Cardinals set the kind of franchise record no one wants to set in loss to 49ers

The Arizona Cardinals set a new franchise record during a 41-22 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, but not the good kind.

Tight end Josiah Deguara was called for a holding penalty that took away the impact of a 22-yard punt return by Greg Dortch with 11:59 left in the game. The flag gave Arizona its 17th of the day, a new franchise record.

But it was the most important Cardinals coming up with violations, too, such as when Trey McBride was called for taunting after a first-down pickup.

Trey McBride was flagged for taunting for a seemingly harmless celebration.

Apparently the NFL wants to penalize the sniffing gesture going forward.

🤧🤧🤧 pic.twitter.com/kRwbTYAlh8

— Jake García (@Jake_M_Garcia) November 16, 2025

Left tackle Paris Johnson Jr., Arizona’s most consistent lineman this season, was called for a holding of his own.

Perhaps most back-breaking of all the flags was a holding call on tight end Pharaoh Brown that nullified a 60-yard Bam Knight touchdown on Arizona’s first drive of the second half. It could’ve chopped a 25-10 deficit in half with 12:56 left in the third.

The Cardinals had 11 penalties in the first half alone, including an unnecessary roughness on veteran Calais Campbell on a missed field goal with one second left in the half that allowed San Francsico a second try that it made. It stretched the gap from 12 points to 15 at halftime.

The 11 first-half penalties was more than their points scored (10) in the opening 30 minutes.

The previous season high for flags across the NFL was 14, done by four teams, according to StatMuse. The Cardinals broke that mark with 5:06 left in the third quarter with an illegal shift that preceded a Jacoby Brissett interception.

A 12-penalty showing in Week 2 was the only other time Arizona has had double-digit penalties this season. Sunday marked the sixth time it’s happened in the Jonathan Gannon era.