The 49ers’ offense was more healthy for a full game than at any point since the 2023 NFL season.
And they turned to their stars during their 41-22 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.
The 49ers featured a lot of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle to lead the way over the beleaguered Cardinals.
Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defense was a mixed bag. They came up with three takeaways, but were on the wrong end of an NFL record-setting performance.
The 49ers improved to 7-4 on the season, while the Cardinals fall further behind in the NFC West with a 3-7 record.
Here is the report card from the 49ers’ Week 11 game against the Cardinals:
Rushing offense
The 49ers showed good balance on offense, as running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.
It did not take the 49ers long to produce on the ground. The 49ers had a one-play, 1-yard touchdown drive (see special teams) that McCaffrey supplied with a plunge over right guard.
Grade: B
Passing offense
Brock Purdy’s return supplied the 49ers with a spark. Purdy threw incomplete on his first pass attempt. Purdy then hit Jauan Jennings for 25 yards, Demarcus Robinson for 13 yards and tight end George Kittle for a 30-yard touchdown.
Purdy generally was well-protected, and he did a good job of getting the ball to the open man. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 200 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Kittle caught six passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. McCaffrey also had a receiving touchdown.
Grade: A-minus
Rushing defense
The 49ers avoided giving up any big plays on the ground. The only time the Cardinals popped a big one, it was called back due to a holding penalty.
The 49ers got a big enough lead, and it took the Cardinals out of any thought of being balanced on offense. The Cardinals managed just 36 yards on the ground and a 2.6-yard average.
Curtis Robinson stepped in for Tatum Bethune (ankle) and had a game-high 11 tackles. Dee Winters added 10 tackles.
Grade: B-plus
Passing defense
This is a difficult one to grade. The 49ers generated three takeaways with their pass defense, but they also allowed Cardinals quarterback Jacoby Brissett to set an NFL record with 47 pass completions.
The 49ers got interceptions from Malik Mustapha and Deommodore Lenoir. Those interceptions led to 10 points, as the 49ers built a 25-point lead entering the fourth quarter.
The 49ers came up with another takeaway early in the fourth quarter when Upton Stout forced a fumble of Elijah Higgins at the goal line. Keion White came up with the recovery.
Brissett was not sacked. He completed 47 of 57 passes for 452 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Grade: B-minus
Special teams
It was an up-and-down day for special teams. But the ups definitely outweighed the downs.
Skyy Moore got the 49ers going with a 98-yard return on the opening kickoff. That led to a quick 7-0 lead.
And while Eddy Piñeiro had an extra point blocked and missed another extra point wide right, he also connected on all three of his field-goal attempts from 48, 47 and 47 yards. He left the game late with a hamstring injury.
Grade: A-minus
Coaching
Coach Kyle Shanahan got back into his comfort zone with Purdy at quarterback. And he scripted a game plan that gave Purdy some easily defined reads to allow him to find open receivers.
Defensively, the 49ers came up with three takeaways but gave up way too many passing yards to Brissett and Co.
Grade: A-minus
Overall
Despite all the issues that have cropped up over the first 10 games of the season, the 49ers looked dominant on Sunday against the Cardinals.
The 49ers’ offense had its best showing of the season, and the defense made enough plays to limit Arizona to 22 points.
This was a game the 49ers should have won. And they did — quite easily, in fact.
Grade: A-minus