The San Francisco 49ers put on a show on the road against the Arizona Cardinals, scoring 41 points on 12 drives, generating three turnovers, and having a 98-yard kickoff return. Are the 49ers back? Let’s
get into some overreactions from Week 11.
The 49ers’ special teams are still spectacularly bad!
The game began with a 98-yard kickoff return from Skyy Moore. Brian Robinson added a 42-yarder later in the game. Thomas Morstead had three punts averaging 46 yards, with one going 55 yards. It’s difficult to have a bad game after that, but the special teams units found a way.
The game was close, so it didn’t matter, but Eddy Pineiro missing an extra point and having another one blocked comes back to haunt San Francisco in every other game they play besides this one. The Cardinals also added a 40-yard punt return that almost assuredly comes back to bite the Niners in a competitive game.
It didn’t cost them in Arizona. It may not show up again until late December, but the special teams issues reared their ugly head on the road in a divisional matchup after a white-hot start.
Coming into Sunday, the 49ers were 22nd in schedule-adjusted efficiency on special teams, thanks in large part to their field goal and kickoff return teams. They’ve won the hidden points battle because of it. It felt like they may have regressed today, if only a little.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
Brock Purdy and the 49ers offense are back to being an elite unit
In fairness, the offense was trending toward a top 10 unit with Mac Jones throwing to Kendrick Bourne and Jauan Jennings. The offensive output, from a yardage standpoint, was similar to what it was in Week 3. This week, the offense averaged 5.4 yards per play, down from 5.7 in Week 3.
The difference was the execution in the red area. Jones went 1-for-4 with a turnover in Week 3, while Purdy went 4-for-5 this time. Having George Kittle helps.
The offense wasn’t close enough to qualify for a red zone opportunity on Kittle’s 30-yard touchdown catch. But both of his touchdowns came on throws beyond 10 yards. The biggest difference between Purdy and Jones is the willingness of the starter to be aggressive down the field.
As we saw, there are going to be a couple of times a game where Purdy puts the ball in harm’s way. There’s also the ability to make plays after the initial route concept is covered. Purdy was 14-for-22 for 161 yards and three touchdowns on plays over 2.5 seconds.
Christian McCaffrey ran for 81 yards, including a season-long 20-yard scamper. One unit that isn’t getting the credit it deserves is the offensive line. McCaffrey had plenty of room to run, and Purdy, as you can see by the number of attempts he had over 2.5 seconds, had plenty of time to throw.
Purdy was pressured only 25 percent of the time, which was the fourth-lowest rate of his career. That is the fourth time in five games where the line has allowed a pressure rate of 25 percent or better. The rotation between Spencer Burford and Ben Bartch continued for the second week, and it did not negatively impact the offense.
It was a soft matchup, but the ease with which the offense moved the ball without needing Ricky Pearsall is a sign of good things to come. This is an elite unit that can score against anybody. The 49ers offense can go toe to toe with anybody, too.
Verdict: Not an overreaction
The 49ers’ defense bounced back against the Cardinals
It’s hard to believe, but the Cardinals were 12 yards shy of 500 yards. Now, most of those were empty, as the game was out of reach for much of the second half. Jacoby Brissett threw for 452 of those, despite not having two of his top three targets.
Watching the 49ers defense, it looked like Arizona, not San Francisco, did most of the stopping on Sunday. On the first third down of the game, at home, Arizona had a delay of game penalty to make it 3rd & 10. They scored a touchdown on the next drive and missed a field goal on their third drive. On the fourth drive, Arizona made a field goal. So, they had an opportunity to score on three of their first four drives. An offensive holding penalty stalled the Cardinals’ fifth drive. By then, it was 22-10.
Upton Stout’s forced fumble was awesome, but it was once again on the goal line. For much of the game, it felt like the Cardinals faced little resistance moving the ball. Two interceptions in Cardinals’ territory and a forced fumble inside the goal line were ultimately the difference from this being a one-possession game. Again, it didn’t bite the Niners on Sunday, but nothing really changed defensively against a subpar opponent.
The 49ers were -207 in yardage margin today. Again, empty yards, but this is the first team to win when they were outgained by 200+ yards since 2007. So, not exactly a recipe for success.
Verdict: Overreaction
