Niners Nation
Welcome back, Brock Purdy! For the first time in 2025, the 49ers topped 40 points in a blowout victory over Arizona. The game opened with a huge special teams play from Skyy Moore, and in the blink of an eye, the 49ers had a 7-0 lead after one play on offense. The 49ers never looked back after that. Sunday’s game was filled with rarities; the Cardinals tied a franchise record with 17 penalties, and Jacoby Brissett set the NFL record for completions in a single game. Speaking of rarities, the 49ers caused three turnovers, including two interceptions. Add it all up, and it was a comfortable victory for the 49ers, who now sit seventh in the NFC for a playoff spot following Detroit’s loss Sunday night.
Let’s look at the snap counts and grades, according to Pro Football Focus.
Offense
Quarterback
Brock Purdy 50 (61.9)
Mac Jones 5 (61.5)
Purdy returned to the lineup after an extended absence and looked comfortable from the get-go. Sure, the 49ers defense and special teams handed the 49ers offense short fields to work with, but any expected rust was shaken off on Purdy’s first touchdown throw to George Kittle. Purdy checked out of a run call pre-snap into a shotgun look and dropped a great throw into Kittle’s arms for the second touchdown of the game.
With 200 passing yards, Purdy added three touchdowns, a 7.7 YPC average, and a passer rating of 133.5. PFF dinged Purdy for two TWP on Sunday. One was a near interception on a pass intended for Ricky Pearsall over the middle, where the safety baited the throw by faking down on Kittle before falling back, and the second was a throw outside of the pocket to Demarcus Robinson that should have been thrown away.
All in all, you can’t ask for more from the franchise QB after missing many games. The offense will need to roll the rest of the way for the 49ers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Sunday was an encouraging first step.
Running Back
Christian McCaffrey 39 (86.8)
Kyle Juszczyk 29 (66.3)
Brian Robinson 16 (53.6)
Three more touchdowns for Christian McCaffrey on Sunday. Two rushing and one through the air. Even more encouraging was the 6.2 YPA on 13 attempts. The first 20-yard run of the season belongs to McCaffrey, also. The Cardinals’ defense was extremely banged up, and Sunday was the perfect opportunity for the 49ers to get their running game going. McCaffrey gained 52 yards after contact, forced three missed tackles, and had three ten-plus yard runs.
Wide Receiver
Ricky Pearsall 41 (51.1)
Jauan Jennings 41 (68.8)
Demarcus Robinson 27 (62.3)
Kendrick Bourne 13 (55.5)
Ricky Pearsall returned to the lineup, and his impact went beyond the box score. Sure, he caught one pass for zero yards, but the attention paid to the natural separator allowed the passing game to open up for others. Jauan Jennings led all receivers with six targets and four catches for 54 yards in his return...
