49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals

The 49ers won their NFC West opener 16-15 on Eddy Pineiro's 35-yard field goal as time expired. Mac Jones, 3-17 in career comeback opportunities entering the day, drove San Francisco the length of the field in the final two minutes for the kick. The 49ers fell behind 15-13 when Calais Campbell forced a holding penalty in the end zone by Dominick Puni for a fourth-quarter safety, the first tiebreaking safety in nearly 11 years. Nick Bosa left in the first quarter with a knee injury and did not return. Jones threw a 1-yard touchdown to Kyle Juszczyk in the fourth quarter; Kyler Murray answered with a 1-yard touchdown to Trey McBride.[1][2][3]

Three weeks ago, Eddy Pineiro was unemployed. Sunday afternoon, his 35-yard field goal at the gun delivered San Francisco's first NFC West win of the year.

'I was sitting on a couch three weeks ago watching the first game of the season and now I am here,' Pineiro said after. 'It is a blessing.' He had a 35-yard field goal in him. Most days that is a chip shot. Sunday, with the wind in his face and the chance to keep a 3-0 start alive, it was the most important kick on the schedule so far.

Nick Bosa walked off in the first quarter and did not come back. Mac Jones, 3-17 in comeback situations across his career, was the quarterback who had to drive San Francisco eighty-some yards in the closing minutes. He did. 'I have failed a lot in that situation, to be honest, in the NFL,' Jones said. 'I just knew the guys had my back.'

Upton Stout broke up a third-down throw to force an Arizona punt before the winning drive. Fred Warner called it the play of the game. 'We knew that if we did not get off the field on that drive that the game would probably pretty much be sealed,' Warner said. So Stout got off the field. So Jones drove the field. So Pineiro made it. 3-0. The 49ers will take it.

49ers 16, Cardinals 15. Margin: +1. Three-game record: 3-0, +10 differential.

• Pineiro game-winner: 35 yards as time expired.
• Mac Jones: now 4-17 in career comeback opportunities.
• Arizona safety: Campbell holding force in the end zone, first tiebreaking safety in the fourth quarter in 11 years.
• TD throws: Jones to Juszczyk 1y; Murray to McBride 1y.
• Bosa: left Q1 knee, did not return. Initial tests negative for ACL pending more.
• James Conner (ARI): carted off Q3 ankle.
• Upton Stout: pass break-up on the third-down stop before the winning drive.
• 49ers improve to 3-0; Cardinals fall to 2-1. NFC West: SF 1-0 in division.

A 16-15 win at Levi's Stadium. The 49ers move to 3-0 and 1-0 in the division.

How it unfolded

Both teams stayed under wraps through three quarters; the only points in the first three quarters were a pair of Pineiro field goals and a pair of Chad Ryland field goals. Mac Jones found Kyle Juszczyk on a 1-yard touchdown to open scoring in the fourth quarter. Arizona answered immediately, Kyler Murray to Trey McBride from a yard out, with 8:37 to play. The Cardinals then took the lead on the safety, Calais Campbell forcing a holding call on Dominick Puni in the end zone with under five minutes left, the first tiebreaking safety in a fourth quarter in nearly 11 years. Down 15-13, San Francisco needed a stop and a drive. They got both.

The turning point

Upton Stout's third-down pass break-up forced an Arizona punt before the winning drive. Fred Warner called it 'the play right there.' The play after was a Christian McCaffrey 20-yard reception that put Pineiro inside his comfort range.

By the numbers

Mac Jones 18-of-29 for 211 with one TD passing and one rushing yard of consequence. Murray 22-of-36 for 244 with one TD pass and 35 yards on the ground. McCaffrey 52 yards rushing between the tackles, 88 yards receiving on the day. Bosa one play, gone. Conner carted off in the third. The injury cost showed up on both sidelines.

Personnel watch

Mac Jones won the comeback he had not won in three years of trying. Eddy Pineiro made the kick a kicker who has been on the roster three weeks is not always going to make. Stout, on the field because of injuries to the secondary, made the stop that turned the game. The 49ers won the kind of game they kept losing in 2024.

What it means

3-0 with the starting quarterback in street clothes for two of the three. The defensive line will be the story of the week if early tests on Bosa's knee come back the wrong way, but the locker room got a road win and a division win without him. The Sundays that follow are not getting easier; Jacksonville is at the door.