GLENDALE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals own the fourth quarter, and now they own the NFC West — at least for a while.

With a 23-14 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Arizona is off to just its third 3-0 start in 41 years and alone in first place in the toughest division in football.

The Cardinals also exorcized some demons against the 49ers, as they lost the previous four meetings with San Francisco and nine of the previous 10.

On this day at University of Phoenix Stadium, the Cardinals were able to turn the tables on the 49ers thanks to two third-quarter touchdown passes from quarterback Drew Stanton to rookie wide receiver John Brown, a fourth-quarter blocked field goal from veteran defensive end Tommy Kelly and a big defensive stop at the end.

The Cardinals outscored their first three opponents 30-0 in the fourth quarter, and now they have a week off to enjoy the view from atop the division. Meanwhile, the 49ers (1-2) are licking their wounds after losing consecutive games.

“For us, it’s a huge step forward with all the things that have gone on in the last two weeks,” said Cardinals coach Bruce Arians, referring to the indefinite deactivation of running back Jonathan Dwyer because of domestic-violence charges, the placement of outside linebacker John Abraham on season-ending injured reserve and a slew of key injuries. “I love the resiliency of our football team, the focus that they bring every single day to work, and getting that work done and moving on to the next game.”

The 49ers were outscored by 56 points in the second half of their first three games.

“We have to come out at halftime with our mind right and stay focused and not let penalties bother us,” linebacker Dan Skuta said. “We have to stay better.”

Arizona is where it is despite playing back-to-back games without starting quarterback Carson Palmer, who is dealing with a nerve issue in his passing shoulder that prevents him from throwing a football with any degree of strength or accuracy.

Stanton, who went 1,365 days between starts until he led the Cardinals to a 25-14 road victory last week against the New York Giants, was efficient once again if not spectacular.

He completed 18 of 33 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns — both of which went to Brown during a span of four minutes, 49 seconds when the Cardinals turned an eight-point deficit into a 20-14 lead.

Just as important, he did not commit a turnover. Between them, Stanton and Palmer have thrown 99 passes without an interception.

Stanton’s first touchdown to Brown was a 24-yard strike down the middle. Brown split the coverage and gained easy separation.

After Arizona forced the 49ers to punt, Stanton tried the same play again on a third-and-6 at the San Francisco 21. Once again, Brown got by safeties Jimmie Ward and Antoine Bethea, and he hauled in his second TD of the game.

Behind quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the 49ers looked as though they were going to roar right back. Kaepernick completed seven consecutive passes for 81 yards on the ensuing drive. The 49ers had to settle for a field-goal try, but Kelly got his right arm up to block kicker Phil Dawson’s 46-yard attempt.

San Francisco also hurt itself by taking too many penalties, especially in the second half when the game was decided. Of the 49ers’ nine flags for 107 yards, six of them (for 85 yards) came after halftime.

“We’ve got to do a better job — coaches and players — not getting those penalties,” 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said. He added of being two games behind the Cardinals, “There’s a lot of football left. We’ve got to get regrouped in a hurry. We’ve got a lot of good football teams to play.”

Kaepernick finished 29 of 37 for 245 yards a touchdown. He also ran 13 times for 54 yards. He tried to lead the 49ers on a late-game finish, but the Cardinals’ defense was too stout. Safety Tony Jefferson made a key play, dropping Kaepernick for a 9-yard loss with just under five minutes remaining, forcing a third-and-19 the 49ers couldn’t convert.

“I missed the first sack, so I knew I had to get the second one,” Jefferson said. “We were calling the blitzes, putting the pressure on him, and he was hanging back there a little bit the whole game, so I knew I had to get there.”

What the 49ers said:

“For the guys that were here, I think they can draw on that, but we have a good group of guys in this locker room. No one is panicking, no one is on mayday. The guys are going to take a serious look at what we’re doing and see how we can improve. When we all do that collectively, we will get different results.” — Kicker Phil Dawson, on the 49ers being able to rebound from a similar 1-2 start a year ago.

What the Cardinals said:

“I just think guys were tired of losing to those guys, tired of coming out on the short end of the stick. We all said it — we weren’t losing this one.” — Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly, on Arizona beating San Francisco for just the second time in the past 11 tries.

