The San Francisco 49ers got back into the win column with a convincing win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Yes, the Cardinals are depleted by injuries, but the 49ers’ offense resembled some of the good old days with Brock Purdy under center and his weapons healthy. For the first time in 2025, the offense scored 40-plus points, which is a good sign for a team that will need to score to lead it to victories down the stretch. The defense allowed yards, but came up with timely turnovers and stops.
That will be the formula for the 49ers to win games. Score points and make just enough plays on defense to limit the damage.
Who were two players who bounced back on Sunday?
Offense: Christian McCaffrey
Don’t roll your eyes. McCaffrey has been the engine of the 49ers’ offense, but against the Rams averaged 2.5 yards per carry for just 30 yards on 12 carries. Yes, the Comeback Player of the Year frontrunner contributed 66 yards on eight receptions, but the running game fell by the wayside with the 49ers in a 21-0 hole. However, the game did get closer, and the team still struggled to get things going on the ground. While it was nice to see Brian Robinson turn eight carries into 41 yards, McCaffrey shouldn’t be less effective on the ground than the former Washington running back.
Toss all that aside on Sunday as McCaffrey averaged 6.2 yards per carry with 81 yards on 13 carries. One more carry than the previous week for CMC, but it felt like every time McCaffrey touched the ball, it was a nice gain, big run, or on the brink of being a huge run. Three touchdowns absolutely help, but it was nice to see the ground game click even with limited touches on the ground.
Defense: Kalia Davis
Ok, don’t roll your eyes again, but even with the 49ers’ pass rush unable to sack Jacoby Brissett on 57 drop-backs, Davis contributed a career-high four pressures on Sunday, following a one-pressure and one sack day against the Rams. Now, you’re probably asking yourself: “Jason, how is this a bounce back if Davis brought the quarterback down the week before, but not this week?” That’s a good question, but for me, it boils down to back-to-back productive days rushing the passer and a possible development moving forward for the interior defensive line.
Yes, Davis didn’t record a sack, but any semblance of consistency or arrow pointing up for any defensive lineman has to be viewed as a positive. Suppose Davis can continue to improve as an interior pass rusher with the continued development of rookies Alfred Collins (the highest graded run-blocker on Sunday) and CJ West. In that case, the pass rush may see a bump just in the nick of time during this pivotal four-game stretch before the bye week.
