The San Francisco 49ers needed an offensive spark against the Arizona Cardinals, and they got one almost immediately. On their opening drive, with the offense facing 3rd-and-12 and backed up, Kyle Shanahan dialed up a hook-and-ladder that turned into the game’s first big moment.
Brock Purdy hit Mike Evans, Evans flipped it back to Deebo Samuel, and Samuel did the rest, racing 80 yards for a touchdown. It was the kind of play that can flip a game’s mood in a flash - and in this case, it also dropped Samuel into NFL history.
The odd part: Samuel’s touchdown came without a catch. He finished the game with 80 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown and zero receptions, because he never actually caught a pass from Purdy. His only “receiving” production came on that lateral from Evans.
That 80-yard total is now the most receiving yards ever recorded in a game without a reception. The previous high was 65 yards by Timmy Brown of the 1961 Philadelphia Eagles. Bob Nussbaumer sits third on the list with 63 yards in Week 8 of 1948.
Samuel’s line was even stranger because he was second on the 49ers in receiving yards behind George Kittle, who had 82. And despite Purdy throwing 27 passes, Samuel did not draw a single target.
He did add two carries for 14 yards, including an 11-yard run, but none of that changed the unusual nature of his day. For one explosive play, Samuel gave the 49ers a jolt - and left behind a statline unlike any other in NFL history.
In Other News...
49ers Win Came With A Bigger Brock Purdy Concern
The 49ers got the result they needed Sunday, outlasting the Cardinals 36-30 in a game that had plenty of familiar San Francisco fingerprints on it. Brock Purdy handled the offense well despite the injury issues around him, George Kittle delivered a pair of touchdowns, Christian McCaffrey found the end zone on the ground, and Fred Warner again set the tone on defense with 17 tackles.
Still, the win came with the kind of discomfort that can linger beyond the final score. Mike Evans exited with a rib strain, Trent Williams was among the key injuries affecting the passing game, and Dre Greenlaw also left with a quad issue, leaving the 49ers to sort through what Sunday cost them as much as what it gave them. For a team that keeps finding ways to win, the bigger question now is how long it can keep doing it while pieces keep dropping out. [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 🡒]