49ers vs. Cardinals: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2015 Regular Season

Colin Kaepernick threw two first-quarter touchdowns that would set the tone for the entire game. Unfortunately, those touchdowns went to Arizona Cardinals defenders.

Justin Bethel and Tyrann Mathieu each took Kaepernick interceptions back to the house, helping push the Cardinals to a blowout 47-7 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in a Week 3 divisional matchup that highlighted the diverging paths of these two franchises.   

"Their passing game has simplified so much," Mathieu said after the game regarding the 49ers, per ESPN.com. "It was easy for us to anticipate routes and just get some good breaks on the ball."

A conference finalist three times in the last four years, the 49ers are now 1-2 and have been outscored 90-25 in consecutive losses. Their once-formidable defense, depleted by a mass departure of stars to free agency and retirement, has fallen apart. A week after allowing 453 yards to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Niners gave up 446 yards to the Cardinals, who remain without running back Andre Ellington.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle noted this is the most points the 49ers have given up in back-to-back games since 1980, while the Cardinals' vice president of media relations, Mark Dalton, highlighted how well Arizona's offense has been clicking:

Carson Palmer threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns, while Larry Fitzgerald came through with his third consecutive throwback performance of the season. Fitzgerald hauled in nine passes for a season-high 134 yards and a pair of scores, giving him five in the last two weeks. He has already more than doubled his touchdown total from his miserable 2014 campaign.

“I feel like I’ve been comfortable for a while,” Fitzgerald said prior to the game regarding his move to the slot, per Darren Urban of the Cardinals' official website. “I just wanted to get that trust level with Carson (Palmer) and try to establish that trust with coach Arians. He’s somebody you have to earn his trust, and I work every day to do everything he’s asking me to do.”

SportsPickle noted Fitzgerald looks good for someone who was largely left for dead after the 2014 campaign:

Anything but comfortable is the 49ers offense, which turned in one of the worst performances in recent franchise history. Kaepernick tossed a career-high four interceptions, which were a mix of run-of-the-mill bad decisions and outright disasters. One late first-half pick led Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News to call out the 49ers signal-caller:

It's been an up-and-down start to 2015 for Kaepernick, who entered Week 3 with solid counting stats but a more shaky overall film grade. His big passing numbers against the Steelers last week largely came in garbage time, and he went into game-manager mode a week prior against the Minnesota Vikings as Carlos Hyde took over.

Tom Mantzouranis of Uproxx highlighted Kaepernick's plight:

The Cardinals, meanwhile, are staking their claim among the NFC's best teams. They are one of five remaining 3-0 teams and have already given themselves a two-game lead in the NFC West. Palmer has not taken a loss as a starting quarterback since Dec. 29, 2013, against the Jim Harbaugh-led 49ers—a streak of nine games and counting.

“He’s not doing anything different,” guard Jonathan Cooper said, per Urban. “From the first day I met him, he’s been commanding the group, showing great leadership and preparing out of this world—I mean, some of the stuff he’s doing, going back so meticulously doing, that hasn’t changed.”

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Palmer has now thrown for 803 yards and nine touchdowns against two interceptions for the season. It's another remarkable comeback for a quarterback who has been through his fair share of debilitating injuries.

An ACL tear in Cincinnati prevented Palmer's ascent to the tier of the NFL's best quarterbacks, which was followed by an ill-fated run in Oakland and last season's run of ailments in Arizona. Another ACL tear ultimately cost him the season's final two months and left the Cardinals to deploy one of the worst offenses in playoff history.

Now, Arizona's roster is built to withstand certain injuries. Chris Johnson, starting in the place of the injured Ellington, had 110 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries against the 49ers. It is just Johnson's second 100-yard game in his last 19 appearances. With Ellington expected back soon, the Cardinals now appear to have a reliable one-two punch at running back.

The defense, which is allowing 16.3 points per game through three games, has also helped Arizona jump out to such a huge lead in its division. The Cardinals entered Week 3 with the eighth-best defensive DVOA, per Football Outsiders, and should vault up those rankings even further after forcing four turnovers and holding San Francisco to 156 total yards.

In a nutshell: It's a dream come true for Arizona and a nightmare realized in the Bay Area. With Harbaugh leading Michigan back to the national rankings, one has to wonder if the 49ers' top decision-makers are regretting their decision to back general manager Trent Baalke in last season's power struggle.

Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter.