49ers’ big win over Cardinals fueled by Purdy, takeaways and key special teams play
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SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy returned to the lineup and the San Francisco 49ers scored their most points in nearly two years.
While Purdy looked sharp in the 41-22 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the reasons behind the big scoring output have to do with a lot more than just the change at quarterback.
Thanks to three takeaways by an opportunistic defense and a game-opening 98-yard kickoff return to the 1 by Skyy Moore, the 49ers (7-4) finished the game with the second best average starting field position by any team in the last three seasons.
The Niners started their average possession fewer than 3 yards from midfield and scored four of their five TDs on drives of 1, 14, 45 and 52 yards.
Purdy did well to take advantage of those fortuitous situations. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns with his best throw coming on the second drive when he connected on a 30-yard scoring strike to George Kittle after changing the play at the line of scrimmage.
“He was definitely feeling it,” Kittle said. “I think he’s got the confidence. He’s got his swagger.”
Purdy performed the way he has for much of his career since taking over as starter late in 2022 and showed why San Francisco rewarded him with a five-year, $265 million extension in the offseason.
That deal hasn’t paid dividends yet as Purdy injured his toe in the season opener and then re-injured it after returning in Week 4. That made Sunday just his third game of the season.
Backup Mac Jones kept San Francisco in playoff contention during Purdy’s absence, but the Niners believe they need a healthy Purdy to make a long playoff run.
“I don’t want to compare him to everybody else, but Brock’s done it,” coach Kyle Shanahan said. “You’ve just got to look at his numbers and stuff throughout his playing and everything, and not many people have done it better than him. He’s been as efficient as anyone, he’s made as big of plays as anyone and he’s led us to a lot of wins.”
What’s working
Takeaways. The 49ers had only seven takeaways in the first 10 games before generating three against the Cardinals for their most in a game since they had three in Week 6 last season against Seattle. Malik Mustapha and Deommodore Lenoir each had interceptions to set up scores after San Francisco had only one in the first 10 games. Upton Stout also forced a fumble at the goal line by Elijah Higgins to prevent another score.
What needs help
Pass rush. The Niners failed to record a sack on 57 dropbacks by Jacoby Brissett as the pass rush again struggled to generate pressure since the season-ending injury to Nick Bosa in Week 3. San Francisco has recorded sacks on 2.9% of pass plays this season. Only five teams in the Super Bowl era finished a season with a sack rate of less than 3%. The lack of pressure helped Brissett complete an NFL-record 47 passes for 452 yards.
Stock up
Moore. Acquired just before the season from Kansas City in a late-round draft pick swap, Moore has been steady returning kicks and punts. But he finally delivered his first big play on Sunday when he returned the opening kick 98 yards to set up a 1-yard run by Christian McCaffrey. It was San Francisco’s longest kick return since Ted Ginn Jr.’s 102-yarder for a TD in the 2011 season opener against Seattle.
Stock down
Eddy Pineiro’s extra points. Pineiro missed two extra point tries — with one being blocked — to become the first Niners kicker to miss at least four PATs in a season since Ray Wersching missed six in 1980. Pineiro’s 90.5% on extra points in his career ranks 44th out of 47 kickers with at least 100 tries since the PAT was moved to its current spot in 2015. Pineiro made all three field goals and is 22 for 22 this season on those kicks.
Injuries
LB Tatum Bethune will miss a few weeks with a high ankle sprain. … Pineiro has a strained right hamstring and is week to week. San Francisco will bring in kickers for tryouts this week. … DE Robert Beal is in concussion protocol.
Key stat
207 — The 49ers were outgained by 207 yards but won the game, marking their first win in a game they were outgained by at least 200 yards since a 21-19 win against Tampa Bay in Week 16 of the 2007 season after being outgained by 221 yards. Overall, teams in the NFL had lost 45 straight in the regular season and playoffs when getting outgained by at least 200 yards.
Next steps
The 49ers host Carolina on Monday night.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl