The San Francisco 49ers got an important victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. The contest probably shouldn’t have been as close as it was, but the Niners were banged up as usual, and the Cardinals are not as bad as they may seem on paper, so it ended up getting pretty tight.
San Francisco won in large part because quarterback Brock Purdy played great and didn’t turn the ball over. Just one turnover could have been the difference in that game, but Purdy was superb, completing 15 of his 27 passes for 297 yards with four touchdown passes and two runs for 34 yards.
The box score doesn’t even include his two most impressive plays, neither of which actually counted.
Happy Victory Monday, ESPECIALLY to Brock Purdy, who had two of the most incredible plays in a game that didn’t count! pic.twitter.com/8hYG7ux0Um
— OurSF49ers (@OurSf49ers) September 28, 2026
Too bad Brock Purdy's 2 best plays vs. Cardinals didn't count
The first one came early in the contest. Purdy was forced out of his pocket and scrambled toward the sideline. It was one of those plays where many fans are probably saying, “Throw it away, Brock!”
Yet, in true Purdy gunslinger fashion, he attempted an insane jump pass where his body was out of bounds when he released the ball, and yet he was still able to get it to tight end Luke Farrell who made a sliding catch.
The refs ruled Farrell out of bounds when he caught it, but if head coach Kyle Shanahan had thrown the challenge flag, there’s a chance it could have been overturned. Shanahan may not have wanted to reward such a risky decision from Purdy, though.
Later in the game when San Francisco was trying to put it on ice, Purdy broke out of the pocket and had a Steve Young-like run for a touchdown. It would have been roughly a 50-yard run, had it counted, but the refs called a ticky-tack hold penalty on George Kittle who was blocking for Purdy downfield.
Ironically, Purdy found Kittle for a touchdown pass shortly after, which pretty much ended the game for good.
Both plays were amazing even if neither one actually counted for anything. Had Patrick Mahomes made either of those plays, all the Monday morning sports shows probably would have led with it.
Still, it just shows that Purdy’s far from the “system quarterback” label so many have used to try to diminish his accomplishments. He can make plays with his legs and make wild throws just like anyone else.
Sure, sometimes it gets him into trouble, but when it works or it at least doesn’t result in a turnover, it’s quite fun to watch.
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