Brock Purdy’s dramatic return steals the spotlight as the 49ers’ defense struggles in a surprisingly lopsided victory.QQ
The San Francisco 49ers took full advantage of an inferior opponent on the road on Sunday, marking Brock Purdy’s return to action in a 41-22 defeat of the Arizona Cardinals.
OFFENSE: A
Purdy looked like he never had been away. After misfiring on his first pass since September, the Niners’ QB1 hit his next three to get his team into the end zone, a solid start to a day where he finished 19-for-26 for 200 yards and three TDs. He was sacked once but scrambled on a few occasions to calm — at least for a week — fears that his bum toe might affect his play. Tight end George Kittle had six catches for 67 yards and two TDs (the 49th and 50th of his career). Christian McCaffrey (3 total TDs) was solid with 81 rushing yards (including the team’s first 20-yard run of the season) and 40 yards on five catches.
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DEFENSE: C
If you only saw that Jacoby Brissett threw for 452 yards on an NFL regular-season-record 47 completions and that Stanford alum Michael Wilson (15 catches, 185 yards) had the game of his life, you might assume it was a terrible day for the 49ers. But those gents play for the Cardinals, so it wasn’t so bad after all. Much to San Francisco’s benefit, Arizona couldn’t get out of its way: a missed field goal, a 60-yard TD run nullified by a penalty, a fumble at the 1-yard line scuttled what looked to be a surefire TD. Deommodore Lenoir had the highlight play of the day: a 64-yard zig-zagging return of an interception (the Niners’ second of the game but third of the season).
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SPECIAL TEAMS: B
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It was quite a roller-coaster day for Eddy Piñeiro. He made three field goals — he’s now 22-for-22 with S.F. in that regard — but missed one extra point and saw another one blocked. That’s three blown PATs in two weeks and he didn’t have a chance for a fourth after injuring a hamstring and being forced out of the game. The return teams had similar ups and downs: Skyy Moore set the tone with a 98-yard return on the opening kick and Brian Robinson added a 42-yarder. But flip the coin and the 49ers allowed a 40-yard return on one of Thomas Morstead’s three punts.
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COACHING: A-
That big exhale you heard midday Sunday came from Kyle Shanahan, who finally had a nearly complete set of offensive tools with which to work. Efficiency was the order of the day as the 49ers ran just 52 plays (Arizona ran 71) and gained 281 yards but racked up 24 first downs. Continued use of Robinson (8 carries, 24 yards) could help keep McCaffrey fresh and available. Robert Saleh’s secondary was torched early and often and the ankle injury suffered by LB Tatum Bethune — playing in place of out-for-the-year Fred Warner — could be another major setback for the defense.
OVERALL: B+
The 49ers might have reason to smile after the blowout win, but there is no room for gloating. The Cardinals are a terrible team seemingly incapable of doing anything right (see also: a franchise-record 17 penalties). A victory was essential for the Niners, while a loss would have been catastrophic to San Francisco’s playoff hopes. The 49ers have an extra day to prepare for Carolina, which should definitely provide a tougher test next Monday night.