What we learned about the 49ers:

1. Penalties killed San Francisco the past two weeks. A week ago, it was 16 flags against the Bears. On Sunday, it was six costly ones in the second half against the Cardinals, including personal-foul and unsportsmanlike calls. That has to stop for the 49ers to rebound, especially ones such as the penalty wide receiver Anquan Boldin received for head-butting Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson. Coach John Harbaugh and Boldin appeared to have a heated exchange on the sideline after that play, to which Harbaugh said, “He was expressing his frustration. I was listening to it, but it was already over. We’ve got to do a better job of keeping our composure while the play is going on.”

2. The 49ers are utilizing more of a three- and four-wideout sets, getting a little away from the smash-mouth football Harbaugh usually loves to play. Though the running game still managed to produce 82 yards on 24 carries Sunday, expect to see more out of the passing game. Quarterback Colin Kaepernick relied heavily on wide receivers Michael Crabtree (10 catches, 80 yards and a touchdown) and Stevie Johnson (nine catches, 103 yards). It would have helped had they had tight end Vernon Davis, who sat out the game due to ankle and knee injuries.

–QB Colin Kaepernick reiterated after Sunday’s game that he didn’t say anything derogatory — especially a racial slur — last week to Chicago DE Lamar Houston. Kaepernick finished 29-for-37 for 245 yards with one touchdown pass and no interceptions against the Cardinals.

–K Phil Dawson didn’t see it, but he heard the sound of the Cardinals DE Tommy Kelly blocking his 46-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter when the game was still very much in play. “You expect to make every kick,” he said. “When you hear the dreaded double thud, it seldom is a good thing.”

–RB Frank Gore finished with just 10 rushing yards on six carries. That is in huge contrast to his career averages, especially against Arizona. In 17 previous games against the Cardinals, Gore rushed 271 times for 1,377 yards (81 yards per game) and 12 touchdowns.

What we learned about the Cardinals

1. Drew Stanton can play. The backup won his second consecutive game as a starter in place of injured quarterback Carson Palmer, and coach Bruce Arians knows he can continue to trust Stanton moving forward if need be. “Last week, I thought he was in the manage mode — don’t lose it. This one, I thought he went to win,” Arians said.

2. John Brown isn’t just a training camp surprise. Brown opened everyone’s eye in camp with his speed and ability to catch everything thrown his way. He now has three touchdown receptions to his name after just three NFL games, including two big ones Sunday in the third quarter that changed the game. “Coming out the whole practice week, the game plan was around me to try to get the ball in my hands more because a lot of people are looking at Larry (Fitzgerald) and Michael (Floyd),” Brown said. “It just opened up big time, so I was just prepared for it.”

–QB Carson Palmer missed his second consecutive game because of a nerve problem in his passing shoulder. The injury prevents him from being able to throw a football with any degree of confidence, and he continues to seek every possible form of treatment to fix the problem. “It’s extremely frustrating,” he said. “I wish I had a concrete answer or somebody knew exactly what to do to wake it up, but that’s not known. It’s just time. The only answer is time, and I’m hoping it doesn’t take any more time.

–P Dave Zastudil was expected to make his season debut against the 49ers, but after the team cut emergency P Drew Butler, Zastudil tweaked his injured groin in practice and Butler was re-signed less than 48 hours later. Zastudil is one of the NFL’s best at downing punts inside the opponent’s 20-yard line, finishing either first or tied for first in that statistic each of the past two seasons. “I’ve just got to let this thing calm down or it will be with me all season,” Zastudil said.

–RB Andre Ellington was eyeing the matchup with the 49ers for a while, and not just because the teams are division rivals. Ellington’s cousin, Bruce Ellington, is a rookie receiver with the 49ers and the two have been personal rivals since childhood. “We were always competing,” Andre said. “If there was a pickup game or something, he was always on the opposite team.” Both players grew up in Moncks Corner, S.C. and attended Berkeley High School there, then later squared off against each other in college. Andre played for Clemson and Bruce for South Carolina. “I thought it was interesting for him to be drafted San Fran to keep that rivalry going,” said Andre Ellington, who gained 62 yards on 18 carries. Bruce Ellington gained 1 yard on his lone carry.