Jeremiyah Love got his first start Sunday. And on the first play, he got the ball.

Seven yards.

By the time the first drive ended – without points, unfortunately for the Cardinals – Love had five carries. By the time the game was over, he had 90 yards rushing, 20 more than his total in his first two games, on 21 carries, and added a receiving touchdown.

This was the Love everyone had been waiting to see.

"I didn't take full advantage of all the opportunities, so kind of something I got to reflect on and get better at next week," Love said. "The increase in carries, did a fairly decent job with converting third downs and getting first downs and doing all I got to do for the team, but I got to get better, got to do better and take advantage of those opportunities."

Love looked every bit of the fluid, excellent ballcarrier he is. Coach Mike LaFleur wasn't committing to that being Love's role every game of course; that will be determined week to week. LaFleur also lamented that Love's longest run was eight yards, knowing an explosives are in the offing. (although averaging 4.3 yards a carry without a carry of more than 8 also says something about Love's talent.)

"He got in a groove," LaFleur said. "I think he handled the workload well."

The guess here is that the workload isn't going to fade going forward.

-- Coming into the game coach Mike LaFleur wanted to make sure his team converted many more third-and-manageables, and that showed up. The Cardinals got first downs on third-and-3, 3, and 2 on the first possession. But they ended up with a third-and-15, and that'll get you every time. They had a third-and-1 later that they got, and lost on another third-and-short when tight end Trey McBride was flagged for a (questionable) offensive pass interference.

But the penalties were an issue. The Cardinals had 10, with three more declined, but eight were in the first half. Three of the penalties were pre-snap on the offense, all on the same drive.

"The penalties put a damper on some of our explosive opportunities," tackle Paris Johnson Jr. said. "The second half, the offense started to flow together."

-- Marvin Harrison Jr. is going to slot most games behind Trey McBride and Michael Wilson as a target, but he did see the ball come his way five times, making three receptions for 40 yards. (He, like McBride, was also flagged for a questionable pass interference, but it was on an incompletion anyway.)

-- The Cardinals got caught for an opening drive touchdown against of at least 80 yards for a second straight week, but unlike the blown coverage against the Seahawks, this came on an elevated play design by 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan. On third-and-12, Brock Purdy hit Mike Evans two yards downfield and Evans quickly shoveled it to Deebo Samuel who streaked 80 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.

-- Samuel got the receiving yards but no catch, so his final crazy stat line was zero catches for 80 yards and a touchdown. That'll do wonders for a guy's per catch average.

-- The Cardinals, trailing by three, did come up with a third-and-6 stop with the Niners at the Arizona 11. But Josh Sweat was flagged for roughing the passer when he reached up to block the pass and ended up coming down on Purdy's facemask. He looked like he grabbed it as well, and he was taking the blame postgame.

"That's definitely on me," Sweat said. "I slipped up. I cost us."

-- The 52 pass attempts for Jacoby Brissett were the second-most in his career, after the 57 passes he threw in the home game against the 49ers last season.

-- In another edition of "time of possession can be misleading," the Cardinals had the ball for 38:44 compared to the 21:16 of the 49ers.

-- Another road trip next, a long one to New York. The Giants are not the Seahawks or 49ers. Cardinals need that one. But that's enough for now. Time to go home.