SANTA CLARA – Nick Bosa gave a thumbs-down signal toward the crowd – presumably to his mom and friends in a suite — as he limped toward the 49ers’ medical tent with a knee injury that would force him out of Sunday’s home opener.
Another injury to the ever-wounded Niners — and yet another victory.
The 49ers (3-0) pulled out more fourth-quarter heroics and used Eddy Pineiro’s 35-yard field goal as time expired to claim a 16-15 triumph over the Arizona Cardinals (2-1).
Mac Jones, Brock Purdy’s stand-in for a second straight game, had a minute and 46 seconds to deliver the game-winning drive, after the 49ers’ previous two possessions resulted in an interception at the Arizona 20-yard line and a safety in the 49ers’ end zone.
Jones delivered completions to Jake Tonges (11 yards), Skyy Moore (10 yards) and Kendrick Bourne (seven and 11 yards) before a screen to Christian McCaffrey got the 49ers to the 16-yard line with 12 seconds remaining. That was close enough for Pineiro, who replaced Jake Moody as the 49ers’ kicker after the season opener.
Jones was 27-of-41 for 284 yards with a touchdown (to Kyle Juszczyk) and the interception in what could be his final start in place of Purdy, who might be back from a toe injury next Sunday when the 49ers host the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Of Jones’ 41 passes, 26 targeted McCaffrey (10 catches, 88 yards) and Ricky Pearsall (eight catches, 117 yards).
Arizona (2-1) had edged ahead 15-13 with 3:15 remaining when 39-year-old Calais Campbell slipped past second-year guard Dominick Puni, who was called for holding in the end zone as Jones slipped free of Campbell’s attempted ankle tackle.
Barely two minutes earlier, the 49ers were marching for a go-ahead touchdown. That’s when Jones, on his 10th target of the game to Ricky Pearsall, was intercepted by safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson at the Cardinals’ 20-yard line with 5:08 remaining.
The 49ers defense may have been Bosa-less but it came through with a three-and-out stop on Arizona’s ensuing possession, highlighted by All-Pro linebacker Fred Warner’s third-down pass breakup at the line. The Cardinals punted, and Moore made a fair catch at the 6-yard line to pin down the 49ers and lead to the safety.
The Cardinals couldn’t do much with their ensuing possession, and rookie Upton Stout’s third-down pass defense forced another Cardinals punt — and another 49ers’ game-winning finish.
The low-scoring affair reflected the lack of explosive plays, though with 10:50 remaining, the 49ers broke through for the game’s first touchdown on Jones’ 1-yard scoring strike to Juszczyk for a 13-6 lead. Jones set up that touchdown by completing a fourth-and-2 dime to Pearsall for a 36-yard, over-the-shoulder grab at the 6-yard line.
But nearly 11 minutes remained, and the Cardinals answered with their 1-yard touchdown, on a Kyler Murray throw to Trey McBride against Dee Winters’ coverage. Two snaps before that, 49ers cornerback Renardo Green was called for pass interference in the end zone.
All the touchdowns and field goals could prove trivial compared to the game’s major injuries. The 49ers lost Bosa late in the first quarter, and the Cardinals carted off running back James Conner with an ankle injury early in the third quarter.
Bosa had a sack in each of the 49ers’ first two wins, at Seattle and at New Orleans. That put him on track to reclaim his status as one of the NFL’s premier defensive ends — his stated goal prior to this seventh season.
A knee injury derailed Bosa’s second NFL season, with him tearing anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in a 2020 Week 2 win at the New York Jets. That left knee was wrapped in ice after last Sunday’s win at New Orleans, though Bosa downplayed the severity of it: “It’s a little sore. Just a long game. A lot of power rushes. I’ll be good.”
Bosa and fellow defensive end Mykel Williams (wrist) were being evaluated in the 49ers’ locker room by the time a Pineiro field goal resulted in a 3-3 tie. Pineiro’s 38-yarder offset Chad Ryland’s 34-yarder which had given the Cardinals a 3-0 lead after their third possession that lasted six-plus minutes.
Pineiro easily cleared the crossbar on a 51-yard attempt 17 seconds before halftime to send the 49ers in with a 6-3 lead.
The Cardinals pulled even at 6 when Ryland’s 28-yard field goal capped a third-quarter drive in which they lost running back Conner (ankle) and had drops by Marvin Harrison Jr. (at midfield on a 25-yard throw) and Emari Demercado (third down, possible touchdown).
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The 49ers’ fourth-and-goal attempt from the 1 just before the fourth quarter failed, with McCaffrey getting decleated on a hit by Mack Wilson just as Jones’ pass was arriving. Earlier, Pearsall came through with four catches to spur along that 11-play, 63-yard drive, which Jones walked away from with a limp.
The 49ers’ defense came through in fine form to start the fourth quarter, nearly producing a safety when their three rookie linemen – Williams, Alfred Collins and C.J. West – pressured Murray into the end zone and an intentional-grounding penalty marked inside the 1-yard line.
Not only were the 49ers missing Purdy and George Kittle for a second straight start, Jauan Jennings was out with an ankle injury, leaving a threadbare receiving corps for Jones. Demarcus Robinson can come off suspension for Sunday’s home game against Jacksonville, and Brandon Aiyuk is eligible to be activated ahead of a Week 5 visit to the Los Angeles Rams, although a more likely target is Week 6 at Tampa Bay.