The San Francisco quarterback started this weekend after missing six straight games due to a toe injury, and had no trouble leading the 49ers to a resounding 41-22 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. Purdy was 19 of 26 for 200 yards with three touchdowns.
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The 49ers are now 7-4 on the season and have won three of their last five games.
San Francisco wasted no time in taking the lead on Sunday, although Purdy had nothing to do with it. Running back Christian McCaffrey scored a 1-yard touchdown on his first play from scrimmage after Skyy Moore ran the opening kickoff 98 yards.
Purdy took over on the next drive to increase its lead after the 49ers forced a quick punt. He found Jauan Jennings and Demarcus Robinson for deep passes to get into Arizona territory, and then found George Kittle open on the right side for a 30-yard touchdown. Although the extra point attempt was blocked, Purdy put them up by two points on just six offensive plays in the game.
Purdy entered the locker room at halftime throwing 10 of 15 for 123 yards. He also hit McCaffrey for a 9-yard touchdown pass early in the second quarter. Although that was their last touchdown of the half, the 49ers added a pair of field goals to take a 25-10 halftime lead.
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Purdy found Kittle for the second time late in the third quarter on a short route to the corner of the end zone, putting them up by 25 points at the time. It marked the 50th touchdown of Kittle’s career.
Although they allowed a pair of touchdowns in the fourth quarter, the game was already out of reach. McCaffrey also found the end zone for the third time, after opening a 20-yard run to set up an easy touchdown. From there, the 49ers achieved a big victory.
Jacoby Brissett was 47 of 57 for 452 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in the Arizona loss. His 47 completions also set an NFL record. Bam Knight led them on the ground with 24 yards and a score on five carries. Michael Wilson had 185 yards on 15 catches and Trey McBride had 115 yards and a score on 10 catches. The Cardinals are now 3-7 so far this year.
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McCaffrey had 81 yards on 13 carries for the 49ers and another 40 yards on five receptions. Kittle finished with 67 yards on six receptions.
Purdy has been dealing with his toe injury all season. He was first injured during the season-opening victory over the Seattle Seahawks, and missed eight games because of it. He hasn’t played since joining the Jacksonville Jaguars, but has been preparing for his return this past week. While backup Mack Jones has largely kept things in check in Purdy’s absence, head coach Kyle Shanahan said before the game that he will take over the starting role now that he is healthy.
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Clearly, that was the right decision. The 49ers also have several winnable games ahead of them, with the Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns and Tennessee Titans lining up in their next three games. If Purdy can keep this up, the 49ers should be in a great position to close out the regular season despite being in a very tough race in the NFC West.