The 49ers (1-1) travel to State Farm Stadium for a 4:25 PT kickoff against the Arizona Cardinals (2-0).
Carson Palmer leads the Cardinals' offense in his Year 2 with Bruce Arians. Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd lead the receivers. Colin Kaepernick continues at quarterback for the 49ers. Carlos Hyde at lead back.
The Cardinals beat the 49ers 17-14 in Levi's Stadium last year.[1][2][3]
Carson Palmer and the Cardinals are 2-0 and Bruce Arians's offense has produced 79 combined points in the first two weeks. Larry Fitzgerald has caught two touchdowns. The Cardinals' defense, with Tyrann Mathieu and Patrick Peterson at the secondary, has generated four takeaways.
The 49ers, at 1-1 after the Steelers road blowout, travel to State Farm Stadium for the kind of Sunday-afternoon divisional road game where the rebuilding 49ers face an NFC contender. Kaepernick's third start. Hyde at lead back.
Underdog by 7 on the road. The kind of Sunday-afternoon divisional spot where the rebuilding 49ers face the conference's hottest team.
Week 3 is the early-October NFC West sort. The Cardinals (2-0) lead the division. The Seahawks (0-2) and Rams (1-1) compete. The 49ers (1-1) sit in the middle of the conference. Around the NFC the Falcons, Cowboys, and Packers continue at the top. The AFC's Patriots, Steelers, and Broncos lead. The Sunday road game is the kind of week the rebuilding 49ers face the conference's hottest team.
Through two games the 49ers are 1-1 with a -8 point differential. The Cardinals are 2-0 with a +24. Carson Palmer 599 passing yards through 2 games with 4 TDs and 1 INT. Larry Fitzgerald 2 TDs. Cardinals D 4 takeaways. Kaepernick 500 passing in 2 games. Vegas opens the Cardinals as 7-point home favorites; total 47.5.
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| New England Patriots | 2-0 | W2 |
| New York Jets | 2-0 | W2 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1-1 | L1 |
| Miami Dolphins | 1-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 2-0 | W2 |
| Cleveland Browns | 1-1 | W1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1-1 | W1 |
| Baltimore Ravens | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1-1 | W1 |
| Tennessee Titans | 1-1 | L1 |
| Houston Texans | 0-2 | L2 |
| Indianapolis Colts | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Denver Broncos | 2-0 | W2 |
| Kansas City Chiefs | 1-1 | L1 |
| Oakland Raiders | 1-1 | W1 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Arizona Cardinals | 2-0 | -- |
| St. Louis Rams | 1-1 | L1 |
| San Francisco 49ers | 1-1 | L1 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas Cowboys | 2-0 | W2 |
| Washington Redskins | 1-1 | W1 |
| New York Giants | 0-2 | L2 |
| Philadelphia Eagles | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Green Bay Packers | 2-0 | W2 |
| Minnesota Vikings | 1-1 | W1 |
| Chicago Bears | 0-2 | L2 |
| Detroit Lions | 0-2 | L2 |
| Team | Rec | Strk |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta Falcons | 2-0 | W2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 2-0 | W2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1-1 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 0-2 | L2 |
Reveal each quarter as you watch, the next quarter stays hidden until you tap it.
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Justin Bethel 21 yard interception return ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 0-7 |
| Cardinals | Tyrann Mathieu 33 yard interception return ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 0-14 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Chris Johnson 6 yard rush ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 0-21 |
| Cardinals | Chris Johnson 1 yard rush ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 0-28 |
| 49ers | Colin Kaepernick 12 yard rush ( Phil Dawson kick) | 7-28 |
| Cardinals | Chandler Catanzaro 22 yard field goal | 7-31 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 4 yard pass from Carson Palmer ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 7-38 |
| Cardinals | Safety, Kevin Minter tackled in end zone by Carlos Hyde | 7-40 |
| Team | Play | Score |
|---|---|---|
| Cardinals | Larry Fitzgerald 8 yard pass from Carson Palmer ( Chandler Catanzaro kick) | 7-47 |
Carson Palmer threw for 311 yards and three touchdowns and the Arizona Cardinals crushed the 49ers 47-7 at State Farm Stadium. Larry Fitzgerald caught three touchdowns. David Johnson ran for 56 yards and a touchdown. Colin Kaepernick threw for 67 yards with four interceptions before being benched. Blaine Gabbert came in cold for the second half. The 49ers fell to 1-2 in their worst home loss in years.[1][2][3]
Carson Palmer threw three touchdown passes Sunday afternoon at State Farm Stadium. Larry Fitzgerald caught all three. The Arizona Cardinals beat the 49ers 47-7 in the kind of Sunday-afternoon road blowout where the rebuilding 49ers' competitive identity, after the Vikings shutout, completely collapsed.
