The San Francisco 49ers are sitting pretty at 3-0, but their latest win against the Arizona Cardinals was anything but pretty, turning into a surprisingly tough gut-check that went down to the wire. After dominating their first two opponents this season, the 49ers had to fight tooth and nail for a 36-30 victory in Week 3, leaving some serious questions about their depth and focus.
Purdy Shines While the Team Stumbles
This game kicked off like the other two, with the 49ers jumping out to a quick 14-0 lead. Everyone thought it was gonna be another cakewalk, right? Nope. The Cardinals weren’t about to roll over, and they kept this one tight deep into the fourth quarter. Brock Purdy, to his credit, still put up monster numbers, slinging it for 297 yards with four touchdown passes and zero interceptions. He looked sharp, no doubt. But here’s the kicker: Purdy also had a crazy 45-yard touchdown run late in the game, only for it to be called back due to a George Kittle holding penalty deep downfield. That turned into just a 35-yard gain! Come on, man. Those are the kinds of mistakes that kill momentum and let teams hang around. Credit to Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett too, who threw two touchdown passes himself and kept his team in it. This wasn’t the dominant 49ers performance we’d seen, not by a long shot.
Injury Woes and Kicking Nightmares
Beyond the sloppy play, the 49ers are facing some real headaches heading into their next game. Wide receiver Mike Evans went down with a rib injury, and that’s gotta be a huge concern. Losing a weapon like that is never good, especially when you’re trying to maintain an undefeated record. Left tackle Trent Williams also left the game with a stinger, though he did return to the sideline in the second half and looked okay, which is a small relief. But the biggest head-scratcher? Kicker Eddy Pineiro. The guy boomed a 57-yard field goal, which is awesome, but then he turned around and missed *two* extra points! Two! In a game that ended up being decided by six points, that’s absolutely unacceptable. You can’t leave those easy points on the field and expect to keep winning close games.
The 49ers are 3-0, which is fantastic, but this “hard-fought” win exposed some serious vulnerabilities. Can they stay healthy? Can Pineiro clean up his act? These are the kind of issues that can bite a team when the schedule gets tougher.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Pro Football Talk.
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