Glendale, Ariz. — Brock Purdy didn’t need long to show he was back in rhythm. On his first series since returning from a toe injury, the San Francisco quarterback surveyed the defense, changed the play at the line, and lofted a perfectly placed 30-yard strike to George Kittle in the corner of the end zone.
Any doubts about rust vanished instantly.
With Purdy back under center and the offense humming, the 49ers looked every bit like a team gearing up for a late-season surge. Purdy tossed three touchdown passes, Christian McCaffrey scored three times, and San Francisco rolled to a 41–22 victory over an error-prone Arizona Cardinals squad on Sunday.
“It was vintage Brock — and that’s saying something,” McCaffrey said. “He stayed composed, made big throws on third down, made smart decisions all game.”
McCaffrey continued his record-breaking run by extending his NFL mark to 17 career games with both a rushing and receiving touchdown. Purdy finished 19 of 26 for 200 yards with three scoring throws, while Kittle hauled in two touchdowns of his own.
“Brock’s presence in the huddle is elite,” Kittle said. “He plays with this joy that spreads through the whole team. Five plays into the game, he drops a perfect ball to me 30 yards downfield. He had his swagger back.”
Arizona’s afternoon, however, unraveled under the weight of its own mistakes. The Cardinals were flagged 17 times — their most in franchise history and the highest total by any NFL team this season. Eleven of those penalties came before halftime, tied for the most in the first half by any team in the last 20 years.
Despite their issues, the Cardinals still put up big passing numbers. Jacoby Brissett, making his fifth consecutive start for the injured Kyler Murray, completed an NFL-record 47 passes (on 57 attempts) for 452 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Michael Wilson set career highs with 15 catches for 185 yards, and tight end Trey McBride added 115 yards and a score.
The 49ers (7–4) seized control immediately. Skyy Moore returned the opening kickoff 98 yards to the Arizona 1-yard line, and McCaffrey punched it in on the next snap for a 7–0 lead. Purdy — playing in his first game since Sept. 28 after missing six straight contests — overcame an early misfire by rattling off three completions in a row, capped by the 30-yard touchdown to Kittle that put San Francisco ahead 13–0 with 9:51 left in the first quarter.
Arizona (3–7) briefly responded with a 6-yard touchdown run by Bam Knight, trimming the deficit to 13–7, but the 49ers answered swiftly. Purdy found McCaffrey uncovered for a 9-yard touchdown early in the second quarter, stretching the lead to 19–7.
The Cardinals made unwanted history along the way — becoming the first team since at least 2000 to surrender two touchdowns in the first six minutes in back-to-back games.
“It’s unacceptable,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “I’m a defensive coach — we can’t give up that many points. It doesn’t matter how it happens. You have to stand up, play better, and keep points off the board.”
San Francisco led 25–10 at halftime after Eddy Piñeiro hit a 47-yard field goal as time expired. Piñeiro originally had a 62-yard try blocked, but Calais Campbell’s unnecessary roughness penalty gave him another chance, and he made the most of it.
Arizona’s sloppy play continued in the second half. Knight appeared to break free for a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, only to see it erased by a holding call on tight end Pharaoh Brown. The 49ers stayed firmly in control from there.
Injuries
- 49ers: DE Robert Beal Jr. left with a concussion. LB Tatum Bethune exited in the second quarter with an ankle injury. Kicker Eddy Piñeiro later departed with a hamstring issue.
- Cardinals: Rookie WR Marvin Harrison Jr. (appendicitis) was inactive. RB Emari Demercado left in the second quarter with an ankle injury. CB Garrett Williams (shin) and RT Kelvin Beachum (groin) also exited.
Up Next:
49ers: Host the Carolina Panthers on Monday, Nov. 24.
Cardinals: Welcome the Jacksonville Jaguars next Sunday.