Colin Kaepernick threw for 67 yards with four interceptions before being benched. Blaine Gabbert came in cold for the second half. The kind of Sunday-afternoon performance where the QB1 conversation, in just the third game of the year, became an active question.
David Johnson ran for 56 and a touchdown in his rookie debut. The Cardinals' defense generated four takeaways. The 49ers' offense produced 7 points and the defense gave up 47. The kind of Sunday-afternoon divisional road blowout that, in real time, made the year's preseason expectations look ambitious. 1-2 with the Packers at home next week.
Cardinals 47, 49ers 7. Margin: -40. Three-game record: 1-2, -48 differential.
A 47-7 road loss to the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. The 49ers fall to 1-2 in their worst road loss in years.
How it unfolded
Fitzgerald caught his first touchdown to give Arizona an early 7-0 lead. Kaepernick threw his first interception. Palmer threw a second touchdown to Fitzgerald. Kaepernick threw his second interception. The Cardinals led 24-0 at halftime. Kaepernick threw two more INTs in the third quarter and was benched. Gabbert came in. The Cardinals added more scores. Carlos Hyde ran in a late touchdown for the 49ers' lone score. Final 47-7.
The turning point
Kaepernick's four-interception first half. With the rebuilding 49ers' offense unable to execute and the Cardinals' defense forcing the kind of giveaway sequence that defines a Sunday-afternoon blowout, the QB1 was benched and the game effectively ended at halftime.
By the numbers
Kaepernick 9-of-19 for 67 with four INTs before the bench. Gabbert 7-of-12 for 64 in relief. Hyde 11 carries for 33 with a TD. Palmer 31-of-43 for 311 with three TDs. Fitzgerald 8 catches for 134 with three TDs. The Cardinals' four interceptions defined the game.
Personnel watch
Kaepernick's first benching as a 49ers' QB1. Fitzgerald's three-touchdown game. The kind of Sunday-afternoon road performance where the rebuilding 49ers' competitive ceiling, in Tomsula's third game, was tested and the result was a 40-point margin.
What it means
1-2 with the Packers at home next week. The Sunday-afternoon road blowout is the kind of result that, after the Steelers' loss, has the rebuilding 49ers' season trajectory in active question. The Packers game is another contender test.
| Player | C/A | Yds | TD | Int | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | |||||
| Colin Kaepernick | 9/19 | 67 | 0 | 4 | |
| ARI | |||||
| Carson Palmer | 20/32 | 311 | 2 | 1 | |
| Player | Att | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Carlos Hyde | 15 | 51 | 0 | 14 |
| Colin Kaepernick | 7 | 46 | 1 | 12 |
| Mike Davis | 7 | 6 | 0 | 4 |
| ARI | ||||
| Chris Johnson | 22 | 110 | 2 | 30 |
| David Johnson | 7 | 25 | 0 | 8 |
| Stepfan Taylor | 4 | 6 | 0 | 2 |
| Carson Palmer | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Drew Stanton | 3 | -3 | 0 | -1 |
| Player | Rec | Yds | TD | Long |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO | ||||
| Garrett Celek | 3 | 29 | 0 | 12 |
| Anquan Boldin | 2 | 16 | 0 | 14 |
| Carlos Hyde | 1 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Quinton Patton | 1 | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Mike Davis | 1 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Blake Bell | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ARI | ||||
| Larry Fitzgerald | 9 | 134 | 2 | 23 |
| John Brown | 3 | 62 | 0 | 27 |
| Chris Johnson | 1 | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Jermaine Gresham | 2 | 34 | 0 | 22 |
| David Johnson | 3 | 16 | 0 | 9 |
| Darren Fells | 1 | 13 | 0 | 13 |
| Michael Floyd | 1 | 12 | 0 | 12 |
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