San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals Week 5 Live Blog

Through four games this season, Purdy has five touchdown passes and four turnovers. That's not a great ratio.
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) warms up before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
Oct 6, 2024; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) warms up before the game against the Arizona Cardinals at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images / Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images
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SANTA CLARA -- This is the live blog for the San Francisco 49ers' Week 5 home game against the Arizona Cardinals. I will update this frequently with information and analysis from the press box.

12:35 Here are the 49ers' inactives: Demetrius Flannigan-Fowles, Chris Conley, Jacob Cowing, Josh Dobbs, Ben Bartch, Darrell Luter Jr.

Last time these two teams faced each other, the Cardinals ran for 234 yards and scored 29 points and still lost by 16. That's because their defense was atrocious. And it still is. Today, Arizona frequently will drop eight defenders into coverage and try to force the 49ers to put together long, methodical drives in the heat. That's the best the Cardinals can expect to do against the 49ers offense. Don't expect Arizona to generate much pressure on Brock Purdy.

Will Brandon Aiyuk finally have a big game this season? The Cardinals don't have a good cornerback so he should have plenty of opportunities to make plays. So far this season, he has caught just 1 of 7 contest passes while Jauan Jennings has caught 5 of 7. Which means Aiyuk only has himself to blame for his lack of production.

Brock Purdy is coming off a performance against the Patriots in which he completed just 55 percent of his passes and threw an interception. Through four games this season, Purdy has five touchdown passes and four turnovers. That's not a great ratio. He needs to play better today against a defense that offers little resistance.

12:48 I predict the 49ers will beat the Cardinals 31-24.

1:04 The Cardinals win the toss and defer. The 49ers will receive the opening kickoff.

FIRST QUARTER

1:12 On 3rd and 8 from the 49ers 32, Brock Purdy throws an incomplete pass intended for Brandon Aiyuk running an out route. The throw wasn't even close. Jordan Mason never carried the ball during that series. After the punt, the Cardinals take over at their 28.

1:14 First play of the drive, Kyler Murray rolls left and hits tight end Trey McBride for 22 yards. Next play, Murray runs a zone read to the right and scores a 50-yard touchdown. Nick Bosa crashed down on the running back and De'Vondre Campbell didn't scrape over to the outside in time. That was the easiest 50-yard touchdown run you'll ever seen.

49ers 0, Cardinals 7.

1:23 First play of the drive, Brandon Aiyuk makes a 53-yard catch to put the 49ers in red zone. But then their offense stalls yet again. And on third and goal from the 6, Brock Purdy scrambles and gets sacked for a loss of 4. Then Jake Moody makes a 28-yard field goal. Red zone offense is still an issue for the 49ers.

49ers 3, Cardinals 7.

1:28 On 3rd and 10 from the Cardinals 30, Kyler Murray checks down for no gain and Arizona goes three and out. After the punt, the 49ers take over at their 24.

1:44 On 1st and goal from the 5, Brock Purdy throws a tochdown pass over the middle to George Kittle who was almost completely uncovered. Kittle is the 49ers' red-zone offense.

49ers 10, Cardinals 7.

SECOND QUARTER

1:57 On 3rd and 7 from the 49ers 12, Kyler Murray fakes a handoff and rolls right into Ji'Ayir Brown who forces a rushed, innaccurate throw which falls incomplete. Then the Cardinals make a 30-yard field goal. Trey McBride dropped a touchdown pass on 2nd and 7 from the 12.

49ers 10, Cardinals 10.

2:11 On 3rd and goal from the 1, Purdy lines up in the shotgun, drops back, finds no one open, scrambles backward and throws the ball away. Bizarre play call. Why not run it with Jordan Mason? And then why not go for it on 4th and 1? Instead, the 49ers kick a field goal. Terrible.

49ers 13, Cardinals 10.

2:19 On 3rd and 6 from the 49ers 27, Isaac Yiadom breaks up a long pass intended for Marvin Harrison Jr. Then Jordan Elliott blocks the field goal, Deommodore Lenoir recovers it and returns it 61 Yards for a touchdown. That's a 10-point swing.

49ers 20, Cardinals 10.

2:21 Talanoa Hufanga is out for the rest of the game with a wrist injury.

2:24 Jake Moody injures his right ankle trying to make a tackle during the kick return. Looks like a bad one, maybe a high-ankle sprain. He's walking slowly off the field. The Cardinals start at their 38.

2:25 Now Moody is hopping off the field. Not great.

2:33 On 2nd and 6 from the 49ers 24, Nick Bosa intercepts a screen pass and returns it 30 yards to the Cardinals 40.

2:39 On 3rd and goal from the 7, Purdy throws an incomplete pass intended for Jauan Jennings. Then Mitch Wishnowsky makes a 29-yard field goal in place of Jake Moody whose return is questionable. The Cardinals will get the ball to start the second half.

THIRD QUARTER

2:56 On the first play of the Cardinals' drive, Kyler Murray holds the ball too long and gets sacked by Leonard Floyd. Two plays later the Cardinals go 3 and out. After the punt, the 49ers take over at their 13.

2:57 Jake Moody is out for the rest of the game.

3:02 On 1st and 10 from the 49ers 24, Brock Purdy's pass gets tipped at the line of scrimmage and intercepted. The Cardinals take over at the SF 25.

3:06 On 3rd and 9 from the 24, Murray throws a pass off his backfoot that lands out of bounds. He has a good arm but he's not a good passer. The Cardinals make a 42-yard field goal.

49ers 23, Cardinals 13.

3:18 On 2nd and 14 from the Cardinals 18, Purdy holds the ball forever and eventually gets sacked. That's on him. Two plays later, the 49ers go for it on 4th and 23 from their 27 because Moody is injured, and Kittle drops a pass over the middle. The Cardinals take over on downs.

FOURTH QUARTER

3:36 On 1st and goal from the 2, Kyler Murray throws a touchdown pass and draws a 15-yard penalty. So the Cardinals go for two and convert as James Connor powers into the end zone. Folks, we have a game. Keep in mind, the 49ers don't have a healthy kicker.

49ers 23, Cardinals 21.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.