GLENDALE, Ariz. — Skyy Moore nearly upstaged Brock Purdy’s comeback and Arizona homecoming on Sunday. Moore returned the opening kickoff 98 yards before being tackled just a yard shy of the goal line. Enter Brock Purdy.
Purdy, returning after missing six games due to an injured big toe on his right foot, promptly handed the ball off to Christian McCaffrey, who rushed for a 1-yard touchdown. From there, the San Francisco 49ers took control on their way to a 41-22 rout of the host Arizona Cardinals.
Purdy threw three touchdown passes and shared the scoring spotlight with teammates. McCaffrey scored three touchdowns himself— a 1-yard run, a 9-yard reception, and a 4-yard run. George Kittle caught two touchdown passes before leaving with a hamstring injury. Kicker Eddy Pineiro was perfect on his three field goal attempts, improving to 21-for-21 on the season.
Less than five minutes into this NFC West matchup, Purdy connected with Kittle on a 30-yard touchdown pass, giving the 49ers a quick 13-0 lead. As has been the case throughout the season, San Francisco (7-4) looked poised to avoid back-to-back defeats.
Despite the 49ers defense yielding an NFL-record 47 completions to Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett (who completed 57 passes for 452 yards), their secondary made key plays. Malik Mustapha and Deommodore Lenoir each intercepted passes, while Upton Stout forced a critical fumble at the 1-yard line in the fourth quarter.
The 49ers showed no mercy against a depleted and penalty-prone Cardinals team (3-7) missing key players including quarterback Kyler Murray, wide receiver Marvin Harrison, running back James Conner, and linebacker Mack Wilson.
Looking ahead, San Francisco hosts the Carolina Panthers (6-5) in their first Monday night game of the season at Levi’s Stadium.
While the game was lopsided from the start, it wasn’t without injuries. Linebacker Tatum Bethune exited in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and kicker Eddy Pineiro sustained a hamstring injury after an exhausting day that included three long field goals from distances of 48, 47, and 47 yards, two successful extra points, and two misses—one of which was blocked.
The 49ers set a fast pace, scoring their quickest lead ever under head coach Kyle Shanahan: 7-0 in 16 seconds, extending to 13-0 within just over five minutes. They also put up their highest first-half point total of the season, taking a 25-10 lead into halftime.
Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes for 200 yards, with no interceptions and just one sack. McCaffrey gained 81 rushing yards on 13 carries and added 40 receiving yards on five receptions. Kittle was efficient with six catches on six targets for 67 yards; his two touchdowns marked his 50th career score, making him the third 49er alongside Jerry Rice and Terrell Owens to reach 50 touchdowns and 500 receptions.
Moore sparked the 49ers’ offensive onslaught with that electrifying kickoff return, eventually tackled at the 1-yard line by cornerback Kei’Trel Clark. This prevented San Francisco’s first kickoff return touchdown since Richie James in 2018, and the first to open a game since Allen Rossum’s 104-yard score in a 2008 visit to Arizona.
Key blockers Jake Tonges and Luke Gifford paved the way up the middle for Moore’s return. Following that, McCaffrey bulldozed through the right side, powered by blocks from Dominick Puni and Colton McKivitz, for his 1-yard touchdown run—his fifth rushing touchdown this season.
McCaffrey’s second score came 15 minutes later on a 9-yard pass from Purdy, extending the lead to 19-7. Purdy kept a second series alive with a 25-yard completion to Jauan Jennings before delivering a perfectly placed 30-yard touchdown pass over Kittle’s shoulder near the front right pylon. The ensuing extra point was blocked.
The 49ers’ defense, however, showed some vulnerabilities reminiscent of their previous game against the Rams. The Cardinals responded with a 72-yard, nine-play drive capped by a 6-yard touchdown run from Zonovan Knight, narrowing the gap to 13-7.
Despite the challenges, Purdy displayed no signs of discomfort from his injured toe and maintained his usual mobility throughout the game. A scare occurred early when his throwing hand was hit by Josh Sweat, but Purdy rebounded quickly to post a perfect 158.3 passer rating in the first period.
After Pineiro’s extra point was blocked for a second consecutive game and another attempt sailed wide right, he redeemed himself with three consecutive field goals, pushing the 49ers’ lead to 28-10.
The 49ers’ defense came up big in the third quarter as Lenoir intercepted Brissett, returning the ball 64 yards to the Cardinals’ 14-yard line. This interception, along with Mustapha’s pick just before halftime, marked the 49ers’ first game with two interceptions in over a year (since Oct. 27 vs. Dallas).
The Cardinals faced penalty troubles throughout the game, including an 11th penalty before halftime that gave Pineiro a chance to retry a 62-yard blocked field goal. On his second attempt, Pineiro nailed a 47-yarder, barely clearing the hands of the towering 6-foot-8 Calais Campbell.
San Francisco’s defense forced a punt on the Cardinals’ opening possession—something they hadn’t achieved in their previous four games—and quickly converted that into a touchdown drive.
A particularly damaging penalty for the Cardinals nullified a 60-yard, fourth-and-1 touchdown run by Zonovan Knight, stalling a key scoring opportunity.
While the 49ers’ defense allowed two late touchdown passes to Cardinals tight end Trey McBride (10 yards) and wide receiver Greg Dortch (17 yards) in the fourth quarter, San Francisco had already secured a comfortable lead.
One notable moment came earlier in the second quarter when Renardo Green drew an unnecessary roughness penalty for tussling with McBride. Green was benched for a series and reprimanded by defensive backs coach Daniel Bullocks and head coach Kyle Shanahan.
This penalty extended the Cardinals’ drive, during which linebacker Tatum Bethune suffered his ankle injury. The Cardinals settled for a 26-yard field goal partially blocked by Alfred Collins, cutting the halftime deficit to 19-10.
In summary, the 49ers’ balanced offense and opportunistic defense overcame early scares and injuries to dominate a depleted Cardinals team, keeping their playoff hopes alive as they prepare for a tough Monday night showdown with the Carolina Panthers.
https://www.mercurynews.com/2025/11/16/instant-analysis-of-49ers-41-22-rout-of-arizona-cardinals-in-brock-purdys-return/
