Cardinals vs. 49ers: The Good, Bad and Ugly From 36-30 Loss

The Cardiac Arizona Cardinals' comeback falls short against the San Fransico 49ers

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) practices before the game at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The phrase “So close, yet so far” described many games from the Arizona Cardinals' 2025 campaign. Week 3's matchup against the San Francisco 49ers landed in that same category. 

The Cardinals’ first half was ugly, starting with self-inflicted wounds and a lack of containment in the secondary. Arizona managed to make the afternoon interesting, coming within two points of San Francisco late in the final quarter. 

49ers tight end George Kittle relinquished any inclination of an upset, reeling in a 20-yard touchdown reception without being touched in the final minutes to hand the Cardinals their second loss of the season. The 49ers, despite two missed field goals, topped Arizona 36-30.

The loss puts the Cardinals at a 0-2 hole in the most competitive divisional race in the NFL this season with an overall 1-2 record through three weeks.  

Here is the good, the bad, and the ugly from Arizona’s second loss of the season:

The Good: The Offense Has The Tools For Greatness

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson (14) makes a catch San Francisco 49ers in the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Darren Yamashita-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It was a snooze fest through the first 30 minutes of the game. The Cardinals' offense struggled to piece anything together after three drive-killing penalties — two holds and an offensive pass interference call on tight end Trey McBride. 

Arizona was dominated at the line of scrimmage and limped out with just two field goals and a daunting two-possession lead at the half.

The Cardinals' offense finally came alive in the second half, with a long 14-play touchdown drive to Michael Wilson and another two touchdowns by running back Jeremiyah Love and quarterback Jacoby Brissett in the fourth quarter. The Cardinals, though, were always playing catch-up with the 49ers. 

Brissett closed out the afternoon with another throwing clinic, tossing a pair of touchdowns and going 38-for-52 for 280 yards in the air. Wide receiver Michael Wilson returned to form, leading the team with 11 receptions and a touchdown. 

Brissett spread the ball around more than in the previous two games — eight different Cardinals recorded a reception. 

Love took the brunt of the carries on the ground, with 21 carries for 90 yards, and is progressing well. The 2026 first-rounder found holes and showed off his elite ball-carrying vision in the ground game despite a shaky offensive line performance. 

The Bad: Cardinals Have A Discipline Problem 

Dec 21, 2025; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Detailed view of a yellow penalty flag on the field during the Arizona Cardinals game against the Atlanta Falcons at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If any of the officials have arthritis in their backs, the Cardinals didn’t give them any grace, committing 10 penalties for 86 yards. Arizona is struggling with the yellow laundry, and week to week it's getting worse.

Two holding calls on offense killed the Cardinals on their first two drives of the game, and the aforementioned pass interference call on McBride in the third drive of the afternoon in third and short forced another punt. 

In Arizona's fourth drive of the afternoon, the offense committed four penalties but somehow managed to put its first points on the board with a field goal from Chad Ryland. Football games, at any level, are not won with that amount of self-inflicted mistakes.

The Ugly: Defense Is Going To Have A Long Season

Sep 27, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Kaelon Black (26) rushes the ball against Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker (3) in the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Much like last week, any capable offense in the NFL will have a field day against the Cardinals' defense. 

For the second consecutive game, the defense put Arizona in an early hole with a massive 80-yard touchdown to open up the afternoon. Last week, it was Seattle Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba darting up the field for an 82-yard touchdown. 

This week, it was a Mike Evans lateral to Deebo Samuel for an 80-yard touchdown that caught everyone in the secondary off guard. As it did for Seattle in Week 2, it set a tone for the San Francisco offense going forward. 

Led by quarterback Brock Purdy, the 49ers didn’t face much resistance against the Cardinals front that barely blitzed the backfield. Purdy diced up the Arizona defense for 297 yards and four passing touchdowns, and even rushed for a 45-yard touchdown run that was taken back on a holding call. 

San Fransico scored on six of its 10 drives, with the final possession ending in a victory formation. The 49ers did this while having just a hair over 21 minutes of possession compared to the Cardinals' almost 40 minutes with the ball.

Up Next: The Cardinals will face the 2-1 New York Giants for their third road game of the season at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, next Sunday at 10:00 AM Arizona Time.