It's not easy to earn victories in the NFL.
That's something Dante Stills grew to understand early on in his NFL career. As a rookie, it took the Cardinals until Week 10 to earn their second victory. Only two seasons later, the Cardinals are 2-0.
Yet there is an unsatisfied feeling that clouds over the locker room.
"I feel like we deserve to be 2-0 and I feel like we've put in the work to be 2-0," the defensive lineman said. "But our mindset is we feel like we're 0-2. It's always great to point out what we did good, but if we want to be the team that we want to be and win the division and go to the playoffs, we have to fix some of the things that are very important."
Those emotions are understandable, after the Cardinals allowed both the Saints and Panthers to claw back into the game in each of the first two weeks. The narrative that the Cardinals struggle to close out games has been acknowledged by coaches and players.
It's an important mindset with two NFC West games over five days. The Cardinals are opening their division on the road against an undefeated 49ers team with plenty of question marks surrounding injured players. Gannon's squad also has its fair share of concerns with cornerbacks Max Melton and Will Johnson nursing injuries.
Priority No. 1 is limiting do-it-all running back Christian McCaffrey, who currently is the 49ers leader with 124 rushing yards and reception leader with 15.
"He's definitely a great, talented back with some great balance, so you need to make sure you wrap him up," defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson said. "I remember the days I played him when he was in Carolina. He's super explosive and you just have to make sure you wrap him up, keep your feet moving, and knock him backwards."
The Cardinals held the Panthers' rushing attack to 49 yards last weekend and the Saints' Alvin Kamara did not break 50 rushing yards in the Week 1 matchup. But McCaffrey is a different running back. In 2023 against the Cardinals, McCaffrey accounted for seven offensive touchdowns. (He missed both games against the Cardinals last season with injury.)
For Tomlinson, this is his first division game since joining the NFC West. He said the competitiveness in a division matchup "makes people remember why they got these helmets on in the first place." The energy is expected to be cranked up with the matchup doubling as the 49ers' home opener.
"It's a rival in the division," Tomlinson said. "With that, the defensive mentality is that you want to go in there and just dominate. I feel like I'm back at Alabama and going to LSU and Death Valley."
In preparation for this game, Stills has evaluated tons of film, including the matchups against San Francisco in 2023. The tape is an indicator just how far the team, personnel, and organization has come.
It's also why the team feels they have so much more to prove, despite their undefeated record. The bar has been raised.
"Especially against the Niners and the division, this is my fifth time playing against them," Stills said. "So, I kind of know what the guys do and how they try to block you, try to cut you off and cut off blocks. I just try to go out there and focus on my keys."
PRACTICE SQUAD ELEVATIONS
The Cardinals elevated defensive lineman Anthony Goodlow and offensive lineman Jake Curhan from the practice squad on Saturday. Goodlow is available after L.J. Collier was placed on IR. Curhan's experience is mostly at guard.
