Somehow, the 49ers are 3-0 to start the season.
The San Francisco 49ers thrive on mayhem. At least that’s how it felt for the third consecutive week on Sunday as they came from behind in a 16-15 victory over the Arizona Cardinals to improve to 3-0 on the season.
It was a back-and-forth battle throughout, and the 49ers were in a precarious spot down 15-13 after a holding penalty forced a safety and gave Arizona the ball with 3:15 remaining in the game.
But, after an impressive defensive stop, backup quarterback Mac Jones led the 49ers down the field and Eddy Piniero hit the game-winning 35-yard field goal to get San Francisco a huge divisional victory in their home opener.
Here are three quick takeaways from San Francisco’s 16-15 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.
Let Mac Cook
Ahead of the game, one of my keys to the game was to Let Mac Cook. Arizona came into the game with one of the best run defenses in the NFL (and a strong overall defense), so the way to open up the run game was via the passing game.
San Francisco was going to go through its struggles offensively, which we saw in the first half, against a tough defense. But, there were several situations where head coach Kyle Shanahan put his faith in the backup quarterback.
After two three-and-outs to open the game, Jones completed four straight passes on San Francisco’s third drive as the 49ers leaned on the passing game to get into Arizona territory. A Christian McCaffrey five-yard loss on 1st & 10 at the Arizona 19-yard line derailed the drive, but the 49ers were able to get a field goal on the drive.
On the following drive, looking to execute a two-minute drill, Jones bounced back from two incompletions to hit Ricky Pearsall for a 20-yard gain on 3rd & 10. Jones proceeded to complete four of his next five passes on the drive, but a Jake Brendel holding penalty put them behind the sticks and led to a field goal to end the half.
Similarly, after a three-and-out to start the second half, Shanahan put the ball in Jones’s hands, throwing on early downs to start the drive. San Francisco threw on three first downs on the drive, and Jones went 5/5 for 50 yards, leading the 49ers to the 1-yard line. Unfortunately, they were stuffed at the 1-yard line and turned it over on downs with an incompletion on fourth down.
To open the fourth quarter, the 49ers had a 4th & 2 at the Arizona 40-yard line after starting the drive with good field position. Going for it, Shanahan just dialed a go-ball for Ricky Pearsall. No tricks, no special routes. Just a 1-on-1 opportunity for Pearsall and Jones hit him for 34 yards, which set up a one-yard touchdown pass to Kyle Juszczyk two plays later.
Jones also suffered a lower-body injury, limping after taking a hit on the drive. And he went through some downs, including an ugly interception on the ensuing drive while trying to hit a well-covered Ricky Pearsall in zone coverage.
But, on the final drive, with the 49ers needing a score, an injured Jones executed in the clutch for the second straight week. After an incompletion, the quarterback had four straight completions to get to the Arizona 36-yard line. He combatted the blitz well, getting the ball out quickly while Arizona played off-coverage.
Then, with Arizona backing off on the blitz, Shanahan dialed up a great play, calling for a Christian McCaffrey screen, which went for 20 yards and led to the game-winning field goal.
Jones has his limitations. But, he has been everything the 49ers hoped for when they lost Brock Purdy for the last two weeks. The gameplan called for another Jones game, and he delivered with a game-winning drive.
Defense shows up in the clutch again
For the third consecutive week, San Francisco’s defense shone and showed up in the clutch again.
San Francisco didn’t allow a point in the first quarter for the third straight week and was dealt with some adversity early, being on the field for approximately 19 of the game’s first 22 minutes.
Arizona had a 10-play, 11-play, and 12-play drive to start the game. Those three possessions led to just three points, as the 49ers forced a missed 57-yard field goal, a punt, and a field goal in the red zone.
The Cardinals drove deep into San Francisco territory again on their first drive in the second half. And yet again, the 49ers defense was bend-don’t-break, holding Arizona to another field goal in the red zone.
There were some gaffes on Arizona’s lone touchdown drive of the game, as a coverage mishap led to a wide-open Marvin Harrison Jr. catch, and a questionable pass interference penalty gave the Cardinals the ball at the one-yard line. San Francisco also benefited from some big drops.
But, the defense had to show up with the game on the line on its final two drives. Arizona got great field position at its own 39-yard line with five minutes left after picking off Mac Jones. And yet, the 49ers forced a quick three-and-out.
Then, after Skyy Moore confusingly fielded a fair catch at the 49ers’ five-yard line and a holding penalty led to a safety, San Francisco’s defense needed a major stop down two with 3:15 left. And boy, did they show up.
Arizona got a first down after two rushes: a scramble from Kyler Murray for nine yards and a Trey Benson run up the gut for five. That set up the Cardinals at their own 49-yard line with just 2:18 left.
Then, on first down, the Cardinals tried to hit the edge, but Deommodore Lenoir set the edge well, and Marques Sigle flew in for a huge open-field tackle for only a one-yard gain. They stopped Trey Benson on second down for no gain, leading to a huge 3rd & 9. Dropping back, Kyler Murray looked to hit Zay Jones in the intermediate portion of the field, working 1-on-1 against rookie Upton Stout. Jones corralled the ball in, but Stout was physical and forced the major incompletion that led to San Francisco’s game-winning drive.
Robert Saleh’s unit was without Nick Bosa for the second half of the game and even briefly lost Mykel Williams. But, they managed to get over some early tackling issues and put together another masterclass, holding the Cardinals to 3.8 yards per carry and Kyler Murray to only 4.5 yards per pass attempt.
Boost in the division
The San Francisco 49ers could very well be 0-3 to start the season. But, they’ve pulled off close wins over the Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, and Arizona Cardinals to start 3-0.
This team isn’t like the elite 49ers teams that constantly put up 30 points and regularly blew out opponents from the past few years. But, they really struggled in close games in 2024, and are now one of six teams to remain undefeated through the first three weeks.
More importantly, San Francisco is 2-0 in the division after going 1-5 in 2024. That will certainly prove handy as the season goes along. They’ve also found ways to win while being significantly banged up. That might just be the norm in 2025, but the 49ers are still getting by, which is all that matters in the NFL.
The 49ers have some tough matchups coming up in future weeks against the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but they’ve given themselves some leeway in their search for a playoff berth by beating a team they needed to beat and winning key division games.
Category: General Sports
