The biggest moment of the San Francisco 49ers’ 16-15 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday September 21, 2025 came in the final seconds when 49ers kicker Eddy Pineiro made the game-winning field goal.
After making the kick, Pineiro turned and celebrated in front of the Cardinals sideline so vehemently that it left even his 49ers teammates confused as to why he wanted it to rub it in so much.
“What did Arizona ever do to you? You never played for them,” 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan asked Pineiro postgame in the locker room.
“They’re a division rival,” Pineiro reportedly replied simply.
49ers fans will love to see that swagger from their new kicker, who seems to already have a lot of pride in playing for the Niners.
How Has Pineiro Performed Since San Francisco Signed Him?
The 49ers brought in Pineiro after their highly-publicized split with former third-round draft pick Jake Moody following Week 1.
It was a shaky start for Pineiro, who missed his first extra point attempt as a 49er in Week 2 versus the New Orleans Saints.
But since then, he has been perfect, nailing every extra point and field goal attempt.
Overall, in Weeks 2 and 3, Pineiro is 5/5 on field goals and 3/4 on extra points. His longest made kick is 51 yards.
History of 49ers Vs. Cardinals Rivalry
Every division game is absolutely massive in the NFL for several reasons. Obviously, with only 17 games, every single game affects a team’s race to the playoffs. But, divisional games do even more, because a team’s three divisional rivals are the teams they are competing against most directly for a playoff spot.
Also, head-to-head record and divisional record are both tiebreakers for playoff berths and seeding.
The 49ers’ rivalries with the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams have been very heated in recent seasons, and as a result, their division rivalry with the Cardinals seems less intense by comparison.
But how have the 49ers matched up with the Cardinals historically, and how does that compare with the Rams and Seahawks rivalries?
Well, the Cardinals-49ers rivalry is actually pretty hotly contested. The Niners have played the Cardinals 68 times dating back to 1951. The Cardinals have changed their location and name several times since then, from the Chicago Cardinals to the St. Louis Cardinals to the Phoenix Cardinals to finally the Arizona Cardinals.
The 49ers have a 37-31 record against the Cardinals all-time.
They have actually played their current most hated rivals, the Seahawks, less than that, only 55 times. But the Seahawks are the only team in the 49ers’ division that has a winning record against them all-time.
The 49ers are 24-31 against the Seahawks since their first meeting in 1976. Perhaps that’s why the Seahawks frustrate 49ers fans so much.
But their longest, most storied rivalry is against the Rams. The 49ers have played the Rams a whopping 152 times since 1950. The 49ers are 78-71-3 against the Rams all-time.
The Rams even remained in the NFC West when they moved to St. Louis from 1995-2015 in order to preserve their rivalry with the 49ers, decidedly not in the American West. That’s a sign of a true rival if I’ve ever seen one.
But what do you think, 49ers fans? Did Eddy “Dinero” Pineiro just add some spice to the 49ers-Cardinals rivalry?
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