Live Commentary: San Francisco 49ers 7-47 Arizona Cardinals - as it happened

Good evening! The Arizona Cardinals will be hoping to maintain their 100% start to the 2015 NFL season tonight as they host NFC West rivals the San Francisco 49ers. With kickoff around half an hour away, let's start with a look at the inactive players for both teams.

CARDINALS INACTIVES: Barkley, Nelson, Ellington, Riddick, Humphries, Iupati, Williams

49ERS INACTIVES: McDonald, Ellington, Bush, Wright, Thomas, Purcell, Silberman

There are a couple of injury blows for the 49ers, with tight end Vance McDonald missing out after picking up a knee injury during the loss to the Steelers, while wide receiver Bruce Ellington is out again with an ankle injury. His cousin, Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, also misses out for the second straight game, while Mike Iupati won't face his former team after joining the Cardinals from the 49ers during the offseason.

This is a fixture that has been dominated by the 49ers over the last three season, with today's visitors winning five of their last six games against their divisional rivals. The Cardinals won the last meeting in Arizona though, and made it to the playoffs last season, while the 49ers missed out.

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald had a big game in the 48-23 win over the Bears last weekend. As well as scoring three touchdown, the 32-year-old, who is in his 12th season in the league, also had 112 receiving yards from just eight receptions. Quarterback Carson Palmer will surely be targeting him again tonight:

WR @LarryFitzgerald had 3 TDs against the #Bears. What does he have in store for the #49ers? #AZCardinals | #SFvsAZ pic.twitter.com/QFw9G5XJ8p

— #SFvsAZ (@AZCardinals) September 27, 2015

Running back Carlos Hyde will be a key player for the 49ers. The second-year rusher starred in the 20-3 win over the Vikings, with two touchdowns and 168 yards, but suffered a concussion in the loss to Pittsburgh last week, leaving him off the field for the majority of the game. He's been passed healthy for this clash though. With Reggie Bush still missing, he'll be seeing plenty of carries for the visiting side.

It could also be a big night for wide receiver Anquan Boldin:

🆎 needs two receptions to take sole possession of 13th on the career @nfl receptions list. #SFvsAZ pic.twitter.com/SREtnnCHNG — San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) September 27, 2015

The Cardinals sit at the top of the NFC West after the opening two weeks of the season, with the 49ers and Rams both having lost one of their first two fixtures, while the Seattle Seahawks, who have won the division for the last two years, lost both games so far. Arizona have not won the division since the 2009 season.

If you want to catch up with any of the early kickoffs from the NFL, you can find all of our half-time reports here. There will be full-time updates to follow as the fourth quarters come to an end in those games.

The players are starting to make their way out ready for the start of the game. Here come the home side:

Here. We. Go. #SFvsAZ pic.twitter.com/vdNCQowuZq — #SFvsAZ (@AZCardinals) September 27, 2015

Arizona won the pre-game coin toss and have chosen to receive the opening kickoff, so their offense will be on the field first.

KICKOFF! Bradley Pinion takes the opening kickoff, with goes straight out the back for a touchback, so the Cardinals will start from their own 20-yard line.

It's a brilliant start for the home side as Palmer looks for Larry Fitzgerald with his first pass of the night, and he finds the wide receiver for a 21-yard gain over the middle. Fitzgerald hauls in another catch on the second play of the game to move the chains again, and get the Cardinals into 49ers territory. The home side clearly mean business.

What started as a promising drive quickly comes to a halt as Palmer twice hands the ball off to Chris Johnson, but he can only move the ball one yard. On third down, the quarterback tries to find Fitzgerald again, but this time some solid coverage from NaVorro Bowman ensures that the receiver can't make the catch, so it's punted away. It's former Rugby League star Jarryd Hayne on returning duty, and he takes a fair catch at the San Francisco 13.

The 49ers try to get Carlos Hyde into the game straight away, but he loses a yard before being tackled for no gain. There's some confusion for the defense though, so Arizona have to take a timeout.

