Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey fuel win over Cardinals – NBC Sports Bay Area and California

BOX score

GLENDALE, Ariz. (`) — The 49ers entered Sunday without their starting two defensive tackles, and their run defense suffered as a result.

But the 49ers had more than enough offense to pull away from the Arizona Cardinals and earn a 45-29 victory in front of a large road stadium fan base.

The 49ers won the NFC West title and improved to 11-3 on the season. Coach Kyle Shanahan's team took another step closer to home advantage in the NFC.

If the 49ers win their final three games, they will secure a bye in the first round of the playoffs as the No. 1 seed. Their remaining games are on Christmas Eve against the Baltimore Ravens, at the Washington Commanders and at home to end the season against the Los Angeles Rams.

While they eliminated the Cardinals, the 49ers continued their dominance over NFC West teams. It was the 49ers' 12th straight win against division opponents.

Here are the three takeaways from the Week 15 game:

Purdy's terror in the first half

Things didn't look good when quarterback Brock Purdy was down late in the first half.

Center Jake Brendel checked on him, turned around and reacted angrily after Cardinals edge rusher Dennis Gardeck was penalized for charging the passer for an apparent helmet-to-helmet hit on Purdy.

He remained on the ground for a minute and was taken to the medical tent for further observation.

Backup quarterback Sam Darnold was on the field for three plays before Purdy got everything in order and made a few warmup throws on the sideline before returning to the game.

Purdy completed a third-and-2 pass for 19 yards to tight end George Kittle and then completed the touchdown drive with a 5-yard scoring pass to Christian McCaffrey. Purdy's second touchdown pass of the game gave the 49ers a 21-13 lead with 1:14 remaining in the half.

Purdy and McCaffrey connected again to open the second half and extend the 49ers' lead to 28-13.

In his first professional game in his home state, Purdy only solidified his candidacy for the NFL Most Valuable Player title.

Purdy completed 16 of 25 pass attempts for 242 yards with four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 135.3.

Ward brings it to the house

Cornerback Charvarius Ward's status was in question for most of the week after he was only allowed on the field for a limited practice session on Friday. He was listed as questionable. Ward appeared in just four games in the 49ers' Week 14 campaign before exiting with a groin injury.

Ward was active during the game and it didn't take long for him to show he looked good.

Ward stepped in front of Cardinals tight end Trey McBride on a fourth-and-three pass from Kyler Murray in the first quarter. Ward secured the catch and started a sprint. He overcame a diving tackle attempt by receiver Greg Dortch at midfield and outran James Conner to the end zone.

It was the first NFL touchdown of his career for Ward, who was playing his 87th regular season game. His career also includes 14 postseason games.

The 49ers went 28 games, including three in the postseason, without an interception return for a touchdown. Emmanuel Moseley had the 49ers' last pick-six on October 9, 2022 against the Carolina Panthers.

We're getting closer to Rice's record

McCaffrey caught his sixth and seventh scoring passes and added his 13th rushing touchdown of the season.

He now has 20 total touchdowns this season. He continues to approach the 49ers' single-season rushing record.

Hall of Famer Jerry Rice scored 23 touchdowns in the strike-shortened 1987 season. He set the team record in just 12 games.

McCaffrey already holds the 49ers' single-season rushing record and is closing in on another team record.

On that day, McCaffrey gained 115 yards on 18 attempts. He also caught five passes for 72 yards.

McCaffrey had to work hard for his second touchdown of the game.

He gained a ton of separation and Purdy made it a little harder than necessary. Purdy turned to escape the onslaught and threw the ball to his left, where it moved downward.

McCaffrey backed up and made a diving catch before falling at the 10-yard line. Since he wasn't touched, McCaffrey was able to get up and run the rest of the way for a 41-yard touchdown.

The touchdown, which came on the 49ers' first drive of the second half, increased their lead to 28-13 less than two minutes into the third quarter. His 1-yard touchdown run gave the 49ers a 35-16 lead with a minute left in the third quarter.

He joined Marshall Faulk, Thurman Thomas and Tiki Barber as the fourth player in NFL history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in four or more seasons.

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