Eddy Pineiro hits walk-off field goal as San Francisco 49ers edge Arizona Cardinals 34-31

Santa Clara, CA - The San Francisco 49ers watched a 14-point fourth-quarter lead disappear in a matter of minutes, then turned to Eddy Pineiro with the game on the line.

Pineiro delivered.

After the Arizona Cardinals rallied from a 31-17 deficit to tie the game late in the fourth quarter, Pineiro kicked the winning field goal as the clock hit 0:00, lifting San Francisco to a dramatic 34-31 Week 3 victory.

Arizona's comeback began with 4:07 remaining when Jacoby Brissett connected with Marvin Harrison Jr. for a 7-yard touchdown. The Cardinals struck again less than two minutes later when Mack Wilson Sr. returned a fumble 64 yards for a touchdown with 2:27 left, suddenly wiping out San Francisco's two-score advantage and tying the game at 31.

The 49ers still had enough time to answer.

San Francisco moved into field-goal range on its final possession, giving Pineiro the opportunity to decide it. The kick split the uprights as time expired, ending Arizona's comeback bid and allowing the 49ers to escape with the three-point victory.

"That's the kind of situation every kicker wants," Pineiro said. "The game is tied, the clock is almost gone and everybody knows what the kick means. My job was just to trust the operation and finish it."

The dramatic ending capped a game in which Christian McCaffrey supplied most of San Francisco's offensive production on the ground. McCaffrey rushed 21 times for 148 yards and a touchdown, averaging more than seven yards per carry and breaking a 26-yard run.

San Francisco finished with 198 rushing yards compared with Arizona's 70. McCaffrey accounted for nearly three-quarters of the 49ers' rushing total while also catching five passes for 36 yards. Brock Purdy added 40 yards on five carries, including a 15-yard run.

"When you finish with almost 200 yards on the ground, there's a lot to like about the work everybody put in," McCaffrey said. "We definitely would have liked to finish it without all the drama, but when they came back, we still found a way to answer."

Purdy completed 22 of 31 passes for 146 yards, two touchdowns and one interception, finishing with an 88.9 passer rating. Mike Evans caught six passes for 44 yards and a touchdown, while George Kittle added four receptions for 24 yards and a score.

San Francisco's offense reached the red zone six times and produced three touchdowns and two field goals on those trips. The 49ers finished with 332 offensive yards and 22 first downs, relying heavily on their ground game to compensate for a more modest passing total.

Arizona took a different route offensively.

Brissett completed 23 of 33 passes for 256 yards and three touchdowns, finishing with a 110.1 passer rating despite throwing one interception. His longest completion went for 37 yards.

Harrison led the Cardinals with four catches for 75 yards and a touchdown, including the late score that started Arizona's fourth-quarter surge. Jeremiyah Love caught four passes for 41 yards and a touchdown, while Trey McBride added four receptions for 20 yards and another score.

Love also led Arizona's rushing attack with 44 yards on 11 attempts.

"There were good things in the passing game, and three touchdown passes reflect that," Brissett said. "We gave ourselves a chance and fought all the way back. When you get it tied that late, you feel like you've got momentum, but they made the last play."

Arizona finished with 287 offensive yards, including 217 passing yards and 70 rushing yards. The Cardinals converted 4 of 10 third downs and both of their fourth-down attempts.

San Francisco's defense recorded five sacks and one interception, while Arizona finished with one sack and one interception. The 49ers' pass rush created one of the clearest statistical advantages in a game that became increasingly balanced as the fourth quarter unfolded.

The scoring pattern showed just how sharply momentum shifted. San Francisco carried a 31-17 advantage into the final period after outscoring Arizona 24-10 across the second and third quarters. Then the Cardinals produced 14 unanswered points in the fourth, highlighted by Harrison's touchdown and Wilson's defensive score.

What looked like a comfortable San Francisco victory had become a tie game with 2:27 remaining.

Pineiro made sure it did not become an Arizona victory.

With the final seconds disappearing and the 49ers positioned for one last kick, Pineiro converted at 0:00 to give San Francisco the final three points of a game in which Arizona had spent the closing minutes erasing a 14-point deficit.

The 49ers walked away with a 34-31 win, McCaffrey's 148 rushing yards and one of the most dramatic finishes of Week 3.

Up Next

The San Francisco 49ers will remain home in Week 4 to face the Denver Broncos, while the Arizona Cardinals will look to recover from the last-second loss on the road against the New York Giants.