Week 11 Recap: 49ers Take Commanding Win Over Cardinals
In a high-scoring matchup, the San Francisco 49ers dominate the Arizona Cardinals to sweep the season series. After missing most of the season, quarterback Brock Purdy returned from his toe injury to lead the 49ers offense to a high-scoring victory.
“Coming in, I didn’t want to think about [my toe] at all,” Purdy said. “I just went out and played quarterback like I’ve always played. It feels great now.”
Despite the injuries on defense, San Francisco’s offense has slowly started to get healthier as the season progresses. For the first time since Week 1 of the NFL season, the 49ers had almost all of their offensive starters on the field. Alongside Purdy, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Ricky Pearsall, and running back Christian McCaffery all started on Sunday afternoon. San Francisco awaits the return of former All-Pro wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk from his leg injury.
With the return of their starters, the 49ers got off to a hot start. On the first play of the game, wide receiver Skyy Moore had a 98-yard kickoff return to set up a touchdown for running back Christian McCaffery. On the 49ers’ next drive, Purdy threw a series of deep passes that included a 30-yard touchdown pass to Kittle.
"He plays the game with this joy that’s so infectious, and it’s just so much fun to play football with him,” Kittle said. “Five plays into the game, he hits me 30 yards downfield with a perfect pass.”
However, kicker Eddy Pineiro missed the kick for the extra point, leaving the score at 13-0. This began a series of mistakes for both Arizona’s and San Francisco’s special teams units.
The Cardinals responded to the 49ers’ quick start with a 6-yard touchdown run from running back Zonovan Knight. To finish the first quarter, Arizona’s offense was able to drive down the field, but kicker Chad Ryland missed the field goal.
On the first drive of the second quarter, McCaffery caught a 9-yard touchdown pass from Purdy. However, the Cardinals and 49ers traded field goals for the rest of the half to put the halftime score at 25-10.
San Francisco extended their lead in the third quarter with a field goal from Pineiro and another touchdown reception from Kittle. Despite two fourth-quarter touchdowns from the Cardinals, the 49ers emerged victorious with a final score of 41-22. In the loss, Arizona’s quarterback Jacoby Brissett set an NFL record for most completions in a single game with 47 passes completed.
This win puts San Francisco in a good position in the NFC Wild Card race as they head into their matchup with the Carolina Panthers next week.