The San Francisco 49ers outlasted the Arizona Cardinals 36-30 on September 27, 2026 at Levi’s Stadium, improving to 3-0 in a high-scoring game that produced 66 combined points.
Quarter-by-Quarter
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ARI | 0 | 6 | 7 | 17 | 30 |
| SF | 7 | 10 | 6 | 13 | 36 |
San Francisco came out throwing haymakers, but Arizona made the 49ers fight all the way to the finish. Brock Purdy threw for 297 yards and four touchdowns without an interception, opening the afternoon with one of the strangest scores you’ll see all season: a short completion to Mike Evans that turned into an 80-yard Deebo Samuel touchdown after Evans flipped him the ball on a hook-and-ladder. Samuel was officially credited with 80 receiving yards and a touchdown without recording a catch — the most receiving yards on a play without a reception since at least 2000. Evans added a 23-yard touchdown of his own before later being carted off following a hard second-quarter hit. Christian McCaffrey added 75 rushing yards and a score as San Francisco built a 23-6 lead.
Then Arizona turned it into a game. Jacoby Brissett threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover, Michael Wilson caught 11 passes for 89 yards and a score, and the Cardinals stormed all the way back to 29-27 with 2:51 remaining. That was when Purdy and George Kittle ended the comeback talk. Kittle, who finished with six catches for 82 yards and two touchdowns, hauled in a 20-yard score with 1:31 left to restore a two-possession cushion. Arizona finished with 81 offensive plays and nearly 39 minutes of possession, but San Francisco needed only 50 plays to pile up 437 yards at a ridiculous 8.7 yards per snap. The Cardinals kept swinging; the 49ers just kept landing the bigger punches.
Postgame Statistical Breakdown
Team Stats
| Stat | Arizona Cardinals | San Francisco 49ers |
|---|---|---|
| Final Score | 30 | 36 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 365 | 437 |
| Passing Yards | 272 | 297 |
| Rushing Yards | 93 | 140 |
| Total Plays | 81 | 50 |
| Yards Per Play | 4.5 | 8.7 |
| First Downs | 27 | 23 |
| Third Downs | 9-18 | 5-8 |
| Third-Down % | 50.0% | 62.5% |
| Fourth Downs | 2-2 | 0-0 |
| Passing TDs | 2 | 4 |
| Rushing TDs | 1 | 1 |
| Total Offensive TDs | 3 | 5 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Interceptions Thrown | 0 | 0 |
| Fumbles Lost | 0 | 1 |
| Sacks Allowed | 2 | 0 |
| Penalties | 10 | 7 |
| Penalty Yards | 86 | 69 |
| Time of Possession | 38:44 | 21:16 |
Passing
Arizona Cardinals
- Jacoby Brissett — 38/52, 73.1%, 280 YDS, 2 TD, 0 INT, 5.4 YPA, 2 SACK, 98.2 RTG
San Francisco 49ers
- Brock Purdy — 15/27, 55.6%, 297 YDS, 4 TD, 0 INT, 11.0 YPA, 0 SACK, 133.8 RTG
Rushing
Arizona Cardinals
- Jeremiyah Love — 21 CAR, 90 YDS, 4.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 8
- Jacoby Brissett — 4 CAR, 4 YDS, 1.0 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 2
San Francisco 49ers
- Christian McCaffrey — 15 CAR, 75 YDS, 5.0 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 14
- Brock Purdy — 2 CAR, 34 YDS, 17.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 35
Receiving
Arizona Cardinals
- Michael Wilson — 11 REC, 17 TGT, 89 YDS, 8.1 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 18
- Trey McBride — 9 REC, 11 TGT, 75 YDS, 8.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 18
- Marvin Harrison Jr. — 3 REC, 5 TGT, 40 YDS, 13.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 19
