The San Francisco 49ers' tough 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals contained about an equal amount of good news and bad news.
At the end of it all, the Niners are 3-0, and two of those wins are divisional. That's definitely good news, especially in light of the Seattle Seahawks' capitulation to the Washington Commanders.
Quarterback Brock Purdy threw for almost 300 yards and four touchdowns. He was good again. Good news. Christian McCaffrey ran well for 5 yards a carry plus a touchdown. Deebo Samuel scored an incredible touchdown. George Kittle was George Kittle.
All good news.
Where on earth to begin with the rest?
49ers injuries cast long shadow over Week 3 win vs. Cardinals
It looked for all the world like the 49ers had the game in hand pretty early. They opened the scoring on a wonderful 80-yard hook-and-ladder pass between wide receivers Mike Evans and Deebo Samuel, and a further superb throw from Purdy to the veteran Evans carved out an early 14-0 lead.
Then, something happened. An avalanche of injuries.
First to leave the game was Deommodore Lenoir, who was evaluated for a concussion after taking a massive shot from his own man, linebacker Fred Warner. More damaging, however, was the next injury: Mike Evans, who left the game in great pain with what has since been called a rib strain, never to return.
Amid that uncertainty, San Francisco took a 17-6 lead into halftime, with the Niners benefiting from some excellent bend-but-don't-break defensive work and a booming 57-yard field goal from the leg of Eddy Pineiro. Jordan Watkins also showed up for two catches, gaining 60 yards in the process.
The injuries weren't nice, but it all still looked comfortable.
Then came the second half. Lenoir returned to the game, but Evans didn't. He's expected to be evaluated Monday for the severity of the injury. That didn't seem to affect the 49ers offense, which opened the second half with a bludgeoning 56-yard drive that ended in a Christian McCaffrey touchdown. It should have been comfortable at this point, even when Pineiro missed the extra point.
Unfortunately, the injuries continued, and the tide seemed to take San Francisco down with it. Trent Williams, Dre Greenlaw, Renardo Green, and Gracen Halton all left the game, with the two veterans not returning. That seemed to wobble the 49ers as a whole. First, Jacoby Brissett led a 69-yard drive to pull Arizona closer, then cornerback Siran Neal's blunder in touching a live punt gave the Cardinals a short field, after which a second touchdown closed the gap to 23-20.
All the momentum seemed to be with the Cardinals, and thoughts of the many 2024 season collapses couldn't have been far away.
Purdy and co tried to calm the nerves with a quick eight-play touchdown drive to George Kittle, but another missed extra point from the usually reliable Pineiro left the points gap at nine, which was swiftly cut to two following a 1-yard plunge from Brissett after a controversial pass-interference call.
Fortunately, for all their problems, the 49ers still have an MVP-level quarterback.
With the team staring down the barrel of a 2nd-and-long, even after a bulldozing run from McCaffrey earlier, Purdy promptly decided to call game himself, taking off on what would've been a game-sealing 45-yard touchdown run, only to see it pulled back to the Arizona 20 for a ticky-tack holding call on George Kittle.
Thankfully, it didn't matter. Purdy threw a superb play-action strike to Kittle later in the drive from the same spot, and the game was finally (despite a late Arizona rally and attempted onside kick) sealed.
The 49ers will (and should) be happy with the win, but it ended up being a far messier performance than intended, with penalties causing issues and Raheem Morris' defense crumbling into dust under adversity.
49ers injury list from Week 3 is too long for comfort
Of more concern will be the injury list, which, by the end of the game, numbered:
- WR Mike Evans (rib) - Did not return. Ian Rapoport reported that Evans has a rib strain and will be evaluated Monday.
- LT Trent Williams (stinger) - Did not return. Despite missing the remainder of the game, Williams was on the sideline at the end of the game and his injury is not thought to be serious.
- LB Dre Greenlaw (quad) - Greenlaw originally went down holding his lower leg, and briefly returned to the game before leaving again later with what was reported as a quad injury.
- DT Gracen Halton (cramps) - The TV broadcast reported Gracen Halton had cramps, but despite getting an IV on the sideline, he didn't return to the game late.
- CBs Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green were both evaluated for concussions and returned to the game.
How should we feel? That's a good question, and I'm not sure I have the answer. The 49ers won. That's good. What comes next will be down to who they manage to get back on the field.
Their defensive line badly needs some help, and the wide receiver spot is looking like it might head the same way. That said, none of the injuries appear to be season enders, so hopefully these are just bumps in the road. After a difficult win to go 3-0, it feels like this team is capable of anything.
Except staying healthy.
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