SANTA CLARA -- Brock Purdy keeps looking like the guy who can carry the 49ers through just about anything.
In a 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals, Purdy stayed nearly spotless even after the 49ers lost Mike Evans in the first half to a rib injury and Trent Williams in the second half to a stinger. The injuries barely changed the script. Purdy was still in command, and by the finish, Deebo Samuel had become his top target in name if not in production, finishing with zero catches while also scoring after taking a lateral from Evans.
Purdy even had a long run wiped out by a holding penalty on George Kittle that was described as dubious. Even with that call, the bigger picture was clear: Purdy is playing as well as any quarterback in the league right now, and if he keeps this level up, he has a legitimate shot at MVP. The 49ers need that version of him, because he’s the one holding this team together.
The offense got a huge lift from Christian McCaffrey, who carried 15 times, averaged 5 yards per rush and scored a touchdown. The lighter workload seems to be helping him.
Kaelon Black averaged 4.3 yards per carry and may still be dealing with an adductor strain. Kyle Juszczyk, who was fined twice last week for illegal celebrations, didn’t catch a pass.
Evans’ day was eventful from the start. He absorbed a hard shot to the ribs on the 49ers’ second offensive play, stayed in, then caught a 23-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Late in the second quarter, he collapsed while struggling to breathe. Ian Rapoport reported that Evans has a rib strain, which can be extremely painful and may take up to six weeks to heal.
Once Evans was out, Jordan Watkins became the 49ers’ leading wideout with two catches for 60 yards. Deebo Samuel technically finished with zero receptions, but he also produced an 80-yard touchdown on a hook-and-ladder play and added 14 rushing yards on two carries.
That score wound up being the difference. He may not be the same wide receiver he once was, but used the right way, he still creates problems, and Kyle Shanahan knows how to use him.
When the passing game needed another centerpiece, George Kittle stepped right into the role. He finished with 6 catches for 82 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Eight months after tearing his Achilles, he’s already back at a Hall-of-Fame level. He doesn’t look human.
The line held up, too. The 49ers averaged 6.1 yards per carry and allowed zero sacks, and that was with Williams out for most of the second half. Chris Foerster deserves plenty of credit for getting this group to play above its weight every week.
On the other side, Kris Kocurek’s shorthanded defensive front also came through. Missing six players, including Nick Bosa, the 49ers still sacked Jacoby Brissett twice and held Arizona to 94 rushing yards on 27 carries, a 3.4-yard average. Rookie Gracen Halton stood out with a tackle for loss and a pass breakup, making a strong case as the best healthy rookie on the team right now.
Fred Warner was everywhere, as usual. He piled up 17 tackles, along with a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss.
Dre Greenlaw added 8 tackles before leaving with a quad injury. The 49ers brought him back for one play, didn’t like what they saw, and shut him down.
Greenlaw dealt with a quad issue last year in Denver that lingered, and it isn’t clear whether this one is related. Either way, it’s a concern.
The secondary kept the ball in front of them, but the group also gave up 38 completions and two touchdown catches to a Jacoby Brissett-led offense. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green both left briefly for concussion checks before returning.
It’s still a problem that the 49ers couldn’t pick Brissett off once, even though he threw 52 passes. The conservative approach made sense given the injuries on that side of the ball, but it also left them giving up plenty of easy throws.
Special teams had both a highlight and a headache. Eddy Pineiro drilled a 57-yard field goal just before halftime, which was huge.
He also missed two extra points, and those misses kept Arizona alive. Pineiro is somehow more reliable on long field goals than on PATs, which sounds impossible, but that’s where things stood.
Siran Neal also let a punt hit his foot, and the Cardinals recovered, nearly turning the game on its head.
Even with all that, the 49ers found a way to finish. Arizona got no explosive plays, and Raheem Morris’ defense did enough to limit the Cardinals’ rushing attack and force Brissett into checkdowns most of the afternoon.
Considering what he’s working with, that’s a strong effort. He didn’t need takeaways.
He just needed to keep Arizona out of the end zone enough for the offense to take over.
Shanahan did exactly that on the other side of the ball. He pushed the right buttons again, and the biggest one came on the opening series.
Facing third-and-12 and looking at a possible three-and-out, he called the hook-and-ladder that turned into Deebo Samuel’s 82-yard touchdown. In the fourth quarter, with his defense fading, Shanahan leaned on the run game and closed the door.
Through three weeks, only Andy Reid, Kevin O'Connell and Klint Kubiak have matched Shanahan’s start, and all three are undefeated. The 49ers keep losing key players, seemingly every week, but Shanahan keeps finding answers. This time, that was enough.
In Other News...
Deebo Samuel Just Had One Of The Strangest Stat Lines Ever
Deebo Samuel delivered one of the oddest box-score quirks youll ever see in the 49ers win over the Cardinals, turning an 80-yard hook-and-ladder into a touchdown without officially catching a pass. It was the kind of play that reminded everyone how uniquely dangerous San Francisco can be when Samuel is lined up all over the field and the ball starts moving side to side.
Even stranger, the output came with a bit of history attached. Samuel finished with the most receiving yards in an NFL game without a reception, topping a mark that had stood since 1961, and he added two rushing attempts for 14 yards. For a player whose value often comes from his versatility, this was a rare line that fit the eye test, the highlight reel and the record book all at once. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Win Came With A Bigger Concern Fans Could Feel
The 49ers got off to a fast start Sunday with a hook-and-ladder touchdown involving Deebo Samuel and Mike Evans, then kept stacking points even as the game started to turn into something more uneasy. Christian McCaffrey added a touchdown of his own, and the defense mixed in stops while the Cardinals found enough offense to stay around the fight, leaving San Francisco ahead at halftime with the kind of lead that can still feel fragile.
What made the win feel bigger than the scoreboard was the injury picture developing around it. Deommodore Lenoir and Mike Evans were among the players who dealt with issues, and for a team trying to build rhythm while scoring in spurts and trading field goals, the concern was impossible to ignore. The 49ers walked into the locker room with control of the game, but also with the kind of health questions that can linger long after the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
49ers Fast Start Just Got Hit By Two Huge Injury Scares
The 49ers quick start ran into a familiar kind of trouble against the Cardinals, when the injury cart became part of the story again. Wide receiver Mike Evans was taken off with a ribs injury and ruled out for the rest of the game, while offensive tackle Trent Williams also left on a cart after suffering a stinger and was listed as questionable to return.
For a San Francisco team already trying to navigate a season hit by injuries, the timing could hardly be worse. The offense and protection up front both took a jolt in the same game, and with defensive end Nick Bosa already out, the 49ers are suddenly watching another strong early stretch get shadowed by the kind of availability issues that can change a season fast. [Read more 🡒]