49ers edge Cardinals 36-30 as offense shines and defense shows vulnerabilities

San Francisco defeated the Arizona Cardinals 36-30 on Sunday, preserving a win in Week 3 despite a late-game scramble by head coach Kyle Shanahan to keep the offense on the field.

Quarterback Brock Purdy completed a four-touchdown performance, recording his 14th career game with a passer rating above 130, a mark that surpasses the previous record held by Lamar Jackson for players under 27. Purdy was pressured on roughly 40% of his dropbacks and threw the ball away on 10.7% of attempts, but added 34 rushing yards and avoided multiple sacks.

Tight end George Kittle contributed eight impact plays, catching six of seven targets for 82 yards and scoring two touchdowns, tying Vernon Davis for fourth on the franchise’s career touchdown list. Running back Christian McCaffrey posted a season-high 75 rushing yards, including 39 yards after contact, and added 41 receiving yards, surpassing 100 yards from scrimmage.

The offensive line limited pressure to four sacks and gave Purdy an average of 3.26 seconds to release the ball on 27 dropbacks, supporting the unit’s continued effectiveness amid injuries.

Defensive shortcomings were highlighted by missed tackles from several players, including Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw, each with three missed tackles. Cornerbacks allowed a high completion rate on targets, with Upton Stout giving up all five of his targets for 7.2 yards per attempt. The secondary’s limited pass breakups and a pass-interference penalty contributed to the Cardinals’ ability to run 31 more plays than the 49ers.

Coach Raheem Morris was noted as needing to adjust coverage schemes and increase pressure on opposing quarterbacks, though injuries along the defensive line were cited as a factor in the performance.