San Francisco
49ers
9-7
27
FINAL
38
Arizona
Cardinals
7-8-1
AI Recap
AI RECAPThe Arizona Cardinals secured a crucial 38-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 18 of the 2026 season, solidifying their playoff aspirations. With the stakes high, both teams battled fiercely, but the Cardinals emerged as the dominant force on their home turf.
Leading the charge for Arizona was quarterback Malik Willis, who threw for 249 yards and three touchdowns, demonstrating precision and poise under pressure. Jaylen Waddle was his top target, racking up 107 receiving yards, while the 49ers' James Cook III kept the game competitive with a strong performance, rushing for 105 yards.
Defensively, Kyler Gordon was a standout for the Cardinals, recording seven total tackles and snagging an interception that proved pivotal in the second half. Arizona's defense tightened when it mattered most, and their ability to disrupt San Francisco's rhythm ultimately turned the tide in favor of the home team, sealing the victory with key stops down the stretch.
Passing
| Player | Pos | ATT | CMP | CMP% | YDS | TD | INT | QBR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malik Willis | QB | 34 | 22 | 65% | 249 | 3 | 0 | 115.9 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 32 | 22 | 69% | 235 | 1 | 2 | 74.3 |
Rushing
| Player | Pos | ATT | YDS | YPC | YAC | TD | LNG | FUM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| James Cook III | HB | 18 | 105 | 5.8 | 49 | 1 | 32 | 0 |
| De'Von Achane | HB | 15 | 72 | 4.8 | 5 | 1 | 11 | 0 |
| Justice Hill | HB | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 30 | 1 | 23 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 11 | 20 | 1.8 | 10 | 1 | 14 | 0 |
| Trevor Etienne | HB | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 13 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Joe Burrow | QB | 2 | 10 | 5.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Malik Willis | QB | 4 | 9 | 2.3 | — | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Carnell Tate | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| George Kittle | TE | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Receiving
| Player | Pos | REC | YDS | YPR | YAC | TD | LNG | DROP |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaylen Waddle | WR | 8 | 107 | 13.4 | 18 | 1 | 24 | 0 |
| Cooper Kupp | WR | 6 | 85 | 14.2 | 29 | 1 | 33 | 0 |
| Stefon Diggs | WR | 8 | 66 | 8.3 | 16 | 0 | 14 | 0 |
| Dalton Kincaid | TE | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 20 | 1 | 20 | 0 |
| Carnell Tate | WR | 2 | 44 | 22.0 | 4 | 1 | 22 | 0 |
| George Kittle | TE | 3 | 42 | 14.0 | 25 | 0 | 17 | 2 |
| Justice Hill | HB | 1 | 19 | 19.0 | 7 | 0 | 19 | 0 |
| Calvin Austin | WR | 2 | 19 | 9.5 | 4 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
| Isaiah Likely | TE | 1 | 15 | 15.0 | 3 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
| Dont'e Thornton Jr | WR | 1 | 13 | 13.0 | 5 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Kyle Williams | WR | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | — | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Jaylen Warren | HB | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| De'Von Achane | HB | 4 | 6 | 1.5 | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Mitchell Evans | TE | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | — | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Robbie Ouzts | FB | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | — | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Defense
| Player | Pos | TKL | SACK | INT | FF | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kyler Gordon | CB | 7 | 0.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| T.J. Edwards | WILL | 7 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cooper DeJean | CB | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Hines-Allen | REDG | 5 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Thompson | FS | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Josh Jobe | CB | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Devin Lloyd | MIKE | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CJ Allen | MIKE | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jacob Phillips | SAM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Romello Height | LEDG | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nick Herbig | REDG | 3 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jourdan Lewis | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bud Clark | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jaylinn Hawkins | FS | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Xavier Watts | SS | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Leonard Williams | DT | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kader Kohou | CB | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Dorance Armstrong | LEDG | 2 | 0.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jalen Carter | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jarran Reed | DT | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Kam Curl | SS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ivan Pace Jr | WILL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ji'Ayir Brown | SS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Brandin Echols | CB | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kicking
| Player | Pos | FGM | FGA | XPM | LNG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harrison Butker | K | 1 | 1 | 5 | 34 |
| Charlie Smyth | K | 2 | 2 | 3 | 32 |

