The San Francisco 49ers secured a 41-22 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 11 on November 16 at State Farm Stadium. Moreover, it marked the return of Brock Purdy from injury.
With Mac Jones performing well in his absence, all eyes were on Purdy to hit the ground running, which he did. The 49ers quarterback completed 19 of 26 pass attempts for 200 passing yards and three touchdowns.
Purdy’s return looked far different from the way he came back from injury for the September 28 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. After the win over the Cardinals, Christian McCaffrey spoke with reporters and shared his thoughts on Purdy’s performance.
“He was vintage, Brock,” McCaffrey said (h/t KNBR). “Yeah, and that’s a huge compliment. He was poised, made some great plays, made some huge third-down throws, kept us in the game, was smart the whole game.
“To miss games like that is really hard, and to come back in the middle of the year. I think people just watch and like, Oh, he had a good game, whatever. But to be out that long and to come in and do what he did today is extremely impressive.”
Two of the three touchdown passes that Purdy completed against Arizona were to George Kittle, who also had six receptions and 67 receiving yards. Whether it’s Jones or Purdy, Kittle is beginning to hit his stride at a critical time in the season. The veteran tight end, like McCaffrey, was happy to have the 49ers’ starting quarterback back.
“Brock’s presence in the huddle is just so elite,” Kittle said (h/t Nick Wagoner of ESPN). “He plays the game with this joy that’s so infectious, and it’s just so much fun to play football with him. … He was definitely feeling it. I think he’s got the confidence; he’s got his swagger.”
After losing to the Los Angeles Rams in the fashion that they did, San Francisco needed a win against a struggling Cardinals team. Moreover, with Purdy looking like his usual self, it quiets the national football media, at least for this week, over the quarterback situation in the Bay Area.
Moreover, Purdy spoke about his return to the field and what it meant to him to be back for this final stretch of games as the 49ers push for a playoff spot.
“It’s my first time missing that much time in a season, and for me, it was new,” Purdy said (h/t Nick Wagoner of ESPN). “How do I handle it? … It was frustrating. I had to learn how to deal with it and mentally just take it one day at a time, one week at a time, and trust that there’s a process to this. … But overall, it felt good… I feel great now.”
San Francisco will now turn the page for Week 12, and they will be facing another team that’s in the middle of a division fight of their own, the Carolina Panthers, on November 24 at Levi’s Stadium.
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(Photo by Candice Ward/Getty Images)
The Las Vegas Raiders extended their losing streak to four games with a 33-16 defeat to the Dallas Cowboys on November 17 at Allegiant Stadium, adding another setback to their frustrating 2025 NFL season.
Moreover, the Raiders’ offense continues to struggle, as they have scored over 20 points only once in their last four games. The lone touchdown for the Silver and Black came in the fourth quarter, as most of the threatening drives they had ended in field goals.
Amid the offensive struggles during the losing streak, Brock Bowers was asked how the offense can snap out of its funk.
“[When] we get a first down, we just [need to] keep rolling, and we need to stay on track, not get ourselves backed up with penalties or negative plays,”
Bowers said after the loss about the Raiders’ struggling offense. “Just get some yards on first down, pick up more on second, and have a manageable third down at the end…
“We just have to stay together and keep fighting. We have players here who play good football, and sometimes it doesn’t feel reflected on the field. We just need to stick together and keep going.”
Against the Cowboys, the Raiders struggled to run the ball. However, that was a play-calling decision, as Las Vegas only gave rookie running back Ashton Jeanty six carries for seven rushing yards, with the team recording only 27 rushing yards on the night.
With the Raiders out of playoff contention, the focus should be on giving rookies valuable experience ahead of 2026. That hasn’t exactly happened.
After the loss, Jeanty addressed the limited opportunities in the running game under offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and reflected on the difficulties he has faced this season.
“I don’t call the plays,” Jeanty told reporters. “I mean, that’s up to the guys upstairs. So I just take whatever I get… Just continue to trust in my faith, trust in God and his plan for me. Obviously it’s not going the way I want it to, but it’s already written, and whatever is in the future will happen, but I just got to continue to keep going and finish the year strong.”
When the Raiders picked Jeanty sixth overall in this year’s NFL Draft, many expected the rookie to play a bigger role than he has so far.
Following another questionable decision in play-calling, Ryan McFadden of ESPN didn’t hold back in criticizing Las Vegas. At the same time, he sought to understand why the Raiders had chosen this strategy against Dallas.
“Ashton Jeanty’s second carry of the night resulted in an 11-yard gain at the 13:29 mark of the second quarter,” McFadden wrote. “The rookie running back didn’t receive another handoff until the start of the third quarter. Jeanty had two carries in the first half and finished with six attempts for seven yards.
“The Raiders played from behind for the majority of the night, but their decision to abandon the run so early was questionable. That has been an issue for the majority of the season. At the same time, it might have been a sign of the Raiders’ lack of confidence in their banged-up offensive line.”