Colin Kaepernick's first pass of the game is intercepted by Justin Bethel, who steps in front of Vernon Davis to pick off the pass before returning it 21 yards to the endzone to get the first points on the board. That's a disappointing start for the 49ers.

Kaepernick quickly tries to put his mistake behind him as he tosses the ball to Carlos Hyde, who powers forward for the team's first first down of the game.

What on Earth is Colin Kaepernick doing?! He tries to get the ball to former Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin, but he fails to spot the speedy Tyrann Mathieu closing in, and the safety leaps in front of the receiver before being left with an open field in front of him to add the second pick-six of the game for the Cardinals. This could be a long night for the 49ers.

Passing certainly hasn't gone well for the 49ers so far, so Kaepernick decides to keep the ball on the ground, handing off to Hyde, who gets pushed out of bounds for a first down, before Kaepernick tries to run it himself, but picks up just three yards. San Francisco need 16 yards on third down after Joe Staley picks up a false start penalty. Hyde tries his hardest to keep the drive going, weaving through the middle to try to reach the first-down marker, but he's brought down just short. Given the way the first two drives went though, the 49ers will probably be relieved to be sending on Pinion to punt it away.

Palmer goes for a deep pass again as he comes back onto the field with the Cardinals offense. Michael Floyd hauls in a spectacular 44-yard pass, leaping high into the air to bring it down, but Veldheer is penalised for holding, so the play is wiped off. Palmer soon finds Fitzgerald again though, who loses Wilhoite to pick up another first down and get the ball into San Francisco territory.

The Cardinals quickly get another first down on the board as John Brown picks up 13 yards before being shoved out of bounds by Tramaine Brock, while Fitzgerald gets another 17 yards on the board. He's already got 90 receiving yards, and it's not even the end of the first quarter!

The Cardinals should get their first offensive points of the game on the board from this drive as a penalty moves the home side even closer to the endzone, before Chris Johnson tries to smash his way through, but he's down at the two-yard line.

Despite Veldheer picking up his third penalty of the drive to move the home side back five yards, the Cardinals quickly extend their lead as Chris Johnson gets the ball again, and surges over from six yards out. This really could be any score the way things are going.

Kaepernick is clearly still lacking a bit of confidence with his passing after the opening few minutes of the game, electing to hand the ball off to Hyde again. The running back picks up a first down though, before Kaepernick runs it himself for a gain of eight.

The 49ers need just two yards to move the chains again, but Hyde runs straight into Calais Campbell, before being tackled by Minter on the next play, leaving him a yard short, so Pinion comes on to punt again.

Chris Johnson is really stepping up in Andre Ellington's absence, following up a run of 15 with a 30-yard dash to the San Francisco 28.

Palmer tries to get the ball into the end zone, but John Brown is tackled short after failing to take a catch in the endzone on the previous play, while Jermaine Gresham can't get his hands to it in the corner.

What an amazing few minutes Chris Johnson has had. After scoring his first touchdown for the Cardinals at the start of the second quarter, he's added another, muscling his way across the line from a yard out.

Things almost get worse for the 49ers on the kickoff as White fumbles the ball following a ferocious tackle from Bethel, who already has a pick-six to his name this evening. Nick Bellore pounces on the loose ball though to ensure that the 49ers retain possession. It's a rare break for the visiting side, who will get the ball back on their own 25-yard line.

Carlos Hyde is working hard to try to keep the ball moving for the visiting side, as he runs for five before picking up a 12-yard gain on the next play, picking up the first down.

Quinton Patton is happy with a tackle from Calais Campbell, resulting in some pushing and shoving between the two sides. Patton is penalised for unsportsman like contact, moving the 49ers back 15 yards, leaving the 49ers to punt after Anquan Boldin can only pick up a two-yard gain. Incidentally, the pass to Boldin is just Kaepernick's third completion of the game. He now has 12 passing yards.

Pinion comes on for another punt, with cornerback Patrick Peterson waiting to bring it out for the Cardinals. He muffs the catch though, so the Cardinals get it back at their own 20.

