The Cardinals had some success offensively against the 49ers on Sunday, but Christian McCaffrey and Brock Purdy proved to be too much for their defense.
McCaffrey scored four touchdowns and Purdy capped a late 14-play drive with a one-yard scoring run that put things out of reach. The 35-16 win moves the 49ers to 4-0 on the season and 9-0 in games started by Purdy in the regular season.
The Cardinals were down 21-3, but scored two straight touchdowns to get back into the game in the third quarter. The second one came at the end of a 99-yard drive that showed quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ growing comfort running the offense in Arizona, but the 49ers answered with McCaffrey’s fourth score early in the fourth quarter. The ensuing Cardinals drive stalled near midfield and Arizona punted the ball away with over nine minutes to play.
The 49ers would run 14 plays and eat more than seven minutes of time off the clock before Purdy’s plunge into the end zone. The touchdown was their fifth on six offensive possessions that included more than kneeldown plays. The inability of Arizona’s defense to get off the field proved to be a big part of the difference on Sunday.
McCaffrey ran 20 times for 106 yards and caught seven passes for 71 yards in the latest dominant performance for a player who led the league in rushing coming into this week. He now has 20 touchdowns in 17 games with the 49ers and he’s scored in his last 13 games.
Purdy was 20-of-21 for 283 yards and he’s now thrown 32 incompletions through the first four weeks of the season. Brandon Aiyuk led the receivers with six catches for 148 yards in his return from a shoulder injury.
Dobbs was 28-of-41 for 265 yards and two touchdowns to wide receiver Michael Wilson. It took the Cardinals some time to get going offensively, though, and that joined with the defense’s struggles as reasons why the 49ers pulled away for the win.
Arizona is now 1-3 and they’ll host the 1-3 Bengals next Sunday. The 49ers will be at home against the Cowboys in a marquee matchup on Sunday Night Football.