The San Francisco 49ers have one of their most important games of the second half of the season against the Arizona Cardinals. Trying to break out of a pattern of alternating wins and losses each week, this is their best chance to improve their position in both the division and the NFC.
Here are the three players who need to step up for the 49ers to come out on top.
QB Brock Purdy
The 49ers have their quarterback back. After six weeks without their starter, with Mac Jones doing a solid job holding things together in Brock Purdy’s absence, San Francisco is finally at full strength, and expectations for the 49ers’ offense are sky-high.
As well as Jones played, the vertical element in San Francisco’s offense took a hit. Jones completed just 5 of 18 passes on throws over 20 yards, while Purdy, in only two games this season compared to Jones’ eight, completed 6 of 8.
Facing a defense that will be without Will Johnson in the secondary and Mack Wilson and Baron Browning at linebacker, Purdy is set up for a strong return to the starting role, especially with a fully healthy group of playmakers. Ricky Pearsall, George Kittle, Jauan Jennings, and Christian McCaffrey are all available.
WR Ricky Pearsall
As mentioned above, the 49ers can finally celebrate having their full starting offense available. Only Brandon Aiyuk is still recovering from a knee injury and remains questionable to return in 2025, but every playmaker who opened the year healthy will be on the field against the Cardinals.
Pearsall delivered a strong performance against Arizona in Week 3, finishing with 117 yards on eight receptions and earning a B minus on the PFSN WR Impact Meter. He converted a crucial fourth down on a pass from Jones that helped set up a scoring drive, and without him in recent weeks, San Francisco had to spread the ball around with less explosiveness.
This is an ideal matchup for Pearsall’s return, facing an undermanned defense and now with Purdy back in the lineup and Kittle drawing defensive attention to create isolated matchups for him. We can expect plenty of middle-of-the-field targets for San Francisco’s most effective receiver.
LB Dee Winters
When Fred Warner was still available, Dee Winters was putting together a solid season, but his level of play has dipped since Warner went down. His performance in pass coverage has not been good, even though he is coming off a game that earned him the second-highest grade among linebackers on the PFSN LB Impact Meter in Week 10, scoring a B.
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In coverage, he has allowed five touchdowns, 51 receptions, and committed three penalties, all among the worst marks in the league. San Francisco’s defense needs Winters to rebound to help compensate for a depleted pass rush that will be without Nick Bosa and Mykel Williams for the rest of the season.
He will be matched up against Trey McBride in coverage this week. A strong performance would limit McBride’s impact and help shut down Arizona’s ground game, forcing Brissett into a one-dimensional approach with more passes. This is a key opportunity for Winters to regain the early-season form he showed in the first few weeks.