Arizona Cardinals embarrassed in loss to San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City

22 Nov 2022

The Arizona Republic

Arizona Cardinals embarrassed in loss to San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City

The Cardinals were only down to the 49ers at one point in the second quarter, 14-10. But there are four quarters in NFL football games.

The San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals faced off on Monday Night Football in Mexico City. Look back at our live game updates and analysis.

Cardinals embarrassed in loss to 49ers in Mexico City

The Arizona Cardinals were only down to the San Francisco 49ers at one point in the second quarter, 14-10.

But there are four quarters in NFL football games.

The 49ers ended the game with 24 unanswered points to earn a 38-10 win over the Cardinals in Mexico City.

ESPN's Troy Aikman didn't mince words on Arizona's performance after the 49ers' last score, a 32-yard catch and run from George Kittle in which Cardinals defenders appeared to give up on the play.

"This is embarrassing for the Arizona Cardinals," Aikman said.

He added: "They are a losing football team and they are playing like one on that play."

Arizona fell to 4-7 with the loss. The 49ers improved to 6-4.

"It's going to take a total reversal for them to be able to salvage the season," Aikman said of Arizona going forward.

The Cardinals next host the Los Angeles Chargers in NFL Week 12. The 49ers host the New Orleans Saints.

Cardinals sit Colt McCoy, others vs. 49ers

The Cardinals have evidently seen enough. The team took out Colt McCoy, DeAndre Hopkins and some others on offense after falling behind, 38-10.

Trace McSorley came in for McCoy. The Cardinals had to punt after a 5-play, 28-yard drive.

The 49ers then decided to sit Jimmy Garoppolo on their next drive, bringing in former Arizona high school standout Brock Purdy at quarterback.

George Kittle scores second touchdown for 49ers, Troy Aikman calls out Cardinals

"This is embarrassing for the Arizona Cardinals."

"They are a losing football team and they are playing like one on that play."

ESPN's Troy Aikman had those comments on the Cardinals after failing to tackle George Kittle on a 32-yard catch and run that extended the 49ers' lead to 38-10 with 10:08 left in the game, also calling out Cardinals defense back Antonio Hamilton for not attempting to tackle the San Francisco tight end.

San Francisco's scoring drive only took five plays and 3:02. It went 50 yards.

Score: 49ers 38, Cardinals 10 (10:08 left in fourth quarter)

Cardinals turn ball over on downs again

Arizona's most recent possession went for six plays and 25 yards and saw the Cardinals turn it over after failing to convert a 4th & 4 play at midfield.

The 49ers now get the ball back with another short field, primed to completely take Arizona out of the game, if the Cardinals aren't yet considered completely out of it.

The Cardinals had 185 yards of total offense at the half. They now have just 234 yards in the game as they haven't been able to get anything going on offense in the second half.

49ers extend lead with Brandon Aiyuk's second touchdown

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk has two catches in the game against the Arizona Cardinals - both for touchdowns.

His latest came on a 13-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo and gave the 49etrs a 31-10 lead with just 28 seconds left in the third quarter.

The 49ers' drive took six plays and went for 47 yards.

The Cardinals haven't been able to get anything going on offense this half, and they haven't been able to stop the 49ers.

It's getting ugly in Mexico City.

Score: 49ers 31, Cardinals 10 (:28 left in third quarter)

Cardinals go nowhere on next possession

The 49ers' defense is not giving Colt McCoy and the Cardinals much of a chance.

The Cardinals quarterback was sacked on a 2nd & 8 play at the Arizona 5-yard line and the Cardinals had to punt after a 3-and-out and give the ball back to San Francisco.

The 49ers will start their next possession in Arizona's territory at the 47-yard line.

Cardinals get much-needed three-and-out on defense vs. 49ers

The Cardinals stopped the 49ers on their latest drive in three plays, forcing San Francisco to punt.

The 49ers lost three yards on the drive.

