The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11. But the victory came with a twist that caught even the home team off guard. The cheers from San Francisco fans were so loud that Arizona had to make an unusual adjustment. Head coach Jonathan Gannon and quarterback Jacoby Brissett recently opened up about it, per Fox Sports‘ Allison Williams.  

“Whenever you play the Niners, you have to assume you’ll be on silent count on offense,” Gannon said. 

Brissett echoed similar sentiments, calling it a “different” experience. 

“It kind of blows my mind that a road team can be that loud, the Cardinals QB said.  “I’ve never had to worry about silent count at home before.”

Jonathan and Jacoby’s reactions show that their squad felt like the visiting team in its own stadium during the team’s 41–22 loss. With the crowd noise disrupting the flow, the Cardinals’ offense had no choice but to rely on a silent count. Jacoby Brissett had to use visual signals to snap the ball as the offensive line couldn’t hear his verbal calls.

Meanwhile, the 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s comeback was another reason behind the wild energy on Sunday. He had been away from the game since September 28 in the wake of a toe injury. With Purdy being an Arizona native, the crowd had another reason to show up loud. 

As for the game, Jacoby Brissett delivered one of his best performances this season. The third-round pick hit an NFL record with 47 pass completions. He finished the game with a completion rate of 82.5% for 452 yards, a career high, despite two interceptions.

Yet, the Cardinals lagged behind San Francisco, similar to last week’s 22-44 blowout against the Seattle Seahawks. The Cardinals momentarily closed the gap to 13–7 in the first quarter, but the 49ers quickly pushed ahead and led 25–10 at halftime. The comeback never arrived for Arizona. What did arrive, though, was an unwanted record with a surprisingly high number of penalties.

Cardinals set painful penalty record, Jacoby Brissett reacts

Brissett wasn’t alone in setting a record during the Week 11 matchup against San Francisco. Arizona hit a franchise record with 17 penalties for 130 yards. HC Jonathan Gannon reviewed some of them later.

“It’s a high-flight crew. I got to look at some of them,” he said. “When we know how they’re calling the game, we have to adjust in-game and not foul.”

On the other hand, Jacoby Brissett hesitated to comment on the officiating. But when asked about the illegal shift penalties that disrupted the offense’s rhythm, he admitted the confusion was real. 

“That was crazy,” he said. “It was two times where I’m looking at us and I’m like, ‘we’re set,’ and – I mean we got to just go back watch the film and try to figure out how to negate those.”

Further, the QB acknowledged that Arizona must find a way to fix these errors even if the setbacks continue. According to him, every player on the franchise must be “man enough” to keep putting in the work, no matter what the result is. 

Jacoby Brissett’s comments come at a time when the team sits at the bottom of the NFC West with a 1-4 home record. Their position would certainly motivate the Cardinals to work harder and win.