After the Arizona Cardinals were embarrassed on Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks, they’ll now take on the challenge of welcoming the San Francisco 49ers to State Farm Stadium.
Both teams are coming off of divisional losses, with the 49ers falling to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, and will look to get back in the win column. The 49ers are always tough to play against, but especially after a loss. Cardinals defensive coordinator Nick Rallis detailed why San Francisco makes it so difficult.
Why Are the 49ers So Difficult To Prepare For?
The Cardinals and 49ers play each other twice every year, and this will be Rallis’ sixth time gameplanning against San Francisco’s offense. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan is recognized as one of the most brilliant offensive minds in the game, known for devising innovative ways to maximize success with the players at his disposal.
This week, Rallis explained how no matter how many times you’ve faced Shanahan’s offense, it’s always a challenge to prepare for.
“First matchup – six matchups since I’ve been here – no matter what, it’s hard to prepare for,” Rallis said. “I actually just left a meeting with a couple of coaches, kind of going through some things that are difficult. I said, ‘Keep watching and let me know what you guys figure out here.’ Like, make sure it’s simple because it’s difficult.”
Shakes head slowly no— Arizona Cardinals DC Nick Rallis says there’s no benefit to facing Kyle Shanahan’s offense previously @PHNX_Cardinals pic.twitter.com/2fdrxjQE9q
— Bo Brack (@BoBrack) November 11, 2025
Shanahan’s system is respected league-wide for its movement and motions behind the line of scrimmage to dissect what a defense is scheming.
It takes an intelligent quarterback to read the defense’s reactions to Shanahan’s movements, but if you have a quarterback capable of that, their ability to get the 49ers’ offensive playmakers the ball becomes much easier.
“The way he can – it’s the run and the pass game. How he can gameplan it, No. 1 to get them in advantage positions, but then to dress it up,” Rallis said. “I think the advantage of playing them before – I don’t even know where we would be looking at that for the first time. It would be harder. But, no matter what, it’s hard every week.”
Rallis has been the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator since 2023 and has had plenty of matchups to find the best ways to prepare for Shanahan’s offense, but it never gets easier. The 49ers consistently have a great offense in the NFL, no matter who’s on the field. San Francisco’s offense ranks No. 9 in the NFL, according to PFSN’s Offense Impact.
However, the 49ers don’t have a single position group ranked inside the Top 10 of PFSN’s Impact rankings. Quarterback Mac Jones and running back Christian McCaffrey are both ranked No. 13 in PFSN’s QB Impact and RB Impact rankings, respectively.
George Kittle and the offensive line are both ranked No. 14 in PFSN’s TE Impact and Team OL Impact rankings, respectively, and receiver Kendrick Bourne is San Francisco’s highest graded receiver at No. 30 on PFSN’s WR Impact rankings.
Shanahan’s brilliant offensive schemes provide numerous ways for playmakers to get the ball, so the defense always feels behind.
“I always joke with the coaches, like, ‘I like kind of staying ahead of schedule.’ As soon as San Fran week hits, you’re behind schedule,” Rallis said. “Just because it takes you so long to work through what they do. Credit to them, it’s really good.”
After a short week to prepare for the Seahawks, the Cardinals have a regular week to prepare for the 49ers, as both teams look to return to the win column.