What we learned as Brock Purdy, George Kittle spark 49ers' win over Cardinals

BOX SCOREThe 49ers began Sunday’s with trickeration but had to hold on to beat the Arizona Cardinals 36-30 at Levi’s Stadium. San Francisco’s first drive ended with a hook-and-ladder trick play where quarterback Brock Purdy found Mike Evans for a 2-yard reception, but then the veteran wide receiver pitched the ball to Deebo Samuel, who flew by a few defenders and went 80 yards for a touchdown. MIKE EVANS FLIPS IT TO DEEBO FOR THE TD&commat;AZvsSF on FOX/FOX OneStream on &commat;NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/GOuLwblygR — NFL (&commat;NFL) September 27, 2026 On their next offensive drive, Purdy dropped a 23-yard pass in a bucket to Evans for a touchdown. But Evans left the game before halftime with a rib injury and was ruled out as the third quarter was beginning. Running back Christian McCaffrey added a 1-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the third quarter to give the 49ers some breathing room, and on his bobblehead day, tight end George Kittle caught two touchdown passes from Purdy in the fourth quarter, putting the game out of reach. Purdy finished the game completing 15 of 27 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns. San Francisco improved to 3-0 with a showdown against the Denver Broncos looming next Sunday in Santa Clara. Here are the takeaways from the 49ers’ victory:Deebo to the end zoneThe 49ers don’t consider Samuel only a wide receiver. He can do a lot of different things. And on the San Francisco’s third offensive play, Samuel did something rarely before seen. Samuel made an 80-yard sprint for a touchdown, which counted as a pass play for Purdy. But Samuel was not credited with a reception. On a third-and-12 play, Purdy threw a short pass along the left side to Evans, who lateraled to Samuel. Tight end Luke Farrell made a key block at the point of the lateral, then Samuel reached a speed of 20.39 mph, according to Next Gen Stats, and outran Cardinals safety Budda Baker en route to the end zone. Just how they drew it up pic.twitter.com/2DdQt0cwnJ — 49ers on NBCS (&commat;NBCS49ers) September 27, 2026 While the 49ers have issues on their wide receiver depth chart, Samuel is a valuable resource for the team as a receiver, a runner, a return man and whatever else is needed. With the Cardinals threatening in the final minute, Samuel recovered an onside kick to seal the 49ers’ win.Depleted D-line under attackOnly three of the defensive linemen who began the season on the 49ers’ 53-man roster suited up for Sunday’s game. As a result, four defensive linemen made their season debuts on Sunday. The outcome was a first part of the game that looked similar to the opening two weeks of the season. The Cardinals ran the ball effectively behind rookie Jeremiyah Love. He had carries of 7, 6, 1, 8 and 5 yards on the Cardinals’ first drive of the game. Ultimately, the 49ers’ run defense improved — just as it did in Weeks 1 and 2 against the Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins. The 49ers played Sunday’s game without Nick Bosa (calf), Romello Height (hand) and James Thompson (ankle). The 49ers previously placed Alfred Collins (knee), Sam Okuayinonu (foot) and CJ West (knee) on injured reserve. Defensive linemen Naquan Jones, Viliami Fehoko Jr., Sebastian Valdez and Kevin Givens made their first appearances of the season. The major issue was the 49ers could not prevent long possessions. Arizona had separate drives of 12, 14 and 14 plays.Watkins steps upWhen the 49ers signed veteran receiver Brandin Cooks to the practice squad last week, the team probably hoped that second-year receiver Jordan Watkins would make the kind of contribution to keep Cooks on the sideline. Watkins got the next opportunity after a rash of injuries, and he immediately contributed on Sunday when he stepped on the field for the first time this season. Evans and Samuel were the 49ers’ starting receivers. Watkins made a play late in the first half when he caught a 25-yard pass that set up Purdy’s 23-yard touchdown pass to Evans. Later, Watkins had a 34-yard reception that set up Eddy Piñeiro’s 57-yard field goal on the final play of the first half. Watkins and Cooks might both be needed, if this continues. Evans sustained a rib injury in the second quarter and required the use of a cart to be transported back to the 49ers’ locker room. Download and follow the 49ers Talk Podcast

What we learned as Brock Purdy, George Kittle spark 49ers’ win over Cardinals

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