Transcripts: What Kyle Shanahan and others said after 49ers' 36-30 win vs. Cardinals

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan and players spoke with reporters after Sunday's 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals.

Here's everything they said.

Transcripts provided by the San Francisco 49ers Communications staff.

49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

Opening comments:

"Injuries from the game. [DB Deommodore Lenoir] DMo left, got evaluated for a concussion. He returned. [WR] Mike Evans, ribs/oblique, did not return. [T] Trent Williams, stinger, did not return. [CB] Renardo Green, same thing as DMo, cleared for concussion evaluation, returned. [DL] Gracen Halton, cramps, did not return. [LB Dre] Greenlaw, quad, came back for one play, then we shut him down. [LB] Garrett Wallow, stinger, he returned."

Do you know the nature of Evans' rib injury? Is that a broken rib?

"I'm not sure yet."

Could you tell when he did that? Was that a couple plays before he came off?

"No, I'm not sure when he did it."

I know you're concentrating on just winning this game, but as these players are going down, it seemed like almost every other play, do you start thinking what's going on here? Obviously, there's other injuries going into this game.

"No. You're just thinking about how to adjust. When you lose guys, especially guys like Mike and stuff, changes stuff on your call sheet, changes wristbands, things like that. You don't have time to think about anything else. When guys go down, you hope they return, but you adjust and you wait until they tell you they're back and if they don't, you keep it moving."

How many reps did you guys get this week on that flea flicker?

"Just a walk-through rep. The lateral? It's not really a flea flicker. I don't know what it is. It's, I guess, a lateral. It's crazy when [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] has zero catches but has 80 yards reception. It was awesome. Great ball by [QB] Brock [Purdy]. Great job by Mike to catch it clean. He took a hit as he was tossing it to Deebo and that's what Deebo does best. He finishes and scores."

You're not known as the biggest trick play guy and you tend to save them for big moments in big games. Why that moment?

"We've done that play a number of times. I don't think it's that big of a trick play. Guys around the league do it a lot. It sounds real crazy, but just the right time. We did it a couple of times last year. Something we've done probably four times the last two years. It was third-and-long. Best chance to get it. We knew you can't throw over everybody at that time. We hoped everyone would suck up on Mike and toss it to Deebo."

When the Cardinals closed it to within one score, your second to last possession you've got to go length of the field. You started off with a couple of passes with Brock. You scored the touchdown. They come back, you get another possession, couple passes by Brock. A lot of times you wouldn't want to be throwing it there. How comfortable are you now with Brock? Just, 'Hey, at any time, it doesn't matter if we need to burn the clock, whatever we need to do with the ball, we're going to have him throw it.'

"I'm very comfortable with Brock throwing the ball, and I feel like I've always been with him. In that situation, just with the timeouts they had and after us missing those extra points, I didn't look at it as a, they only needed two there on the last one. So, I didn't really look at it as a just run the clock out. If we go three-and-out, whether we're running the clock or not, I feel like they're in a really good situation to go kick a field goal for the win. It might have been different if they needed more than that, but I almost looked at it as normal football. It was good to soften them up with a couple passes. Then we got our runs going. I thought it was such a huge run on second-and-10. We ran an inside zone to [RB] Christian [McCaffrey]. I couldn't see exactly what happened, but I thought he got stuffed for like four yards, so it's a huge third-and-six, I'm thinking. But, he kept his feet and we kept pushing the pile. I think he ended up getting like a 12-yard run on it, which felt like almost the biggest play of the day."

Earlier this week you said how Brock Purdy has been in so many different situations at this point that he's pretty much seasoned in understanding what to do next. He had the big scramble for the touchdown. They call it back and then he gets it to TE George Kittle for a touchdown to seal this one up. Is that an example of what you were talking about earlier this week?

"I guess, and not really. He just runs every play. We had a high-low on his long scramble and he got flushed from the pocket. I'm not sure exactly why. Then he just made a play scrambling, which I was looking at the passes, so I was wondering why the ball wasn't in the air. Then he was running and the fact that he scored on that was just an unbelievable play. I joked that Kittle ruined that moment for him. Then it was an awesome job on the keeper. We ran that versus Miami in his first game, I remember, on a third-and-one, and he threw it to the low guy and missed a big touchdown over the top. That could be experience right there because they had the low guy, might have been able to force it to him to get a couple of yards, but he ended up looking over him and saw Kittle uncovered and got a big touchdown."

