What we learned as Purdy, CMC power 49ers' win over Cardinals

BOX SCORE GLENDALE, Ariz. — The 49ers lined up Sunday without their two starting defensive tackles, and their run defense suffered. But the 49ers had more than enough offense to pull away from the Arizona Cardinals for a 45-29 victory in front of a large gathering of supporters in the road stadium. The 49ers clinched the NFC West title and improved to 11-3 on the season. Coach Kyle Shanahan's team took another step closer to gaining home-field advantage in the NFC. If the 49ers win their final three games, they will assure themselves of a first-round bye in the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Their remaining games are against the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night, at the Washington Commanders and back home to finish the season against the Los Angeles Rams. In the process of dispatching the Cardinals, the 49ers continued their dominance over NFC West teams. It was the 49ers' 12th consecutive victory against division opponents. Here are the three takeaways from the Week 15 game: Purdy's first-half scare It did not look good when quarterback Brock Purdy was on the ground late in the first half. Center Jake Brendel checked on him, and turned away and reacted angrily after Cardinals edge rusher Dennis Gardeck was penalized for roughing the passer for an apparent helmet-to-helmet hit on Purdy. He remained on the ground for a minute and was taken to the medical tent for further observation. Backup quarterback Sam Darnold was on the field for three plays before Purdy checked out OK and got a few warmup tosses on the sideline before returning to the game. Purdy completed a third-and-2 pass to tight end George Kittle for 19 yards, then completed the touchdown drive with a 5-yard scoring pass to Christian McCaffrey. Purdy's second touchdown pass of the game provided the 49ers with a 21-13 lead with 1:14 remaining in the half. Purdy and McCaffrey hooked up again to open the second half to extend the 49ers' lead to 28-13. In his first professional game in his home state, Purdy only strengthened his candidacy for NFL Most Valuable Player. Purdy completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 242 yards with four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 135.3. Ward takes it to the house Cornerback Charvarius Ward's status was in question through most of the week after being able to get on the field for just a limited practice session on Friday. He was listed as questionable. Ward saw action in just four plays of the 49ers' Week 14 game before leaving with a groin injury. Ward was active for the game and it did not take him long to show that he looked just fine. Ward stepped in front of Cardinals tight end Trey McBride on a fourth-and-3 pass from Kyler Murray in the first quarter. Ward secured the catch and took off on a sprint. He stepped through a diving tackle attempt of receiver Greg Dortch at midfield and outran James Conner to the end zone. It was the first career NFL touchdown for Ward, who was playing in his 87th career regular-season game. His career also includes 14 postseason games. The 49ers went 28 games, including three in the postseason, without an interception return for a touchdown. Emmanuel Moseley had the 49ers' last pick-six on Oct. 9, 2022, against the Carolina Panthers. Closing in on Rice's record McCaffrey caught his sixth and seventh scoring passes and added his 13th rushing touchdown of the season. He now has 20 total touchdowns on the season. He continues to close the gap toward the 49ers' all-time single-season record. Hall of Famer Jerry Rice scored 23 touchdowns in the strike-shortened 1987 season. He accomplished the team record in just 12 games. McCaffrey already owns the 49ers' single-season rushing record, as he closes in on another team record. On the day, McCaffrey gained 115 yards rushing on 18 attempts. He also caught five passes for 72 yards. McCaffrey had to work hard for his second touchdown of the game. He gained tons of separation and Purdy made it a little more difficult than necessary. Purdy spun to escape the rush and threw downfield moving to his left. McCaffrey backpedaled and made a leaping catch before falling at the 10-yard line. Because he was not touched, McCaffrey was able to get to his feet and take it the rest of the way for a 41-yard touchdown. The touchdown, coming on the 49ers' first drive of the second half, increased their lead to 28-13 less than two minutes into the third quarter. His 1-yard touchdown run gave the 49ers a 35-16 lead with a minute left in the third quarter. He became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in four or more seasons, joining Marshall Faulk, Thurman Thomas and Tiki Barber. Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

What we learned as Purdy, CMC power 49ers’ win over Cardinals

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