4 winners (and 3 losers) from 49ers' injury-riddled Week 3 win over Cardinals

It's hard to feel totally good about the San Francisco 49ers' 36-30 Week 3 win over the rebuilding-yet-feisty Arizona Cardinals.

On one hand, a win is a win. Now at 3-0, the Niners are looking at the rest of the NFC West in their rearview mirror. Sure, it's early in the season. But a win in September counts just as much as one in December.

And it's becoming harder and harder to find criticisms of quarterback Brock Purdy—he's playing at an MVP-like level thus far.

Yet the injury bug continues to bite head coach Kyle Shanahan's squad hard. Wide receiver Mike Evans, cornerbacks Deommodore Lenoir and Renardo Green, defensive tackle Gracen Halton and left tackle Trent Williams were among those who suffered injuries of varying degrees.

And it sure would've been nicer if Arizona didn't make a game of it in the second half. Those nail-biting moments aren't healthy, but at least San Francisco showed resiliancy.

The game revealed winners and losers, too. Let's dive into those.

4 winners, 3 losers from 49ers' Week 3 victory over Cardinals

Winner: QB Brock Purdy

It seems 2026 is the year even the harshest critics are shifting their opinions on Purdy.

For good reason. After going 15-of-27 for 297 yards with another four touchdowns, the 49ers hurler now leads the league with nine passing scores, and the most casual of pundits certainly pay attention to that.

They should also pay attention to his passer rating through three weeks, which is miles ahead of some incredible names, too, playing at a high level:

Oh, and he hasn't been sacked yet this season. More on that in a bit.

Purdy seemed to save his best for late in the game as well, particularly after both Evans and Williams exited.

That might've been a previous knock on Purdy: He can't come through in the clutch when adversity is working against him.

It's no longer an argument.

Loser: 49ers WR room

Evans going down with what's been reported as a rib strain (impacting the muscles between the bones) is a miserable development.

The Niners are already without Ricky Pearsall (knee) for the season, while rookie De'Zhaun Stribling is out for approximately 10 weeks because of an ankle injury. Demarcus Robinson, too, is dealing with a high-ankle sprain.

So far, Purdy and the rest of the offense has been able to manage, but Evans' presence made so much of a difference in San Francisco's ability to seemingly score at will in the first half.

That presence will be missed, and it's hard to gauge if newly signed Brandin Cooks will even come close to making a dent in the glaring void.

Winner: WR Deebo Samuel

Earlier in the offseason, the 49ers re-signing Deebo Samuel seemed like a good-gesture move. He'd provide depth and experience behind Evans and Stribling, perhaps shadowing his glorious 2021 campaign, albeit nowhere near that level of impact.

Well, Samuel looked awfully vintage in Week 3. That lateral from Evans for an 80-yard touchdown sure looked pretty, and it'd be hard not to reminsce about Deebo's immaculate 2021 campaign after watching this:

Now, with Evans down for the immediate future, Samuel's importance becomes even more vital for Purdy and Shanahan to maintain any sort of offensive continuity.

Fortunately, with 94 all-purpose yards, it appears as if Deebo should be up to the task.

Loser: 49ers special teams

Granted, the Niners' special teams woes of old seem far more significant than anything experienced this year to date.

But, Week 3 certainly gave fans some nightmares of what used to be.

Kicker Eddy Pineiro's two missed extra points helped ensure the Red Birds had life late in the game. Remember, it was a two-point score late in the fourth quarter. And veteran special teams ace Siran Neal, usually a stout contributor on the third phase, let a punt bounce off his foot and into the Cardinals coverage unit, turning the ball over.

San Francisco stayed resilient, but it can't be overlooked how special teams nearly cost the game.

Winner: WR Jordan Watkins

A month ago, there was reason to believe second-year wide receiver Jordan Watkins wouldn't make the 53-man roster, thanks to an inconsistent preseason and an inability to be much of a difference maker on special teams—vital for a fringe player at the back end of the depth chart.

In light of the receiver injuries, Watkins finally got his chance after being inactive in Week 2, catching two passes for 60 yards.

"He's another guy who when his number's called, he just shows up," running back Christian McCaffrey said of Watkins postgame. "He'll be a guy that'll continue to get better, continue to help us. He's got great speed, great hands, runs great routes."

If Watkins can continue the momentum, perhaps the Evans injury won't sting quite as hard.

Loser: Rest of the NFC West

Don't look now, but the 49ers are surprisingly sitting alone atop the NFC West.

OK, look:

1. San Francisco 49ers: 3-0
2. Seattle Seahawks: 2-1
3. Los Angeles Rams: 1-2
4. Arizona Cardinals: 1-2

The two teams nearly every expert thought would be battling out for the division crown lost in Week 3, Seattle in a surprise upset loss to the Washington Commanders, then L.A. dropping a thriller to the Denver Broncos on Sunday Night Football.

Making things even better for the Niners, they now have two in-division victories after upending Arizona.

Those wins will matter a lot, come Weeks 17 and 18.

Winner: 49ers offensive line

Williams' stinger is a situation to monitor, especially considering he didn't return to action after exiting in the second half. But, thankfully, swing tackle Vederian Lowe wasn't noticed in relief, and that's about as good a thing someone can say about a backup.

True, San Francisco's rushing attack isn't quite as prolific behind this offensive line as fans saw in previous years, and one shouldn't exactly consider the Cardinals pass rush a vaunted unit.

Still, the fact Purdy hasn't been sacked yet this season, despite concerns at left guard, center and right tackle, says a lot about how underrated the whole O-line is to this point.

Indeed, the real tests will begin in Weeks 4 and 5 when the 49ers square off against the Broncos and Seahawks, respectively.

For now, though, all is good on the offensive side of the trenches.

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