Did Kittle try to get out of taking a knee?

"Yes, but that's on me. I didn't remind him in the huddle. I don't expect him to be paying attention to the clock, but I definitely wish I did the play before that."

A few guys stepping up today, WR Jordan Watkins being one of them. What did you see from his play and what he was able to execute today?

"Yeah, a bunch of guys stepped up. All week, losing some of those receivers and then losing Mike in the game between Watkins and [WR Jacob] Cowing and [WR KhaDarel] Hodge, just having to not just go in there and make the plays that you guys saw, but having to mix up their positions, move them around, just the studying that goes into a week to get ready to play. Then when someone gets hurt, to have to go to a different position and be ready for that too. So, all those guys worked their butts off all week. I was really pumped for Watkins. That was such a big seam route that he ran on third down and he almost looked like he was going to break those tackles and score. I thought he looked real impressive on it. Then at the end of the second quarter, he was the reason we got three points there on that 57-yard field goal right before the half."

Why do you think the defense is having a tough time getting off the field? Is it just a function of the injuries?

"No. It depends on each play. There's a couple of third downs I thought we could have got off the field that we didn't. There was a couple of times I thought we had the quarterback, then he got away from us. [Arizona Cardinals QB Jacoby] Brissett is, seen him do that before. He's very hard to bring down. We've got a lot of guys out there. I know everyone knows the big challenge for the D-Line this week, just losing six out of our 10 in the last two weeks. Having a bunch of new guys out there then them having to go 81 plays, which a lot of that was self-inflicted. Some was them doing some good things too, but I'm just happy how they grinded, kept Arizona out of the end zone the whole first half, which I thought was a hell of a job and found a way to win at the end."

Was the hook and lateral part of your openers?

"No."

Is it always available for each game?

"Not always, but it was one of our top calls on third and 12-plus in that section."

Is there any quarterback in football right now playing better than Brock Purdy?

"I'd be surprised, but I don't study the other quarterbacks right now, so I don't really know what anyone else is doing except for the guys that we go against. I don't get to see any of that, but I think it's really hard to play much better than he's playing right now."

You say he runs everything. Does it mean everything's on the table with him?

"No, I just mean you run the play that's called and if one's covered, you go to two, to three, to four. If you can't do that and there's open spots in the pocket, instead of just taking a sack, can you make a play with your legs? He's very good at doing his job extremely consistently. That's why I don't watch him much. I watch the coverages and where the ball's going to go, and he gets it there 90-percent of the time. If he didn't, it's usually because something happened that he couldn't avoid. Then I look back and sometimes see when that happens and he's running around making a play and it doesn't even matter that it didn't work out because he makes an off-schedule or moves the chains with his legs."

K Eddy Piñeiro, obviously, very good on field goals. Extra points may be a little different. How do you reconcile those two things when you're evaluating him?

"I don't know, really. I just go off of whether they made it or missed it. I thought that 57-yard field goal he made at the end of the second quarter was one of the biggest kicks I've seen. For us to get down there and have a chance to kick it that far with whatever we had, I think there was 20 seconds maybe on the clock, maybe 17 when we started. I mean, it was such a big-time kick. Especially for us to open it in the third quarter and have a chance to lap them, which we did. I was going to probably give him a game ball or something, but he ruined that with the two extra points missed."

What was your message to the team in the postgame?

"Just I was proud of the guys. I think our first two games, I don't think we had to play four quarters. I thought we were ready to, but just the way the game went, we didn't. That was a game that we needed to play all four quarters. That team fought to the end. We were by no means perfect. We gave them some chances to get back in when I thought we could have put them away. Just certain mistakes, things that we can do better at, but I was just proud of the guys, how they kept competing, the defense being out there for 81 plays. Losing guys throughout the game and guys just keep grinding and going. And, I was really pumped with how efficient the offense was."

Have you noticed Deebo Samuel Sr. evolve or approach his craft differently at this point in his career than when he was last here?

"I think Deebo's not much different at all than when he was here last time. I think he was only gone for a year, but I think just whether it was the last couple of years Deebo was here or even now. Just like all these guys, they understand how long a season is, how much goes into it. I think Deebo's doing an awesome job taking care of his body. Awesome job preparing throughout the week. He came into camp unbelievable and he's just in shape and everything in his conditioning and he's still doing the same thing right now. Hasn't let up at all."

Just back to Evans here. Does it look like he's going to miss a couple of weeks at least?

