49ers vs. Cardinals, second quarter thread: So far, so good for the Niners

The 49ers couldn’t have asked for a better start to the game. They forced a three-and-out against the Cardinals, thanks to a non-holding call on Dre Greenlaw.

After a 15-yard return by Ray-Ray McCloud, the offense marched down the field in four minutes on an 8-play drive covering 62 yards, before Christian McCaffrey capped the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown run. San Francisco quickly took a 7-0 lead.

You had the feeling that Arizona would need to answer with a score before this game got ugly sooner than later. They wound up getting a first down, which wiped away a Nick Bosa tackle for loss, after Javon Hargrave was penalized for a defensive holding. Then, Hollywood Brown sprinted past Isaiah Oliver on a 3rd & 8 for the Cardinals’ second first down of the drive.

But Josh Dobbs felt the pressure on the third third down of the drive, and Arizona was forced to punt.

McCaffrey would have the first two touches on the ensuing drive for 17 yards. But then, we saw Jordan Mason give CMC a rest. Mason caught a pass for 13 yards then had a run of four yards. San Francisco faced a 4th & 4, and George Kittle gained nine yards. Through one quarter, Brock Purdy was 5-for-5 for 60 yards.