The 49ers edged the Cardinals 16-15 but struggled with penalties, poor rushing, and weak special teams in their NFC West Week 3 matchup. (Cary Edmondson/Imagn Images/via Reuters)
- Renardo Green’s costly fourth-quarter pass interference set up an Arizona touchdown that nearly erased San Francisco’s late momentum.
- Special teams’ kick coverage gave up multiple long returns, putting the defense in tough spots despite ultimately holding Arizona off.
- Injuries left the offense unbalanced, with the rushing attack stalling and Valdes-Scantling disappearing as a receiving option.
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After starting the season 2-0 on the road, the San Francisco 49ers returned home for a Week 3 NFC West battle with the Arizona Cardinals at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday, and Kyle Shanahan’s team earned a 16-15 win and sole possession of first place in the division.
Without quarterback Brock Purdy, tight end George Kittle, wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left guard Ben Bartch, the 49ers looked far from their best against the Cardinals. However, the defense played well and got lucky a few times while backup quarterback Mac Jones and the offense did just enough to earn the win.
As we comb through this Week 3 win, there were a few 49ers who shouldn’t be thrilled with their performance and will need to put in extra effort on the practice field this week before they play again.
CB Renardo Green
Green missed some time in the third quarter with an injury, but he lands on this list for a huge defensive pass interference penalty in the end zone right after the 49ers scored their first touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter. This gave Arizona the ball at the 1-yard line, and two plays later, quarterback Kyler Murray hit tight end Trey McBride for a touchdown.
Kick Coverage Team
San Francisco hasn’t been great at covering their kickoffs this year, and this trend continued on Sunday. They allowed a 36-yard return on the opening kickoff, a 21-yard return after their first field goal, a 33-yard return after their second field goal and a 25-yard return on the free kick following the safety. The special teams unit is lucky that the defense was able to hold on most of their drives.
Team Discipline
The referees called five penalties (four offensive holdings) on the 49ers for 69 yards. Not only did the penalties cost San Francisco the yardage, but they also gave Arizona two free points in the fourth quarter, as right guard Dominick Puni held Cardinals defensive lineman Calais Campbell in the end zone for a safety.
Rushing Attack
Without Purdy, Kittle and Aiyuk, San Francisco needs to rely on the running game, but it was virtually nonexistent Sunday most of the way. Christian McCaffrey and Brian Robinson Jr. ended up with 74 yards and 3.9 yards per attempt. They can’t survive without a well-balanced offense for a full contest.
WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling
It’s no secret that the 49ers are hurting at wide receiver. Aiyuk is on PUP, recovering from a torn ACL, Demarcus Robinson is suspended, Jacob Cowing is on injured reserve, and Jordan Watkins was inactive due to a calf injury. Outside of Ricky Pearsall (eight receptions for 117 yards) and Kendrick Bourne (four receptions for 38 yards), no other wide receivers did much of anything.
Valdes-Scantling is the team’s third wide receiver, but he was held to one catch for nine yards. They need more if they want to beat better teams.
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This article originally appeared on Niners Wire: 49ers vs. Cardinals: Worst performances from San Francisco’s last-second win vs. Arizona
Reporting by Mike Masala, Niners Wire / Niners Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