- Kendrick Bourne — 2 REC, 3 TGT, 22 YDS, 11.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 14
- Elijah Higgins — 3 REC, 3 TGT, 20 YDS, 6.7 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 9
San Francisco 49ers
- George Kittle — 6 REC, 7 TGT, 82 YDS, 13.7 AVG, 2 TD, LONG 20
- Deebo Samuel Sr. — 0 REC, 0 TGT, 80 YDS, 0.0 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 80
- Jordan Watkins — 2 REC, 2 TGT, 60 YDS, 30.0 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 34
- Christian McCaffrey — 4 REC, 5 TGT, 41 YDS, 10.3 AVG, 0 TD, LONG 13
- Mike Evans — 3 REC, 6 TGT, 34 YDS, 11.3 AVG, 1 TD, LONG 23
Scoring Plays
| Qtr | Clock | Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | 8:26 | San Francisco 49ers | Brock Purdy complete pass to Mike Evans for 2 yards, lateral to Deebo Samuel for 80 yards (Eddy Pineiro kick) | ARI 0, SF 7 |
| Q2 | 14:55 | San Francisco 49ers | Mike Evans 23-yard pass from Brock Purdy (Eddy Pineiro kick) | ARI 0, SF 14 |
| Q2 | 3:03 | Arizona Cardinals | Chad Ryland 26-yard field goal | ARI 3, SF 14 |
| Q2 | 0:23 | Arizona Cardinals | Chad Ryland 41-yard field goal | ARI 6, SF 14 |
| Q2 | 0:00 | San Francisco 49ers | Eddy Pineiro 57-yard field goal | ARI 6, SF 17 |
| Q3 | 11:07 | San Francisco 49ers | Christian McCaffrey 1-yard run (Eddy Pineiro PAT Failed) | ARI 6, SF 23 |
| Q3 | 3:02 | Arizona Cardinals | Michael Wilson 5-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Chad Ryland kick) | ARI 13, SF 23 |
| Q4 | 13:06 | Arizona Cardinals | Jeremiyah Love 1-yard pass from Jacoby Brissett (Chad Ryland kick) | ARI 20, SF 23 |
| Q4 | 8:42 | San Francisco 49ers | George Kittle 10-yard pass from Brock Purdy (Eddy Pineiro PAT Failed) | ARI 20, SF 29 |
| Q4 | 2:51 | Arizona Cardinals | Jacoby Brissett 1-yard run (Chad Ryland kick) | ARI 27, SF 29 |
| Q4 | 1:31 | San Francisco 49ers | George Kittle 20-yard pass from Brock Purdy (Eddy Pineiro kick) | ARI 27, SF 36 |
| Q4 | 0:34 | Arizona Cardinals | Chad Ryland 49-yard field goal | ARI 30, SF 36 |
Defense
Arizona Cardinals
- Jack Gibbens — 8 TOT, 4 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
- Andrew Wingard — 10 TOT, 1 SOLO
- Zaven Collins — 3 TOT, 3 SOLO, 2 PD
- Baron Browning — 2 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
- Max Melton — 4 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 PD
- Denzel Burke — 2 TOT, 2 SOLO, 2 PD
- Mack Wilson Sr. — 6 TOT, 2 SOLO
- Simi Fehoko — 1 FR
- Budda Baker — 4 TOT, 1 SOLO
- Eku Leota — 3 TOT
San Francisco 49ers
- Fred Warner — 17 TOT, 8 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 QBH
- Renardo Green — 13 TOT, 7 SOLO, 1 PD
- Keion White — 3 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 SACK, 1 QBH
- Ogbo Okoronkwo — 1 TOT, 1 SOLO, 1 SACK, 2 QBH
- Dre Greenlaw — 8 TOT, 3 SOLO
- Ji’Ayir Brown — 6 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 PD
- Gracen Halton — 3 TOT, 2 SOLO, 1 TFL, 1 PD
- Deommodore Lenoir — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO, 1 PD
- Jack Jones — 5 TOT, 3 SOLO
- Garret Wallow — 4 TOT, 3 SOLO
Kick Returns
Arizona Cardinals
- Jalen Brooks — 5 KR, 128 YDS, 25.6 AVG, LONG 28, 0 TD
San Francisco 49ers
- Deebo Samuel Sr. — 4 KR, 79 YDS, 19.8 AVG, LONG 28, 0 TD
Punt Returns
Arizona Cardinals
- Devin Duvernay — 2 PR, 20 YDS, 10.0 AVG, LONG 10, 0 TD
San Francisco 49ers
- Jacob Cowing — 1 PR, 7 YDS, 7.0 AVG, LONG 7, 0 TD
