Santa Clara – Temperatures soared to a record-breaking 101 degrees today, with an excessive heat warning in effect until 11 p.m., according to the National Weather Service’s Bay Area forecast. The San Francisco 49ers are rarely forced to play in such sweltering conditions, unlike the Arizona Cardinals, who are more accustomed to extreme heat — and it showed in today’s matchup.
The Cardinals mounted a 24-23 comeback victory over the 49ers, capitalizing on San Francisco’s costly mistakes and penalties. 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy struggled to get the offense in sync during the game’s opening drives. The first series ended in a punt, and Purdy took much of the first quarter to find his rhythm. Despite several efforts, the 49ers couldn’t reach the red zone on their opening drive. However, with just three minutes remaining in the quarter, Purdy connected on a 53-yard pass to Brandon Aiyuk, setting up Jake Moody for a 28-yard field goal.
“We obviously made too many mistakes, didn’t get the redzone to score enough and the turnovers hurt us,” Kyle Shanahan said. “Both two tips, but we got responsible for the ball.”
Aiyuk recorded a team-high with eight receptions for 147 yards. He later hauled in a 16-yard catch that positioned the 49ers for Purdy’s 5-yard touchdown pass to George Kittle, putting San Francisco ahead 10-7. The Cardinals responded swiftly, with quarterback Kyler Murray hitting Trey McBride for a 22-yard completion, followed by a 50-yard scramble for a touchdown.
San Francisco suffered a major setback late in the second quarter when kicker Jake Moody sustained a high ankle sprain and limped off the field with 4:51 left in the half. Chad Ryland stepped in for a 45-yard field goal attempt, but it was blocked by Jordan Elliott and recovered by Deommodore Lenoir, who returned it 61 yards for a touchdown. Nick Bosa then intercepted a short pass from Murray, leading to a 26-yard field goal by punter Mitch Wishnowsky, sending the 49ers into halftime with a 23-10 lead.
In the second half, Arizona took control, shutting out the 49ers and mounting a furious comeback. Purdy’s pass intended for Kittle was tipped by Roy Lopez and intercepted by Mack Wilson. Murray capitalized, finding Elijah Higgins for a 2-yard touchdown pass, cutting the 49ers’ lead to 23-21. Shortly after, Jordan Mason fumbled, and Wilson, who had an outstanding game, recovered the ball.
“Obviously, I’ve just got to know if I do have a pressure and what my answer can be within that,” said Purdy. “I was locked on B.A. and trying to hit him at the end. I think I can be better in that area. And then the first one try to get the ball to George quicker instead of double patting it. There’s little things like that. It’s a game of inches for a reason. There’s not a lot of margin for error. And I have to watch the film and learn from it.”
Ryland’s 35-yard field goal gave the Cardinals a 24-23 lead. With no timeouts remaining, San Francisco had 1:37 left to march downfield for a potential game-winning field goal — without their starting kicker. The 49ers, visibly drained from the relentless heat, hoped for a last-minute comeback. But Purdy’s pass to Aiyuk was intercepted by Kyzir White, sealing the Cardinals’ victory and leaving the 49ers with their final chance squandered.
“In the NFL, having turnovers and not playing complementary football will cost you,” Bosa said. “It’s not about how good your players are, how explosive an offensive is or how good a defense is. If you’re turning the ball over and you’re not making those plays on defense in crucial moments, you’re going to lose in the NFL. I haven’t lost any confidence in this team. It’s early. It’s a long year. We’ve been through worse and I think we’ll respond well.”
“After having 30 minutes to think about it, I’d say not scoring any points in the second half is really tough as an offense, especially when we expect ourselves to be significantly better than that,” said Kittle. “And then turn the ball over three times to a very, very dangerous quarterback with a really good run game. We had every opportunity to blow that one out and we didn’t do that. So just very disappointed is what I would say.”
Photo by 49ers/Twitter