It's a quick three-and-out for the Cardinals, so the 49ers have the ball back. Hayne brings it out 37 yards on the punt return before Boldin gets a third down with a 12-yard gain. The 49ers are finally in a promising position.

The 49ers avoid being shut out in the first half as Colin Kaepernick keeps the ball himself, running out to the sideline before sprinting over in the corner for a 12-yard touchdown. It's still a long way back for the 49ers, but that drive gives them a shred of hope.

TWO MINUTE WARNING: Palmer connects with John Brown to move the Cardinals to the Arizona 42 before the two minute warning time out. The home side have time to add a fifth touchdown before the end of the second quarter, which would be a big blow for the 49ers so soon after finally getting off the mark.

Larry Fitzgerald is involved again, getting another nine yards on the board before David Johnson runs for three to move the chains. The rookie running back gets the ball again from a short Palmer pass before Eric Reid makes the tackle for the 49ers. Arizona are in San Francisco territory with just over a minute to go in the first half.

INTERCEPTION! The Cardinals' hopes of a fifth first-half touchdown are dealt a blow as a pass from Palmer intended for Floyd is picked off by Kenneth Acker, giving the 49ers another chance before the interval.

INTERCEPTION! No sooner have the 49ers got the ball back than the Cardinals make another interception. Tyrann Mathieu has already picked off one Kaepernick pass today, and he does it again, leaping in front of Vernon Davis to get the ball back for the hosts. It's certainly been a half to forget for the San Francisco quarterback.

John Brown runs out wide looking to get into the corner of the endzone, but he can't hold onto the ball, but a short pass to David Johnson results in a gain of nine. Arizona are could add to their score before the end of the second quarter.

Kicker Chandler Catanzaro kicks the ball straight through the middle of the posts with the final action of the second quarter to leave the Cardinals 24 points ahead at half time. It's been a brutal display from the home side's defense, intercepting Colin Kaepernick three times, restricting the visiting side to just 103 yards from scrimmage.

This young Cardinals fan might be wearing a Larry Fitzgerald jersey, but he's probably a big Tyrann Mathieu fan too, as the safety had two interceptions in the first half, handing the ball from his second to a kid in the crowd. Fitzgerald has been brilliant for the Arizona offense though, amassing 99 receiving yards so far.

This kid will probably never forget this moment. #SFvsAZ pic.twitter.com/P6lOuH7R9O — #SFvsAZ (@AZCardinals) September 27, 2015

The stats are less impressive for the 49ers. Anquan Boldin leads the receiving with just 16 yards. However, his two receptions move him to 13th on the NFL's all-time reception leaders list. Carlos Hyde has been working hard in the running game, with 12 carries for 44 yards so far.

While interceptions have been plentiful in the first half, neither quarterback took a sack in the first half. Carson Palmer is yet to be sacked this season, while Kaepernick was brought down five times against Pittsburgh last week.

RESTART! Catanzaro gets the third quarter underway for the hosts.

INTERCEPTION! Kaepernick just can't find his own receivers tonight! The quarterback launches the ball deep in the direction of Anquan Boldin, but Jerraud Powers watches the ball all the way and picks it off for Arizona.

The Cardinals strike almost immediately as Chris Johnson makes a blistering 40-yard sprint towards the line, eventually being brought down just short by Brock. Fitzgerald just holds off Jaquiski Tartt at the back of the endzone on the next play though to bring down a four-yard pass for Palmer. That's actually the quarterback's first touchdown pass of the game.

It's back to the running game for the 49ers, with Hyde picking up a couple more short gains, before Kaepernick thinks twice about throwing it, scrambling to the sideline for the first down.

SACK! Frostee Rucker gets the first sack of the game, bringing Kaepernick down for a loss of seven. The quarterback manages to keep hold of the ball, but the 49ers will have to punt. Kaepernick looks like he's lost all confidence, looking to run whenever a receiver isn't wide open, and that time he just waited too long to get rid of the ball.

