San Francisco builds enough cushion
The San Francisco 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 36-30 at Levi’s Stadium in Week 3, riding four Brock Purdy touchdown passes to a 3-0 start. Arizona fell to 1-2 with its second consecutive loss. San Francisco established its advantage before halftime. The 49ers scored the only seven points of the first quarter and led 17-6 at the break. They carried a 23-13 lead into the fourth quarter, leaving Arizona with a substantial deficit to erase. The Cardinals scored 17 points in the final period, but San Francisco added 13 of its own to finish six points clear.
Purdy and Kittle lead the offense
Purdy completed 15 of 27 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns, adding 34 rushing yards on two carries. His production gave San Francisco its third straight game with at least 27 points, following wins over the Rams and Dolphins. George Kittle caught six of seven targets for 82 yards and two touchdowns. Deebo Samuel Sr. added 80 receiving yards and a touchdown, plus 14 yards on two carries. Mike Evans caught three passes for 34 yards and a score. Christian McCaffrey supplied production on the ground and through the air, rushing 15 times for 75 yards and a touchdown while catching four passes for 41 yards.
Arizona leans on Brissett and Wilson
Jacoby Brissett completed 38 of 52 passes for 280 yards and two touchdowns. He also scored a rushing touchdown, finishing with four yards on four carries. Michael Wilson drew 17 targets and turned them into 11 catches, 89 yards and a touchdown. Trey McBride added nine receptions for 75 yards on 11 targets. Jeremiyah Love handled 21 carries for 90 yards and caught all five of his targets for 19 yards and a touchdown. Arizona’s 30 points marked a sharp increase from its 31-7 loss to Seattle in Week 2, but the Cardinals still left with another defeat.
Fantasy production follows the touchdowns
Purdy led the game’s fantasy scorers with 31.3 PPR points. Kittle’s two touchdowns helped him reach 26.2, narrowly ahead of Wilson’s 25.9 and Brissett’s 25.6. Love delivered 21.9 PPR points through his rushing workload and receiving contribution. McCaffrey finished with 21.6. Wilson’s 17 targets and McBride’s 11 provided substantial receiving volume, with McBride totaling 16.5 PPR points.
Week 4 schedule
Arizona visits the New York Giants on Oct. 4 at 1 p.m. ET. San Francisco hosts the Denver Broncos that afternoon at 4:25 p.m. ET.