The San Francisco 49ers improved to 3-0 after squeaking past the Arizona Cardinals, 36-30, on Sept. 27 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
The 49ers welcomed a Cardinals team that was coming off of a blowout loss to the NFC West division rival Seattle Seahawks. Arizona went into the Bay Area with a chip on its shoulder.
It was evident that the 49ers were the better team, having scored on their opening possession after Mike Evans caught a short pass and flipped a lateral to Deebo Samuel Sr., who went 80 yards for a score.
The 49ers led 17-6 at halftime and looked to run away with it, but the Cardinals surged in the fourth quarter to outscore the 49ers, 17-13. However, it wasn't enough to upset the Niners.
The Niners had done most of their
damage early but were paced throughout out the game thanks to their up-tempo offense.
Here are some takeaways from the 49ers win against the Cardinals during Week 3 of the regular-season:
WINNERS
'Next man up' mentality
If you follow the 49ers, then the main topic of conversation surrounding this team is their availability.
Week in, and week out, it seems like there's new players, or various players, who are injured whether minor or major. No matter who gets injured, it appears that the Niners are equipped with additional weapons that are ready to step in and step up in the biggest ways.
Defensive captain Fred Warner led the team in total tackles with 17, including eight solo, a tackle for loss and quarterback hit.
George Kittle is back
George Kittle is an all-time 49ers great. He pulled in six catches for 82 yards and two touchdown against Arizona. Every time the ball went his way, good things happened for the Niners.
He caught six passes on seven targets. He averaged 13.7 yards per catch. His two touchdowns tied another fellow 49ers all-time tight end Vernon Davis for most receiving touchdowns in team history with 55. In front of them are Gene Washington (59), Terrell Owens (81) and Jerry Rice (176).
The 49ers lost their top wideout target in Mike Evans after injuring his ribs. Kittle just became all the more important to the Niners offense.
Brock Purdy playing at an MVP level
Brock Purdy is the leader of the franchise. It's quietly been that way since he took over the quarterback job six years ago. He's accurate, limits turnovers and does what's necessary to get his team a win.
He hasn't yet received the attention that's deserved with his play, but soon he will. Purdy was 15-of-27 passing for 297 yards and four touchdowns against the Cardinals. He had a passer rating of 133.8 with a flawless performance. He didn't touch the turf at all during the contest – a testament to the 49ers' offensive line.
It wasn't just the final numbers, it was the way he did it. He scrambled around, extended plays, made athletic and acrobatic passes, completely ripping the Arizona defense.
LOSERS
Injuries, injuries, injuries
The Niners couldn't catch a break against the Cardinals. They lost a number of players in the contest due to injury. Trent Williams left the game with a stinger. Mike Evans left with injured ribs. Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green had concussion scares, but were cleared to return to the game. Gracen Halton got banged up and Dre Greenlaw made the team worrisome with a quad injury, he played another down and was removed from the game.
It seems that it's a talking point every week for the 49ers. The injuries are even worse when you consider how many guys they've been without, including Nick Bosa, Mykel Williams and rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling.
49ers defense
A win is a win. Defense wins championships, but it was the worst outing for the Niners defense so far in their three weeks of play.
The 49ers gave up 30 points to the Cardinals, including 365 total yards on offense. Jacoby Brissett was able to find holes within the defense, albeit it might have been too late. Brissett threw for 280 yards on 38-of-50 passing and two touchdowns. Rookie running back Jeremiyah Love had more than 100 all-purpose yards and a score. He had 90 rush yards and 19 receiving yards with a touchdown.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: San Francisco 49ers rolling but lose players in win vs Cardinals
