49ers 36, Cardinals 30: Kittle Twice, Hook-and-Ladder Once

September 27, 2026 - Santa Clara - Brock Purdy dumped it to Mike Evans. Evans flipped it. Deebo Samuel Sr. ran 80 yards down the sideline with Luke Farrell blocking. Zero receptions on Samuel's line. Eighty receiving yards. A touchdown. The 49ers called it a hook-and-ladder. The Faithful called it 7-0.

The San Francisco 49ers beat the Arizona Cardinals 36-30 and went 3-0. It was Kittle bobblehead day. George Kittle caught both of the throws that actually closed it.

Purdy finished 15 of 27 for 297 yards and four scores. He was not sacked for a third straight game. Eddy Pineiro hit a 57-yarder as the half expired and went 3-for-5 on extra points.

17-6 at the half, then Arizona climbed

Jordan Watkins, filling in, caught 26 yards on his first regular-season grab, then 34 just before the break. Pineiro drilled 57. 17-6. Arizona had two Chad Ryland field goals and nothing else in the first half.

The Cardinals found the end zone in the third. Jacoby Brissett went 38 of 52 for 280 yards, two passing scores, a rushing touchdown, and no picks. Jeremiyah Love ran 21 times for 90 and caught five for 19 and a score. Trey McBride had nine for 75. Michael Wilson caught 11 for 89 and a touchdown on 17 targets. Marvin Harrison Jr. had three for 40.

Arizona cut it to 23-20 early in the fourth. Purdy found Kittle from 10. The Cardinals answered again. With 2:51 left it was 29-27. Christian McCaffrey gained 23. Kittle caught 20 for the score with about a minute left. 36-27 after the extra point. Ryland made one more with 39 seconds on the clock. Samuel fell on the onside kick.

McCaffrey ran 15 times for 75 and a touchdown and caught four for 41. Evans had three for 34 and a score besides the lateral. Kittle finished six for 82 and the two fourth-quarter touchdowns. Brissett ran four times for 4 yards and his rushing score. Tyler Allgeier had four catches for 10 after Love took the early-down work.

Eighty-one snaps, two sacks, Warner's pile

Arizona ran 81 offensive plays. Fred Warner had 17 combined tackles and a tackle for loss, per the 49ers. Renardo Green had 13. Ogbo Okoronkwo and Keion White each sacked Brissett. The defense did not get a takeaway. It got just enough stops after the 17-point lead turned into a street fight.

Kyle Shanahan praised Watkins after the seam route. Several defensive linemen were in because of injuries. A Week 3 roundup said Evans and Trent Williams left early. The 49ers still did not allow a sack. Purdy entered the week as the only qualified quarterback who had not been taken down.

The fourth quarter ate the 17-point cushion and still ended in a win. That is 3-0 with a thin roster. San Francisco hosts Denver next to close a three-game homestand. Arizona visits the Giants.

AthX Engine on a four-score Purdy card

AthX Engine NFL scoring already has the Week 3 lines in. Purdy's 297 yards and four touchdowns land at 56.26, the top total in this game. Warner is 50.00. Kittle is 41.50. Brissett is 41.40. McCaffrey is 37.00. Love is 35.75. White is 34.00. San Francisco's team line is 80.50.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a 3-0 quarterback who has not been sacked and for a tight end who scored twice on his own bobblehead day. They move together. They are not the same number.

Track Purdy, Kittle, McCaffrey, McBride, and both clubs on the marketplace. Denver visits Santa Clara on Oct. 4. Arizona visits New York that afternoon.

*Sources: 49ers.com, ESPN Week 3 scoreboard, ESPN Week 3 takeaways. AthX Engine Week 3 lines scored from nflverse weekly stats (CC-BY 4.0). Information only; not financial advice.*