The 49ers are still alone at the top of the NFC West, and they got there the simplest way possible: by staying unbeaten.
San Francisco moved to 4-0, and the number that jumps off the page is the clean one - just one penalty for five yards all game. Brock Purdy didn’t have to light up the stat sheet to keep the 49ers rolling, finishing 19 for 30 for 218 yards with a 107.4 passer rating.
That rating has now stayed above 100 in all four games this season, and Purdy still hasn’t been sacked in 2026. The final touchdown to George Kittle was the one that mattered most, and the 49ers handled the Denver Broncos in a game that served as their first real test of the 2026 offense.
The rest of the division didn’t sit still, either. Two other NFC West teams picked up wins, while the Arizona Cardinals fell deeper into the cellar.
Arizona entered its matchup with the New York Giants looking like a team better than its record, and for a stretch that was easy to believe. The Cardinals jumped out to a 14-3 lead late in the first quarter, and at that point the game had the feel of one that would only reinforce that argument.
Then the Giants clawed back. By halftime, Arizona’s lead was down to 19-17, and the game kept swinging after that.
It turned into an ugly quarterback afternoon on both sides. Jameis Winston threw two interceptions and took four sacks, while Jacoby Brissett was even rougher, tossing three interceptions and averaging only 4.7 yards per completion.
Arizona also couldn’t move the ball consistently, finishing with 123 rushing yards and 166 receiving yards - under 300 total yards of offense. That’s a tough way to survive, especially with three turnovers attached to it.
The Giants weren’t sharp either, but they did enough, piling up 337 yards of offense. Once they converted a two-point try late in the third quarter, the game tilted for good, even though the score stayed tight on the board. The Cardinals’ bad day has at least clarified the standings: they’re now in last place in the NFC West on their own.
Seattle, meanwhile, won in the strangest way imaginable.
The Seahawks and Chargers opened the game with matching interceptions on the first two offensive plays, and that set the tone for a wild afternoon. For three quarters, Seattle controlled things.
Then the fourth quarter arrived, and the Seahawks nearly let it slip away. The discipline disappeared, too, with a franchise-record 14 penalties for 150 yards.
A facemask here, roughing-the-passer there - enough mistakes to keep the Chargers alive.
And Seattle’s offense basically vanished late. The Chargers outgained the Seahawks 138 yards to 11 in the fourth quarter, which is as lopsided as it sounds.
The Seahawks managed only 11 yards in the final period, but a sack and forced fumble on Justin Herbert with under a minute left ended the comeback attempt and got Seattle out with the win. It was not four complete quarters of football.
It was, however, enough to move the Seahawks to 3-1.
The Rams’ win over the Eagles came with its own chaos.
For one thing, it was Los Angeles’ first Sunday afternoon game of the season, which means the Rams finally played outside the prime-time spotlight. And for long stretches, it looked like they might not make the most of it.
The Eagles led 20-10 at halftime, and they had help from a catch that was hard to believe in real time. Still, the Rams kept chipping away and controlled key parts of the game, including time of possession, third-down efficiency - the Eagles didn’t convert a single third down - and first downs.
Philadelphia also had two turnovers and some shaky playcalling, and that combination proved costly. The most glaring decision came on a failed sneak-style call on their own side of the field, a choice that looked worse the more you watched it.
The Eagles stayed in front anyway until the final four minutes, when the game flipped fast. Los Angeles scored two touchdowns in the last three minutes, with the second coming with nearly a minute left, and suddenly the Rams had 14 unanswered points and the win.
That leaves a busy Week 5 ahead.
The Rams head back to prime time against the Buffalo Bills, who lost to the New England Patriots on Sunday and won’t be in the mood to absorb another setback. San Francisco gets a division test in Seattle against a Seahawks defense that has given Kyle Shanahan trouble before.
The 49ers are healthier this time around, and if their line can keep Purdy upright when Seattle rushes four, there may be room to work. The Seahawks are favored by three, basically the price of home field, and a 49ers win would put them at 3-0 in the division.
The Cardinals host the Detroit Lions, who are favored by five. With the way both defenses have played, this one has the look of a high-scoring game, and the over/under sits at 52.5 points. Detroit is coming off a loss to the Panthers on Sunday night, so the Lions should arrive at 2-2 with something to prove.
In Other News...
49ers Escape Denver With A Bigger Concern Heading Into Seattle
The 49ers left Denver with a win, but the bigger storyline may have been what came out of the game physically. San Francisco had already taken a hit in a hard-fought afternoon, and the injury list kept growing as the game wore on, with several players forced to exit before the final whistle.
The most notable concern centers on fullback Kyle Juszczyk, who injured his knee and is preliminarily believed to have a sprain with an intact ACL, pending MRI results. Safety Marques Sigle and cornerback Upton Stout also left with injuries, though none of the early signs point to anything season-ending, leaving the 49ers waiting on more clarity as they turn their attention to Seattle. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Win Still Left Kyle Shanahan With An Uncomfortable Debate
Kyle Shanahans name now sits alone atop a franchise list that once belonged to Bill Walsh, a milestone that would normally define a victory lap for any 49ers coach. Instead, it came in a 24-14 win over the Broncos that felt more like a reminder of how San Francisco is being carried right now, with the defense doing the heavy lifting while Brock Purdy and the offense worked through a flatter afternoon than the team has been used to.
The 49ers still moved the ball well enough to finish with 358 yards and they stayed efficient enough on third down, going 6 of 13 without turning it over. But for a coach who just passed a legend and for an offense that had already set a higher bar earlier in the season, the bigger question coming out of the game was not the record book moment. It was how much Shanahan trusts this version of the offense to find its rhythm again before the schedule starts demanding it. [Read more 🡒]
Dre Greenlaw Had A Personal Message For Sean Payton Sunday
Dre Greenlaw had a little extra edge Sunday in the 49ers matchup with Denver, and it showed in a moment that quickly made the rounds. The linebacker, now back in San Francisco on a one-year contract, was caught on camera telling Broncos coach Sean Payton that Denver made a mistake letting him go after injuries cut short his run there.
For the 49ers, it was another reminder that Greenlaw is not just back, he matters to their defense in a big way. After spending the previous season with the Broncos, he has reestablished himself as an important piece in San Francisco, and the message he delivered Sunday carried the kind of personal sting that tends to follow a player who felt he had something to prove. [Read more 🡒]