Arizona now has a chance to respond to get closer in this game. Can it?

Cardinals turn ball over on downs on first possession of second half

The Cardinals were not able to respond to the 49ers' touchdown and turned the ball over on downs on their first possession of the second half when Colt McCoy failed to connect on a 4th & 3 pass to Greg Dortch.

Arizona's drive went for eight plays and 34 yards.

Arizona politicians make the trek to Mexico City

Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego and Marco Lopez, who lost the Democratic nomination for governor to Katie Hobbs in August, were among those attending Monday night's game.

"Almost #kickoff! Who’s ready to watch from #mexicocity ?!?!?! @AZCardinals" Lopez tweeted.

Gov. Doug Ducey also was in Mexico, for a trade mission.

Ducey appeared on the ESPN Deportes pregame show.

49ers score touchdown on first possession of second half

Deebo Samuel just ran 39-yards for a touchdown to give the 49ers a 24-10 lead on the Cardinals early in the second half.

San Francisco's drive took eight plays and went for 75 yards. The 49ers ran the ball on seven of the eight plays.

Samuel's run was the longest touchdown run of his career.

That was not the start Arizona wanted, or needed, to the second half, obviously.

Can the offense now answer again?

Score: 49ers 24, Cardinals 10 (10:34 left in third quarter)

Cardinals vs. 49ers: First-half stats

The 49ers lead the Cardinals at the half in Mexico City, 17-10.

The stats reveal a pretty close first half, although the 49ers have the edge where it matters, on the scoreboard.

Both teams had 11 first downs in the first half.

The 49ers outgained the Cardinals, 186-185.

Arizona had a 160-153 advantage in passing yards, while San Francisco held the advantage in rushing yards, 33-25.

The Cardinals have the only turnover of the game and it proved costly as it led to seven San Francisco points.

Arizona had the ball for 18:16, while San Francisco had it for 11:44.

The Cardinals are giving up 6.6 yards per play, while they are getting 4.7 yards per play.

The 49ers will get the ball to start the second half, but Arizona is still in this game.

If the defense can step up and force some turnovers and timely stops, that could go a long way in giving the team the boost it needs in the second half. It would also be nice if Arizona could get something going on the ground after averaging 1.7 yards per carry on 15 attempts in the first half.

49ers extend lead with late field goal in first half

The Arizona Cardinals' defense slowed down the 49ers enough to limit San Francisco to a 39-yard field goal on its latest possession after the 49ers had scored touchdowns on their previous two possessions.

The 49ers' drive took 10 plays and went for 54 yards. It took 3:36 off the clock.

Score: 49ers 17, Cardinals 10 (:43 left in first half)

Cardinals respond to 49ers' touchdown with touchdown of their own

The Arizona Cardinals needed to respond to the 49ers' touchdown after San Francisco took a 14-3 lead.

They did.

James Conner ran the ball in from 2-yards out to finish a 9-play, 75-yard drive and pull Arizona within 14-10 with 4:19 left in the first half in Mexico City.

Greg Dortch stepped up with some big catches for Arizona, one a 47-yard catch and run on a 3rd down and 6 that gave Arizona the ball at the 49ers' 12-yard line.

The drive took 4:23 and gave Arizona's defense a chance to get some rest.

Can the Cardinals defense now get a big stop late in the half?

Score: 49ers 14, Cardinals 10 (4:19 left in second quarter)

Turnover comes back to bite Cardinals as 49ers extend lead

The 49ers have extended their lead to 14-3 on a 39-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to George Kittle.

It didn't take the 49ers long to capitalize off Colt McCoy's interception. The scoring drive took just three plays and went for 46 yards. Just 55 seconds came off the clock.

That Arizona defense that looked so strong early is now struggling after allowing two straight touchdowns to San Francisco. The Cardinals could really use a scoring drive on their next possession to help them get back in this.