Palmer continues to split the Arizona offense between the running and passing games, with Chris Johnson making a couple of short runs before the quarterback finds Fitzgerald for a 23-yard reception. Every times Palmer links up with the wide receiver the 49ers look vulnerable.

INJURY UPDATE: The Cardinals could be without linebacker Alex Okafor for the rest of the game as he is questionable to return with a finger injury.

SACK! The 49ers get their first sack of the day as first-round Draft pick Arik Armstead gets to Palmer, taking him down for a loss of four. The Cardinals will have to punt.

Just when it's starting to look like things couldn't get much worse for the San Francisco offense, the Cardinals pin them back inside the one-yard line from the punt. Carlos Hyde tries to run it out, but Kevin Minter tackles him in the end zone, giving the hosts a safety.

INJURY UPDATE: There's yet another blow for the 49ers as tight end Vernon Davis is questionable for the remainder of the game, having picked up a knee injury.

FUMBLE! Armstead gets to Palmer again, and the ball is forced from the quarterback's grasp as he's brought to the ground. He manages to recover it himself, despite NaVorro Bowman trying to steal it for the 49ers. In fact, the linebacker draws an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, giving the Cardinals a fresh set of downs.

Chris Johnson makes two short runs before Palmer goes deep looking for Floyd on this down, but Johnson is covering the wide receiver, ensuring that he can't get into the endzone.

The 49ers get the ball back after a punt from Arizona, and there's just time for a Kaepernick run to move the chains before the clock expires. The quarterback hasn't made a completed pass in the third quarter.

SACK! The 49ers are going backwards as Kaepernick is brought down by LaMarr Woodley for a loss of seven. Mike Davis is handed the ball on the next play, but the running back loses three yards. The 49ers offense is just woeful. It wouldn't be a surprise to see backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert given a run out before the end of the game.

Needing 20 yards on third down, Kaepernick looks for Boldin down the sideline, but the wide receiver can't get his hands on it, so the 49ers will punt again. It's been a busy day a Pinion.

While Kaepernick has struggled to complete anything other than short passes this evening, Palmer continues to find his receivers with ease, connecting with tight end Gresham for a gain of 22 yards. The running game is still proving productive for the hosts, as Chris Johnson burst through for 14, before David Johnson also gets a first down.

Stepfan Taylor makes a couple of short gains, but the Cardinals come up short on third down. However, they keep the offense on the field on fourth down, and Taylor gets the two yards, moving the chains. With such a big lead, the Cardinals can afford to take a couple of risks.

Going for it on fourth down proved to be the right move as Larry Fitzgerald gets his second touchdown of the game, running inside to collect an eight-yard pass from Palmer on the edge of the end zone.

Kaepernick gets his first completion of the second half as he finds Celek for a gain of eight, but immediately follows it up with a wayward throw in the direction of Mike Davis.

The 49ers manage to keep the drive alive as Celek gets himself free twice more, losing Weatherspoon to haul in a nine-yard pass, before a 12-yard gain a couple of plays later brings up another set of downs.

Davis runs for five yards, but Kaepernick looks for a pass on third down. With all of his receivers covered, he's forced to throw it away, so Pinion will come on to punt again. With just over two minutes remaining on the game clock, that could very well be Kaepernick's last involvement today.

Drew Stanton takes over at quarterback for the Cardinals, but he's not going to try anything too ambitious in the final moments of the game, just kneeling to run the clock the clock down.

A couple more kneels from Stanton keeps the clock moving, allowing the Cardinals to celebrate their third straight win at the start of the 2015 NFL season.

A pair of touchdowns from Larry Fitzgerald and Chris Johnson, as well as two pick-sixes lead the Arizona Cardinals to an emphatic win over a 49ers that side just didn't get going this evening. The result leaves the Cardinals with a 100% record this season, while the 49ers slip to 1-2.

So, that's all from this game, but stick around to read reports on all of this evening's NFL games. Thanks for joining me this evening. Goodbye.