Breaking down the Cardinals’ NFL Week 5 victory over the 49ers
Republic sports writers Bob McManaman and Theo Mackie discuss the Arizona Cardinals’ win over the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara on Oct. 6, 2024.
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — An excessive heat warning was issued for the area and surrounding northern California until 11 p.m. on Sunday. It was 95 degrees at kickoff between the Arizona Cardinals and San Francisco 49ers, the hottest temperature ever for an NFL game at Levi’s Stadium.
By halftime, it had climbed to 101, and it looked like the Cardinals were already cooked.
That’s because, for the third consecutive week, they managed to head into the locker room having found yet another way to fumble away the end of a first half. And eventually, it felt like, another game.
This time, it came in the form of the 49ers blocking a field goal attempt by the Cardinals’ emergency kicker, Chad Ryland, with Deommodore Lenoir returning it 61 yards for a touchdown with 4:59 remaining. Then it got worse when Nick Bosa alertly jumped a route during a short pass attempt by Kyler Murray, intercepted it, and returned the pick 30 yards to help set up a field goal as time expired.
Boom, boom. What had been just a 13-10 lead by San Francisco had ballooned to 23-10.
It didn’t matter.
As much as it felt like the heat was only starting to turn up on the Cardinals, they didn’t just melt into the ground and fade away. They withstood the mistakes, refused to concede and slogged their way back from the dead to flip the script and stun a 49ers’ fanbase that braved the searing heat.
Arizona scored 14 straight unanswered second-half points to rally back — aided by a fumble recovery and two interceptions by the defense — to steal a 24-23 victory and avoid a third straight defeat.
Ryland, filling in for veteran Matt Prater, who was inactive because of a sore left knee, connected on a 35-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining in regulation to give the Cardinals their first lead since their first possession of the game.
And it came after linebacker Mack Wilson Sr. recovered a fumble. Earlier in the third quarter, Wilson intercepted a Brock Purdy pass that helped lead to a 42-yard field goal by Ryland. That pulled Arizona to within 10, 23-13.
Later, the defense came through again. The 49ers, who lost their kicker, Jake Moody, to an injured ankle earlier in the game, were stopped on downs and the Cardinals capitalized with a 12-play, 73-yard touchdown drive.
Murray hit tight end Elijah Higgins in the end zone for a 2-yard score with 11:25 left to make it 23-19. Coach Jonathan Gannon elected to go for the two-point conversion after a San Francisco penalty moved the ball closer to the goal line. James Conner bulldozed in to pull the Cards to within 23-21.
Wilson’s fumble recovery gave the Cardinals the ball with 6:11 left and they forced the 49ers to burn all three of their timeouts as Murray and the offense slowly worked a 14-play, 74-yard march until Ryland’s game-winner.
It wasn’t over yet, though. The 49ers had 1 minute, 37 seconds remaining to make a comeback.
Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White killed that dream with an interception with 70 seconds left and the team celebrated an unexpected win in kneeldown fashion.
What looked like another disaster for the Cardinals was avoided. No one could have seen it coming. Probably not even the Cardinals.
Oh, things started perfectly well here for them on Sunday.
Arizona’s defense forced a quick three-and-out against San Francisco on the game’s first possession. Then, after a quick 22-yard completion from Kyler Murray to a wide-open tight end Trey McBride on the Cardinals’ first play, Murray faked a handoff, darted around the right edge, and scampered 50 yards untouched for an electrifying touchdown.
He pointed toward the scoreboard well before getting into the end zone and for good measure, then proceeded to jaw with some 49ers fans sitting in the first row.
But even after things started to tumble out of sorts for the Cardinals, they plucked a victory out of what was shaping up to be a defeat from the ashes.
(This story was updated to change or add a photo or video.)
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