Score: 49ers 14, Cardinals 3 (8:42 left in second quarter)

Cardinals turn ball over vs. 49ers

The Cardinals turned the ball over on their next drive when James Conner couldn't catch a pass from Colt McCoy that the running back deflected into the arms of the 49ers' Jimmie Ward. The Cardinals had been moving the ball, but lost 15 yards on their drive when DeAndre Hopkins was called for taunting after a 10-yard reception.

The 49ers will have the ball at the Arizona 46-yard line to start their possession.

49ers take lead vs. Cardinals

The 49ers have their first lead of the game after a 7-yard pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Brandon Aiyuk topped off a 9-play, 82 yard drive that took 4:06.

The 49ers benefited from a 15-yard personal foul call on the Cardinals for a facemask on the drive that replays showed was not a facemask.

Garoppolo is now 7-for-10 for 57 yards in the game, with the touchdown. Christian McCaffrey had a 20-yard run on the drive and now has 31 yards on five carries. Deebo Samuel had a 19-yard reception on the drive and now has three catches for 28 yards.

Score: 49ers 7, Cardinals 3 (13:35 left in second quarter)

Cardinals forced to punt vs. 49ers

The Cardinals had to punt after a 6-play, 19-yard drive that took 3:05 off the clock.

Rondale Moore is questionable to return for the Cardinals with a groin injury suffered earlier in the game, potentially putting Arizona down a wide receiver.

Colt McCoy is 8-for-12 for 69 yards early in this game for the Cardinals. Three of his completions have gone to DeAndre Hopkins, who has 40 yards receiving.

Cardinals' defense gets another stop vs. 49ers

The Cardinals' defense is off to a good start in Mexico City.

The team just held the 49ers to 17 yards on their second drive, after holding them to two yards on their first.

The 49ers have tried to get Christian McCaffrey going, but Arizona has been able to contain him besides an 11-yard catch to start the 49ers' latest drive.

Cardinals get on scoreboard first in Mexico City

The Cardinals have a 3-0 lead on the 49ers after an 11-play, 58-yard drive that took 4:38.

Matt Prater hit a 40-yard field goal to give Arizona the 3-0 lead.

Colt McCoy connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a pair of 17-yard passes on the drive.

Arizona's possession stalled after having a first & 10 at the San Francisco 26, but the Cardinals were able to get on the scoreboard.

Score: Cardinals 3, 49ers 0 (8:00 left in first quarter)

49ers go three-and-out on first possession

The 49ers couldn't get anything going on their first possession, either, as Christian McCaffrey ran for two yards on first down, followed by incomplete passes from Jimmy Garoppolo on second and third down.

Cardinals go three-and-out on first possession

The 49ers win the toss and elected to defer to the second half.

The Cardinals couldn't get much going on their first possession as Rondale Moore lost six yards on a catch on first down, DeAndre Hopkins gained six yards on a catch on second down and Colt McCoy threw an incomplete pass on third down.

It's raining in Mexico City.

Colt McCoy gets second straight start for Cardinals

As expected, the Cardinals are going with Colt McCoy at quarterback for the second straight week after listing Kyler Murray as inactive for the game.

Other inactives for Arizona are CB Byron Murphy, LB Jesse Luketa, LB Victor Dimukeje, T D.J. Humphries, G Max Garcia and TE Zach Ertz.

The 49ers will be without RB Tyrion Davis-Price, DL Kemoko Turay, DL Samson Ebukam, LB Curtis Robinson, OL Nick ZakelJ and DL Arik Armstead.

How to watch 49ers vs. Cardinals

The game can be seen at 6:15 p.m. MST time on ESPN.

Joe Buck (play-by-play) and Troy Aikman (analyst) will be in the broadcast booth for the game.

The Cardinals are coming off a 27-17 win against the Los Angeles Rams.

The 49ers beat the Los Angeles Chargers, 22-16.

These teams will play again in San Francisco in Week 18.

How to watch:San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals schedule, TV