Alex Smith threw touchdown passes
after two of Arizona’s seven turnovers, Frank Gore ran for 167 yards
and another score and the San Francisco 49ers kept their slim playoff
hopes alive with a dominant 24-9 victory Monday night.
With a relentless defensive attack,
San Francisco forced the sloppy Cardinals into five first-half
turnovers and kept Kurt Warner from finding a groove. Warner threw two
interceptions in the opening half after going 130 passes without a
pick. Now, Arizona (8-5) can still clinch the division by winning two
of its final three games.
Gore had his most productive game
since Week 2, running over a Cardinals defense that held Adrian
Peterson to just 19 yards in a win against Minnesota last week. Gore
was certainly motivated for a big night after getting only 30 yards on
22 carries in a season-opening victory at Arizona on Sept. 13.
Smith, coming off a loss at Seattle
last week in which he threw for a career-high 310 yards, connected on
TD passes to Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree and finished 19-of-35
for 144 yards. The 49ers (6-7) answered coach Mike Singletary‘s
challenge to make a statement on the national stage against the
reigning NFC champions.
The Cardinals had their second game
with six or more turnovers of the season, much to the delight of the
sellout crowd at Candlestick Park. The 49ers had a franchise-record
five forced fumbles, two by safety Dashon Goldson.
Not long ago, San Francisco hoped
this game would be for the division title, but the Niners had lost six
of eight following a 3-1 start, including five straight road games by
19 total points since the victory at Arizona. They sure showed up for
this one, on a night former San Francisco stars Steve Young and Jerry
Rice worked the pregame show for ESPN on the sideline.
Warner followed the best four-game
stretch of his career with a dud — going 16-of-29 for 178 yards with
two interceptions and being sacked four times. Warner, who joined
Johnny Unitas as the only quarterbacks to post a passer rating of at
least 120 in four straight games, had gone 130 passes without an
interception before Goldson picked off a pass intended for Steve
Breaston early in the second quarter. Warner later threw another.
And it didn’t help matters the
Cardinals lost star receiver Larry Fitzgerald early in the second half
to a right knee injury after Goldson landed on him. He later returned.
The 49ers forced five turnovers in
the first half for the first time since Sept. 14, 1997, against New
Orleans. Arizona was shut out in a first half for the first time since
Dec. 21, 2008, at New England.
Davis caught his 11th touchdown pass
of the season, extending his franchise-record mark by a tight end.
Crabtree’s second career TD reception was a 35-yard catch 52 seconds
before halftime. Joe Nedney added a 37-yard field goal.
Arizona finally got on the board on
Neil Rackers‘ 48-yard field goal with 5:52 left in the third quarter,
then Beanie Wells pounded into the end zone on an impressive second
effort on fourth-and-goal from the 1 early in the final quarter. Ray
McDonald blocked the extra-point attempt.
Arizona was out of sync from the start.
The Cardinals jumped offside on
three of four snaps during the 49ers’ opening drive, which was thwarted
when Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett tipped a batted pass
to himself for an interception. San Francisco reviewed the call, but it
stood as an interception. Smith had gone 99 attempts without throwing a
pick.
San Francisco used up its second and
final review of the game with 4:39 left in the first quarter, winning
that one to give Dre’ Bly a recovery of Tim Hightower‘s fumble and a
first-and-goal at the 8 for the 49ers.
Smith threw a 5-yard TD strike to Davis two plays later for a 7-0 lead.
Crabtree wound up with five catches for 67 yards.
The 49ers swept the season series
after Arizona did so in 2008. The teams haven’t split their two annual
meetings since each winning at home in 2003, with the 49ers capturing
both matchups in 2004 and ’07 and Arizona taking each in 2005 and ’06.
San Francisco played without left
tackle Joe Staley, who worked out hard on the field before the game and
had hoped to return after spraining his right knee Nov. 1 at
Indianapolis.