After Arizona’s first two games, both wins in which the Cardinals struggled to close out their opponent, Kyler Murray expressed concern. It hadn’t bitten the Cardinals yet, the quarterback said, but if they didn’t change their ways soon, it would. In Week 3 against San Francisco, it did.
Arizona produced a safety to take a 15-13 lead with 3 minutes, 15 seconds left. After the kickoff, the Cardinals took possession with a chance to end the game on their terms. They couldn’t do it. After picking up a first down, Murray ran for 1 yard. Trey Benson ran for no gain. On third-and-9 from the 50, Murray threw a contested pass that receiver Zay Jones couldn’t grab.
The Cardinals punted with just under two minutes left — enough time for San Francisco to drive and kick the winning field goal.
This was a game Arizona, which hasn’t made the playoffs since 2021, needed to win. San Francisco played without Purdy and was missing other key offensive playmakers because of injury. The Cardinals, however, failed to find much of an offensive rhythm, finishing with 260 yards. They generated just two plays of 20-plus yards all afternoon.