49ers 36-30 Cardinals: Purdy's four TDs survive Arizona's late charge
Brock Purdy threw four touchdowns and found George Kittle for the go-ahead score with 1:31 left as San Francisco moved to 3-0 atop the NFC West.
The 49ers are 3-0 and alone at the top of the NFC West — but they had to sweat for it. San Francisco built a commanding 23-6 lead over Arizona on Sunday, watched it evaporate in the second half, and needed Brock Purdy to find George Kittle for the go-ahead touchdown with 1:31 remaining to close out a 36-30 win.
Purdy's day
Purdy was ruthlessly efficient: 15-of-27 for 297 yards and four touchdowns. Per CBS Sports, that gives him 10 total touchdowns through three games, tying a franchise record. Kittle caught 6 passes for 82 yards and two scores, and Christian McCaffrey ground out 75 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
The day's signature play came early: a hook-and-lateral in which Mike Evans — a 49er since leaving Tampa Bay this offseason — caught the ball and pitched to Deebo Samuel, who took it 82 yards to the house. "Once I saw Mike catch the ball and there was two guys on him, I was like if I get around here, there won't be anybody," Samuel said.
The wobble
Arizona refused to fold. Jacoby Brissett completed 38 of 52 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns, with Michael Wilson hauling in 11 catches. The Cardinals' rally got a jolt late in the third quarter when, as 49ers Webzone noted, a punt caromed off 49ers defender Siran Neal's foot and Arizona recovered, fueling a surge that cut the lead to 29-27 before Purdy and Kittle restored order.
What it means
For San Francisco, this is what good teams do with flawed afternoons — win them anyway, behind a quarterback playing the best early-season football of his career. For Arizona at 1-2, the comeback is genuine encouragement wrapped in a familiar problem: the Cardinals keep making games close after first making them hard.