Videos are auto-populated by an affiliate. This site has no control over the videos that appear above.
The San Francisco 49ers have started the season 4-0 after a strong 35-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, becoming one of just two teams to remain undefeated alongside the Philadelphia Eagles after the Miami Dolphins faltered earlier in the day.
Once again, the 49ers had a strong offensive performance early, scoring touchdowns on all three of their first-half drives, which led to a season-high 35 points, while the defense was able to hold up with some needed stops and allowing just 16 points to Arizona.
Here are three quick takeaways from San Francisco's 35-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The offense is better than the defense
Through four games, it's safe to say the 49ers offense is better than their defense. And that's not a bad thing.
While the 49ers' defense has held the edge over the past few seasons with a shutdown identity, the offense has evolved into arguably the best in the NFL, building off their strong finish to the 2022 season.
Brock Purdy and the 49ers have now scored at least 30 points in each of the team's first four games, and the offense saw its best performance on Sunday, scoring touchdowns on five of the team's six offensive drives, a remarkable feat.
The 49ers have arguably the most valuable non-quarterback in the NFL in Christian McCaffrey, who has elevated the offense to new levels, while wideout Brandon Aiyuk enjoyed a six-catch, 148-yard (career-high) performance in Week 4.
But, more importantly, Brock Purdy is looking more and more like the quarterback that San Francisco envisioned he could be this offseason, cementing himself in the upper echelon of quarterbacks in the NFL with an elite performance.
Defensively, the 49ers have been good, but there are certain things that still need to be cleaned up, such as their third-down defense and the third cornerback spot.
San Francisco should still possess top-10 units in each area this season, but the offense is better than the defense at the moment, and that'll likely stay the same for the remainder of the season.
Brock Purdy's ascendance
He's started just nine regular-season games in his career, but we're getting closer and closer to anointing Brock Purdy as a true franchise quarterback in the NFL.
Purdy's performance was phenomenal in Week 4. The quarterback completed 20/21 passes for 283 yards and two total touchdowns in the most efficient performance in 49ers franchise history.
In Week 1, Purdy had the best half of his career, but he arguably had the best game of his career in Week 4, and it was a statement game for the quarterback, who only continues to improve as the weeks go on.
I've personally held reservations as to whether Purdy can win the 49ers a Super Bowl, boldly sharing that I didn't believe the team would win one in 2023 with him at quarterback, but the second-year signal-caller blew away expectations in Week 4 and continues to showcase his strong decision-making skills.
I'm excited to see where Purdy grows from here.
Questions to be had
The 49ers have now outscored opponents 127-61 through four weeks, displaying offensive dominance and defensive resiliency to be arguably the strongest team in the NFL through four weeks.
However, there are a few questions defensively that the 49ers will look to clean up as they face tougher opponents, starting in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 49ers struggled on third downs, allowing the Cardinals to convert on 8/15 of their opportunities, while Arizona compiled 362 total yards of offense.
Overall, the 49ers still limited the Cardinals to 16 points, but Arizona went three-and-out just once on Sunday, with their other drives lasting 7, 10, 11, 11, 13, and 13 plays, which gave the away team a slight advantage in time of possession.
The 49ers are going to need to get off the field more often, and it comes down to third-down efficiency and figuring out some of their coverage issues.
The team will now shift its focus to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 5, who have yet to put everything together offensively, but have also dominated some of their opponents, and the 49ers will need to be better defensively to control games against better opponents.
The 49ers walk out of Philadelphia with a commanding 42-19 victory, avenging their collapse at the Linc eleven months ago.
After a slow start, the 49ers responding with a bruising performance in the final three quarters. WR Deebo Samuel backed up his talk with three touchdowns, RB Christian McCaffrey recorded 133 overall yards and a TD, and QB Brock Purdy finished with 314 passing yards and a 148.8 passer rating. On the defensive side, the D-Line sacked QB Jalen Hurts three times and limited Eagles rushers to just 46 yards on 18 carries.
Here are three quick takeaways from the 49ers' 42-19 victory against Philadelphia.
The Punch
With 9:19 left in the third quarter and San Francisco ahead 21-6, 49ers LB Dre Greenlaw slammed Eagles WR
Nick Bosa confident ahead of 49ers-Eagles matchup, surprised by Chase Young's quick impact
By David Bonilla
Nov 28
There was significant offseason banter between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles following the NFC Championship Game. While the Eagles came out on top, the 49ers felt they couldn't showcase their true capabilities due to quarterback Brock Purdy's early-game UCL injury in his throwing arm.
The two teams have been on a Week 13 collision course throughout the season, with the possibility of meeting again in the postseason. Sunday's highly anticipated game will showcase two red-hot teams, offering the 49ers a chance to demonstrate what might have been.
"I ain't going to keep going on about what could've happened and what would've happened, but yeah, it would've definitely been a different outcome," remarked 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel during the
49ers being favored over Eagles 'doesn't make a lot of sense' to Kyle Shanahan
By David Bonilla
Nov 29
Sitting at 10-1, the Philadelphia Eagles own the NFL's best record. They are set to host the San Francisco 49ers in a highly anticipated NFC Championship Game rematch on Sunday in front of a rowdy Lincoln Financial Field crowd. Despite the Eagles' five-game winning streak, the 8-3 road-team 49ers are currently favored by three points.
Oddsmakers might be favoring the 49ers because of how they have won games recently. Bouncing back from a challenging October, the team is now on a three-game winning streak, dominating opponents with an average margin of victory of 20.7 points.
In contrast, the Eagles have secured victories with a more modest average margin of 4.8 points over their last four games, including an overtime win against the Buffalo Bills on
Key stats from the 49ers' 42-19 Week 13 win vs. the Eagles
By Site Staff
Dec 3
The San Francisco 49ers improved to 9-3 on the season after a 42-19 Week 13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Below are several statistics and notes from Sunday's game, which were provided by the 49ers Communications staff.
With The Win...
The 49ers improved to 22-14-1 all-time against the Eagles, including 12-6-1 on the road.
San Francisco has won 4 of the previous 6 regular season matchups against Philadelphia.
The Niners improved to 2-2 against the Eagles and 8-7 against the NFC East, including 3-0 in 2023 under
