Another week, another one-possession win for the San Francisco 49ers, who are making an early habit out of coming out of these close games on top.
The Arizona Cardinals became the latest victim of the cardiac 49ers, with San Francisco pulling out a last-second 16-15 win in the home opener on Sunday.
Instead of needing the defense to force a fumble to put the game away, the 49ers needed a last-minute drive, and Mac Jones was the right guy in the right spot to lead it. Jones completed five of eight passes (one was a spike to stop the clock) in 1:43 with a big boost from a 20-yard Christian McCaffrey screen pass to set up a potential game-winning field goal.
While neither Jones nor McCaffrey cracked the three stars this week, the final drive set up our third star to win the game:
Third star: K Eddy Pineiro
It only took two weeks, but the pit in your stomach when a 49ers kicker lines up for a kick has disappeared.
Yeah, it seemed like dark times again when Pineiro missed his first point after attempt in Week 2 against New Orleans, but he quickly corrected course by making both of his field goal attempts and his final two PATs in the win. He may have solidified his spot in 49ers fans’ hearts with his performance on Sunday.
For the first three quarters against Arizona, Pineiro was the 49ers’ offense. After opening the game with consecutive three-and-outs, the 49ers offense finally put a drive together, finding themselves in the red zone, but a loss of five on a McCaffrey first-down run stalled the drive. Pineiro trotted out for his first attempt, calmly nailing the 38-yard attempt to tie the game at three.
Then came the kickers’ first true test as a 49er. Once again, the offense got into plus territory, but a Jake Brendel holding on first down proved to be too much to overcome, forcing a Pineiro field goal attempt, this time from 51 yards. Again, the veteran kicker calmly took the field, kicked the pigskin, and with no drama, the ball perfectly split the uprights to give the 49ers a three-point lead at half.
Pineiro’s services weren’t needed until the final seconds of the game, with the 49ers trailing by two. The special teams had already made a mistake a few drives before, when Skyy Moore called a fair catch at the five-yard line instead of letting the ball bounce into the end zone, setting up a Dominick Puni holding that was errantly called in the end zone, giving Arizona the said two-point lead.
Unlike with Jake Moody, there was no pit in the stomach feeling as Pineiro lined up for a makeable 35-yard field goal, and again perfectly split the uprights to move the 49ers to 3-0 on the season.
Second star: WR Ricky Pearsall
No Brandon Aiyuk, Jauan Jennings, or George Kittle. No problem.
On a day when the 49ers’ offense struggled, Pearsall’s performance only shines that much brighter. While McCaffrey led the team in receptions and targets, Pearsall led the way with 117 yards on eight receptions, accounting for 41 percent of Jones’ 284 passing yards.
It wasn’t just the number of yards, but the results of the plays that earned Pearsall Sunday’s second star. Six of his eight receptions resulted in a first down, including his first four catches, where he had receptions that went for 18, 20, and 18 yards.
But his biggest play of the game was also the offense’s biggest play of the game, and there’s a case to be made that it’s the biggest play of the season so far. With the 49ers’ offense sputtering in a game tied at six, San Francisco faced a fourth-and-2 at the Arizona 40-yard line. It was in an area of the field that was too close to punt, but too far to kick, so a three-yard McCaffrey run on third down set up a fourth down where the 49ers were always going for it.
Instead of settling for just enough, Kyle Shanahan decided he wanted it all. He called for a Pearsall go route, and the receiver found himself one-on-one with Kei’Trel Clark. Jones threw it up, and Pearsall pulled down the deep shot and was tackled for a gain of 34 yards, which ended up being the longest play of the game for either side. Two plays later, the 49ers would find the end zone for the first time.
Pearsall is slowly establishing himself as a quality receiver in the league and showing true No. 1 receiver potential in the early weeks of the season. That’s only a good sign for a 49ers passing attack that is still awaiting the returns of Kittle, Aiyuk, Jennings, and Demarcus Robinson.
First star: LB Fred Warner
Really, the entire defense is deserving of Sunday’s first star, but if one player could personify the defense’s performance, it would be Fred Warner.
In a game where the defense lost Nick Bosa early on due to injury, they never felt like they missed a beat. Arizona averaged just 3.8 yards per rush attempt and 4.3 yards per pass attempt, while the defense limited Kyler Murray and the team to 13 points. The Cardinals wouldn’t have their first points until the second quarter and would find the end zone until the fourth.
Warner’s performance played a large part in that. The linebacker led the 49ers with 11 tackles, five of them solo and a pair of pass deflections. There were subtle plays throughout the game, though, where Warner’s impact was felt. He had a run stop on James Conner on a third-and-1 to force an Arizona punt that led to a 49ers field goal. He had a pass breakup in the first quarter that was a near interception that played a role in holding Arizona to a field goal.
But like last week, he waited until the fourth quarter to make his biggest play of the game. In a tie game and Arizona nearing field goal range, Murray tried to connect with Trey McBride on a third down. Whether or not that pass would have resulted in a first down will never be known, as Warner knocked the ball down at the line of scrimmage to force the punt. Instead of Arizona potentially getting three points, it set up the Arizona safety, allowing Pineiro’s field goal to be for the win and not the tie. Ideally, the safety just never happens, but allowing two points is better than three, no matter how bad it looks.
As I said, the defense as a whole deserves the credit for the win on Sunday. Dee Winters looked good again. Mykel Williams and Bryce Huff followed their solid performances in New Orleans with good games against Arizona. Upton Stout had a pass breakup on a third down to set up the game-winning drive. But Warner is the heart and soul of Robert Saleh’s defense, and he deserves the shine for his performance.
Throughout the season, I will track the three stars of the season, tallying up points for each star award using a complex scoring system: three points for being the first star, two for the second, and one for the third. Through Week 3, the standings are:
- LB Fred Warner – 6 points
- WR Ricky Pearsall, TE Jake Tonges – 3 points
- QB Mac Jones, LB Dee Winters – 2 points
About the Author: Insidethe49