"We don't know yet. We couldn't tell if it was a broken rib. We couldn't tell if it was an oblique. So, something that we'll find out probably more tomorrow."

What did you see on Kittle's two touchdowns and what makes them so special?

"On the second one there at the end, he was just wide open just because they were committed to the run, so we just ran a keeper. Which one was his first one too? Oh, that one was awesome. He had a looky route. The guy had outside leverage, so he had leverage on him breaking in. And when Kittle has leverage breaking in, it's rare that people can stop him because of how much force he has going forward. Most people should get the completion there, but what's special about Kittle is if he gets that completion, it's going to be a touchdown nine times out of 10."

I know former NFL QB Matt Ryan was quite good in 2016, but have you ever had this level of confidence, comfort as a play caller in a quarterback as right now you do with Brock?

"Yes, I had that with Matt in '16. Had it in [former NFL QB Matt] Schaub way back in the day. And I've had it with Brock, I think, four years in a row now."

49ers QB Brock Purdy

He was obviously wide open, but did you have to grit your teeth to throw that touchdown to TE George Kittle at the end?

"Yeah, 100-percent. We were just joking, saying he was really selfish to get the flag and then score a touchdown after, but it was fun. I'm glad we were able to finish and capitalize there. Yeah, just typical George fashion."

Can you walk us through the run? It obviously got called back, but just walk us through what you saw and how that played out?

"Yeah, obviously a passing down for us and just went through my progression on the right side. It sort of felt like nothing really declared really quick so got my eyes to the backside and felt a hole. I was like, 'Alright, I'm going to take this' and try to get as much as we got. And then sure enough, George was down there blocking and it just turned out to be a good scramble moment. So, that's all that took place really."

What did you think of the hook and ladder? What's your perspective of it when you see it?

"Obviously great play call in that moment, especially early in the game. [Head coach] Kyle [Shanahan] does some really cool things where he draws up certain plays in third-and-longs or second-and-longs and stuff, just like any other team in the NFL, if you watch, there's usually some weird plays that can also happen. But, we had the right look. Guys matched to [WR] Mike [Evans], got him the ball. Mike did a good job sort of taking the hit and then delivering it to [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.]. For Deebo to just go and take off, that's what he does best. He's a playmaker. So, it was just a great play call and then I thought we executed it really well."

What did you think of the game plan that Arizona threw at you defensively?

"I thought they did a good job. They do a lot of different looks and fronts and different things with their secondary and stuff with coverages and stuff. So, I thought obviously they did some things where they schemed us up and sort of broke some of their tendencies and things like that and gave us a bunch of different kind of looks, really. I thought they did a good job of dropping back in the zone and sort of making us be smart and take the checkdowns and everything like that. Really a bend-but-don't-break kind of defense. Those drives were really long and you had to go earn it. First, second, third down, short yardage and getting into the redzone and capitalizing. They're a great defense, a great play caller and scheme. So, I have a lot of respect for them."

Before that last touchdown to Kittle, everyone thought you were going to run the ball and try to burn the clock, including the Cardinals. Can you talk about Kyle making that call in that moment, maybe the confidence he has in you to execute that. Were you at all surprised?

"Yeah, for us it was all about getting a first-down, running out the clock. But in that moment, if we had an opportunity to score to make it a two-score game, we've got to do it. And sure enough, I thought it was a great play call, obviously. They were trying to stop the run and everything. And then for us to boot out and have George wide open was really cool. But again, that's stuff that we do talk about as a team and stuff where if we're in a situation to milk the clock and get a first down, don't want to score, those are things that he tells us ahead of time. In this moment, it was like, 'Let's go up two scores if they present it to us. And if not, let's continue to chip away, get first downs and run out the clock that way.'"

You haven't been sacked yet this season. The offensive line is protecting you, but how much pride is there just within the whole unit that you haven't been sacked yet?

"To your point, that's everybody. Obviously, the play calling, the boys up front, the receivers being on top of making sure they're running the right routes and getting the ball out on time and stuff on our end at quarterback. So, it's a unit thing. It takes everybody. So, obviously it starts with the boys up front too, though. They're playing their butt off right now. Like I've said before, they've all played with each other for a while. They understand all their different rules and passing things off and they're playing really hard right now. So, proud of those guys. But, obviously it's early in the season and we've got to turn the page and learn from this game and get ready for next week."

