The San Francisco 49ers are 3-0, man, after grinding out a 36-30 Week 3 win against the Arizona Cardinals. It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t easy, but the offense absolutely erupted for their highest-scoring output of the early season. While the defense gave us plenty to worry about, the offensive explosion is what sealed the deal on Sunday, giving us all the stars from that side of the ball.
Kittle Wakes Up to Deliver the Knockout Blow
It was George Kittle bobblehead day, so you just knew the All-Pro tight end had to show up big, right? But for the first half, Kittle was a ghost, getting targeted only twice and catching just one for a measly 12 yards. What even was that? Then the second half hit, and it was a completely different story. Kittle exploded right out of the gate, snagging two passes for 29 yards on the opening drive of the second half, setting up a Christian McCaffrey one-yard score that pushed the 49ers up 23-6. After that, Kittle was unstoppable. He hauled in 41 of his 82 yards in the final quarter alone, capping his day with a 10-yard score to open the fourth, putting them up 29-20. He then added another 20-yard score, marking his first multi-touchdown game since Week 11 last season, which was also against the Cardinals. Despite the sluggish start, Kittle finished with a team-high six receptions for 82 yards on seven targets and those two crucial touchdowns.
Purdy’s MVP Campaign Just Got Louder
Through three weeks, how is Brock Purdy not the leading MVP candidate? Seriously! The dude finished Sunday completing 15-of-27 passes for 297 yards and a ridiculous four touchdowns. That’s the fifth time in his career he’s thrown for four or more touchdowns in a game, and the second time he’s done it against Arizona. Even more impressive, it’s his second game with at least four touchdowns and zero interceptions. It’s no shocker then that the 49ers are now a perfect 5-0 in games where Purdy drops four or more touchdowns. And get this: his best play didn’t even count! Early in the game, Purdy rolled right under pressure. It looked like he was just going to run out of bounds, but instead, he pulled a move that would make prime Derek Jeter jealous, jumping before the sideline and uncorking a laser downfield to Luke Farrell. Farrell’s sliding catch attempt wasn’t enough, he was ruled out, and the play was wiped. But man, the vision!
The 49ers are sitting pretty at 3-0, thanks largely to an offense that just put up its biggest numbers yet. They’ve got the momentum, but those defensive concerns are real. Can they clean it up before it costs them a game? It’s early in the season, but keeping this kind of offensive firepower going, despite the defensive worries, is how you set the tone for the whole year.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Niners Nation.
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