The Cardinals lost 41-22 to the 49ers on Sunday in a game defined by self-inflicted mistakes and a dud of a defensive effort, despite a high-volume offensive passing performance.
Here is the good, the bad
and the ugly from Week 11.
Good
QB Jacoby Brissett: When playing from behind the entire game, the ball is going to be aired out plenty. Brissett took advantage of his voluminous day. The veteran quarterback set an NFL record with 47 completions and set a career high in passing yards (452). Brissett also threw for two touchdowns.
WR Michael Wilson: With Marvin Harrison sidelined by appendicitis, Wilson stepped up as the top guy in the wide receiver room. He hauled in 15 receptions for 185 yards, both personal bests for the third-year wideout.
TE Trey McBride: It was just another day in the office for the McBride, who caught 10 passes for 115 yards on 11 targets.
Bad
Penalties: The Cardinals played an undisciplined brand of football, committing 17 penalties for 130 yards, a franchise record. Those penalties stalled drives and negated big plays, including running back Bam Knight’s 60-yard touchdown that was called back due to holding. On the flipside, the 49ers committed just one penalty on the afternoon.
Turnovers: If you lose the turnover battle, there’s a good chance you’re going to lose the game. While Brissett’s day will be defined by his high number of completions and passing yards, he still threw two interceptions, one that was returned 64 yards to set up a 49ers touchdown. The other was an Elijah Higgins fumble that occurred at San Francisco’s 1-yard line.
Ugly
Defense: The 49ers had the ball for almost ten minutes less than the Cardinals, but Arizona had no answer for San Francisco when they were on offense, which totaled 488 yards. Quarterback Brock Purdy, returning from injury, tossed three touchdown passes. Meanwhile, running back Christian McCaffrey found the end zone three times, and tight end George Kittle also added two scores. The Cardinals failed to generate pressure consistently. As a result, the 49ers exploited Arizona’s depleted secondary that was without cornerback Will Johnson.