When you guys are losing guys to injuries throughout a game, as the quarterback, how are you processing that? Is there any sort of push and pull? Obviously you need to play well and make the right plays, but not try to do too much or carry the team? What's your mindset like during moments like that?

"Yeah, I think something for me, just like whether guys get hurt or not I've just been hard on myself with playing at a standard for myself of playing at a high level at quarterback with going through my reads and being on top of getting to outlets and checkdowns and staying on the field. When there's a shot play there, taking advantage of that too. Stuff like that. That's what I'm concerned about. Obviously, when I see my guys go down, it sucks watching, both offense and defense. But, I think as a young player, I've gotten caught up in, 'Alright now this is going to affect my play' and this and that. And I think as I've grown, it's like all I can do is control what I can control, go through my reads, be prepared for what the defense is going to do and how I can react and leave it at that. So, it's the NFL, it sucks when your teammates go down, but that's part of the game. And as a quarterback, it's also part of handling that and doing what I can, which is my job."

Can you speak to just the edge or advantage Kyle's play calling gives not just you, but the offense?

"I think Kyle's the best in the league at obviously calling plays, his system, all the things. But, calling the right plays at the right time. I think that's the difference between a good play caller and a great play caller. You can have all the plays drawn up and all the things, but to call a play at the right time, that's what it takes to be elite. He's done that over all the years of his coaching and stuff. And I feel like right now he's at a great point with how he sees the game and coaching us up on details and the little things. So, we're all grateful to play for him. We know that anytime a play call comes in, we're confident that we have the best in the league at doing this. We can all be confident in this and now we've got to go do our job and play at a high level ourselves. So, I love playing for him."

49ers TE George Kittle

Do you feel the confidence that Head Coach Kyle Shanahan is showing in QB Brock Purdy?

"Yes, I think Kyle's confidence in Brock is incredibly high. Brock's confidence is incredibly high. It's different. We can be in a Wednesday practice and Brock might miss a pass and I think in years past, Kyle would be frustrated with him for not hitting that pass or another quarterback for not hitting that pass. Now, Kyle is like, 'nah, he'll hit it on gameday.' It's fun to see that in that relationship with them."

What was your perspective on the hook-and-ladder play?

"I was on the sideline, so that was cool. I get a couple of plays off these days because I'm coming back from an Achilles tear, so that's awesome. This is actually the least I've ever played in my career, I think. I like it. I feel fresh. That play has been installed for like 3 years now so finally getting it called was pretty — it's like an end-of-the-game play. Running that on that 3rd and long, everybody's going to expect us to throw the ball to [WR] Mike Evans, so that was cool. The unsung hero really is [TE] Luke Farrell. He got out there, blocked the corner, and gave [WR] Deebo [Samuel Sr.] the edge. Then Deebo just outran everybody. Deebo had an awesome stat line, didn't he? He can do it all. Wide back, wherever it is, I love Deebo. He's incredible."

What's it been like for you guys to have Deebo back in the locker room and his personality?

"When you put [T] Trent [Williams] and Deebo together, it's like a giant aura field. It boosts everybody's confidence. Playing with a guy like Deebo, it's like I said, he has all the superstar tendencies to be able to go out there and score from anywhere, break all the tackles, and set the tone. He's become a really unselfish player, too. He doesn't care what his role is as long as the boys are doing a good job. We love having Deebo back."

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

How tough was it not having T Trent Williams out there when he got dinged up?

"At any point he's the best football player on the field and whenever you lose him, it's tough. What I love about our offensive line is they really are one unit and those guys play so hard together. You know, it's football. Football is such a team sport. When guys go down, guys have got to step up. You'll never replace a guy like Trent, but I thought everybody collectively stepped up and did what we had to do. It was a great win."

In what ways do you think WR Deebo Samuel Sr. has improved?

"He's fast. He's Deebo. You know, Deebo, I don't think he's lost a step or missed a step at all. I actually think the opposite. I think when he showed up he was, in my opinion, in the best shape of his life. I see how hard he's working every single day and what he did in the offseason. When he's on the field, he's just another guy that at any point can break one. Obviously the long one was incredible. When you look at him catch the ball at 5 yards, break a tackle, stiff-arm a dude another 6 [yards] and get a first down, those plays that he makes, people forget about them. Those are huge plays in a game, momentum-changing plays. I think when you watch it, it's easy to just go to the next play and you forget that he just broke 4 tackles and got 8 yards after contact by himself. That's Deebo."

What do you think of WR Jordan Watkins?

