Super Bowl contender, a team with multiple NFC championships, and fought,” White added. “Sometimes we got punched in the mouth, but we always hit back. In the end we won.

“I’m definitely proud of my boys and feel like things can get a lot better.”

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