Brock Purdy’s return went perfectly on Sunday afternoon. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback made his first start in six weeks after missing six straight games due to a toe injury, and he had no issue leading the team to a commanding 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
Purdy completed 19-of-26 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. With the victory, the 49ers improved to 7-4 on the season and have now won three of their last five games.
San Francisco wasted no time taking the lead, although Purdy wasn’t involved in the opening score. Running back Christian McCaffrey punched in a 1-yard touchdown on the team’s very first play from scrimmage, following a stunning 98-yard kickoff return by Skyy Moore to the Cardinals.
Purdy took over on the next drive and quickly extended the lead after the 49ers forced a quick punt. He connected with Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinson on deep passes that moved the offense into Arizona territory. Then, Purdy found an open George Kittle down the right side for a 30-yard touchdown reception. Although the extra point attempt was blocked, this touchdown put San Francisco up by two scores just six offensive plays into the game.
By halftime, Purdy had completed 10-of-15 passes for 123 yards. Early in the second quarter, he also hit McCaffrey for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Although that was the team’s last touchdown of the half, the 49ers added two field goals to carry a 25-10 lead into the break.
Late in the third quarter, Purdy found Kittle again, this time on a short out route to the corner of the end zone, putting San Francisco up by 25 points. This catch marked the 50th touchdown of Kittle’s career.
The Cardinals scored twice in the fourth quarter, but the game was already well out of reach. McCaffrey found the end zone for a third time after breaking free on a 20-yard run that set up an easy touchdown. From there, the 49ers cruised to a blowout win.
On the Arizona side, quarterback Jacoby Brissett completed an NFL-record 47 passes out of 57 attempts for 452 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the losing effort. Bam Knight led the Cardinals’ ground game with 24 yards and a score on five carries. Michael Wilson had a standout performance with 185 yards on 15 receptions, while Trey McBride recorded 115 yards and a touchdown on 10 catches. Arizona now sits at 3-7 on the year.
For San Francisco, McCaffrey totaled 81 yards on 13 carries and added another 40 yards on five receptions. Kittle finished with 67 yards on six catches.
Purdy has been dealing with his toe injury all season. He initially suffered it during the season-opening win over the Seattle Seahawks and has missed eight games because of it. He hadn’t played since aggravating the injury in a Week 4 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars but has been ramping up to his return over the past week.
While backup Mack Jones has filled in admirably during Purdy’s absence, head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the game it was “not a hard decision” to reinstate Purdy as the starter now that he’s healthy. Clearly, that was the right call.
Looking ahead, the 49ers have several winnable games on their schedule, facing the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Tennessee Titans in their next three contests. If Purdy can maintain this level of play, San Francisco should be well-positioned to close out the regular season strong despite the fierce competition in the NFC West.
https://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/breaking-news/article/brock-purdy-dominates-in-return-from-toe-injury-leads-49ers-to-blowout-win-over-cardinals-as-jacoby-brissett-breaks-completions-record-001342422.html