Late surge from James Conner propels Cardinals over 49ers

The Arizona Cardinals looked to be following the same offensive trend they’ve had throughout most of the regular season against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday:

Strike fast and then peter off.

Scoring their fifth straight opening-drive touchdown of the season before putting up just three more points before halftime painted that picture to a tee. And with Arizona’s run game having little impact outside of quarterback Kyler Murray’s 50-yard touchdown run, the writing was seemingly already on the wall.

That was until James Conner woke up in the second half.

Conner was a driving force during the heart of the Cardinals’ comeback on Sunday, totaling 86 yards on 19 carries as Arizona knocked off San Francisco, 24-23, on Sunday.

It truly was a tale of two halves for the veteran running back, who ended the first with just nine yards on six carries.

The rest of the way was a completely different story, with Conner racking up 77 yards on 13 carries. That was good enough for 5.9 yards per carry. He also converted a huge two-point try in the fourth quarter.

It was one heck of a turnaround for an Arizona offense that appeared to be spinning its tires at the half despite showing flashes.

It was a true complementary finish for the Cardinals, who watched Kyzir White come down with an interception late to seal the upset.

The defense as a whole stepped up big in the second half, pitching a shutout against a tough 49ers offense led by Arizona native Brock Purdy.

Arizona now heads into a Week 6 matchup with the Green Bay Packers sporting a 2-3 record through five weeks. That looks a heck of a lot better than 1-4.

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