"He's great, he's been great. I think he's another guy that when his number's called, he shows up and he'll be a guy that will continue to get better and continue to help us. He's got great speed, great hands, and runs great routes. On this team, especially in this offense, you get to learn from guys like [WR] Mike Evans. You get to learn from guys like D-Rob [WR Demarcus Robinson] who have played so many games. When the young guys get to be in a room like that, it's such an advantage for them because when their number is called, they can step up and make plays like he did."

49ers S Malik Mustapha

For your secondary to lose DB Deommodore Lenoir and CB Renardo Green at certain points in this game, but still be able to come through, how important is that?

"It's a bend, don't break defense. We have ballers out there. [CB] Jack [Jones] was in there making his plays. We know that we have to step up. We have guys that are able to roll, guys that have been able to compete. So we just have to keep the train rolling, whoever is out there. And it doesn't matter. It's just a next man up mentality."

How much have you enjoyed watching this offense from the sideline? QB Brock Purdy seems like he's playing on a different level this year.

"Yeah, it's electric. We always knew that Purdy was going to be a top quarterback in this league. I'm glad he's getting the respect he deserves. We see how he works day in and day out and I'm just glad he's getting his flowers."

How have you seen S Marques Sigle improve?

"He's been great. I'm so happy for him to see his progression, as well. He has a mentality like no other. He just wants to work every day and he continues getting better day-by-day. So just to see him make the jump he had from his rookie year to his sophomore campaign is great. And he's only scratching the surface."

Is this game just an example you never know how this game's going to turn out? You guys had a 10-point lead, you get the ball and then a fluky play hits the blocker on a punt.

"That's the beauty of the NFL. You just have to stay ready. There's going to be times when you're going to put the team out. There's going to be times when you're going to be in a battle, in a dogfight. And this is one of those games. A division opponent is always going to be something for the books. We just have to stay locked in and we were able to finish today."

49ers WR Deebo Samuel Sr.

You said your first play of the game, the 80-yard touchdown run, was you doing what you do best. Can you just take us through that play, and how much of a big momentum boost did that give the game to score that touchdown early on?

"It was crazy because we walked through that play like, once this week. It was kind of crazy. We called it backed up and it was third and long. Once I saw [49ers WR] Mike [Evans] catch the ball and there were two guys on him, I was like, if I get around here, it ain't going to be nobody. [Arizona Cardinals S] Budda [Baker] showed up. I showed the speed that people don't think I got."

Have you ever seen a stat line with zero catches and 80 yards?

"No, I haven't seen that one until today."

You mentioned the speed people don't think you have. They used to think you had that. Does that motivate you?

"I just hear it in the offseason. I just use that as a little motivation to just go out there and play the game."

Did you know you had Budda Baker there on that play? Were you pretty sure you were going to get through that one?

"My mindset has always been the same: don't let one guy bring me down. I saw him and I had the mindset of just getting to the end zone."

Given the injuries, you guys still show up each week. You're now 3-0, but you have additional injuries coming into today, yet you still get the win. Is that an early sign of the same resilience, something similar to what we saw last season from a team that just continued to fight through?

"Kind of like the standard I think that [Head Coach] Kyle [Shanahan] and [President of Football Operations/General Manager] John [Lynch] has built around, just the 'next guy up' mentality. From top to bottom, it is just the way we practice and the way we play the game."

49ers LB Fred Warner

It looked like you got friendly fire on DB Deommodore Lenoir on that one play. You got to fly around, you got to make plays and sometimes you're going to knock out your own guys?

"Yeah, I thought I got the Arizona player. I thought I got him, but I had to say sorry to DMo. I think he got in there. He came back. Yeah, I think he's feeling great now."

What did you think of your guys' run defense today and what stood out about Arizona Cardinals RB Jeremiyah Love?

"Our run defense, I think we held them under 100 yards total. I got to look at it, right? It's always a matter of every run play has its own story of different things that may have gone on in the play. We knew Love was a dynamic back in '22. [Arizona Cardinals RB Tyler] Allgeier is more of a downhill guy and it's just something that we're going to continue to keep striving to be the best at. It's back to work. You love to always clean things up off a win, but we're never satisfied. We'll keep looking at it."

This was the first game this season that got close down towards the end. What do you think is the reason for that? Is it just what you said earlier this week when it comes to the Cardinals, they just play you guys tough or was it some of the woes of injuries coming to a head today?

