Will Purdy shine in return home?

QB could be in for a duel with Murray, who’s led Cardinals to 2-2 record since return

The 49ers routed the Cardinals the past three times they played, but Arizona didn’t have Kyler Murray at quarterback in any of those games. What kind of problems might Murray create for the 49ers’ defense that Colt McCoy, David Blough and Joshua Dobbs didn’t?

Eric Branch, 49ers beat writer: Forgot about the David Blough game! The biggest challenge Murray presents is his mobility. He’s had 268 rushing yards, averaged 6.5 yards a carry and scored two TDs in five career games against the 49ers (record: 2-3). This week, pass rusher Nick Bosa and defensive coordinator Steve Wilks said Murray is more elusive and dangerous as a runner than Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts, whom the 49ers limited to 20 rushing yards two weeks ago by inviting him to roll outside and clogging up interior lanes. After starting 1-8, the Cardinals are 2-2 since Murray returned from the torn ACL he suffered last season, and he has had three rushing scores in his four starts.

Scott Ostler, columnist:

One problem is that seeing Murray is a jarring reminder of the dysfunction of the Oakland A’s, who wasted a firstround draft pick on him. For the 49ers, Murray doesn’t present any problems; rather, he provides wonderful opportunities. A great boxer needs great sparring partners, and the 49ers’ defense will benefit enormously from chasing around the type of dangerous mobile quarterback they’re going to have to beat in the playoffs.

Michael Silver, columnist: It’s no fun giving constant chase to one of the sport’s most electrifying athletes, and it’s especially taxing when some of your best players are either sidelined or hobbled. Injuries are a legitimate issue for a 49ers defense that has been ascending, and Murray and friends might be able to take advantage of those vulnerabilities. Murray is dangerous as a passer, too — and when he’s on, he’s on. He’s a different level of quarterback than the aforementioned trio.

Brock Purdy will be playing in his hometown as the 49ers’ starting QB for the first time, playing against his draft-day opposite (Murray went 1-1 in 2019). What should we expect from the NFL’s most unexpected star?

Branch: More of the same from the QB whose passer rating (116.9) would rank eighth in NFL history

and whose yards per attempt (9.9) would be the highest in the NFL since 1956. Purdy completed 20 of 21 passes against the Cardinals in October, ranking fourth in league history in completion percentage (95.2) for a game. Arizona’s secondary will have All-pro safety Budda Baker, who didn’t play in Week 4. Ostler: As the returning home-state hero, Purdy faces a new type of pressure. Unless what we’ve seen of him over the past year is an illusion, he will rise to the occasion by lowering his own temperature, going into superchill and reminding us that the way he processes pressure is the way a dog processes algebra — he just doesn’t.

Silver: Brock Purdy might be polite and polished in news conferences, but there’s a savage within that has propelled him to the top shelf of his profession, against all odds. In retrospect, should Arizona State (and Arizona, for that

matter) have desperately tried to land the hometown QB? Absolutely. Did the Sun Devils want Purdy? Uh … no. ASU extended a feeler very late in the recruiting process, after Purdy had languished without a Power 5 offer for months and months, and didn’t make a real run for his services. Purdy might not be a vindictive person, but on some level, he must want to remind everyone in his home region that he wasn’t fully appreciated. I expect that to happen Sunday.

Building on the unexpected, who’s the 49ers’ player you would pick for their unsung hero of the season?

Branch: Punter Mitch Wishnowsky. Hey, you asked for unsung, right? Wishnowsky, in his fifth season, has career highs in gross average (47.7) and net average (42.9) and has dropped 48.8% of his punts inside the 20-yard line, the third-best percentage in the NFL. As a result, the 49ers’ opponents have the worst average starting field position in the NFL, their own 25.4-yard line. Ostler: I’m going to take some license here with “unsung” and go with George Kittle. On this crazy-loaded offense, Kittle plays sixth banana behind Purdy, Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey and Trent Williams. If the league was like the NBA and had a Sixth Man award, Kittle would be a shoo-in. The good thing is that getting only a sliver of the spotlight seems to energize Kittle who, along with Williams, is the team’s foremost promoter of the Wonderboys.

Silver: Deommodore Lenoir was a nice story during last year’s stretch run, emerging as a legitimate No. 2 corner after some struggles earlier in his career. In 2023, he has been a flat-out baller. Lenoir’s edgy playing style and relentlessness have helped the 49ers’ secondary thrive in Year 1 with defensive coordinator Steve Wilks, and Lenoirand Charvarius Ward have formed a formidable tandem. With Ward hobbled by a groin injury, Lenoir might have to step up his game even more. He’s certainly capable of it.

Time for predictions, with the 49ers’ NFC West win streak at stake: Does S.F. extend it, or does Arizona complicate the NFC home-field advantage picture for the playoffs?

Branch: The Cardinals are at home, coming off a bye and their last game, a 24-10 upset win at Pittsburgh, showed they are a frisky 3-10 team refusing to play out the string. Meanwhile, the 49ers are dealing with several injuries to defensive starters and could exhale after surviving an intense three-game stretch (Seahawks, Eagles, Seahawks) and with the Ravens up next. So what does that mean? The 49ers will trail 14-13 midway through the third quarter before awakening. 49ers 30, Cardinals 14.

Ostler: Good teams mature as a season progresses, and the 49ers have a growing sense of their destiny. The closer you get to the summit, the more careful you are with the slippery ice (i.e., no letdown Sunday). In 13 games, the 49ers are a plus-175 points, the Cardinals are a minus-101. Purdy will spend most of the second half in a baseball cap, waving to his friends and family. Call it 35-10.

Silver: I like Eric Branch’s prediction, but I think it will be dicier than that. This is a true trap game: The 49ers are coming off an emotional stretch in which they slammed the NFC West door on the Seahawks (twice) and vanquished the Eagles — and they have the Ravens coming up on Christmas night at Levi’s. Now they’re on the road, against a team with nothing to lose, led by a dangerous quarterback who is starting to regain his stride after a torn ACL ended his 2022 season. I think the Cardinals will take advantage of a depleted defense and light up the scoreboard — but Purdy, the hometown kid, will prevail in the end. 49ers 34, Cardinals 31

Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The Chronicle Kyler Murray, right, has rushed for three scores since his return to the lineup and presents the kind of mobile threat the 49ers might see in the playoffs.