Brock Purdy throws 3 TDs in return from toe injury, 49ers cruise to 41-22 win over sloppy Cardinals

GLENDALE, Ariz. (AP) – Brock Purdy had barely settled into his first game back from a toe injury when he checked the opposing defense, made a quick switch at the line of scrimmage and then hit tight end George Kittle for a beautiful 30-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.

If the quarterback had any jitters related to his return, it sure didn’t show.

Now the San Francisco 49ers look like a team that might be peaking at the right time.

Purdy threw three touchdown passes, Christian McCaffrey had two rushing touchdowns and a receiving score, and the 49ers beat the sloppy Arizona Cardinals 41-22 on Sunday.

“It was vintage Brock, and that’s a huge compliment,” McCaffrey said. “He was poised, made some great plays, some huge third-down throws. Kept us in the game, was smart the whole game.”

McCaffrey extended his NFL record with his 17th career game with at least one running touchdown and a touchdown catch. Purdy completed 19 of 26 passes for 200 yards.

Kittle caught two touchdown passes.

“Brock’s presence in the huddle is just so elite,” Kittle said. “He plays the game with this joy that’s so infectious and it’s just so much fun to play football with him. I mean, five plays into the game, he hits me 30 yards downfield with a perfect pass.

“He was definitely feeling it. I think he’s got his confidence, got his swagger.”

Arizona lost for the sixth time in seven games. The Cardinals were called for a franchise-record 17 penalties, which was also the most for any team in the NFL this season. They had 11 penalties in the first half – tied for the most before halftime for any team over the past 20 years.

Arizona’s Jacoby Brissett started his fifth straight game for the injured Kyler Murray and completed 47 of 57 passes for 452 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. The 47 completions set an NFL record in the regular season.

Michael Wilson caught 15 passes for a career-high 185 yards. Tight end Trey McBride had 115 yards receiving and a touchdown.

The 49ers (7-4) had control from the outset, needing just 16 seconds to take a 7-0 lead. Skyy Moore returned the opening kickoff 98 yards to the Arizona 1, setting up a 1-yard touchdown run by McCaffrey on the next play.

Purdy returned after being sidelined for six straight games because of the toe injury and was playing his first game since Sept. 28.

“Coming in, I didn’t want to think about (the toe) at all and I didn’t,” Purdy said. “I just went out and played quarterback like I’ve always played. It feels great now.”

The 25-year-old misfired on his first throw, but then completed three straight passes, including the 30-yard touchdown to Kittle for a 13-0 lead with 9:51 left in the first quarter.

For the Cardinals, it was an eerily similar start to last week’s debacle against the Seattle Seahawks, when they fell into a 35-0 hole in the first half before losing 44-22.

Arizona (3-7) had a slightly quicker response against San Francisco, cutting the margin to 13-7 later in the first on Bam Knight’s 6-yard touchdown run, but the good times didn’t last very long. The 49ers pushed ahead 19-7 early in the second quarter when Purdy hit a wide open McCaffrey for a 9-yard score.

The Cardinals are the first team since at least 2000 to allow two TDs in the opening six minutes of back-to-back games.

“I am a defensive head coach and it’s not acceptable,” Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon said. “You can’t win when you give up that many points and it really doesn’t matter how you get there. You’ve got to stand up, play better, and keep points off the board.”

Eddy Piñeiro made a 47-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to give the 49ers a 25-10 halftime lead. Piñeiro initially had his 62-yard attempt blocked on the previous play, but Arizona’s Calais Campbell was called for a 15-yard penalty for unnecessary roughness, giving the kicker another chance.

The Cardinals continued to make critical errors in the second half. Knight looked like he had a 60-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, but it was called back because of a holding penalty on tight end Pharaoh Brown.

49ers: DE Robert Beal Jr. left with a concussion. LB Tatum Bethune (ankle) left the game in the second quarter. Piñeiro (hamstring) left in the third.

Cardinals: Receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who had surgery for appendicitis earlier this week, was among seven inactives. RB Emari Demercado (ankle) left the game in the second quarter. CB Garrett Williams (shin) left in the third. RT Kelvin Beachum (groin) left in the fourth.

49ers: Host Carolina on Monday, Nov. 24.

Cardinals: Host Jacksonville next Sunday.