GLENDALE, Ariz. — It was a sea of red at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Sunday, but it wasn't Cardinal red. Instead, the red seen around the stadium was the San Francisco 49ers scarlet as San Francisco fans filled the stadium to see their team clinch their second straight NFC West division championship after beating the Arizona Cardinals 45-29.
With the loss, the Cardinals were officially eliminated from playoff contention.
It was the Cardinals who struck first on Sunday as quarterback Kyler Murray led the team on a seven-play, 75-yard drive after the opening kickoff, which ended with a two-yard touchdown run from running back James Conner to give Arizona a 7-0 lead.
However, the 49ers would respond with an eight-play, 75-yard drive of their own, capped by a 12-yard touchdown pass from former Perry High School quarterback Brock Purdy to Deebo Samuel that tied the game at 7.
San Francisco would grab the lead on the ensuing drive after Murray threw a pass seemingly straight into the arms of San Francisco cornerback Charvarius Ward, who returned it 66 yards for a touchdown. That was Ward's third interception of the season and Murray's first interception in 96 pass attempts. It was the 49ers' first interception return for a touchdown since Week Five of the 2022 season, according to the Associated Press.
The Cardinals would pull within four points after a 58-yard field goal from Matt Prater at the start of the second quarter. That was Prater's 79th field goal of 50 or more yards in his career (the most in NFL history) and eighth field goal from 50 or more yards this season, which is a franchise record.
Prater would hit a 43-yard field goal with 6:14 in the second to pull the Cardinals within a point of San Francisco, but a Purdy five-yard touchdown pass to Christian McCaffrey with 1:14 to go would give the 49ers an eight-point lead at halftime.
McCaffrey would strike again at the start of the second half when Purdy found him wide-open for a 41-yard touchdown. McCaffrey was so wide open on the play, he had time to fall, get back up and scamper into the endzone after making the catch. That made the score 28-13.
Prater would add to his day with a 28-yard field goal later in the third quarter to make the score 28-16.
But McCaffrey would answer once again, this time with a run from a yard out to make it 35-16 San Francisco. That was McCaffrey's seventh touchdown against the Cardinals this season, which is tied for the most against one team in the Super Bowl era. It was also his 20th touchdown of the season. He is just the second player in 49ers history to have 20 or more touchdowns in a season (Jerry Rice had 23 in 1987).
The highlight of the game for the Cardinals came three-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter when rookie running back Emari Demercado broke through the 49er defense for a 49-yard touchdown. The Cardinals' two-point conversion attempt would fail, making the score 35-22. That run put the Cardinals over 200 rushing yards on the day, making Sunday the first time the 49ers have let a team run for 200 or more yards since 2017.
The nail in the proverbial coffin for the Cardinals came with 7:09 remaining in the fourth, when Purdy found Samuel from 19 yards out for their second touchdown connection of the game to make it 42-22.
Charvarius Ward would pick off Murray one more time and San Francisco would add a field goal to make it 45-22.
Kyler Murray threw an eight-yard touchdown to Elijah Higgins in the final minute to make the final score 45-29 San Francisco.
The loss knocks Arizona's record down to 3-11. Arizona still does not have a win against an NFC West opponent this season and has just one chance remaining in their season finale against the Seattle Seahawks.
TAKEAWAYS
The outcome we have all expected for this season is official. The Arizona Cardinals will miss the playoffs for the second year in a row. Injuries to some key players (TE Trey McBride, WR Hollywood Brown) hampered Arizona at times, but it was really Christian McCaffrey's dominance of Arizona that proved to be the difference maker on Sunday. McCaffrey's 187 all-purpose yards (115 yards rushing and 72 yards receiving) and three touchdowns were just too much for the Cardinals to overcome.
Arizona's rushing game was impressive, but the pass game (Kyler Murray was 25/38 for 203 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions) did not give the run game or Arizona's defense the support necessary to compete with the 49ers, who look every bit as good as the team that came a Brock Purdy elbow injury away from the Super Bowl in 2022.
Arizona (3-11) is holding onto the third-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, according to Tankathon. The Carolina Panthers (2-12) are in the No. 1 spot (their pick belongs to the Chicago Bears) and the New England Patriots (3-11) are in the No. 2 spot.
UP NEXT
The Cardinals head to Chicago to play the (5-9) Bears on Christmas Eve. The kickoff at Soldier Field is scheduled for 2:25 p.m. Arizona time.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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