"No, I think it was finally just an NFL game, honestly. I think the last two weeks we got, not comfortable, but that's not truly NFL ball where you have your starters sitting out in the 4th quarter. That's great. That's the goal, right? You want to be able to dominate teams, but that's the NFL. It's always close. Not to say that it should have been close by any means. The way that we gave up touchdowns instead of holding them to three late just in that whole second half. It felt like, obviously, we could have done a better job on our part as a defense, but the way the offense played and the way [QB] Brock [Purdy] has been playing is unbelievable. So we got to find ways to create more takeaways as a defense and play complementary football."

49ers WR Jordan Watkins

Can you take me back to your first catch? It was a really tight window for QB Brock Purdy, having the seam there, it looked like it was a play where trust was really important, is that right?

"Yeah, 100%. Like I was saying earlier, you know, Brock is a guy that wants you to be in the right spot at the right time. And to have him trust me like that, I think that just goes back to the offseason as well, when we were down in Tennessee. So, to have Brock trust me like that and to be able to put it on the line, it was huge."

How has it been having WR Mike Evans as a teammate? Have you taken anything away from it?

"Yeah, Mike Evans has been great. He's always trying to coach me and trying to give me as much knowledge as possible. It's been great having him around. Anytime that he sees something that I could have done differently on a route in practice, he's the first person to come over and be like, 'Hey, if I were you, I'd do this, I'd do that.' Just to have his knowledge and to have him as a resource has been great."

What were the conversations like between you and Head Coach Kyle Shanahan as far as you going to him and saying I want to be here and I want to help, how do I go about doing that?

"I'm a competitor at heart. I'm always going to compete. And to be on the sidelines in sweats, to me, that's not being able to compete and help my brothers win football games. So, I just went up to Kyle and I asked him just straight up, 'What can I do to get on the field? What can I do to be active, to go out there?' Because I just want to play ball at the end of the day. I'm a football player. But he kind of just let me know what it was. Maybe it was a special teams thing, it wasn't really a receiver thing, and I think that he said that earlier on in the week. For him to have that trust in me to go out there and make some plays today, it's been awesome. It was great."

Cardinals Head Coach Mike LaFleur

Can you walk us through your mindset on those last couple of plays? Why go for the field goal when you did instead of waiting until after trying for the touchdown?

"To save the time. You don't want to get down to one last desperation play. So when you get down there and feel good about the field goal, for us, it was inside the 35, you kick it to get it to a one-score game. Then, if you recover the onside kick, you're not just in Hail Mary mode. You actually have time to run some plays. So we would do that every time."

What do you feel like you need to do better on defense?

"You guys are going to hate this, but I have to go to the tape. We had a lot of offensive snaps today and obviously we're still getting our offensive thoughts together. With that said, just watching it in real time, when you play this offense, you better be on your P's and Q's at the highest level. It's not an effort thing by any means, but we have to clean some stuff up. We have got to get to the quarterback a little bit better. And when we did, he's pretty dang talented in terms of escaping. You have to be very disciplined with your rush lanes. You have to be able to tackle. There's a lot of things that we know we can clean up."

You guys haven't blitzed much this season. I know Brock Purdy is really good against the blitz, but it seems like a concerted game plan so far this season. What's gone into that?

"I'm not going to go over the top with that. That's what we felt was best through these first three weeks. It doesn't mean Week Four is going to be like that. But I like the plans that we have put together. We just have to keep providing clarity and go execute."

What was the difference offensively between the first and second half?

"Penalties. We couldn't overcome the penalties, and it's hard to overcome penalties. We were moving the ball. It was hard in terms of not getting explosives, but we were efficient. Our runs were hitting, but the penalties were knocking us back, and that absolutely killed us. In the second half, we didn't have penalties. For the most part, we played pretty clean, and because of that, we scored points."

What was limiting those explosives until the middle of the fourth quarter?

"That's something I have to go back and take a look at because it's really hard in this league. The stats aren't going to show it, but we ran the ball well. When your longest rush is eight yards and we're not getting explosives, it's tough sledding sometimes. Like I told the guys, for the most part, they were on their assignments. They were moving these guys. We were getting good, efficient yards. We were in second-and-manageable territory quite often. You have to stick with it. One of these is going to pop, and it just hasn't for us yet. We can go to the tape and say, 'Hey, if we do this a little bit better, that a little bit better,' but that's always going to be the case, even if one did pop. Until that happens, you're going to see what we saw today from a rushing standpoint."

