49ers Remain Unbeaten with Late Field Goal, End Cardinals Undefeated Season
The Arizona Cardinals, 2-0, took on their first division opponent of the season, as they traveled to Santa Clara, California, to take on the San Francisco 49ers, 2-0, in Week Three of the 2025 NFL season. After narrowly pulling out wins against the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers to open up the season, Arizona looked to obtain another key win by taking down a division rival on the road. However, despite holding a two-point lead within the final four minutes, the Cardinals could not put the game on ice, which allowed the 49ers to win the game 16-15 by kicking a go-ahead field goal as time expired. With the loss, Arizona drops to 2-1 on the season, while San Francisco stays unbeaten with a now 3-0 record.
Eddy Piñeiro Nails Game-Winning Kick for the 49ers
After spending the entire offseason unsigned, kicker Eddy Piñeiro would find his next NFL opportunity with the 49ers in Week Two, as the team had released kicker Jake Moody following their Week One win over the Seattle Seahawks. Despite facing an injury-riddled career thus far, Piñeiro was given another opportunity to potentially become San Francisco’s kicker of the future. In his first game with the 49ers in their Week Two win against the New Orleans Saints, Piñeiro would come through for the most part, as he nailed both of his field goal attempts, while making two of his three extra point attempts in San Francisco’s 26-21 win. Heading into Sunday’s matchup against the Cardinals, Piñeiro was a player to watch, as he looked to build off his first game and help keep the 49ers' unbeaten streak while facing a divisional opponent in their home opener.
The NFL’s fourth most accurate kicker outdid his first performance in Week Two, as he helped lead San Francisco to its first win over a divisional opponent, while keeping its undefeated streak alive on Sunday. Of the 16 points that the 49ers scored, Piñeiro added 10 of those points, including the game-winning 35-yard attempt that sealed the win as time expired. The San Francisco offense struggled to find ways to reach the endzone throughout the game, leading Piñeiro to come in and put points on the board for his team. On the day, Piñeiro successfully made all three of his field goal attempts while adding on the one extra point from the 49ers' lone touchdown of the game. Safe to say now that San Francisco might’ve just found its kicker of the future, as Piñeiro came up big when the team needed him the most.
Arizona Unable to Close the Game After Forcing Safety to Regain the Lead
On the other side, the Cardinals headed into this matchup looking to take their second road win of the season, along with their first win against a divisional opponent. Like the 49ers, Arizona’s offense struggled to reach the endzone, as San Francisco’s defense held strong all game long. Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland was forced to carry the load like Piñeiro did for the 49ers, as he scored seven of Arizona’s 15 total points. However, on the Cardinals’ first drive, Ryland missed his first field goal of the season, as he pushed a 57-yarder wide right, leaving three key points off the board that could’ve been put to good use late in the game for Arizona. On the flip side, the Cardinals' defense held strong against San Francisco backup quarterback Mac Jones for the majority of the game, including forcing a safety to take a late 15-13 lead in the fourth quarter. With the chance to put the game away for good after getting the ball back following the safety, Arizona’s offense stalled out and ended up punting the ball back to the 49ers, eventually leading to the game-winning drive. Quarterback Kyler Murray had multiple opportunities to put the game away, but wasn’t getting any help from his receivers, who dropped multiple passes throughout the game, including what would’ve been a game-ending first down catch by wide receiver Zay Jones, who could not corral the catch on a key third down.
Cardinals Lose James Conner to Gruesome Injury
While the sting of the loss was already bad enough for Arizona, the Cardinals had to lose one of their key players for not only the game, but what very well could end up being for the season, from the look of it. Running back James Conner has been a key component of Arizona’s offense since joining the team back in 2021, as he continued to be the bell cow back for the Cardinals this season. However, his season might’ve just gotten cut short, as he was injured on just the second play for Arizona coming out of the half. Conner’s right ankle was gruesomely twisted as the opposing 49ers players attempted to tackle him during the play. The medical cart ended up taking Conner to the locker room following the injury, as the Cardinals hope that this injury won’t keep him out for the remainder of the season.
