The San Francisco 49ers are 3-0, have outscored opponents 98-50, and keep collecting the kind of recognition that usually comes with a team that looks fully in control. Brock Purdy’s latest honor — FedEx Air & Ground NFL Player of the Week after the 49ers’ 36-30 win over the Arizona Cardinals — fits that picture neatly.
But the early-season glow has also made it easier to overlook what is happening on the other side of the ball.
Purdy’s performance against Arizona was the kind that drives the headlines. He completed 15 of 27 passes for a season-high 297 yards and four touchdowns, finishing with a 133.8 passer rating. It was the second time in three games that he threw at least three touchdown passes, and his nine touchdown throws through Week 3 are tied for the most in the NFL this season.
For San Francisco, that production has been impossible to miss. Purdy’s nine touchdowns are also the most by a 49ers quarterback through three weeks, passing the marks set by Frankie Albert in 1948 and Steve Young in 1995. He has now thrown three or more touchdown passes in 15 career games, moving past Jeff Garcia for the fifth-most such games in franchise history.
That is the part of the story that has been easy to celebrate.
The harder part is the defense, which has been asked to absorb more than the 49ers’ record might suggest. San Francisco has allowed 317 rushing yards so far, a total that ranks 15th in the NFL. The 49ers have also faced the ninth-most rushing attempts in the league, even while often playing with leads.
That combination is what makes the early numbers worth a closer look. A team that is scoring enough to stay ahead is still seeing opponents lean on the run game often enough to keep the defense under pressure. The record is perfect. The margin is large. The questions have not gone away.
Purdy’s award only sharpens the contrast. The honors keep rolling in for the 49ers quarterback, and the offense has given San Francisco a start that looks as clean on the standings page as it does in the box score. Yet the defense’s run-game numbers sit underneath that success, waiting for a stretch of games that may ask more of it than the first three weeks have.
The 49ers will try to keep the streak going Sunday against the Denver Broncos. For now, the offense is carrying the spotlight. The defense is still the part of the team that needs a closer read.