49ers Fall 24-23 to the Cardinals; Five Takeaways from #AZvsSF

5 hours ago

49ers.com

The San Francisco 49ers are 2-3 on the year following a 24-23 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on a historically hot day in the South Bay. With a kickoff temperature of 95 degrees, the 49ers Week 5 matchup sets a new record-high for hottest regular season kickoff temperature at Levi's® Stadium, overtaking the previous record of 88 degrees on October 3, 2021 versus the Seattle Seahawks.

Here are five takeaways from the Cardinals vs. 49ers game:

Franchise Record Reached for QB1

Quarterback Brock Purdy reached a franchise record with his four-yard touchdown pass to tight end George Kittle in the final minutes of the first quarter. Sunday marked Purdy's 30th-career game, and by completing a touchdown pass in Week 5, Purdy became the fastest quarterback to reach 50 touchdowns in franchise history. He closed out the day with 19-of-35 passes completed for 244 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Purdy's favorite target of the day was wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, who caught 12 passes for 147 yards, nearly doubling his season yardage through the previous four games. Among Aiyuk's impressive catches of the day was a 53-yarder immediately following Arizona's 50-yard opening drive touchdown.

Ground Game Check-In

Jordan Mason continues to lead the 49ers ground game early in the season. The former undrafted free agent entered Sunday's contest as the NFL's second leading rusher with 447 yards and racked up 14 carries for 89 yards against the Cardinals. His longest run of the day (34 yards) came midway in the second quarter on the way to a 20-yard field goal to put San Francisco ahead 13-10.

Special Teams Touchdown

The play of the game award goes to the 49ers special teams defending the Cardinals field goal attempt in the second quarter. Defensive tackle Jordan Elliott batted down the kick, and defensive back Deommodore Lenoir picked up the loose ball and returned it for a 61-yard touchdown. The special teams score avoided the Cardinals gaining momentum early - had special teams not made the play, the game would have likely been tied 13-13 headed into the half.

Defensive Line Interception

Defensive lineman Nick Bosa picked off Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray in the final two minutes of the first half. Bosa intercepted a pass intended for Cardinals running back James Conner and returned the ball for 30 yards to set up San Francisco's offense on Arizona's 40 yard line. The interception was the second of Bosa's career and his first since 2019. Purdy and the 49ers offense put together an eight-play, 33-yard field-goal scoring drive on their ensuing possession to extend the lead to 23-10.

Injuries of the Game

Wide receiver Jauan Jennings left the game with what looked like a hand injury but returned to the game on that same drive. Safety Talanoa Hufanga was listed as questionable to return with a wrist injury in the second quarter and did not return to game action. Kicker Jake Moody injured his right ankle on a second quarter kickoff tackle and was downgraded to out in the second half. In his postgame presser, head coach Kyle Shanahan said Moody was dealing with a high ankle injury. Safety Ji'Ayir Brown was questionable with an ankle injury but returned to action by the third quarter.