3 Takeaways from 49ers' Week 15 Win vs. Cardinals
The San Francisco 49ers were expected to win big against the three-win Arizona Cardinals, and they did exactly that. However, few may have expected San Francisco to need 45 points to win by two touchdowns.
The Cardinals scored first on a James Conner touchdown run, and they threatened to hang with the 49ers several times throughout the contest. However, an offensive explosion from Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the 49ers offense allowed San Francisco to pull away in the second half.
The victory pulls the 49ers to 11-3 on the season and keeps San Francisco in position to claim the NFC's No. 1 seed. Here are our biggest takeaways from the Week 15 win over the Cardinals.
Purdy Takes Another Step Toward Winning the MVP Race
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Purdy, who was born in Queen Creek, Arizona, had a game to remember against the Cardinals.
"To come home in my home state and to have all my family and friends come... what a blessing," he told CBS Sports' Evan Washburn after the game.
Purd, who briefly left the game for injury evaluation, finished 16-of-25 for 242 yards and four touchdowns. In doing so, he likely claimed the lead in the race for MVP.
Entering Week 15, it felt like a two-player race between Purdy and Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Dak Prescott. While Purdy shined on the road this week, Prescott struggled against the Bills in Buffalo.
Prescott threw for just 134 yards and an interception in a 31-10 blowout loss.
While the argument against Purdy has been that he benefits from having arguably the league's best collection of skill players. However, the 23-year-old made several clutch throws on Sunday—like his second touchdown strike to Samuel—that make such an argument seem quite silly.
Barring a meltdown over the final three weeks, Purdy appears likely to be named this year's Most Valuable Player.
Charvarius Ward Has a Day
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Cornerback Charvarius Ward had his best game as a 49er on Sunday, which is saying something. The 2018 undrafted free agent and former Kansas City Chief allowed an opposing passer rating of only 82.4 in coverage last season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Entering Sunday, Ward had allowed an opposing passer rating of just 73.9 this season to go with a league-high 20 passes defended.
Against Arizona, Ward recorded his first career pick-six, taking a pass intended for Trey McBride 66 yards in the other direction for the score. He added a second interception in the fourth quarter, snagging a Kyler Murray pass intended for Zach Pascal
Those interceptions represented Ward's fourth and fifth as a 49er.
Ward, who was signed in 2022 free agency, has emerged as a legitimate playmaker in San Francisco's defense. Along with standouts Nick Bosa and Fred Warner, Ward is helping the 49ers overcome their occasional lapses in defense.
Run Defense Raises Concerns
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It wasn't all positive for the 49ers on Sunday, especially on defense. While San Francisco did record three sacks and two takeaways, it struggled to contain Arizona's running game.
Conner led Arizona with 86 rushing yards on 14 carries. Emari Demercado chipped in 64 yards on just four rushes while Murray scrambled six times for 49 yards. As a team, the Cardinals racked up 234 yards on the ground.
Now, Arizona has run the ball fairly consistently all season—it came in ranked ninth in yards and fourth in yards per rush—but that doesn't make San Francisco's performance any less concerning.
The 49ers have struggled at times to contain the run this season. In their Week 6 loss to the Cleveland Browns, for example, San Francisco surrendered 160 yards rushing. However, this marked the first time since 2017 that it allowed more than 200 yards on the ground.
Run defense could be an issue next week against the Baltimore Ravens, and it could be a potential problem in the postseason. NFC contenders like the Philadelphia Eagles and Detroit Lions do like to run the football.
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