I know you said you need to look at the tape, but just in general terms, when you get to that point in the fourth quarter where you're getting those scores, getting a little bit closer and just need that one stop, is there emotion involved with the team, or do you guys keep things pretty straightforward?

"There is a human element to it, but we have a job to do, whether it's offense, defense, special teams, coaching, all that kind of stuff. No matter what the score is, you go execute the play. My job is to make sure I'm getting those plays in fast enough and hopefully calling plays that are not dead. Then their job is to go execute, as long as we've provided the clarity."

What were your early evaluations of the offensive line?

"I thought there were some good things we did. Then, sometimes when we were looking to take some shots, it got a little bit leaky on [QB] Jacoby [Brissett]. So again, I have to go back and look at that in terms of what we're asking these guys to do from a play-action standpoint and how long we're asking them to hold up. But one thing I'll say about all the phases is they battled. There's no question in my mind that they battled. That's a very good football team that we just played. Like we said, there are no moral victories in any of this at all. But there are things we can take from this. We have to move forward, get better and improve the stuff that we're not doing well."

What went into the decision to bump RB Jeremiyah Love's workload up, and how did he perform with that added workload?

"I thought he got in a groove right there. Like I just told him, I said, 'Hey, just keep trusting your reads, keep taking the ball.' You have to stay disciplined as a back, but we don't have a clicker in our hand on Sundays. These guys have to go play their game, see it and play fast. I thought he did that. We just didn't get any of those to break for more than eight yards. But I thought he did a good job. I thought he handled the workload well. We'll see what it is moving forward."

Do you expect RB Jeremiyah Love to continue to have an increased workload going forward?

"We'll do what we think is necessary each week."

You guys have played a ton of base defense this year, and that continued to be the case today. What's been the thinking there?

"We wanted to take a little air out of some things. We've played three teams that have very similar philosophies where they're in 21, 22, whatever it is. I can't say how much 22 and 13 we've seen over the three weeks, but there has been a fullback out there, at least two tight ends. So just the ability to take some air out of some of the coverages that can happen in some of those penny packages, if you will. It doesn't mean that it'll be the same next week. It's going to be a different scheme, obviously, next week compared to the first three weeks in terms of the offense we're going against. I also think Gibby [LB Jack Gibbens] has done a really good job. We have a lot of trust in [LB] Cody Simon, too, so having those backers out there."

Cardinals QB Jacoby Brissett

I know head coach Mike LaFleur said a lot of it was penalties in the first half that might have kept you from getting to the end zone sooner. Do you see it that way?

"Yeah, I think, look at the first half and every time we got something going, we had self-inflicted wounds versus good teams. It's like beating a dead horse, but versus good teams you can't do that. You can't beat yourself and try to beat them."

What was working in the second half besides not having the penalties in terms of play speed, play design?

"Yeah, I think it was more that we weren't beating ourselves, because the same thing was happening in the first half. It just gets overshadowed by the penalties, and that's what it really came down to. We cleaned up the operation and our focus and attention to detail got better in the second half but again, you can't give a good team a half."

How frustrating is it that you had them within reach?

"Yeah, that's the hard part, but in this that's the silver lining. It's like, you go back to work, you go watch the film, and you say, man, if we can find ways to not do this to us, and focus solely on just doing the right things, and you see what is to come of it. Obviously, a long season and you don't want to dwell on the mistakes each and every week and stuff like that, but you've just got to continue to find ways to get better."

You gave WR Michael Wilson 17 targets, the second career high, both were against the San Francisco 49ers the last two times you played. What do you see against the Niners in coverage that you really like that matchup with Mike Wilson?

"I mean, obviously he's one of our better players, and the calls were some of the things that he was really good at, and felt that he had to beat on the guys a couple of times, and he did a good job."

WR Marvin Harrison Jr. seemed to get going a little bit. What's that like to see?

"Yeah, it's awesome. You know what I mean? Obviously, finding our mojo and stuff like that and finding more ways to get him involved in the offense, and I thought when his opportunity called today, he made every one of them count. I know he's going to continue to get better and I'm going to try to continue to get better for him."

OL Paris Johnson Jr. was talking about being in a flow in the second half. Can you describe what that's like for you guys to be in a flow?

"No penalties and touchdowns. That's literally what it does."

RB Jeremiyah Love, obviously you guys leaned on him a little bit more today, but he got a lot of touches and he was a big part of the offense. From your perspective, is he looking as comfortable as he looks to us from outside?

