Steve Young has been sacked nine times in two games.

Plummer looks as if his injured injury has bothered him. I haven't seen him throw a spiral in two games, and he hasn't had good zip on the ball. In addition, he is forcing too many throws. At this point in his career, he needs to take what the defense gives him, something he's not doing. He has thrown seven interceptions, paying a steep price for forcing throws.

Young appears to have become a little frenetic in the pocket. He always played looking for opportunities outside the pocket, but I think the fact he was sacked five times and hit 21 times last week against New Orleans has really taken a toll on him. He really isn't setting himself in the pocket and showing the poise he normally has. The beatings are wearing him down. If a quarterback gets hit as many times as Young has, he begins to feel the pressure.

The Niners need to make some changes on the offensive line or Young will not finish the season. Right tackle Jeremy Newberry had an atrocious game against the Saints. If they play with a tackle who can't handle a rushing end or linebacker in a one-on-one situation, he's going to hurt the offense. It forces the 49ers to keep a tight end or back in to protect, or to slide the protection to that side.

The 49ers have been trying a number of line combinations. It will interesting to see how it all works out when they announce the starting lineups Monday night.

Here are the keys for Monday night's matchup:

San Francisco 49ers
1. A commitment to the run: Charlie Garner actually has been running very well. When you play the 49ers, the first thing you want to do is stop the pass. Linebackers seldom cheat up and get nosey. Thinking pass first, they stay four to five yards off the line of scrimmage and leave some natural running seams.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

Climbing the charts: Jerry Rice needs just 13 yards to pass Barry Sanders and move up on the NFL's all-time combined yardage list. The recently retired Sanders left the game with 18,296 yards (both Sanders and Rice, however, still trail Walter Payton, the all-time leader). Rice also needed more than 200 games to get there (he'll play No. 208 Sunday). Sanders needed just 153 games. Yo, Adrian: The Cardinals' Adrian Murrell has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in each of the last three seasons and in 1998 became just the second player in NFL history to reach the 1,000-yard mark in back-to-back seasons with different teams (he played for the N.Y. Jets in 1997). Back on track? After two games, Steve Young sports a 60.4 quarterback rating, a poor mark in contrast to his career rating of 102. Since 1988, he has never finished a season with a rating less than 92.3. The 49ers quarterback, however, has rallied from his dismal opening-week rating of 14.0 and might be on the rise.

Garner, with his cutback, slashing style, is an outstanding runner for the 49ers system. If he gets 20 to 22 carries a game, he can be very productive. The 49ers just need to show more commitment to the run.

2. Strike fear in the Cardinals secondary: When defensive backs get up into an in-your-face, bump-and-run position on Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice and J.J. Stokes, that shows a lack of concern about the 49ers going deep.

So far the Jaguars and the Saints have demonstrated no respect for San Francisco's deep threat. Only time will tell if the receivers will be able to beat the jam at the line of scrimmage. But in two games, I have seen a high percentage of plays in which the receivers were challenged at the line of scrimmage, and the 49ers haven't beaten them.

The 49ers need to find a way to get the ball downfield and manufacture points in the passing game. Arizona's secondary is outstanding. With players like Aeneas Williams, Corey Chavous, Tommy Bennett, Kwamie Lassiter and Tom Knight, the defensive secondary is the Cardinals' strength. They have a favorable matchup against the 49ers receivers, who will continue to see a physical style until they can prove they can win at the line of scrimmage and go deep.

3. Consistency in the secondary: The 49ers defensive backfield has really struggled. Strong safety Tim McDonald, now 34, is playing more as a fourth linebacker. He is a run defender who will cover the short areas of the field. Any time you get him away from the line of scrimmage, he is a liability in pass coverage. He is being exposed in that area.

Judging by the recent trades the 49ers have made, they are very unhappy with their secondary. Darnell Walker and Mark McMillian are tough, physical players, but they don't have the quickness and the hip turn they need to play consistently in the NFL. The secondary needs to improve or the 49ers will continue to struggle.

The Cardinals have a nice matchup advantage in their three-wideout set, with Frank Sanders, Rob Moore and rookie David Boston. Either the secondary needs to stop the Arizona receivers from making big plays or the 49ers' front four needs to put pressure on Plummer.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Terrell Owens, 49ers WR: He doesn't get as much hype as Jerry Rice, but Owens has become a force in the 49ers offense. How he matches up with Cardinals CB Aeneas Williams will be key. Tommy Vardell, 49ers FB: There have been several fullbacks who have paved the way for San Francisco's running game, and Vardell is no exception as the lead blocker in front of Charlie Garner and Lawrence Phillips. Lance Schulters, 49ers S: This is the guy the Niners cut Merton Hanks to keep. Last week, he responded with a game-winning interception. Let's see what he can do for an encore. Adrian Murrell, Cardinals RB: Sure, he averages just 2.5 yards per carry, but Murrell has touched the ball on 45 percent of the Cardinals' offensive plays. Follow Murrell, and you'll find the ball. Rob Moore, Frank Sanders and David Boston, Cardinals WRs: When these guys split wide to the same side it challenges any defense and could evolve into a much-heralded weapon. Pat Tillman, Cardinals DB: Yes, he is making his MNF debut and is only nickel back, but the little guy makes things happen. Pound for pound, he might be the heaviest hitter in the game.

Arizona Cardinals
1. Attack through the air: With Moore, Sanders and Boston, the Cardinals now have a talented trio of receivers who can challenge the secondary. They have the speed and route-running ability to get open or go deep. Plummer might be going through a lull, partly due to his thumb injury. But I would expect Plummer to go after the 49ers with three quality receivers working against a weak secondary.

2. Throw to the tight end: Most proponents of the passing game control the hashmark area of the field. That's where the tight end becomes vitally important. The Cardinals have a solid tight end in Terry Hardy. If the Cardinals can use him to control the hash area, the 49er linebackers can't drop deep to take away Arizona's three receivers.

So it's critical the Cardinals get Hardy more involved in the passing game. Again, that matchup favors Arizona because McDonald, who would cover Hardy, is much better against the run than he is pass coverage. The Cardinals need to isolate McDonald in coverage against Hardy.

3. Pressure, pressure, pressure: With Andre Wadsworth and Simeon Rice on the edges, the Cardinals should be able to get quick pressure on Young, who has already been sacked nine times. The 49ers offensive line is in disarray, making them more vulnerable against speed-rushing defensive ends like Wadsworth and Rice.

Fortunately for the 49ers, defensive tackles Eric Swann and Mark Smith are out, but the Cardinals have decent fill-ins. The Arizona linebackers played much better last week against Miami than they did in Week 1 against Philadelphia, when they tackled poorly, didn't get good depth in their drops and seemed a bit lost.

Combining the linebackers, the secondary and their two rush ends, the Cardinals have a solid defense.

Former NFL quarterback Ron Jaworski appears each week on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown and Edge NFL Matchup. He breaks down the Monday Night Football matchup each week on ESPN.com.