SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — Brock Purdy threw four touchdown passes, with the first coming on a trick play, and the injury-depleted San Francisco 49ers held on for a 36-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
San Francisco lost wide receiver Mike Evans to a rib injury in the first half and left tackle Trent Williams to a stinger in the second half, but still managed to hold on to start 3-0 for the third time in the last four seasons.
The game
began well for the Niners before the injuries started mounting and they found themselves in a tight game against the Cardinals (1-2), who have lost 22 of their last 26 games in the division.
Purdy helped ice it when he threw a 20-yard TD pass to George Kittle with 1:31 to play. The Cardinals added a late field goal, but Deebo Samuel recovered an onside kick to seal the win.
Coach Kyle Shanahan dialed up a hook-and-ladder call on San Francisco’s third play from scrimmage to turn a precarious third-and-12 from deep in 49ers territory into an 82-yard score. Purdy threw a quick 6-yard pass to Evans, who flipped it back 4 yards to a sprinting Samuel as he was being tackled well short of the first down. Samuel then sprinted down the sideline, broke a tackle near midfield and scored to make it 7-0 on an 82-yard play.
Purdy then connected on a 23-yard TD pass to Evans on the second drive and the Niners built the lead to 23-6 when Christian McCaffrey scored on a 1-yard run on the opening drive of the second half.
But Arizona fought back as Jacoby Brissett threw two TD passes on the next three possessions, connecting on a 5-yarder to Michael Wilson and a 1-yarder to Jeremiyah Love after the Niners lost the ball on a muffed punt.
But the 49ers answered with a touchdown drive that was aided when Josh Sweat was called for roughing the passer after an apparent third-down stop. Purdy then found Kittle on a 10-yard score to make it 29-20 even though Eddy Pineiro missed his second extra point of the game.
Purdy finished 15 for 27 for 297 yards.
Brissett scored on a 1-yard sneak with 2:51 to play to make it 29-27, but the Niners managed to run out the clock and hold on for the win.
49ers: The injury to Evans is most concerning as San Francisco is already without receivers Ricky Pearsall, De'Zhaun Stribling and Demarcus Robinson. ... Williams returned to the sideline after being taken off on a cart, but didn't come back into the game. ... LB Dre Greenlaw left in the second half with a quadriceps injury.
Cardinals: Visit the New York Giants on Sunday.
49ers: Host Denver on Sunday.
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