TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals are 2-0, but they have taken so many hits over the past two months, it’s fair to wonder if they can sustain success.

The latest blow is running back Jonathan Dwyer being arrested for aggravated assault stemming from two alleged domestic violence incidents.

The team immediately deactivated him Wednesday, meaning Dwyer won’t play Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.

Meanwhile, quarterback Carson Palmer still isn’t practicing because of a nerve problem in his right shoulder.

Outside linebacker John Abraham returned to the team after contemplating retirement for a week, but he hasn’t passed the NFL’s concussion protocol.

With that as the backdrop, the 49ers come to Glendale this week, having beaten the Cardinals nine out of the past 10 meetings.

This has become a heated rivalry, at least from the Cardinals’ perspective.

Coach Bruce Arians is emphasizing that the rivalry is one sided until his team proves otherwise.

“It can’t be a rivalry if you get your (butt) kicked this many times,” Arians said.

The 49ers have their problems, too. Their best pass rusher, Aldon Smith, is suspended, inside linebacker Navorro Bowman hasn’t returned from reconstructive knee surgery and they blew a lead against the Chicago Bears last Sunday in the regular-season opener of their new stadium.

Under Arians, the Cardinals have proven to be resilient. They have trailed in the fourth quarters of both games this season and rose to the occasion each time.

Drew Stanton showed last week that he can be a competent replacement for Palmer, at least in the short term.

Palmer continues to try to find a remedy for what he calls a dead nerve in his shoulder. Last week, he couldn’t throw at all. So far this week, he has just tossed a few passes softly.

Based on that, it’s hard to imagine him playing on Sunday.

“I’ve been getting 4 1/2, 5 hours sleep because I’ve been doing a lot of extracurricular activities with different people who think they can help,” Palmer said. “I’m going to continue to do that. It has been very time consuming, very costly, but I’m willing to do whatever it takes.”

SERIES HISTORY: 46th regular-season meeting. 49ers lead, 28-17, and have won nine of the past 10, including the last four. The Cardinals were in both games a year ago and lost them in the fourth quarter. The last game appeared headed for overtime when the Cardinals scored in the final minutes. But a short kickoff and a long return helped the 49ers kick a game-winning field goal. The teams won’t meet again until the final game of the regular season.

–OLB John Abraham has decided against retirement and returned to the team. But he might not play against the 49ers because of a concussion suffered in the season opener. Abraham had not cleared the league’s concussion protocol as of mid-week.

–QB Carson Palmer wasn’t able to throw on Wednesday, so he will be questionable at best for this game. Drew Stanton is likely to start for the second consecutive week.

–DE Frostee Rucker (calf) is expected to play after missing last week’s game. Rucker suffered the injury early in Week One.

–OLB Alex Okafor hasn’t practiced in three weeks because of a thigh injury.

–P Dave Zastudil is expected to punt for the first time this season. Zastudil suffered a groin injury in the final preseason game.

GAME PLAN: The 49ers offense has changed from the run-heavy attack of recent seasons. It now features more three- and four-receiver sets, which will challenge the Cardinals in a couple of ways. First, the Cardinals have to be able to put pressure on Colin Kaepernick. They haven’t struggled getting production from a four-man rush in the previous two games. Second, the defensive backs will face a better, healthier group of 49ers receivers.

On offense, the Cardinals need to take advantage of a 49ers secondary that has been hurt by injuries. The 49ers generally don’t blitz much and are without outside linebacker Aldon Smith. The Cardinals need their receivers to make some plays on contested passes.

MATCHUPS TO WATCH:

Cardinals CB Patrick Peterson vs. 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree. Peterson lost badly to Crabtree in their one-on-one matchups in 2012. Crabtree was healthy that season and in two games against the Cardinals, caught 13 passes for 244 yards and four touchdowns. However, Peterson has gained experience and evolved into one the game’s top cover men over the past two seasons.

Cardinals LT Jared Veldheer vs. 49ers RDE Justin Smith – They are two of the strongest players in the NFL, so it should be quite a battle.

Smith is off to an excellent start, with three of the 49ers’ four sacks. Veldheer played well last week against the Giants, much better than he performed in the season opener.