"I would say so. I mean, I think he's handled it pretty well. Obviously leaning on him a lot today, and I thought he answered the bell, made a lot of good plays for us, and was finding ways to keep it going."

You were quite efficient outside the pocket today. What was working for you?

"No penalties and our guys getting open like I figured they would, and guys just making plays."

Cardinals S Budda Baker

What were you and San Francisco 49ers WR Mike Evans saying to each other, and is there any history there that people don't know about?

"Yeah, I didn't say one thing to Mike Evans. I tackled him, and I thought he was up still, so I was holding on to his legs until I heard the whistle. Once I heard the whistle, I let go. I didn't hear him say anything to me. I heard he was mad, from one of my teammates, but he didn't say a word to me."

Assuming WR Mike Evans recovers, are you looking forward to playing him again next time you guys play the 49ers?

"Yeah, most definitely. You know, he's a hell of a player. He's a Tampa Bay legend. And it's great to go against him with the 49ers."

Cardinals OL Paris Johnson Jr.

One of the things head coach Mike LaFleur talked about was the sloppy play in the first half. How difficult or challenging is it to actually get into a rhythm when you have so many penalties that are bringing you guys back?

"I can only control what I can control. The mentality I have right now is that if something happens, good or bad, is to wash off and go to the next play. I'm not just sitting there thinking about the culmination of what's been going on in the first half. I have to block the guy in front of me for the next play. I believe that's the mindset everybody had in the second half as well, whether it was good or bad, special teams, offense, or defense. Guys were fighting with the goal of putting points back on the board."

You were talking about trying to get the running game going. Obviously that starts with you guys up front. RB Jeremiyah Love had over 100 all-scrimmage yards. What steps do you think this unit took to get to that mark?

"I'm proud of Jeremiah. He's a young star. I love the way he plays. I love the way he talks after even a 3-, or 4-yard gain. I love the energy he has. But again, I believe it's on us as a line to be able to allow him to multiply those numbers. I'm proud of what he was able to do on the field today, but I know there's a lot more in the tank. That's on us to give him the range to extend plays the way he does."

Cardinals DL Roy Lopez

Did you feel, coming in, that anything was off from the preparation this past week?

"No, we felt great. We felt great. We always feel great coming into the game and we are confident as ever. We are confident in each other. We are confident in our captains. From the top to the bottom. All the coaches, the scheme, everything. So, back to the drawing board and fix the problems we have."

You guys were right there. Three points. Just what can take you guys over the edge and get you guys where you want to be?

"Yes. I think it's something. That is what it means. You understand and you listen. I think that's the beautiful thing about being in this league is you get another opportunity a week from now. Also being in the group. Being in a room with a group of guys like this that are very humble and very excited to touch the grass again a week from now."

You got some stops and got yourself back in the game. How difficult was it to stop them one last time? They kept on coming at you. They have a lot of weapons. San Francisco QB Brock Purdy made some plays. How difficult was it just to stop them that one last time?

"Yes, they are a great football team. They've been a great football team for a long time. They have great players but today is about us. Today is about us. Tomorrow is about us. Wednesday is about us. Next week's going to be about us and what a beautiful blessing it will be, a week from now, to strap it up."

Cardinals WR Michael Wilson

Kind of being on the sidelines, what was the halftime like? And getting back out there for the second half, what brought this one a little bit closer?

"Yeah, I think the first half was sloppy, particularly by the offense. A lot of unforced errors, just sloppy, sloppy ball, pre-snap penalties. But that's just the test. At halftime, we just came and said they're not doing anything that we can't handle. We're just killing ourselves. That's just a testament to the organization and [General Manager] Monti [Ossenfort] and his team putting the right guys in this building, in this locker room, that are going to fight until it's over."

Did you learn anything about this team, especially in the way that the guys bounced back after last week?

"No, I think that's the expectation. That's the way [Head Coach] Mike [LaFleur] wants his football team. It's the NFL. It's such a privilege to have one of these lockers, if you can't go out there and give 110% for 17 Sundays, every single snap, you don't deserve it. You don't deserve a seat."

One of the things that Offensive Coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said earlier in the week was that this is a roller coaster and we have to ride it. Being on this ride in this game, what are some of the initial postgame takeaways?

"It's frustrating. There are just some plays on that front line. I'm thinking back on some plays that I wish I could have back, and it's just frustrating."

What Kyle Shanahan and others said after 49ers' 36-30 win vs. Cardinals