Week 4 - Looking to continue their red-hot start and keep their undefeated streak alive, the (3-0) San Francisco 49ers welcomed in the division rival (1-2) Arizona Cardinals who were coming off their first win of the season after an upset win over the Dallas Cowboys. A week after earning his first career win as a starter against a formidable Dallas defense, Arizona quarterback Joshua Dobbs would face another tough task in the daunting 49er defense. And although Dobbs would hold his own and finish with a solid outing overall, it wouldn't be enough as Niners QB Brock Purdy had a near perfect afternoon of his own, completing all but one pass in a game where San Francisco's playmakers on offense proved to be too much for a rebuilding Cardinals team.
Having won 13 consecutive regular season games entering Sunday's match-up between NFC Western Division foes, Kyle Shanahan's 49ers got things rolling right out of the gates on both sides of the ball. After the San Francisco defense forced a three and out punt on the Cardinals' opening-drive, the offense sparked a 10-play, 55-yard touchdown-scoring drive thanks to their star running back. As good as Purdy was on Sunday, his performance would be overshadowed by one of his key weapons on offense and early MVP candidate Christian McCaffrey who became the first player in 49ers franchise history to score a touchdown in 13 consecutive games, breaking a record held by the great Jerry Rice. Even after surpassing the mark of an all-time great, McCaffrey's busy day would be far from over as the game would soon turn into the Christian McCaffrey Show for much of the afternoon. With Arizona having not allowed an opening-drive score thru the first three weeks of the season, they would witness that streak come to an end as McCaffrey scored on San Francisco's first three possessions to start the game. With two touchdowns on the ground and one through the air, McCaffrey would have his fourth career 3-touchdown performance (first since 2019) and first in a 49ers uniform.
Trailing at the half for the first time this season, down 21-10, the Cardinals did manage to make things interesting with a trip to the end zone on their first possession of the second half, pulling within 5-points after a failed two-point try. Pinned back at their own goal-line, Arizona marched down the field for their first 99-yard touchdown-scoring drive since December 11, 2016 against the Dolphins in Miami. As for the Niner defense, it would be their first touchdown drive of 99-yards allowed since September 15, 2002 versus the Denver Broncos. Looking to answer, San Francisco did just that, starting off the fourth quarter with another McCaffrey touchdown, his fourth of the game, allowing the 49ers to add to their lead before pulling away at the end. Before giving way and letting someone else have some fun by finding the end zone for San Francisco, McCaffrey added another rushing touchdown to become the first 49er all-time to score the team's first four touchdowns of a game, while also tying three others for the second most touchdowns scored in a single game by a 49er. Brock Purdy would cap the afternoon by scoring on a 1-yard run up the middle, following a deep pass to one of his favorite targets of the game in receiver Brandon Aiyuk.
After sitting out of last week's game against the New York Giants, Aiyuk returned in a big way on Sunday by hauling in six receptions for a career-high 148 yards receiving. Registering a perfect 10 for 10 on passes in the first half, Purdy finished 20 for 21 with 283 yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 rushing touchdown and a QB Rating of 134.6. At one point, Purdy had completed his first 18 consecutive pass attempts, tying the longest streak by a 49ers QB since Steve Young in 1996. As for the man of the hour, running back Christian McCaffrey rushed for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns on 20 carries, adding another 71 yards in receiving to go with 1 receiving touchdown on 7 receptions, becoming the first player in franchise history with 100+ scrimmage yards and 1+ TD in each of the first 4 games of a season. CMC would also join some elite company by becoming one of only six players to rack up 115+ scrimmage yards & 1 TD in each of the first 4 games of a season since 1950; DeMarco Murray (2014), Emmitt Smith (1995), Billy Sims (1981), O.J. Simpson (1975), and Jim Brown (1958) the others.
Improving to 4-0 on the season, San Francisco has now scored 30+ points in each of their first four games this season for the first time in 49ers franchise history and the first team to do so since the 2021 Arizona Cardinals. Even after the final whistle blew, the fireworks didn't stop when the game came to an end as tempers flared between Talanoa Hufanga of the 49ers and the Cardinals' James Conner. The game was well over and the television feed had already switched over to coverage of the lopsided Dallas-New England game, but the cameras were still rolling when the two were caught in a verbal exchange between the two players before an altercation. Donning his helmet and taking a swipe at the Hufanga was Conner who took exception and appeared to put his hand in the Niners safeties' mouth. The two had to be separated as tight-end George Kittle came to his teammate's aid to defuse the situation. It'll be interested to see how things play out the next time these two teams meet at Arizona in Week 15.
Week 5 Preview: Slated for a heavyweight match-up on Sunday Night Football, the (4-0) San Francisco 49ers will play host to the (3-1) Dallas Cowboys in a rematch of last year's NFC Divisional Round Playoffs. Having eliminated Dallas from the postseason in consecutive seasons, Dak Prescott and the Cowboys will take the field with revenge on their minds as San Francisco eyes a bit of history, having won 14 consecutive regular season games, just 1 shy of tying a franchise record in 1989-90. Aside from their upset loss in Week 3 to the Cardinals, the Cowboys have been one of the more dominant teams in the league thus far and are coming off a blowout win over the New England Patriots, handing Bill Belichick the biggest loss of his coaching career: 38-3. Entering Week 5 as one of only two teams with a better +point margin than the Niners' +67, Dallas comes in ranked second behind the Dolphins with a +83 point margin. One of only two remaining unbeatens in the league (Philadelphia the other), the 49ers will look to continue that mark with a win on Sunday to closeout their current three-game homestand.
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