The 49ers\u2019 offense was more healthy for a full game than at any point since the 2023 NFL season.<\/p>\n
And they turned to their stars during their 41-22 victory<\/a> over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium.<\/p>\n The 49ers featured a lot of Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle to lead the way over the beleaguered Cardinals.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the 49ers\u2019 defense was a mixed bag. They came up with three takeaways, but were on the wrong end of an NFL record-setting performance.<\/p>\n The 49ers improved to 7-4 on the season, while the Cardinals fall further behind in the NFC West with a 3-7 record.<\/p>\n Here is the report card from the 49ers\u2019 Week 11 game against the Cardinals:<\/p>\n Rushing offense<\/p>\n The 49ers showed good balance on offense, as running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 81 yards and two touchdowns on 13 carries.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Grade: B<\/p>\n Passing offense<\/p>\n Brock Purdy’s return<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Kittle caught six passes for 67 yards and two touchdowns. McCaffrey also had a receiving touchdown.<\/p>\n Grade: A-minus<\/p>\n Rushing defense<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Curtis Robinson stepped in for Tatum Bethune (ankle) and had a game-high 11 tackles. Dee Winters added 10 tackles.<\/p>\n Grade: B-plus<\/p>\n Passing defense<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Brissett was not sacked. He completed 47 of 57 passes for 452 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.<\/p>\n Grade: B-minus<\/p>\n Special teams<\/p>\n It was an up-and-down day for special teams. But the ups definitely outweighed the downs.<\/p>\n Skyy Moore got the 49ers going with a 98-yard return on the opening kickoff. That led to a quick 7-0 lead.<\/p>\n And while Eddy Pi\u00f1eiro 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 injur<\/a>y.<\/p>\n Grade: A-minus<\/p>\n Coaching<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Defensively, the 49ers came up with three takeaways but gave up way too many passing yards to Brissett and Co.<\/p>\n Grade: A-minus<\/p>\n Overall<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The 49ers\u2019 offense had its best showing of the season, and the defense made enough plays to limit Arizona to 22 points.<\/p>\n This was a game the 49ers should have won. And they did \u2014 quite easily, in fact.<\/p>\n Grade: A-minus<\/p>\n