During his time off, Trey McBride found himself roaming Disneyland.
Although it was a lot of fun, McBride's happiest place on earth is on the gridiron, and with four games to go, the second-year tight end is hoping for the Cardinals to put on a magical performance Sunday against the 49ers.
"Really just want to continue to get better, continue to grow, continue to develop and hopefully everyone can keep gelling as an offense," McBride said Monday. after the Cardinals returned from their bye with a bonus practice. "(The coaches) have done a great job of figuring out what we do well and then building the offense around, obviously, scheme and all that stuff comes into it. But I think as a base thing, that's what these last couple of weeks are going to be, figuring out what we do well and building on that."
McBride said that the offense has been experimenting with different scenarios to find the answer that will result in wins, this season and beyond.
The last time that the Cardinals played the 49ers, they fell 35-16, but the final score doesn't describe the full story. Going into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals were only down by five. Besides, the team has changed dramatically.
In October, Joshua Dobbs was the quarterback, and the Cardinals were without safety Budda Baker, defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter, and linebacker Josh Woods. It was also the fourth regular season game and the team was still learning the new regime's system.
Fast forward to Week 15, the Cardinals hope to showcase a more consistent team in the ways to which McBride was alluding. It all stems from the ongoing development and comfortability of quarterback Kyler Murray with his targets.
"Kyler's so dynamic, that guy does everything well," McBride said. "He can run the ball, throw the ball, he could do this, he could do that. So, you got to figure out what we do best and build on that."
The defense will also feature faces that the 49ers offense didn't see in Week 4. With Baker's return, along with rookie Garrett Williams, there's solidified help in the secondary.
Don't get it twisted, the 49ers have improved too. They added defensive lineman Chase Young to an already dominant front and continue to see the rise in quarterback Brock Purdy. Running back Christian McCaffery had a big game the first meeting and wide receiver Deebo Samuel likely won't be an afterthought.
With a win, the 49ers (10-3) will clinch the NFC West.
"We're a tough team, we're going to fight every game," McBride said. "Obviously (division) games mean a little bit more. Those are the ones that mean the most, so we're trying to get those ones. Obviously, the 49ers are playing really well right now. Coming into our house, I think it's going to be a great matchup and I'm excited."
Playing against the NFC's top teams in the 49ers and a New Year's Eve date in Philadelphia, McBride said he feels like the team "absolutely" has something to prove against the league's best.
Coach Jonathan Gannon said he wouldn't necessarily say that the team has something to prove, but the NFL is a production and results based industry. "We're going to focus and put all of our energy into San Francisco," he said.
Before the bye the Cardinals arguably played their most complete game of the season in the 24-10 victory over the Steelers. That type of performance is what Gannon expects from his team the rest of the season. Offensively, it always comes down to the fundamentals and the work put in during the week.
"I think continue to always protect the football and generate explosives," Gannon said. "Then play the game that we need to play on a week-to-week basis that gives us a chance to win.
"We challenge our guys every day, honestly so there will be normal business here and know that we've got to have a really good week of prep and practice and we've got to play really well to give ourselves a chance to win."
